Course Description

It is almost impossible to understate the influence that the Ancient Greeks has had on western civilization.  From our democratic system of government to the classical style of imposing architecture with white marble pillars to the very concepts of History, Philosophy, Poetry and Theatre, our daily lives are suffused with the legacy that stems primarily from the daily activities of a thriving population tucked in under the shadow of an imposing hill fortress, the famous Acropolis of Athens.  This course will explore in depth the poetry, drama, history, and philosophy that has been handed to us as part of our heritage for hundreds of and hundreds of years.

Texts

Author               Title                               Translator                                       Publisher

Homer               The Iliad                         Trans. Richmond Lattimore              Chicago

Homer               The Odyssey                    Trans. Richmond Lattimore              Harper & Row

Aeschylus           The Oresteia                  Trans. David Grene                          Chicago

Sophocles           Sophocles I                     Trans. David Grene                          Chicago

Euripides            Euripides V                     Trans. David Grene                          Chicago

Aristophanes      Lysistrata                       Trans. Douglass Parker                    Mentor

Herodotus          The Histories                  Trans. Aubrey de Sélincourt             Penguin

Thucydides         Peloponnesian War        Trans. Rex Warner                          Penguin

Plato                  Last Days of Socrates     Trans. Hugh Tredennick                   Penguin

Plato                  Symposium                    Trans. Benjamin Jowett                   Liberal Arts

Requirements

You will complete two 4-5 page (1500-2000 words) papers during the semester; there will also be a midterm.  Additionally, some Reaction Writings, which will be due before class starts on the specified day, and which are based on the daily readings, shall help you develop your critical thinking skills.  The Final Project will be (your choice) of either a paper, a PowerPoint presentation (or equivalent) or a video that addresses one of the course’s major themes. Don’t worry about being “right” since there is never a single right answer to any question in the Humanities, but only weaker and stronger arguments.

About the Instructor(s): Greg Lanier

Dr. Greg Lanier, member of the Honors faculty, has been teaching Honors courses on Shakespeare, classical literature, and theatre for over 40 years.