Classics 160B1: Meet the Ancients: Gateway to Greece and Rome, Fall 2018

HerodotusWorldMap

Map of the world as described by the Greek historian Herodotus (ca 484–425 B.C.)

Instructor:

John Bauschatz
Time/Location: M/W/F, 11:00–11:50 a.m.; CESL 102
Contact Info:

Office: Cesar Chavez 410
Phone: (520) 621-7422 (office)
email: jbausch1@email.arizona.edu

OVERVIEW

Classics 160B1 traces the political, social, literary and cultural history of Greece and Rome over a more than 3000-year period: from the time of the Minoans (ca 2700 B.C.) to the fall of the Roman Empire (A.D. 476). We will explore our subject primarily through the texts of Greek and Roman prose writers and poets, as well as modern historians; but we will also employ archaeological remains, artwork and other types of material culture to obtain a well-rounded view of the Greco-Roman world.

GOALS

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  • Identify the major cultural sites of the ancient Mediterranean.
  • List the eastern Mediterranean civilizations from whom the Greeks and Romans borrowed much of their culture and describe these civilizations in detail.
  • List ten or more Greek and Roman authors and provide detailed information about their lives and works.
  • Describe the characteristics of Greek and Latin poetry and prose and the motivations and agendas of the men and women who wrote it.
  • Describe the religion of the Greeks and Romans, drawing not only on mythology, but also on the ample evidence for temples, cults, religious festivals and athletic contests.
  • Compare and contrast the evidence for Greco-Roman civilization in the literature with that provided by art, architecture and other material culture.
  • Trace major developments in science, technology, political thought, religion and philosophy over our more than 3000-year period.

READINGS

The required texts are as follows:

  • Thomas Martin. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. Second edition. Yale UP, 2013. (ISBN-10: 0300160054; ISBN-13: 978-0300160055)
  • –––. Ancient Rome: From Romulus to Justinian. Yale UP, 2013. (ISBN-10: 0300198310; ISBN-13: 978-0300198317)

Both of the Martin books are free to read online via the University of Arizona Library (Ancient Greece; Ancient Rome). If you would like to buy hard copies, you may of course do so, but not at the UA Bookstore, since the books have NOT been ordered for this class.

There is one additional required text for this course:

  • John Bauschatz, ed. Readings in Greco-Roman Culture and Civilization. 1st ed. Cognella, 2016.

This is a sourcebook of primary readings for Classics 160B1 available exclusively from Cognella. ***Students must order this text directly from the publisher at the following url: https://store.cognella.com/60176-1B-006.*** The TA and I will also have our copies of the Bauschatz book available for student use during our office hours (see below). If you want to come borrow the book, however, you will need to bring your student ID.

There may be additional reading assignments for this course. If so, they will be hyperlinked to this page or made available for download from the D2L site for CLAS 160B1 as pdf files: see the "Readings" area of the "Content" section. To view/download them, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download available here).

GRADING

Grading for the course will be based on the following breakdown:

  • Attendance/Participation (10%): I will be using a tool called Top Hat to take attendance in class and ask you questions related to course lectures during class. To participate (which is required), you will need to sign up for a Top Hat account (details below) and bring a laptop/tablet/cellphone/smartphone to class with you each day. If you show up to class and pay attention, you should have no trouble with this part of your grade.

  • Quizzes (15%): Roughly once a week, students are required to take a 15-minute reading quiz on D2L. These are simple multiple-choice and true/false quizzes with randomly generated questions designed to test whether students have done the readings assigned during the past week (= 3 classes). Each quiz will be available to be taken on D2L for 24 hours, from 12:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on the day of the quiz. Your quiz grade for the semester will be the average of your scores on these quizzes, and your lowest 4 (of 14) grades will be dropped. ***The first quiz is over the syllabus. You MUST get 100% on this quiz, or we will not grade any of your work for the course. (You may retake it as many times as you need.) It will be open during the first two weeks of class: from 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 20 until 9:59 p.m. on Friday, August 31.***

