Syllabus | Fall 2022
Coming Up
Mon 28 Nov
Assignment
- Plato, “Euthyphro,” “Apology,” and “Crito” in Trial and Death of Socrates, pp. 1-54
Lecture: "A KIND OF GADFLY"
Pancho Savery
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 30 Nov
Assignment
- Protagoras, 309a to 334a
Lecture: "Crisis of Speech and the Collapse of Democracy (then and now)"
Meg Scharle
Fri 2 Dec
Assignment
- Protagoras, 334a-362c
Lecture: TBA
Troy Cross
Jump to: Full Schedule Current Week
Course Logistics
REQUIRED TEXTS
- Aeschylus, The Oresteia. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1977.
- Anonymous, and Andrew R. George. The Epic of Gilgamesh the Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian. London: Penguin Classics, 2003.
- Aristophanes. Lysistrata. Trans. Sarah Ruden. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2003.
- Berlin, Adele, and Mark Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Study Bible: Tanakh Translation. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
- Curd, Patricia, ed. A Presocratics Reader: Selected Fragments and Testimonia. Trans. Richard D. McKirahan. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2011.
- Herodotus. The Histories. Trans. Aubrey de Selincourt. London: Penguin, 2003.
- Hesiod. Works and Days and Theogony. Trans. Stanley Lombardo Indianapolis: Hackett, 1993.
- Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011.
- Parkinson, R. B., ed. and trans. The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems, 1940-1640 B.C. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
- Plato. Protagoras. Trans. Stanley Lombardo and Karen Bell. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992.
- Plato. The Trial and Death of Socrates. Trans. G. M. A. Grube, rev. John M. Cooper. 3rd ed. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2000.
- Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War. Trans. Rex Warner. New York: Penguin, 1954.
Additional assigned texts are available on e-reserves accessible via links embedded in the syllabus below. You will need your Reed username and password to access these texts. Please bring a copy of the day’s reading assignment to class each day. The library has on reserve a limited number of the required books, as well as multiple copies of a course packet containing the electronic readings.
CONFERENCE ASSIGNMENTS
Humanities 110 is a yearlong course, and students are expected to remain in the same conference throughout the year. In cases of absolutely unresolvable schedule conflicts, students may petition for a change of conference time. Petitions (in the form of an email) should be addressed to the course Chair, Paul Hovda, including an explanation of the conflict and why it cannot be resolved. Students granted a change of conference time will be assigned to new sections based on available slots and the student’s schedule; requests to move into a particular conference generally cannot be honored.
PAPERS AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Four course-wide papers will be assigned in the fall semester, due at the times designated on the syllabus. Individual conference leaders may assign additional writing. If the due date for an assignment conflicts with a religious holiday or obligation that you wish to observe, please consult with your conference leader.
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONSIf you have a documented disability requiring accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services. Notifications of accommodations on exams, papers, other writing assignments, or conferences should be directed to your conference leader. Notifications of accommodations regarding lectures can be directed to the chair of the course, Paul Hovda. You are advised to consult with your conference leader about how your accommodations might apply to specific assignments or circumstances in this course.
RESOURCES FOR SUPPORT
Your conference leader is your first line of support for any questions you have about the course. Please also be sure to explore the Hum 110 website for additional information. The Introduction and resources entries provide brief introductions to upcoming readings and suggestions for how to approach them. The Writing in Hum 110 page provides tips on the writing process.
The Writing Center is a particularly valuable resource for Hum 110 students working on papers. You can get help with all stages of the writing process from peer tutors at the Writing Center. In Fall 2020, the Writing Center will be virtual, and offer drop-in help online from 7:00-10:00p.m. Pacific time; you can find links to the Writing Center session posted on the Drop-in Tutoring Schedule website. Extra tutoring help will be available in the weeks leading up to paper due dates.
For additional information about support resources available to you on the Reed campus, please see Student Life’s Key Support Resources for Students.
If you have questions that aren’t answered here, please consult your conference leader or email Hum110@reed.edu.
Schedule
Week 1
Mon 29 Aug
Assignment
- Note: Students should read the whole of Gilgamesh prior to the first day of class.
- Gilgamesh, Tablets 1-11, pp. 1-100
Lecture: "The Epic Caring of Gilgamesh (and others)"
Christian Kroll
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 31 Aug
Assignment
- Gilgamesh, Tablets 1-11, pp. 1-100
Lecture: “Gilgamesh: When Terrified by Death…”
Nathalia King
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture slides
- Lecture recording
Fri 2 Sep
Assignment
- Gilgamesh, Tablets 1-11, pp. 1-100
Lecture: "Going to Bed with Gilgamesh"
Sonia Sabnis
- Lecture bibliography - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Week 2
Mon 5 Sep
Campus closed
Labor Day
September 5 – November 28
Wed 7 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Christina Riggs, “Forty Centuries,” in Egypt: Lost Civilizations (London: Reaktion Books, 2017), pp. 33-57, 191-192.
