Gilgamesh; Egyptian Poetry; Iliad;
Odyssey; Oedipus, the King
The
Divine Comedy: Inferno
Hamlet
M: Introduction to the class, syllabus, weekly assignments; introduction to Mesopotamia and Gilgamesh: timeline, map
W: Gilgamesh: Books 1-3; archaeology, slides
F: Book 4
M: Labor Day
W: Gilgamesh: Books 5-7; Response paper 1 due: What is the lesson Gilgamesh learns at the end? How is this message important to the culture?
F: Egyptian culture: read handouts; slides and discussion
Ancient Egyptian Poetry, pp. 41-52
M: Introduction to Iliad: map of Europe, Greece, plot and names, archaeology, slides of Troy, timeline, slides Mycenae and Crete;
W: Heroic Code, Sin vs. Shame cultures, read Book I, The Rage of Achilles, Iliad; What do Achilles and Agamemnon sound like? How would you characterize their "conversation"? Why does Homer begin where he does? Discussion of Homer and the culture that created the Iliad
F: Iliad, Book VI, Hector Returns to Troy (begin with line 154); Response paper 2 due: compare Achilles to Hector. How are they different?
M: Book IX, The Embassy to Achilles. Response paper 3 due: What is Achilles's reaction to the ransom?
W: Book XVI, Patroclus Fights and Dies.
F: Book XVIII, The Shield of Achilles (end your reading at line 415)
M: Book XXII, The Death of Hector. Essay one due: Discuss Homer's clear-eyed vision of war and violence.
For discussion in class: Is Achilles's anger normal or excessive? Why?
W: Achilles and Priam: Book XXIV. What's unusual about Achilles's response to Priam?
F: Odyssey, Book I (Telemachos and the suitors); Book V (Odysseus on Kalypso's island)
M: VIII (Odysseus has been shipwrecked on the island of the Phaiakians; he is wined and dined and encouraged to tell the story of his adventures.)
W: Odyssey, Books IX-XII (chronological recounting of Odysseus's adventures since leaving Troy); Response paper 4 due: Where does Odysseus go and what does he learn or experience in each place?
F: Continue discussion of Odysseus's travels
M: XXII-XXIV; Discussion Topic: What progress has been made from the days of the Iliad? How is the nature of the violence different in Odyssey from the violence in Iliad?
W: Introduction to Greek
drama; discussion of 5th century B.C. Athens; slides of Greek theaters, architecture,
the Parthenon, sculpture, pottery
F: watch the film in class, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, 120
minutes
M: continue the film
W: continue the film
F: Discussion of Oedipus
Mid-term Exam to be taken in the Testing Center any time this week. Bring a Blue Book, picture I.D.
M: The Early Christian Church
W: No class
The essay question for the mid-term. Worth 50% of the exam: Essay: each culture, each age has a concept of heroism. Define what it is to be a hero in Gilgamesh, Iliad, Odyssey, and Oedipus the King. Give specific details of actions, thoughts, etc. in the texts that identify certain men as heroes. In your conclusion, define your own modern concept of heroism and give examples.
F: No class
M: Introduction to the medieval world: cosmology; painting, architecture, social structures, music.
W: Medieval ideas: courtly love; the influence of Augustine and Aquinas
Introduction to Dante, his biography, explanation of allegory.
F: Dante, Inferno, Cantos I-XI (Circles 1-6). Response paper 6 due or Essay 2: What are Dante's reaction to sinners? Use specific lines from the text to support your points.
M: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XII-XVII (Circle 7).
Essay 2: Analyze the nature of the sins in Circle 7.
W: Discussion of Circle 8; pictures by Dore, Botticelli, Blake. Response paper 7: pp. 1914-1916. Circle 8: fraud, malice, false counselors. Ulysses, a tongue of flame, is the Roman name for Odysseus. Read his speech to Dante and write on how different this version of Odysseus's return to Ithaca is.
F: Read Cantos XXX-XXXIV (Circle 9)
M: Exam on Dante
W: Arabian Literature: Jalaloddin Rumi (1207-1283) pp. 1541-1548; selection from The Thousand and One Nights (fourteenth century)
F: Introduction to the Renaissance
M: Shakespeare's background
M: Hamlet, Act I; see film in class
W: Act II; see film in class
F: Act III
M: Act IV;
Response paper 8: Choose one of the following topics:
1) Take a feminist approach to the play and discuss the tragedy of Ophelia played against the world of men and power.
2) Discuss the imagery of rot, corruption, and chaos in the play. As always quote specific lines of the text.
W: Act V
F: Discussion of play.
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