Course Objectives:

• to instruct you in the history, art, and literature of the Hellenistic period
• to instruct you in the nature of archaeological evidence and how to interpret it
• to improve your writing in classics
• to improve your critical thinking skills

No background knowledge of archaeology is necessary, but familiarity with Greek history and culture (especially of the 7th - 4th centuries BCE) is required. The prerequisite for this course is CLAS 1000 or 1000H or 2000 or HIST 3250, 4311, 4321, or 4322, or permission of the instructor.

Testing:

There will be two tests during the semester: consult the syllabus for exact dates. Check out Information About Tests on this web site for helpful hints and practice slide identifications.

Your final exam will be a take-home final; consult the syllabus for exact date and time.

Make-up tests will be given only in the event of an approved absence from class.

Grading:

Make-up tests will only be administered for excused absences and
require an excuse signed by a doctor, etc. or university official.

Course Mechanics:

Class attendance and participation are essential; do not confuse attendance with participation. You must keep up with the assigned homework and be prepared to discuss it in class. Excessive absences (more than three) will effect your final grade and may result in your being dropped from the course. Please note that it is within my prerogative to assign a grade of WF even to those who drop or are dropped from the course before the midpoint of the semester, depending on the quality of work up to that time. If you enroll in this course, you have made a commitment to attend and to do the work. If you are unwilling to attend and participate, drop the course now.

Additional comments: do not be late for class and do not leave early; come to class prepared; do all of the assigned homework on time; turn off your cell phone when you enter the classroom and keep it off (off, not merely muted).

Workshops:

On occasion throughout the semester (see syllabus for dates), we will have a workshop discussion. The workshop will focus on packets of primary evidence (e.g., literary sources, inscriptions, works of art, archaeological data etc.) that I will post on the website. Everyone will examine the material and come to class prepared to discuss and analyze the material.

I do not want anyone to do any outside reading or research on the assigned source material; the idea is to approach the material with a fresh perspective, to think deeply and critically about it, and thereby to develop strategies for interpreting archaeological data. For example, first ask yourself what kinds of information you have been given and then determine what kinds of questions you can legitimately ask of this material, and only then try to interpret it. The idea is to train you in how to analyze material and develop hypotheses about it, not to ask you to memorize established interpretations of that material.

Hellenistic Identities:

Everyone in the class will be given a Hellenistic identity this semester–e.g., a slave on the island of Delos, Demetrios Poliorcetes, a soldier from Macedonia, Hermogenes, a prostitute in Corinth, Theocritus, etc. Once you have been given your Hellenistic identity, you will read up on that person and be prepared to comment on how that person would be affected by events during the Hellenistic period, how he/she would react to the art, science, literature, history etc. which we will be discussing this semester, and what his/her life would have been like. The Hellenistic world is a very complex place, and the idea is to give you a handle on approaching and understanding it.

Writing Assignments:

The assignments in this course are designed to improve your writing and to help you master the special characteristics of writing within the discipline of Classics. More importantly, it is well-known that writing within the discipline helps you learn within that discipline and so these writing assignments are designed to help you master the content of the course, as well as the mechanics of good writing.

See the special instructions that are posted on the website for all writing instructions. Failure to follow these instructions will effect your grades on these assignments.

There are three writing assignments for this course:

1. A short (e.g., 1200-1500 words) “autobiography” of your Hellenistic identity; this may take the form of a diary entry/ies, correspondence, a more formal essay or any other format you select. Consult the syllabus for due date. Email your final draft as a WordPerfect or Word attachment to me so I can make your autobiography available to all of the members of the class via the web site and thus open up a dialogue about the Hellenistic world. This assignment will be graded on a 0-100 point (A-F) scale.
   
2. Postmortems: short (e.g., 400-500 words) discussions of workshops. Because I find that writing improves my thinking and my learning, I am requiring that you write postmortems of the workshops. These postmortems are meant to help you capture information / ideas / perspectives discussed during our workshops and thus to capitalize on the progress made in these workshops, to collect your thoughts about the exercise and to articulate what ideas you want to carry away from it. Postmortems must be emailed to me as Word or WordPerfect attachments before the next class meeting after the workshop. These assignments will be graded on a S-U scale.
   
3. A research paper (e.g., 4000-5000 words; 7000-8000 words for Honors-option students or students enrolled at the 6000-level) on some aspect of the Hellenistic world. All topics must first be approved by me. Additional information will be distributed later in the semester. I encourage you to write several drafts of your paper; writing is a process and going over drafts of your paper will significantly improve your final product. The paper must be turned in at the beginning of class on the last day of class, May 1st. This assignment will be graded on a 0-100 point (A-F) scale.

Special Assignment for Honors Option Students or Students Enrolled at the 6000-level:

Honors Option students or students enrolled at the 6000-level will present their research to the class in an oral presentation using PowerPoint; their presentation will be posted on the course website.