The Greeks

Course Description

Introduction to the ancient Greek world, with emphasis on the events, peoples, ideas, and primary sources from the Trojan War to Alexander the Great, and their connections to modern-day American democracy.

Syllabus

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

Civics & Community SLOs

  • Critically analyze claims, arguments, artifacts or information.

  • Construct coherent, evidence-based arguments.

  • Evaluate key concepts, principles, arguments, and contexts in founding documents of the American republic, including the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and a representative selection of the Federalist Papers; and,

  • Evaluate key milestones in progress and challenges in the effort to form a more perfect Union, including the arguments and contexts surrounding the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail, as well as other texts that reflect the breadth of American experiences.

Course specific SLOs

  • Identify important people, events, and concepts in the ancient Greek world.

  • Describe the development of cultural, social, and political issues in the ancient Greek world.

  • Interpret, via the primary sources, cultural practices and values in ancient Greek and related communities.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure

Percentage/Points

Weekly quizzes

20%

Three reflection papers

15%

2 exams

40%

In-Class Assignments

15%

Pre-Class Assignments

10%

Grading Scale:

Percentage

Letter Grade

93-100%

A

90-92%

A-

87-89%

B+

83-86%

B

80-82%

B-

77-79%

C+

73-76%

C

70-72%

C-

67-69%

D+

63-66%

D

60-62%

D-

0-59%

F

Attendance/Participation:

Based on video engagement quizzes on Canvas and in-class assignments (above)

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

  • Sansone, David. Ancient Greek Civilization (3rd edition). (Wiley-Blackwell: 2016), ISBN: 978-1119098157

  • Sophocles, Women of Trachis (translated by C.K. Williams and Gregory Dickerson). Greek Tragedy in New Translations. (Oxford: 1978), ISBN: 978-0195070095

  • Pseudo-Callisthenes, The Greek Alexander Romance (translated by Richard Stoneman). Penguin Classics. (Oxford 1991), ISBN 978-0140445602

  • Aristophanes, Birds and other plays (translated by Stephen Halliwell). (Oxford World Classics: 1998), ISBN: 978-0199555673

Scholarly Perspectives

This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.