  • Short Papers (30%): Students in Classics 160B1 will be required to write three papers of between 750 and 1000 words in length based on course readings. These are exercises in analytical thinking and will not require additional readings or research (unless otherwise specified). The topics for the papers will be announced over the course of the semester and made available on D2L. The papers are to be submitted online (on D2L, via the Dropbox feature) and are due on D2L at 5 p.m. on Monday, September 24; Wednesday, October 31; and Wednesday, December 5. Late papers will lose one letter grade for each day late (Saturdays and Sundays included). You have the option to hand in drafts of your papers in advance if you choose. Drafts are due (on D2L, via the Dropbox feature) no later than one week in advance of the due date for each paper. You will also have the option to revise one of your first two papers for a better grade if you choose. If you would like to do this, you have to have submitted a paper to revise: that is, you cannot simply write your paper late and have it be considered a "resubmission". You also must set up a meeting with the person who graded your paper to further discuss ways in which you can improve it. (Specifics will be discussed in class.) Revised papers are due no later than two weeks after the original grades for the paper in question are posted. You should upload your revised paper to the appropriate folder on Dropbox. Your TA will then grade it and replace your original grade with that of the revised paper (assuming that the new grade is better).
  • Hour Exams (30%): Three hour (well, 50-minute) exams based on course lectures will occur in CLAS 160B1. The first is scheduled for Friday, September 14; the second for Monday, October 8; the third for Monday, November 5. Do not miss the exams. If you have to make-up an hour exam (see policy on make-ups, below) your make-up will be an essay exam.
  • Final Exam (15%): The 2-hour final exam for CLAS 160B1 will take place on Wednesday, December 12 from 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Do not miss the final.

TEACHING ASSISTANTS, GRADERS AND OFFICE HOURS

There is one teaching assistant (TA) for this course. The TA will help with classroom management, answer your questions about course policies, readings and assignments, and be responsible for grading some of your written work over the course of the semester. ***The TA is the first point of contact for all questions about the course. You should not come to me with questions or complaints until you have first spoken with the TA and have been unable to resolve your issue with him.***

TA for CLAS 160B1, Fall 2018:

    • office hours: Thursdays, 2:30–4 p.m. and Fridays, 12 noon–1 p.m. in Cesar Chavez 422

I will also hold weekly office hours in my office, Cesar Chavez 410: Mondays, 12 noon–1 p.m. and Wednesdays, 1–2 p.m. These times are reserved for students doing honors contracts, those with issues that they have been unable to resolve with the TA or those with general questions about the course.

Finally, there will be two graders for CLAS 160B1. The graders will handle most of the exam and paper grading, which means that if you have a question about a grade you receive on an exam or a paper, you should probably contact them.

Graders for CLAS 160B1, Fall 2018:

OTHER (IMPORTANT!) COURSE POLICIES: READ CAREFULLY

  • Course Content: Course lectures and readings will regularly contain brutally violent, sexually graphic and/or otherwise potentially offensive material. I assume that all students enrolled in CLAS 160B1 are mature enough to handle such material and suggest that anyone easily offended by such material not take the course.
  • Honors Contracts: Students wishing to earn Honors in CLAS 160B1 must select their own topics for their short papers and have these topics pre-approved by the instructor. If you want to do an honors contract for CLAS 160B1, please be in touch with the Honors College about the required steps to sign up.
  • Make-Ups: There are no make-ups for quizzes. Students' lowest four quiz grades will be automatically dropped, and this should allow for the occasional unexpected event to occur without negatively impacting a student's grades. The same is true for attendance and participation. There are also no make-ups for tests (the hour exams and the final). Exceptions to this rule will only be made when notification of an absence is submitted with documentation 24 hours before the scheduled test, or when a valid medical emergency is documented within 24 hours after the test. In the case of such exceptions, the make-up test will be an essay exam.
  • D2L: As mentioned above, students in CLAS 160B1 will be expected to be familiar with D2L ("Desire2Learn"), the University's online course content management system. Our use of D2L in CLAS 160B1 will be extensive: we will use D2L not only as a repository for course documents (additional readings, course handouts, etc.) and as a place to post grades, but also for quizzes and for email updates about the course. If you are unfamiliar with D2L, see the D2L help homepage.
  • TopHat: As noted above, I will be using a tool called TopHat to take attendance and ask you questions in class. The tool also provides students with a list of important questions for each lecture which are designed to assist you in note-taking. Use of TopHat in CLAS 160B1 is required. If you are enrolled in the course, you will receive an email from the company with instructions for registering. You can also do so by visiting https://tophat.com.
  • Grades: Grades will be entered on D2L within two weeks of the assignment due date or test administration date. Tests will be made available for review in my office, Chavez 410. Because of the potential for cheating, students are *NOT* allowed to take tests home, and can only view them while being supervised. ***It is your responsibility to keep track of your grades over the course of the semester. You have one week from the date of a posted grade to appeal it. After that, the assumption is that you have seen the grade and are OK with it.***
  • Paper Grading: The following rubric will be used to compile your grades on papers in CLAS 160B1 (with thanks to Jennifer Kendall!):

    Category & Description Max Points

    1.) Paper Mechanics

    15 points: The essay adheres to all of the mechanical requirements (formatting, length, margins, proper citations and following any specific instructions for content in the paper assignment).

    10 points: The essay has one or two mechanical errors.

    5 points: The essay has numerous mechanical errors.

