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:
- Critically analyze claims, arguments, artifacts or information. (MAC Civics & Community SLO1)
- Construct coherent, evidence-based arguments. (MAC Civics & Community SLO2)
- 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. (MAC Civics & Community SLO3)
- 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. (MAC Civics & Community SLO4)
- Interpret artifacts (writing, sculpture, architecture) and practices (political, intellectual, expressive, performative, convivial) from unfamiliar cultures. (SLO5)
- Understand and apply key concepts expressed by ancient Greek words or phrases with no precise English equivalent (including but not limited to: menis, logos, physis, metis, bie, moira, xenia, to kalon, to on, techne, thumos, eleutheria, hetaireia, parrhesia, agon, polis). (SLO6)
Course Grading Information:
| Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
| Written reflections | 15% |
| Quizzes | 25% |
| Special assignments (oral recitation/performance, timeline of events, phonetic transcription) | 10% |
| Midterm exam | 20% |
| Final exam | 30% |
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- |
| Below 60 | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Participation is measured by the written reflections submitted on Canvas.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
- H.D Amos and A.G.P. Lang, These Were the Greeks (Dufour: 1982)
- Sophocles, Women of Trachis (translated by C.K. Williams and Gregory Dickerson). Greek Tragedy in New Translations. (Oxford: 1978)
- Pseudo-Callisthenes, The Greek Alexander Romance (translated by Richard Stoneman). Penguin Classics. (Oxford 1991)
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.