Syllabus | Spring 2014
Required Texts
- Apuleius, The Golden Ass, trans. Lindsay (Indiana University Press)
- Aristophanes, The Clouds, trans. Arrowsmith (University of Michigan Press)
- Aristotle, Politics, trans. Reeve (Hackett)
- Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, trans. Irwin (Hackett)
- Cicero, Selected Works, trans. M. Grant (Penguin)
- Euripides, Alcestis, Medea, The Heracleidae, Hippolytus, trans. Grene and Lattimore (Chicago)
- Freeman, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, 2nd ed. (Oxford)
- Josephus, The Jewish War (Penguin)
- Livy, The Rise of Rome, trans. Luce(Oxford)
- Lucretius, On the Nature of Things, trans. Englert (Focus Philosophical Library)
- The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha New Revised Standard Version: College Edition (Oxford)
- Ovid, Metamorphoses, trans. Melville (Oxford)
- Plato, Republic, trans. Reeve (Hackett)
- Plato, Trial and Death of Socrates, trans. Grube (Hackett)
- Theocritus, Idylls, trans. Verity (Oxford)
- Virgil, The Aeneid,trans. Mandelbaum (Bantam Doubleday Dell)
- Various readings on the Roman World available on e-reserves
Recommended Texts
Harvey, The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing (Hackett)
Williams, The Craft of Argument (Univ. of Chicago Press)
E-Reserves
To access texts that are listed as being on e-reserves, find the day's reading assignments and follow the link to the text. You will need your kerberos username and password to be able to access the texts.
Texts may be purchased at the Reed College Bookstore; a limited number of each is on reserve in the Library. Also on reserve: Oxford Classical Dictionary; Oxford Companion to Classical Literature; Anchor Atlas of World History, Volume I; Richard Lanham, Revising Prose.
Conference Assignments
The Registrar makes initial assignments to conferences in this course that continue through the year. Students who subsequently find it necessary to change conferences must petition the Humanities staff (forms for this purpose may be obtained from the Registrar or from Kathy Kennedy, Chem 303). Turn in completed forms to Michael Faletra, Hum 110 Chair. No conference changes will be permitted after the second week of the term.
Papers, Writing Assignments, and Examinations
Three course-wide papers will be assigned, due at the times designated on the schedule of readings and lectures. Individual conference leaders may assign additional writing. A final examination for the spring term will be given in finals week, May 12, 2014, 6:00 – 10:00 pm, in Vollum Lecture Hall. Rescheduling of the final exam will be allowed only for medical reasons.
Schedule of Readings and Lectures
Week 1
Mon. Jan 27
Euripides, Medea
Lecture: "The Problem with Being a Barbarian" / Ann Delehanty
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Wed. Jan 29
Aristophanes, The Clouds
Lecture: "The Clouds: The Cultural Work of Comedy" / Laura Leibman
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Fri. Jan 31
The Trial and Death of Socrates
Lecture: "A Kind of Gadfly" / Pancho Savery
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Week 2
Mon. Feb 3
Plato, Republic, Books 1 - 2
Lecture: "Who is Cephalus?" / Peter Steinberger
Wed. Feb 5
Plato, Republic, Books 3 - 5
Lecture: "Sex, Gender and the Power of Philosophy" / Tamara Metz
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Fri. Feb 7
Plato, Republic, Books 6 - 7
Lecture: "Image Worlds" / Kris Cohen
Additional resource: Slideshow and videos
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Week 3
Mon. Feb 10
Plato, Republic, Books 8 - 10
Lecture: "The Quarrel between Philosophy and Poetry" / Hugo Moreno
Wed. Feb 12
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Books 1 - 2
Lecture: "Aristotle, Happiness, and the Human Good" / Steve Arkonovich
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Fri. Feb 14
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Books 3 and 6
Lecture: "Acting Justly or Just Acting? Virtue in Aristotle" / Ann Delehanty
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
FIRST PAPER DUE: Saturday, Feb 15, 5:00 PM See Paper Topics
Week 4
Mon. Feb 17
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Books 3, 6, and 10.6-9
Lecture: "Contemplation and Reed's Honor Principle" / Margaret Scharle
Wed. Feb 19
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 8:9, 9:9-12 and 10:6-9; Politics, Book 1
Lecture: "The Virtue of Political Science" / Tamara Metz
Fri. Feb. 21
Aristotle, Politics, Books 1, 2:1-5, 3, 4:1-3 and 5:1-4
Lecture: "Method and Content in Aristotle's Politics" / David Garrett
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Week 5
Mon. Feb. 24
Art and the Hellenistic City
Study this Image Gallery before lecture and conference (proxy required off-campus);
J.J. Pollitt, "Introduction" from Art in the Hellenistic Age (on e-reserve);
Freeman, pp. 314-332
Lecture: "Multiculturalism, Hellenism, and the Pergamon Altar" / Nathalia King
Wed. Feb 26
Theocritus, 1-7, 11, 13, 15, 17;
Freeman, pp. 333-354
Lecture: "Country Matters" / Robert Knapp