- Christina Riggs, excerpt from “Four Little Words,” in Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture: A Very Short Introduction (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 3-18
- Gallery: Narmer Palette and Great Pyramid
Lecture: “STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: THE GREAT PYRAMID IN AND OUT OF CONTEXT”
Tom Landvatter
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Fri 9 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- “The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant,” in The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems, ed. Parkinson, pp. 54-88
- Charles Freeman, “Egypt, the Gift of the Nile, 3200-1500 BC,” in Egypt, Greece and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean, second ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), pp. 40-62
Lecture: "Speaking Ma’at, Doing Ma’at, Making Ma’at"
Nathalia King
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Week 3
Mon 12 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- “The Tale of Sinuhe,” in The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems, ed. Parkinson, pp. 21-53
Lecture: "Egypt and its Others: Death as Return in the Tale of Sinuhe"
Kritish Rajbhandari
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 14 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- “Obelisk Inscription of Hatshepsut,” in Writings from Ancient Egypt, trans. Toby Wilkinson (London: Penguin, 2016), 191-196
- “The Birth Narrative from Deir el-Bahri: Hatshepsut’s Birth and Coronation Narratives,” ed. and trans. Thomas Landvatter (2019)
- Gallery: Hatshepsut
Lecture: "I’M WITH HER: GENDER, POWER, AND KINGSHIP IN THE MONUMENTS OF HATSHEPSUT"
Tom Landvatter
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Fri 16 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction to Egyptian Love Lyrics
- Selections from Love Lyrics of Ancient Egypt, trans. Barbara Hughes Fowler (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994), pp. xiii-xv, 6-9, 17, 38-41, 57-58, 66-67
- Selections from Love Songs of the New Kingdom, trans. John L. Foster (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1974), front matter, pp. 67, 70-73, 102-103.
Lecture: "Familiar & Strange: Love Poetry of the New Kingdom"
Dustin Simpson
Sat 17 Sep
First paper due
Due Saturday, September 17, at 5:00 PM to your conference leader.
Week 4
Mon 19 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Genesis, chapters 1-20 (focus on 1-11), plus introduction to Genesis from The Jewish Study Bible
- Martin S. Jaffee, excerpts from Early Judaism: Religious Worlds of the First Judaic Millennium, second ed. (Bethesda: University Press of Maryland, 2006), pp. 1-28.
Lecture: "THE GENESES OF GENESIS"
Michael Faletra
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 21 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Genesis, chapters 21-50 (focus on 21-22 and 37-41)
- Martin S. Jaffee, excerpts from Early Judaism: Religious Worlds of the First Judaic Millennium, second ed. (Bethesda: University Press of Maryland, 2006), pp. 50-67, 86-87.
Lecture: "Sacrifice: Restoring Community"
Laura Leibman
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Fri 23 Sep
Assignment
Note: Open the handout before you start listening to the podcast. It include maps and quotes that will help you follow along.- Hesiod, Theogony
Lecture: "Making Gender in Hesiod’s Theogony: Cosmic Parents, Monstrous Children, and Cannibal Consorts"
Nathalia King
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Week 5
Mon 26 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Presocratics Reader: Xenophanes (pp. 31 -38); Heraclitus (pp. 39-54); Parmenides (pp. 55-65)
Lecture: "The Pre-Socratics"
Paul Hovda
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 28 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Exodus, chapters 1-15, plus introduction to Exodus from The Jewish Study Bible
Lecture: “A PEOPLE IN BETWEEN: EXODUS AND THE ISRAELITES AT THE CROSSROADS OF EMPIRE”
Margot Minardi
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture slides
- Lecture recording
Fri 30 Sep
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Exodus, chapters 15-25, 32-37, 40
Lecture: "Migration Legends"
Laura Leibman
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Week 6
Mon 3 Oct
Assignment
- Iliad : books 1-7 (pp. 77-199)
Lecture: “Great Books”
Nigel Nicholson
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 5 Oct
Assignment
- Iliad: books 8-9 and 15-17 (pp. 200-35, 330-95)
Lecture: "Achilleus: Brooding Whiner or Skeptical Sage?"
Ann Delehanty
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Fri 7 Oct
Assignment
- Iliad: books 18-24 (pp. 396-518)
Lecture: "Love is a Battlefield"
Jay Dickson
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Sat 8 Oct
Week 7
Mon 10 Oct
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Miller, Andrew M., ed. Greek Lyric: An Anthology in Translation. Archilochus 4, 18; Tyrtaeus 7; Alcaeus 4; Sappho 1, 4, 6, 14, 18; Hipponax 1-9. (pp. 2, 5, 18-19, 40-1, 51-2, 54-6, 59-61, 104-6)
Lecture: “Putting the I in Ideology”
Nigel Nicholson
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Annotated reading: Miller, Andrew M., ed. Greek Lyric: An Anthology in Translation. This version might be easier to read than what's posted above.
