What's it all about?

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Have you ever wondered about the many ways in which those in the West look back to the Greeks for the origins of civilization? There is a breathtaking array of such “beginnings” claimed for the Greeks, such as the invention of the alphabet, the first staged drama, the rise of formal logic and philosophy, the idea of a democracy, the creation of realistic sculpture, the conventions of writing history (historiography), and much else. In this course, we will think through these claims to cultural “origins,” seeking both to learn and understand the narratives passed down to us, and to thoughtfully interrogate those narratives. ​


​Pragmatic goals

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The principal goals of the course are: (1) a foundational introduction to the literature, history, and material culture of ancient Greece, (2) a critical and systematic exploration of strategies for interpreting the cultural artefacts of western antiquity, (3) thoughtful interrogation of the narratives that inform typical ways of constructing culture.


Day by day

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The course is taught topically and as a seminar, rotating among assignments that focus on the skeletal historical narrative, primary texts (such as Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Sophocles, Euripides, Plato), and visual resources focusing on art and architecture. There will be routine brief written and/or oral assignments by way of summing up or exploring further. Your own thoughts will animate the class within a structure of rich materials, all well worth a deep dive. 

Students are expected to come to every class; this is a seminar in which each student's daily contribution is an essential component of our learning and your grade. Classroom discussion will be thoughtful, respectful, challenging in a way that tries to nurture and bring to the fore the contributions of each and every student.

​The Duke Academic Integrity Policy of course applies in every particular: see http://trinity.duke.edu/academic-requirements?p=academic-integrity


Assessment

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As said above, there will be routine brief written and/or oral assignments, including daily work.
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​There will be two one-hour examinations, and a substantial essay due at the end. Examinations will test your command of factual information, your knowledge of the primary texts we read in translation, and your ability to put these materials together into an informed narrative or analytic essay. I reserve the right to insert occasional quizzes (these will count as part of the class work) if it seems pedagogically advisable. You are expected to come to every class, and to come well prepared; this is a seminar in which your daily contribution is an essential component of our learning and your grade.

​Exams will be evaluated both for factual content, knowledge of primary texts and objects, and the ability to deploy factual content in an analytic capacity. Formal written assignments (not daily work) will be evaluated for writing competence as well as for knowledge-set and creative or analytic content.

Graded material will be weighted as follows:
Work in class, daily homework, short papers, presentations    40%
Two one-hour examinations                                                             50% (25% + 25%)
Final essay                                                                                             10%


​Books

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Visuals, maps, study guides, and further readings will be provided online.​

Two physical books are required. You must buy these particular translations and bring to class on the days when we are studying these particular texts.

Homer, The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. Oxford.  Make sure it's the translation by Fagles. ISBN 978-0140275360. Herodotus. The Essential Herodotus. William A. Johnson. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199897957. 


​Instructor

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William A. Johnson, Professor and Chair, Classical Studies
Allen Building 229B, william.johnson@duke.edu, 919-684-2082 (but better to contact by email)
Office hours TuTh 3:00-4:00, by chance, or by appointment - if my door is open, feel free to knock and come in
The archaic funerary statue pictured above is the Phrasikleia Kore, marble with traces of color, created by the artist Aristion of Paros. At left the statue is pictured as found; on right, with the original colors restored. Attic, 550-530 BCE. National Archaeological Museum of Athens, cat. nr. 4889.