Heroes and Villains in the Classical World and Modern Film
CLAS 160B1
Fall 2014
MWF 11:00-11:50am
Social Sciences 100
Teaching Assistants:
Name:
Ian Dahl
Jeremy Turner
Lauren Alberti Munoz
Professor Alex Kennedy
Office: Learning Services Building 222
Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 2:00-3:00pm and by appt.
Email: arkennedy@email.arizona.edu
Email:
iandahl@email.arizona.edu
jaturner@email.arizona.edu
lalberti@email.arizona.edu
Office:
LSB 203
LSB 203
LSB 203
Office Hours:
Thurs 10:00am-12:00pm
Mon/Wed 1:00-2:00pm
Fri 1:00-3:00pm
Course Description:
This course will explore the representations of heroes and villains in the Greek and Roman world and the ways
in which modern films draw on these ancient hero/villain models. The course will be divided into four units:
adventure heroes, war heroes, post-war heroes, and villains. Each of these units will begin with readings from
ancient texts and end with viewings of modern movies. Class meetings will focus on discussion of the themes of
the readings/films as well as their literary and historical context.
Required Texts:
D. Grene, trans., Oedipus the King, 2010
R. Hunter, trans., Apollonius of Rhodes: Jason and the Golden Fleece, 1993
S. Lombardo, trans., The Essential Homer: Selections from the Iliad and Odyssey, 2000
R. Fitzgerald, trans., The Aeneid, 1990
P. Meineck, trans., Aeschylus: Oresteia, 1998
S. Esposito, ed., Euripides: Medea, Hippolytus, Heracles, Bacchae, 2004
C. Collard, trans., Aeschylus: Persians and Other Plays, 2009
Additional readings will be given as PDF files posted on D2L.
All films will be given as streaming videos posted on D2L.
Grading:
Final grades will be calculated as follows:
Midterm Exam
25%
Reading Responses
Final Exam
25%
Essays
Final letter grades will be assigned as follows:
A: 90-100%
B: 80-89.9%
C: 70-79.9%
15%
35% (10% + 10% + 15%)
D: 60-69.9%
E: 0-59.9%
Exams:
There will be a midterm and final exam. Both exams will include short answer questions and identification or
discussion of terms, themes, and/or passages from the readings or lecture. The final exam will not be
cumulative.
Makeup exams must be requested at least 24 hours in advance and will only be allowed in cases of serious
illness, family emergency, religious holiday, or absences approved by the UA Dean of Students. In all cases,
appropriate documentation must be given to the professor ahead of time or the makeup exam will not be
allowed.
Reading Responses:
Over the course of the semester, students will be expected to complete six reading responses. Each of these
responses is due on a Friday by 5pm and must be turned in via the Dropbox tab on the course’s D2L site. For
each response, the assignment is to choose a hero or villain from that week’s readings/films and briefly (in 200250 words) discuss some specific way in which you think that hero or villain is interesting or important. A more
detailed description of the assignment for these responses will be posted on the course’s D2L site. No late
reading responses will be accepted. The lowest reading response score for the semester will be dropped.
Essays:
Three short academic essays (2-3 pages) will be required. More details about essay topics and requirements will
be distributed later.
Attendance and Absence Policies:
Attendance in class is required. We will discuss material in lecture that is not included in the readings, so it is
important that you attend. Be aware that if you miss class or come to class late, it is your sole responsibility to
find out what you missed. All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for
those students who show affiliation with that particular religion. Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of
Students (or Dean’s designee) will also be honored.
Expectations and Student Conduct:
Students are expected to come to class on time with the assigned readings completed. In class, please be
respectful of others (for the UA policies regarding threatening behavior by students, see
http://policy.web.arizona.edu/threatening-behavior-students) and refrain from behavior that is distracting to the
instructor or other students. If you must arrive late or leave early, sit near an exit to avoid disrupting the class.
Silence and put away cell phones and other electronic devices. Laptop computers may only be used in class for
note taking purposes. If you choose to use a laptop computer during class, please sit at the back of the room to
avoid distracting other students. Students engaging in behavior that is disruptive or distracting to other students
may be asked to leave the lecture hall.
Email Policy:
If you email the professor or one of the TA’s, you should allow 24 hours for a response. If you email one of us
after normal business hours, do not expect a response before the next day. If you email one of us during the
weekend, do not expect a response before Monday.
Do not email the professor or TA’s with any of the following:
 Questions that can be answered by reading the syllabus. We will not answer these questions. Instead, we
will tell you to read the syllabus.
 Questions that can be answered by reading a course assignment (such as an essay assignment, etc.). We will
not answer these questions. Instead, we will tell you to read the assignment.
 Questions about your grade. We will not discuss grades over email. If you wish to discuss your grade, you
need to come see one of us in person.
Academic Integrity:
You are responsible for completing your own work in accordance with the UA Code of Academic Integrity (see
http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity). Cheating on exams or plagiarizing written
assignments (including reading responses) is inexcusable and will result in an automatic failing grade for the
course and disciplinary action.
During exams, make sure to cover your exam and keep your eyes on your own paper at all times. If you leave
the lecture hall during an exam, you will not be allowed to reenter. After the first student has completed his/her
exam and left the lecture hall, no other student who arrives late will be allowed to take the exam.