    0 points: The essay has numerous mechanical errors and/or is less than the required length.
    15

    B.) Grammar/Spelling/Composition

    15 points: No / almost no spelling, grammar, punctuation or other compositional errors are present. The essay clearly appears to have been proofread and edited.

    10 points: There are a few grammar, spelling, punctuation or other compositional errors but the essay appears to have been proofread and edited.

    5 points: There are many grammar, spelling, punctuation or other compositional errors present.

    0 points: Numerous errors make the essay difficult to read and/or excessively long quotations or paraphrases are used.

    15

    C.) Content

    70 points: The depth of analysis greatly exceeds expectations, details are many and organization is excellent.

    55 points: The depth of analysis is good, as are details and organization, and minimum expectations are exceeded.

    40 points: The essay is basic with an adequate analysis.

    25 points: The essay is poor all around, but there is at least an attempt to follow directions.

    10 points: The essay is poor all around, and there is little to no evidence that the author followed instructions. But at least he/she handed something in!

    70
    Total Possible Points:
    100
  • Final Grades: For the final grade, the following breakdown will be used:

    A+ = 98–100 A = 93–97 A- = 90–92
    B+ = 88–89 B = 83–87 B- = 80–82
    C+ = 78–79 C = 73–77 C- = 70–72
    D+ = 68–69 D = 63–67 D- = 60–62
    F+ = 58–59 F = 53–57 F- = 0–52

    Final grades ending in .5 or higher will be rounded up; those ending in .49 or lower will be rounded down. ***There are NO exceptions to this policy.***

  • If you would like help with your writing, the University’s Writing Skills Improvement Program (http://wsip.arizona.edu) may be a valuable resource. The Program offers professional individual tutoring in writing for students, as well as biweekly writing workshops. These are free and open to UA students, but you do need to register with the program. This semester, the workshops will be held on Tuesdays from 3–3:50 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10–10:50 a.m. in Geronimo 216.

VARIOUS UNIVERSITY POLICIES:

  • Accessibility and Accommodations: My goal in this classroom is that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact the Disability Resource Center (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations. For additional information on the Disability Resource Center and reasonable accommodations, please visit http://drc.arizona.edu.

  • Code of Academic Integrity: Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/ exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog: http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/academic-integrity/students/academic-integrity.

  • Subject to Change Statement: Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

COURSE SCHEDULE

What follows is a sketch outline of the fall semester. Assignments are due on the dates specified. Numbers in (bold parenthesis) refer to class number.

Check this page often. As noted above, readings and assignments are subject to change. I'll try to give a heads-up in class if a major shake-up is imminent. I'll also try to have readings posted on D2L at least a week before the due date.
Week Monday Wednesday Friday
1

8/20 (1) Introduction, Class Business, Geography

READING (1): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapter 1, pp1–22)

***TAKE TODAY (OR ANYTIME UNTIL 9:59 p.m. on FRIDAY, 8/31)***: D2L Quiz #1 (on the syllabus)

8/22 (2) Beginnings; Minoans and Mycenaeans

READING (2): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapter 2, pp23–45)

8/24 (3) The Greek Dark Ages

READING (3): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapters 3 and 4, pp46–90)
2

8/27 (4) Troy; Greece in the Eighth Century

READING (4): Bauschatz (Homer, Iliad, book 1, pp1–19)

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #2 (on Readings 1–3)

*TopHat participation and attendance begins to count towards your grade today*

8/29 (5) The World of Homer; Epic Poetry

READING (5): Bauschatz (Homer, Odyssey, book 9, pp21–44)

8/31 (6) Epic Poetry; Hesiod

READING (6): Bauschatz (Hesiod, Works and Days, pp45–74)

3

9/3 NO CLASS: Labor Day

9/5 (7) Greece in the Seventh Century; Greek Lyric Poetry

READING (7): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapter 5, pp91–120); also read the sample lyric poems at the following links: Archilochus (P.Colon. 7511); Tyrtaeus (Fragment 12); Alcman (Partheneion); Alcaeus (Fr. 38a); Sappho ("He's equal with the gods, that man"); Theognis (15: lines 667–682); Solon (Fragment 36)

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #3 (on Readings 4–6)

9/7 (8) Sparta (and Xenophon); Greek Philosophy (1)

READING (8): Bauschatz (Xenophon, Politeia of the Spartans, pp75–113)
4

9/10 (9) Greek Philosophy (2); Athens (and Aristotle)

READING (9): Bauschatz (Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians, pp115–163)

9/12 (10) The Persian Wars

READING (10): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapter 6, pp121–157)

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #4 (on Readings 7–9)

9/14 (11) Hour Exam #1
5

9/17 (12) Classical Athens

READING (11): Bauschatz (Sophocles, Oedipus the King, pp165–195)

*Paper #1 draft due (not required)*

9/19 (13) Greek Tragedy

READING (12): Bauschatz (Sophocles, Oedipus the King, pp196–225)

