EUH 2011, Sect 1 Early European Civilization: The Greeks and Roman Fall, 2011 T/Th 12:30-1:45 Ryder

120 Professor Pyron, Office: DM 387B Office Hours: Tues 11-12; by appointment, Wed and Thus PM Always electronically: pyrond@fiu.edu Teaching Assistants: Joseph Holbrook [jholb001@fiu.edu] (786)395-5402 11-12 Thursday Grace Solis [ggsol_@hotmail.com] Office Hrs: 2-4 Tuesdays I. COURSE OBJECTIVES A. Passing The first object of this course is for you to pass. Not everyone does; you must organize your time in order to do so. This courses requires considerable reading and writing; it also demands a critical mass of time for conceptualizing and thinking, that is, digesting what you read. Especially as most students are used to neither critical or interpretive reading nor formal writing, you must allow yourself plenty of time to study if you want to pass or to pass well. In addition, you should be especially cautious about your course schedule in relation to your employment. As a rule of thumb, consider every 10 hours of employment the equivalent of an additional regular session class. The math is clear: twenty hours of work plus four courses equals about a 60-hour week. This stretches your endurance. Anything more than this makes passing this course difficult indeed. B. Content Objectives First, this course examines our civilization from its origins with the Greeks in the eighth century BC through Alexander the Great. Second, it considers the legacy of Greek civilization through the Roman who succeeded them. While touching upon the great events and great men of this thousand year epoch, it emphasizes the intellectual history of Greco-Roman civilization, chiefly, the idea of law and politics, consensual government, military practices, art and literature, philosophy and science, and, more generally still, the celebration of humanity itself and creative individuality as particular phenomena of our culture, the source of Western superiority.

In the process, the course also examines contemporary culture and how it reflects, alters, or rejects concepts first promulgated among the Hellenes almost three millennia ago. Indeed, it explores explicitly the critical, even dominant contemporary opinion that rejects not only the superiority of the Western tradition but its merits and even existence. It explores, too, how this very opinion filters through our culture so as to influence all manner of popular and high cultural values, shapes modern pedagogy, and governs not only what we read but how we read - indeed, if we read (groan). The courses uses mostly primary source material - that is, documents produced by the ancients themselves, and you will be expected to apply yourself diligently to each of the "great texts" assigned. To encourage your diligence, a short objective quiz will be assigned for every class reading. C. Writing and Form The Greeks and Roman considered mastery of language - poetry or "art talk" and "reasoned speech" or political talk - the sine qua non of civilization and the chief glory of man. Besides introducing this idea in its content, this course also demands you practice the ancients' literary discipline as well. Your ability to develop lucid arguments and to express yourself clearly in writing ranks equally with your mastery of data and information. Just so, this is a University Writing Course and you will be required to submit four essays of totaling approximately 4000 words or around 16 pages of written work. As an exercise in writing, the course has two objectives: 1. First, you will learn to analyze texts and make arguments based on these analyses. You will produce four essays towards this end. The course allows the opportunity of redrafting the first three of these in order to improve your style and your grade. The highest grade always counts. Making an historical argument involves the following steps: 1) reading the material closely, 2) generating a thesis out of this material, and 3) organizing the relevant data into a coherent and convincing argument. This argument should consist of an introductory paragraph or thesis statement and a series of subsequent paragraphs that sustain your thesis or argument about the material. 2. Second, you will develop or sharpen your skills in word usage, grammar, syntax, and the technicalities of good writing, such as constructing good paragraphs and vigorous sentences. II. TEXTS A. Main Texts

NOTE: All these texts will be available in the book store, but if you plan on purchasing them there, be careful especially as the semester winds down as the books are returned to the publisher well before the semester ends. Otherwise, you can purchase most of these through Amazon or other such sources. 1. Homer, The Iliad, Fagels, ed. 2. V. D. Hanson, Carnage and Culture (selections, see below) 3. Euripides, The Trojan Women (In Euripides III, U of Chicago Press) 4. Aristophanes, The Clouds (in Lysistrata and Other Plays) 5. Plato, The Republic, Cornford, ed. 6. Virgil, The Aeneid, Fagels, ed. B.Secondary, short readings The course also requires shorter texts available through the class website, among these selections from Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire, Livy, The Early History of Rome; and Juvenel, Satire Three III. SCHEDULE OF CLASS MEETINGS AUGUST 23 The Syllabus; The West Is Best - So What. 25 Writing and Analysis: Data-driven Argument [The Style Sheet on the web] 30 The Idea and Ideas of The West Pope Benedict, The Regensburg Address (electronic) SEPTEMBER 1 The Citizen and the Polis: BIG IMPORTANT DISCUSSION! Polybius, The Constitution of Rome Compared (electronic) 6** Events and Sequences: The Greeks - What, When, Where FIRST WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE 8* Writing of Permanent Worth or Value: Defining Literature The Iliad, Books 1-5. FAVORITE PASSAGE 13* 15* 20* Man, Fate, and Free will The Iliad, Books 6-12 FAVORITE PASSAGE Gods and Men: Theology - The Science of the Immortals The Iliad, Books 13-17 FAVORITE PASSAGE The First Greeks/The First Greeks Imagined

22 27

The Iliad, Books 18-24 FAVORITE PASSAGE The Dark Ages and the Beginning of the Polis: Institutions

The Polis: The Spartan Model Hanson, Carnage, Ch 1 **REDRAFTS DUE 29* The Persian Wars Hanson, Carnage, Ch 2 - Salamis OCTOBER 4** The Periclean Age of Athens SECOND WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: THE ILIAD 6* The Peloponnesian Wars and The Transformation of the Greek World. Euripides, The Trojan Women FAVORITE PASSAGES 11* 13* 18* 20 25* The Decline of the Polis and the Rise of Philosophy Aristophanes, The Clouds FAVORITE PASSAGES Inventing Thinking Plato, The Republic, to page 102 FAVORITE PASSAGES Nature v Convention Plato, The Republic, 102-174; 221-235 FAVORITE PASSAGES Hellenism: Greece for the World