Accessibility and Accommodations:
It is the University’s goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience
physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss
options. You are also welcome to contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable
accommodations. Please be aware that the accessible table and chairs in this room should remain available for
students who find that standard classroom seating is not usable.
Honors Contracts:
Honors students may contract this course to receive Honors credit. This option requires extra writing and
creative engagement with the material. Honors Students will develop a written plan for an original film about a
hero and/or villain of their creation that engages meaningfully with the texts and themes of the course. Their
final written assignment will consist of three parts: a synopsis of their film’s characters, setting, and themes; a
detailed outline of their film’s acts and scenes; and a full screenplay for one or more of the film’s scenes. A
draft of each of these components will be due over the course of the semester. The students will attend several
group meetings throughout the semester to provide each other with feedback on their works in progress and to
present their final projects. Each student’s final written assignment will be due in the last week of classes.
Students will be assessed on the creativity of their projects and on how well their projects draw on the themes
and models of heroism/villainy presented in the course material.
If you are interested in contracting this course for Honors credit, please let the professor know as soon as
possible.
Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to
change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Tentative Reading and Exam Schedule:
*RR = Reading Response
*Apollonius’ Argonautica = Apollonius of Rhodes: Jason and the Golden Fleece
*EH = The Essential Homer
*Aeschylus’ Agamemnon = first play in the Oresteia trilogy
Week 1
Mon, Aug 25 Introduction
Wed, Aug 27 Greek History
Fri, Aug 29 Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh (D2L)
Week 2
Mon, Sept 1
Wed, Sept 3
Fri, Sept 5
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King
Perseus chapter (D2L)
RR 1 Due
Week 3
Mon, Sept 8 Heracles
Wed, Sept 10 Heracles
Fri, Sept 12 Theseus
Heracles chapter (D2L)
Heracles chapter (D2L)
Plutarch’s Life of Theseus (D2L)
RR 2 Due
Week 4
Mon, Sept 15 Jason
Wed, Sept 17 Jason
Fri, Sept 19 Luke Skywalker
Apollonius’ Argonautica, Book 1
Apollonius’ Argonautica, Book 3
Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope (D2L video)
Essay 1 Due
Week 5
Mon, Sept 22 Luke Skywalker
Wed, Sept 24 Superman
Fri, Sept 26 Batman
Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi (D2L video)
Superman (D2L video)
The Dark Knight (D2L video)
Week 6
Mon, Sept 29 Amateur Superheroes
Wed, Oct 1 Achilles et al.
Fri, Oct 3
Achilles et al.
Mystery Men (D2L video)
EH, Iliad Books 1-3
EH, Iliad Books 5-6, 9
RR 3 Due
Week 7
Mon, Oct 6
Wed, Oct 8
Fri, Oct 10
EH, Iliad Books 12, 16, 18
EH, Iliad Books 22-24
Patton, Act 1 (D2L video)
RR 4 Due
No Class (Labor Day)
Oedipus
Perseus
Achilles et al.
Achilles et al.
War Heroes: WWII
Week 8
Mon, Oct 13 War Heroes: WWII
Wed, Oct 15 War Heroes: Vietnam
Fri, Oct 17
Midterm
Patton, Act 2 (D2L video)
Platoon (D2L video)
Week 9
Mon, Oct 20 Odysseus
Wed, Oct 22 Odysseus
Fri, Oct 24
Odysseus
EH, Odyssey Books 1, 5, 8-9
EH, Odyssey Books 10-12, 17
EH, Odyssey Books 21-24
Week 10
Mon, Oct 27 Aeneas
Wed, Oct 29 Aeneas
Fri, Oct 31
Aeneas
Vergil’s Aeneid, Books 1, 4
Vergil’s Aeneid, Books 6 (all), 8 (pp. 245-256)
Vergil’s Aeneid, Books 10 (pp. 309-327), 12 (all)
RR 5 Due
Week 11
Mon, Nov 3
Wed, Nov 5
Fri, Nov 7
Stop-Loss (D2L video)
Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, lines 1-913
Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, lines 914-1672
Essay 2 Due
Post-War Heroes: Iraq
Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra
Week 12
Mon, Nov 10 Medea
Wed, Nov 12 Medea
Fri, Nov 14 Persians
Euripides’ Medea, lines 1-662
Euripides’ Medea, lines 663-1419
Aeschylus’ Persians, lines 1-531
Week 13
Mon, Nov 17 Persians
Wed, Nov 19 Heracles
Fri, Nov 21 Heracles
Aeschylus’ Persians, lines 532-1076
Euripides’ Heracles, lines 1-700
Euripides’ Heracles, lines 701-1428
RR 6 Due
Week 14
Mon, Nov 24 Foundation of Rome
Wed, Nov 26 Foundation of Rome
Fri, Nov 28 No Class (Thanksgiving)
Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita, Book 1 (D2L)
Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita, Book 1 (D2L)
Essay 3 Due
Week 15
Mon, Dec 1
Wed, Dec 3
Fri, Dec 5
Darth Vader
Supervillains
Maleficent
Week 16
Mon, Dec 8 Maleficent
Wed, Dec 10 Conclusion
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (D2L video)
(review Superman, The Dark Knight, & Mystery Men)
Sleeping Beauty (D2L video)
Maleficent (D2L video)
Final Exam: Monday, Dec 15, 10:30am-12:30pm