9/21 (14) Women in Ancient Greece

READING (13): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapter 7, pp158–185)

TAKE TODAY ***UNTIL 9:59 p.m.***: D2L Quiz #5 (on Readings 10–12)
6

9/24 (15) Crime and Punishment

READING (14): Bauschatz (Plato, Apology of Socrates, pp227–249)

*Paper #1 due*

9/26 (16) Greek Comedy

READING (15): Bauschatz (Aristophanes, Clouds, pp251–304)

9/28 (17) Greek Sexuality

READING (16): Bauschatz (Aristophanes, Clouds, pp305–357)

TAKE TODAY ***UNTIL 9:59 p.m.***: D2L Quiz #6 (on Readings 13–15)
7

10/1 (18) The Peloponnesian Wars

READING (17): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapter 8, pp186–220)

10/3 (19) Greece in the Fourth Century and Alexander the Great

READING (18): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapter 9, pp221–252)

10/5 (20) The Hellenistic Period

READING (19): Martin, Ancient Greece (chapter 10 and Epilogue, pp253–282)

TAKE TODAY ***UNTIL 9:59 p.m.***: D2L Quiz #7 (on Readings 16–18)
8

10/8 (21) Hour Exam #2

10/10 (22) Rome: Beginnings

READING (20): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 1, pp1–19)

10/12 (23) Rome vs. Italy

READING (21): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 2, pp20–40)
9

10/15 (24) Rome vs. Carthage

READING (22): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 3, pp41–64)

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #8 (on Readings 19–21)

10/17 (25) Rome vs. the Hellenistic Kingdoms

READING (23): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 4, pp65–87)

10/19 (26) The "Roman Revolution"

READING (24): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 5, pp88–108)
10

10/22 (27) The Late Republic

READING (25): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 6, pp109–126)

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #9 (on Readings 22–24)

*Paper #1 rewrites due (not required)*

10/24 (28) Augustus and the Principate

READING (26): Bauschatz (Virgil, Aeneid, book 2, pp359–388)

*Paper #2 drafts due (not required)*

10/26 (29) The Julio-Claudians

READING (27): Bauschatz (Suetonius, Life of Nero, pp389–404)
11 10/29 (30) The Flavians

READING (28): Bauschatz (Suetonius, Nero, pp405–420)

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #10 (on Readings 25–27)

 10/31 (31) The Antonines

READING (29): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 7, pp127–146)

*Paper #2 due*

 11/2 (32) The Crisis of the Third Century A.D.

READING (30): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 8, pp147–167)
12

11/5 (33) Hour Exam #3

11/7 (34) Sex and Sexuality in Roman Culture

READING (31): Bauschatz (Ovid, Art of Love, book 1, pp421–438)

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #11 (on Readings 28–30)

11/9 (35) Religion (1): Magic

READING (32): Bauschatz (Lucian, Alexander the Oracle-Monger, pp479–498)
13

11/12 NO CLASS: Veterans Day

11/14 (36) Religion (2): Mystery Cults

READING (33): Bauschatz (Apuleius, Golden Ass, book 11, pp499–512)

 

11/16 (37) Religion (3): Jews and Christians

READING (34): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 9, pp168–189)

TAKE TODAY ***UNTIL 9:59 p.m.***: D2L Quiz #12 (on Readings 31–33)
14

11/19 (38) Entertainment

READING (35): Bauschatz (Martial, On the Spectacles [Epigrams, book 1], pp439–443

11/21 (39) Roman Class and Government

READING (36): Bauschatz (Pliny, Letters, book 10, pp445–457)

**NO CLASS today. Instead of lecture, do the readings here, here and here, and see the PowerPoint on D2L for what you should remember about them.**

11/23 NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Recess
15

11/26 (40) Life in the Provinces

READING (37): Bauschatz (Pliny, Letters, book 10, pp458–477)

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #13 (on Readings 34–36)

11/28 (41) Science and Technology

READING (38): Bauschatz (Vitruvius, Ten Books on Architecture, book 1, pp513–530)

*Paper #2 rewrites due (not required)*

*Paper #3 drafts due (not required)*

11/30 (42) Roman Philosophy

READING (39): Bauschatz (Lucretius, On the Nature of Things, book 1, pp531–563)
16

12/3 (43) Decline and Fall

READING (40): Martin, Ancient Rome (Chapter 10, pp190–214)

12/5 (44) Papyrology

TAKE TODAY: D2L Quiz #14 (on Readings 37–40)

*Paper #3 due*

12/7 NO CLASS: Exam Week
17

12/10 NO CLASS: Exam Week

12/12 NO CLASS: Exam Week

*Final Exam: Wednesday, December 12, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.*

12/14 NO CLASS: Semester over!

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