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updated: 01/02/06 Love
and War, Gods and Heroes: Professor Ortwin Knorr The great stories of
Greek and Roman epic poetry continue to inspire modern literature,
art, and film. In this course, we will read and discuss Homer's
Iliad and Odyssey, Hesiod's Theogony ("Origin
of the Gods"), and Vergil's Aeneid in English translation.
There are other, usually later Greek and Roman epics but these four
poems were the national epics of their respective peoples, and many
Greeks and Romans knew large passages of them by heart. We will
focus on a close reading of these great texts and discuss plot,
language, characters, narrative technique, and the changing world
views reflected by these poems. As part of our inquiry, we will
also look at three modern movies, the Clint Eastwood Western Unforgiven
(1993), Disney's animated movie Hercules (1997), and the
recent George Clooney film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).
All of these movies are either based on or at least share plot elements
with our ancient epics. At the end of the semester, you will be
familiar with the stories and characteristics of ancient epic poetry
and the reception of these poems in later periods, including ancient
art and modern film. Movies: Exams:
Greek and Roman Epic Poetry
(CLASSICS 171 [IT] - Spring 2006)
TTh 1:50p-3:20p ETN 211
Classical Studies Program
Email:
oknorrATwillamette.edu
Phone: x6029
Mailbox: 107 Eaton
Office Hours 2006: W 10:30-11:30 am
and by appointment, 306 Eaton
Required Textbooks:
Homer, Iliad, tr. Robert Fagles, London: Penguin, rev. ed.
2001
(ISBN: 0140445927).
Homer, Odyssey, tr. Robert Fagles, London: Penguin, 1997 (ISBN:
0140268863, $ 14.95).
Hesiod, Theogony, tr. Richard Caldwell, Cambridge, MA: Focus,
1987
(ISBN: 0941051005).
Virgil [sic], The Aeneid, tr. David West, London: Penguin,
2003 (ISBN: 0140449329, $ 11.00)
alternatively:
D.W.,
The Aeneid: A New Prose Translation, 1998, ISBN 0140444572
D.W., The Aeneid (Wonders of the World Series), 2002, ISBN
0140448195.
Attendance:
I not only expect that you attend classes regularly, it is also
important for your success in this (as in any other) class. Absences
will be reflected in your final grade. Experience also shows that
students who do not attend regularly are not able to discuss the
assigned readings at the same level as the rest of the class and
do worse on exams. If you need to miss class for legitimate
reasons (illness, exams, athletics, etc.), please inform me per
email as soon as possible. Please note that it is your responsibility
to get homework assignments from your classmates if you miss class.
The two movies that will be shown in the evening are an integral
part of the course. Attendance is mandatory. I will also
put both movies on reserve in the library. If you cannot make it
to the official showings, I expect that you watch the movies on
your own before we will discuss them.
There will be a midterm and a final exam. Both will test your familiarity
with the material by asking you to identify names and terms from
the text. In addition, you will be asked to write one or two brief
interpretative essays.
Reports and Informal Writing Assignments:
Throughout the semester, I will give you several brief research
or other small writing projects (1-2 pages). In addition, everyone
will be asked to prepare a 10-minute oral report in which you share
background information, for example, on gods or other characters
from the epics we read. The sum of these shorter assignments will
count for 20% of your grade.
Honor Code:
All members of this class agree to be bound by an honor code. As
a matter of practice, that means that you submit only your own work
and do not plagiarize. Ideas from others, including secondary literature,
need to be clearly marked and referenced in your papers. Instances
of plagiarism will result in an automatic "F" for that
assignment and will be reported to the Dean. If you are unsure about
what constitutes plagiarism, please consult me. Willamette's Policy
on Plagiarism can be found in the Course Catalog (pp. 315-17) or
online under http://www.willamette.edu/cla/catalog/Sect3/aca.html.
Grading Policy:
The final grade for the course will be based on:
• class attendance and participation: 20%
• writing assignments and/or oral reports: 20%
• midterm exam: 30%
• final exam (take-home final): 30%
Syllabus:
For a detailed syllabus with the assignments for every day, please
click here.
Please note the following important dates:
March
27-31, 2006 (Mon-Fri)
Spring
Vacation
May
8, 2006 (Mon)
FINAL
EXAM, 2-4pm, Eaton 211