- Lecture recording
Wed 12 Oct
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Hesiod, Works and Days
Lecture: See below
Meg Scharle and David Garrett
"Works and Days: Poetic Farming" - Meg Scharle
- Lecture slides
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording - Scharle
"The Trouble with Justice: The Δίκη [Díkē ] Ring in Works and Days" - David Garrett
- Lecture slides - Garrett
- Lecture handout - Garrett
- Lecture recording - Garrett
Fri 14 Oct
Assignment
- Visual Images: study these images before lecture and conference:
- Andrew Stewart, Art, Desire, and the Body in Ancient Greece, pp. 3-top of 13, pp. 63-70; p. 268 (glossary)
Lecture: "Stay and Mourn"
Jenny Sakai
- Lecture slides
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Sat 15 Oct
Fall Break
October 15 – October 23
Week 8
Mon 24 Oct
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Herodotus, Histories, Structural outline, pp. 607-14, I:1-6; 25-58; 84-91; 201-16, II: 1-64; 113-20; 142-51; 162-182, III: 1-4
Lecture: "Knowledge and the Narration of Difference in The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus"
David Garrett
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture slides
- Lecture recording
Wed 26 Oct
Assignment
- Introduction to Achaemenid Era Inscriptions
- Achaemenid era inscriptions, from The Persian Empire, vol. I, ed. Amelie Kuhrt (New York: Routledge, 2007), pp. 70-74, 141-158, 492-495, 503-505
- Herodotus, Histories, 1.131-140, 3.37-38, 3.61-89
- Gallery: Achaemenid Persia
Lecture: “Empire of All Kinds: Achaemenid Persia from Cyrus to Herodotus”
Margot Minardi
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture slides
- Lecture recording
Fri 28 Oct
Assignment
- Visual Images: explore these images from the University of Chicago Oriental Institute before lecture and conference.
- Margaret C. Root, "Circles of Artistic Programming: Strategies for Studying Creative Process at Persepolis," in A. C. Gunter (ed.), Investigating Artistic Environments in the Ancient Near East (Washington, DC, 1990), 115-39. (e-reserves)
Lecture: "PARSA, PERSEPOLIS, TAKHT-E JAMSHID"
Tom Landvatter
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Week 9
Mon 31 Oct
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Gallery: Parthenon
- Rachel Kousser, “Destruction and Memory on the Athenian Acropolis,” Art Bulletin 91.3 (2009): pp. 263-282
Lecture: "Goddess and Polis"
Laura Leibman
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 2 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Herodotus, Histories, 6.125-130, 7.8-57, 7.101-104, 7.138-144, 7.201-238, 8.40-99, 9.114-122
Lecture: "Herodotus, Oracle of Halicarnassus"
Meg Scharle
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Fri 4 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Esther from The Jewish Study Bible
Lecture: TBA
Jin Chang
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Week 10
Mon 7 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Aeschylus, The Oresteia: “Agamemnon”
Lecture: "The Beginnings of Tragedy"
Jay Dickson
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 9 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Aeschylus, The Oresteia: “Libation Bearers”
Lecture: TBA
Simone Waller
Fri 11 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Aeschylus, The Oresteia: “Eumenides”
Lecture: TBA
Peter Steinberger
Sat 12 Nov
Week 11
Mon 14 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Orlando Patterson, Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1982), vii-xi [excerpt from preface], 1-14 [introduction, “The Constituent Elements of Slavery”].
- Image gallery
Lecture: "Slavery and Social Death in Ancient Greece and Beyond"
Alice Hu and Margot Minardi
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture bibliography
- Lecture recording
Wed 16 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Bers, V. 2003. Demosthenes, Speeches 50-59, Apollodorus, “Against Neaera,” 151-194.
Lecture: "The Case against Neaera: Performing Citizen Status in the Athenian Lawcourt"
Alice Hu
Fri 18 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Aristophanes, Lysistrata
Lecture: "LYSISTRATA TO LIZZO: ANCIENT ATHENS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF GENDER"
Simone Waller
Week 12
Mon 21 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.1-23, 1.31-55, 1.66-88, 1.139-146, 2.34-65
Lecture: "Conjuring and the Art of History: The History of the Peloponnesian War"
David Garrett
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture slides
- Lecture recording
Wed 23 Nov
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 3.36-50, 3.69-85, 5.83-116.
Lecture: "Thucydides' Speeches and Athenian Democracy"
David Garrett
Thu 24 Nov
Thanksgiving Break
November 24 – November 27
Week 13
Mon 28 Nov
Assignment
- Plato, “Euthyphro,” “Apology,” and “Crito” in Trial and Death of Socrates, pp. 1-54
Lecture: "A KIND OF GADFLY"
Pancho Savery
- Lecture handout - Word or PDF
- Lecture recording
Wed 30 Nov
Assignment
- Protagoras, 309a to 334a
Lecture: "Crisis of Speech and the Collapse of Democracy (then and now)"
Meg Scharle
Fri 2 Dec
Assignment
- Protagoras, 334a-362c
Lecture: TBA
Troy Cross
Sat 3 Dec
Week 14
Mon 5 Dec
Assignment
- Introduction and resources
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 6.1-32, 6.88-93, 7.10-18, 7.55-87
Lecture: TBA
Alice Hu
Wed 7 Dec
Lecture: No lecture
Week 15
Wed 14 Dec
Final Exam
Wednesday, December 14, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM