Announcements
Bookmark this page as your main entry point to the course website. That way, you’ll be sure to see any changes and other information I’ve posted here.
Reminder: The Proposal is due Monday, October 14
28 September 2024
Here are a few brief reminders about the proposal, which is due very soon on Monday, October 14.Read more…
Current Announcements (2)
Presentation slides are now posted on the Slides page
2 October 2024
Going forward, for any student presentations that use slides, I’ll be posting the slides on the Slides page. I’ve already posted the ones that have already taken place.
You’re free to use slides to accompany your presentation, or not. It’s cool either way. If you do, though, remember to email the slides to me by the day before the class meeting, so that I can bring them with me on my thumb drive. (If you email them to me the day of, I can still make it work—it just requires logging onto the otherwise useless dinosaur PC in my office.)
No meeting this week
28 September 2024
No classes are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday of this week, so there will be no meeting for us on Thursday the 3rd.
That also of course means no assignments, quizzes, or responses, so this week is a good opportunity to catch up on reading and plan out what you want to explore for your proposal (due October 14) and research paper.
We’ll pick up with the story of Athens at our next class meeting on October 10. See you then!
Archive
Quiz #3 grades and markups posted
1 October 2024
The grades and markups for Quiz #3 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.
Quiz #2 grades and markups posted
24 September 2024
The grades and markups for Quiz #2 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.
Welcome to Week 5!
21 September 2024
This week we’re talking about Sparta and the art of war.
Things to ponder as you explore the materials. What do you think went into making the Spartans like this—so different, so focused on being warriors? What does being a warrior society mean to them? Why aren’t more poleis like this, especially given the other cities are so impressed by the Spartans’ dedication?
Is the Spartan experiment a success, in Greek terms? What are the most positive aspects of the Spartan society, in terms of things like the well-being of its citizens? What are the biggest drawbacks of the Spartan system?
A lot is made of the distinctive situation for women in the Spartan culture. How do the Spartan women view their society, do you think?
And there’s this thing called the “Spartan Mirage.” What do you think that’s really about—for Greeks living in the same time as the Spartans, and for modern historians as well?
Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you on Thursday!
Quiz #1 grades and markups posted
17 September 2024
The grades and markups for Quiz #1 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
Each quiz is scored out of 5. Normally on the My Grades page you’ll see the current quiz average, including the lowest quiz being dropped, but I won’t start showing that until we’ve had a couple more quizzes. That’s why right now it says there are too few grades to show an average in the Quizzes line on the My Grades pages. Later, you’ll see the average quiz grade there.
If your quiz grade isn’t what you’d like it to be, don’t panic! It’s still very early and there are lots of opportunities to improve the quiz grade, as well as getting other kinds of grades to balance things out. Quiz averages tend to improve over the semester as the quiz process and the material becomes more familiar. The key step is to come into class on time and prepared, and ask questions—by email, in office hours, and in class.
I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.
Reminder: Responses due Sunday
14 September 2024
Just a reminder to post this week’s online response if you haven’t already. Responses are due by the Sunday after the class meeting for that week.
To post your response, go to the course website (follow the links sent previously, or find markbwilson dot com and click on Courses), then click on Responses on the side menu. Use the buttons at the top of the page to go to the right week, or click on Due Dates to see the full list.
Actually, I’d recommend clicking on Due Dates and bookmarking that page to use as your starting point each week. That way you have the full list of meetings and the dates for each in front of you each time.
Welcome to Week 4!
14 September 2024
This week we’re talking about the period after the so-called Greek Dark Age, when from our perspective Hellas can be heard and seen again, with the foundations of Greek culture already laid down in the previous, unseen centuries.
Things to ponder as you explore the materials. This is the time of the polis—the distinctive, kingless Greek city-state; of colonization, with Greek cities sending their people out into the Aegean, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean; and of the hoplite warrior. Also during this time: the rise of lyric poetry, a sharp contrast to the epic poetry of earlier times; and pan-Hellenism, the curious sense of commonality that grows among all these city-states with defiantly distinct and competitive identities. What do these cities really have in common? What does it mean to be Greek during this time, do you think? And how does that square with their bitter rivalries—not to mention reinventing war?
Two writers emerge during this period that are characteristic of the shifting Greek culture. One is Hesiod, who speaks from the point of view of the small landed farmer—unlike Homer, whose perspective was from the top of society down. What does Hesiod have to tell us about what it meant to be Greek, and is it different from the key values present in Homer’s work? Another author is Sappho, the most famous of the lyric poets. What does her poetry tell us about how Hellas is changing from the days of epic poetry told by rhapsodes?
Looking forward to discussing all this with you. See you Thursday!