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Fri. Feb 28
Polybius, Histories, Book 6, sections 1-39, 47, 50-58 (on e-reserve);
Freeman, pp. 369-401
Lecture: "Greece Meets Rome: Polybius and the Phenomenon of Rome's Rise to Power" / Ellen Millender
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Week 6
Mon. Mar 3
Lucretius, On the Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura), Book 1 (lines 1-637, 921-1117), Book 2 (lines 1-293), and Book 3 (all);
Garnsey & Saller, The Roman Empire, chapter 9 (on e-reserve)
Lecture: "Lucretius, Rome, and the Nature of the Universe" / Walter Englert
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Wed. Mar 5
Lucretius, On The Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura). Books 3 – 4
Lecture: "Epicurean Naturalism" Paul Hovda
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Fri. Mar 7
Lucretius, On The Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura). Books 5 - 6
Lecture: "Species and History in On the Nature of Things" / David Garrett
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
SECOND PAPER DUE: Saturday, Mar 8, 5:00 PM See Paper Topics
Week 7
Mon. Mar 10
Cicero, On Duties III;
Freeman, pp. 402-428
Lecture: "Cicero and Roman Philosophy" / Walter Englert
Wed. Mar 12
Livy, Ab UrbeCondita, Preface and Book 1
Lecture: "How to Found a Republic: The Roman Example" / Tamara Metz
Fri. Mar 14
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Book 2.1-25 and Book 5.19 - end
Lecture: "The Body Politic" / Nathalia King
15-23 MARCH: SPRING BREAK
Week 8
Mon. Mar 24
Augustus, Res Gestae (on e-reserve);
Suetonius, Life of Augustus (on e-reserve);
Freeman, pp. 429-444, pp. 450-464
Lecture: "From Octavian to Augustus" / Ellen Millender
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Wed. Mar 26
Peter J. Holliday, "Time, History, and Ritual on the Ara Pacis Augustae" (on JSTOR);
Study this Image Gallery before lecture and conference (proxy required off-campus);
Browse the Ara Pacis Augustae In-depth Visual Documentation website
Lecture: "Picturing Peace" / Margot Minardi
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Fri. Mar 28
Virgil, Aeneid, Books 1 – 4
Lecture: "Allusion and Epic in Virgil's Aeneid" / Sarah Wagner-McCoy
Week 9
Mon. Mar 31
Virgil, Aeneid, Books 5 – 8
Lecture: "Shaping the Past, Remembering the Future: The Uses of Allusion in the Vergilian Underworld" / Ginna Closs
Wed. Apr 2
Virgil, Aeneid
Lecture: "Homer Through Roman Eyes" / Laura Leibman
Additional resource: Lecture Images
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Additional resource: More Graffiti
Fri. Apr 4
Virgil, Aeneid, Books 9 – 12; Homer, The Iliad, Book 24
Lecture: "This is the End" / Pancho Savery
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Week 10
Mon. Apr 7
Ovid, Metamorphoses, Books 1 – 3
Lecture: "Ovid's Metamorphoses" / Maureen Harkin
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Wed. Apr 9
Ovid, Metamorphoses, Books 4 – 6, 15
Lecture: "Portrait of the Artist as Spider-Woman" / Jessica Seidman
Fri. Apr 11
Philo of Alexandria, The Embassy to Gaius (on e-reserve)
Lecture: "Imperial Spectacle and the Invisible God" / Michael Faletra
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Week 11
Mon. Apr 14
Josephus, The Jewish War, pp. 27-31, 133-148, 307-354, 387-405;
Martin Jaffee, Early Judaism, Chapter 1, pp. 19-45 (on e-reserve)
Lecture: "Religion and Politics in Roman Judea" / David Garrett
Wed. Apr 16
Paul, Romans (in The New Oxford Annotated Bible);
Freeman, pp. 564-581
Lecture: "Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles" / Robert Knapp
Thursday April 17th – "From Jesus to Christ," Part I, video presentation, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, Psych 105
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Additional resource: Lecture Slides
Fri. Apr 18
Gospel According to Mark
Lecture: "Amazing and Astonishing" / Margot Minardi
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Additional resource: Bibliography
Week 12
Mon. Apr 21
Gospel According to Matthew
Lecture: "Tradition and Innovation in the Gospel of Matthew" / Michael Faletra
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Tuesday, April 22rd – "From Jesus to Christ," Part II, video presentation, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, Vollum Lounge
Wed. Apr 23
The Gospel of John;
"Jesus Divided: Polemical Wars in the Gospel of John and the Talmud" / Marat Grinberg
Fri. Apr 25
Apuleius, The Golden Ass
Lecture: "Storytelling and the Novel" / Maureen Harkin
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
THIRD PAPER DUE: Saturday, April 26, 5:00 PM See Paper Topics
Week 13
Mon. Apr 28
Apuleius, The Golden Ass;
Freeman, pp. 541-563
Lecture: "Apuleius and Resistance to Empire" / Sonia Sabnis
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Wed. Apr 30
Apuleius, The Golden Ass
Lecture: "A Serious Joke: Apuleius Between Religion and Philosophy" / Steve Wasserstrom
Additional resource: Lecture Handout
Fri. May 2
Final Synthetic Panel: Margot Minardi, Michael Faletra, Meg Scharle