Alexander and Empire Hanson, Carnage, Ch 3 - Gaugamela **REDRAFTS DUE 27* Roman vs Greeks Venal, A Greek Struck Rome (electronic) Polybius The Roman Constitution (again) NOVEMBER 1* The Roman: What, When, Where THIRD WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Philosophy and 3* Patriotism, War, and Roman Virtue Hanson, Carnage, Ch 4 8* 10* The Roman vs Themselves Livy, Early History (electronic) The Augustan Context

Virgil, The Aeneid, Books 1-4 FAVORITE PASSAGES 15* Refiguring the Greek Tradition Virgil, The Aeneid, Books 5-9 FAVORITE PASSAGES 17* Roman Religion and Tradition Virgil, The Aeneid, Books 10-12 FAVORITE PASSAGES 22** The Disintegration of the West, the Rise of Christianity, and The City of God **ALL REDRAFTS DUE THANKSGIVING 29 The Classical World, The Dark Ages, and Revival: The Varieties of History DECEMBER 1** The Legacy FINAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Rome and The West IV. WRITTEN WORK A. Due Dates 1. Initial exercise (500-750 words) . . . . . .September 6 Redraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .September 27 2. Second exercise (1000 words). . . . . . . . October 4 Redraft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 25 3. Third exercise (1000 words). . . . . . . . . . November 1 All Redrafts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 22 4. Fourth exercise (1000 words) . . . . . . . . . December 1 B. Turnitin You must submit all your essays in two forms. Besides hard copies submitted in class, you just also submit your essays through turnitin.com C. Assignments Prior to each assignment, the professor will circulate on the website a series of questions. You will chose one or more as the basis for creating a sharp, well-defined, nicely argued essay. You should use the course Style Sheet to assist your effort. Most of its rules involve matters of common sense and logic. They all aim to encourage one end: simplicity and clarity in expression. Please observe the following technical rules when you submit papers: 1) Begin with a cover sheet that includes a) the assignment number; b) rewrite number; c) the question number and the question itself; d) the title, if

any; and e) the exact word count of your essay; 2) Allow generous margins for comments, but also attach a blank page at the end of the paper for additional comments. 3) Do not write your name on the cover sheet or anywhere in the body of your essay; include your name only on a completely separate name page at the paper's end that contains nothing except your name. 4) Attach the sheets with one staple in the upper left corner - no paper clips, no bent down edges, no fancy folders, etc. 5) Allow about 250 words per page; double space, dark ink. 6) When you submit redrafts, ALWAYS attach the original essay with the resubmission. Failure to follow these rules means your essay will not be graded. C. Redrafts You should strive for your best effort on every assignment, but the course also allows you the opportunity to improve your writing by redrafting. You may redraft any of your first three assignments. You will have the opportunity of redrafting twice any essay two times. You must, however, turn in the drafts on the appropriate date. You must always attach the redrafted essay with the original. Most important, you must follow the directions of the graders for improving your arguments and expression. Finally, if you choose to redraft you must consult either in person or electronically with the graders by submitting a new version of the introduction/thesis statement. The highest grade always counts. V. GRADING Quizzes and Participation. . . . .1/3 Essays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/3 Your quiz score is calculated after the final test. It is curved against the highest number of correct scores in the class, not against the total possible correct. "Participation" comes into play when your grade is borderline. It involves regular class attendance, active engagement in the course (for example choosing favorite passages) and seriousness in redrafting your essays. Note, too, for all more than two absences, your Quiz and Participation score will be reduced. Around mid-term, you will receive a card with your grade to date. VI. QUIZZES Every time you have an assigned reading, you must be prepared to stand a short objective quiz. Such quizzes are assigned in order to encourage you to 1) keep up with the material, 2) read the material on time, 3) discuss the reading matter in class on the assigned dates, and 4) guarantee

your attendance. Failure to take the quiz on the assigned date merits a zero. Do not expect make-up quizzes except in the case of grave emergency, and advance warning to the professor. In the circumstance of emergency makeup quizzes, you must make up within a week of the missed test. VII. ACADEMIC HONESTY Do not cheat or crib on the quizzes. In addition, if you turn in any papers that or not your own work, you will get an F. You should not consult anyone else's paper who has taken the course previously. Note, too, the person who assists another in plagiarizing is as culpable as the receiver. If you study with someone or let someone read your essay and they crib from it, you, too, will be charged with cheating. If you have doubts about the assignments, speak with the teacher. Use only sources assigned in class. Do not use any sources not assigned in class, and cite all of your references from in-class material. Do not use material from the internet (however tempting) nor anything from the text introductions or Cliffs Notes or the like. The object of essays is to demonstrate your own engagement with the material and to prove your own judgments and arguments rather than to follow someone elses opinions. Do your own work. Do not cheat. Do not plagiarize. Practice virtue. VIII. ATTENDANCE You are expected to attend every class meeting and to come on time. You will be allowed one absence; otherwise your grade will drop with each session missed. If you must miss class unavoidably, you should confirm with your professor about taking your quizzes. IX. GOOD MANNERS Never chew gum in class; never eat crunchy food or soft food that comes in crinkly packages. Never whisper or mutter to your classmates or pass notes. Barring emergencies, don't leave class early and expect to escape unscathed. If you read newspapers, magazines, or other material in class, the professor will ask you to excuse yourself and give you a zero for the day's work. Turn off any cell phones or beepers before the lecture begins. Under no circumstances should you text message or play with
computers in class. Caught? You will be asked to leave.