Intermediate Greek: Homer (CLASSGRK 103)
Heroes in Homer
Spring 2006
Vince Tomasso
Room 20-22K
vtomasso@stanford.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Building 250, 2nd floor TA office) or by
arrangement.
Aims. The Iliad and the Odyssey, the epic poems we attribute to “Homer”, are two of the
most important monuments of ancient Greek literary history and culture. They herald the
start of literature in Greece, and they are incredibly important records of orality and poetry.
The overall goal of this course is to get you to begin reading these amazing poems with rapid
comprehension as well as to build an appreciation of Homeric aesthetics. To that effect we
will read book nine of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, closely examining matters of Homeric
vocabulary, syntax, and metrics. In addition, we will discuss Homeric themes, compositional
techniques, and poetic structure. This quarter our reading selections center on the Homeric
conception of the hero. What makes a hero in these poems and what is the purpose of the
hero in Homeric society?
Rules and procedures. Because this is a translation course, attendance at all class meetings
is essential. Please speak with the instructor if you need an excused absence for urgent
reasons (extra-curricular events do not qualify). Missed quizzes may not be made up except
in circumstances as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Grading. 30% attendance and participation; 20% weekly translation quizzes (lowest score
will be dropped); 20% midterm exam; 30% final exam.
Exams and Quizzes. Beginning with the Friday of the second week of the quarter there will
be a short (about five lines) weekly quiz that will test your ability to translate the material
that has been assigned for that week. Note that they are non-cumulative. On the Monday of
the sixth week there will be a midterm, consisting of translation passages culled from the
assigned readings up to that point. There will be final examination during exam week, similar
in format to the midterm. It will be non-cumulative (that is, it will cover material from after
the mid-term only). In all quizzes and exams there will be underlined words for you to
explain grammatically and syntactically. For the final, there will also be a passage taken from
Homer that you will translate at sight (unfamiliar vocabulary will be provided).
Provost’s Statement concerning Students with Disabilities. Students who have a disability
which may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services
in a class must initiate the request with the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC will
evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend appropriate accommodations,
and prepare a verification letter dated in the current academic term in which the request is
being made. Please contact the DRC as soon as possible; timely notice is needed to arrange
for appropriate accommodations (phone 723-1066; TDD 725-1067).
The Honor Code. Violating the Honor Code is a serious offense, even when the violation is
unintentional. The Honor Code is available at: www.stanford.edu/dept/vpsa/judicialaffairs/
honor_code.htm.
You are responsible for understanding the University rules regarding academic integrity; you
should familiarize yourself with the code if you have not already done so. In brief, conduct
prohibited by the Honor Code includes all forms of academic dishonesty, among them
copying another student’s exam, unpermitted collaboration, and representing as one’s own
work the work of another. If you have any questions about these matters, see your teaching
fellow during office hours.
Reading assignments. Please come to each class meeting prepared to translate the selection
assigned for that day. It will also be necessary for you to become acquainted with the overall
scope of both poems. In addition to translation, I have also assigned books of the Iliad and
Odyssey that are to be read each week in English. It would be ideal for this portion of the
assignment to be finished by the first class session of the week.
The textbooks I have ordered for this course are Benner, Selections from Homer’s Iliad
(required); Stanford, Odyssey I-XII (required); Cunliffe, A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect
(highly recommended). I have not ordered translations of the Iliad and Odyssey because I
assume that you either have your own copies or can easily find a copy for purchase from
almost any bookstore (or even check one out from the library; there should be plenty of
copies to go around).
Week 1. Orientation and Achilles 1.
Read Iliad, books 1-5 (English).
4-5: Introduction to Homer, syntax, and meter.
4-7: Iliad 9.1-24 (24).
Week 2. Achilles 2.
Read Iliad, books 6-10 (English).
4-10: Iliad 9.25-56 (31).
4-12: Iliad 9.57-102 (45).
4-14: Quiz 1. Iliad 9.103-157 (54).
Week 3. Achilles 3.
Read Iliad, books 11-16 (English).
4-17: Iliad 9.158-214 (56).
4-19: Iliad 9.215-269 (54).
4-21: Quiz 2. Iliad 9.270-327 (57).
Week 4. Achilles 4.
Read Iliad, books 17-20 (English).
4-24: Iliad 9.328-392 (64).
4-26: Iliad 9.393-457 (64).
4-28: Quiz 3. Iliad 9.458-523 (65).
Week 5. Achilles 5
Read Iliad, books 21-24 (English).
5-1: Iliad 9.524-585 (61).
5-3: Iliad 9.586-648 (62).
5-5: Quiz 4. Iliad 9.649-713 (64).
Week 6. MIDTERM and Odysseus 1.
Read Odyssey, books 1 and 9 (English).
5-8: MIDTERM.
5-10: Odyssey 1.1-27 (27) [compare with Iliad 1 proem].
5-12: Odyssey 9.151-186 (35).
Week 7. Odysseus 2.
Read Odyssey, books 2, 3, and 4 (English).
5-15: Odyssey 9.187-227 (40).
5-17: Odyssey 9.228-268 (40).
5-19: Quiz 5. Odyssey 9.269-309 (40).
Week 8. Odysseus 3
Read Odyssey, books 5, 6, and 7 (English).
5-22: Odyssey 9.310-350 (40).
5-24: Odyssey 9.351-390 (39).
5-26: Quiz 6. Odyssey 9.391-430 (39).
Week 9. Odysseus 4.
Read Odyssey, books 8 and 10 (English).
5-29: MEMORIAL DAY – NO CLASS
5-31: Odyssey 9.431-472 (41).
6-2: Quiz 7. Odyssey 9.473-515 (42).
Week 10. Odysseus 5.
Read Odyssey, books 11 and 12 (English).
6-5: Odyssey 9.516-566 (50).
6-7: WRAP UP: The Legacy of the Hero.