Classics 303: The Life and Literature of the Roman Empire
Spring 2016 Dr. Kevin Muse, Associate Professor of Classics, Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literature Room NWQ 1975; MW 12:30-1:45 Email: [email protected] Office: Curtin 813 Office Hours: MW 11:15-12:15 (or by appointment)
I. Course Description Classics 303 is an introductory course in the literature and civilization of the early Roman Empire. We will begin the course by reading Suetonius’ biographies of Julius Caesar and the emperor Augustus, which will provide a foundation for understanding the crises that led to the fall of the Roman Republic and the founding of the new form of autocracy known as the Principate. We will turn our attention next to the study of Roman imperial literature, focusing on the great masterpiece of the Augustan era, Vergil’s Aeneid, an epic poem about the origins of the Romans that praises the renewal of Rome under the Augustan regime while expressing a profoundly tragic view of Roman history and human life. Throughout our reading of the Aeneid we will explore an array relevant social, cultural, historical, literary, and philosophical topics that will illuminate the poem’s meaning and purpose. We will turn next to Suetonius’ biographies of Augustus’ successors, crucial documents for understanding the evolution of Roman society in the first century CE. Finally, we will read Apuleius’ novel The Golden Ass, one of the earliest novels in the Western tradition and a fascinating mixture of misadventure and allegory. Assessments of your daily homework assignments and your examinations will determine whether you have satisfied the GER Humanities outcomes specified for this course.
Classics 303 is an approved to fulfill the following undergraduate requirements: GER Humanities
II. Prerequisites There are no prerequisites for this course other than junior status. This requirement may be waived with the approval of the instructor. It is recommended, but not required, that students have completed Classics 170.
III. Course Objectives
III.1 Humanities GER learning outcomes and assessment
Classics 303 fulfills the Humanities GER requirement and meets the following criteria for a Humanities GER course:
Criterion 1. Identify the formation, traditions, and ideas essential to major bodies of historical, cultural, literary, or philosophical knowledge.
Criterion 2. Respond coherently and persuasively to the materials of humanities study; this may be through logical, textual, formal, historical, or aesthetic analysis, argument and/or interpretation. 2
UW System Shared Learning Goal outcome 3. Effective Communication Skills including listening, speaking, reading, writing, and information literacy. Although your participation in class will not constitute formal oral presentations, I will use the same rating scale (see rubric below) to assess your verbal participation in the course. Your comments in class should reflect careful preparation, organization, and a willingness to engage with me and your peers.
How Classics 303 Achieves and Assesses Humanities GER Outcomes The readings and assignments in Classics 303 are well suited to achieving the GER Humanities outcomes and UW System Shared Learning Goal outcome listed above. As we explore Vergil’s Aeneid, the biographical writings of Suetonius, and Apuleius’ The Golden Ass, you will learn about the historical background of these works, their foundational importance in the development of major genres of Western literature (epic poetry, biography, the novel), the ways in which they illustrate distinctive aspects of Roman culture and society (e.g., imperialism, propaganda, religion, political conflict, social hierarchy, family structures, relationships between the sexes), and how contemporary intellectual and philosophical trends influence them (e.g., Roman rhetorical education, Philhellenism, Hellenistic schools of philosophy, etc.). Through readings, lectures, class discussions, class presentations, and written assignments, you will learn to identify and discuss these aspects of Roman literature. The content you learn will be assessed based on the evidence of your writing assignments and examinations (using the Humanities GER Assessment Rubric for Criterion 1; see below). In your homework and in your examinations you will also demonstrate what you have learned about using primary sources of Roman literature (in translation) to form theses and arguments about logical, textual, formal, historical, or aesthetic questions concerning Roman imperial literature. Your performance in this area will be assessed using the GER Assessment Rubric for Criterion 2; see below. You will achieve UW System Shared Learning Goal outcome 3 by means of successfully completing the writing assignments, which will be assessed using the Writing Assessment Rubric. All assignments will contribute toward achieving the GER Humanities Outcomes.
III.1.2 Humanities GER assessment rubric: assessment scores will be recorded for each criterion for both your homework assignments and your examinations; the UW-System Shared Learning Goal 3 will be assessed using the Writing Assessment rubric.
Poor/minimal (1) Marginal/Needs Average/Satisfacto Very Significant Work ry (5-7) Good/Superior (8- (2-4) 10) Criterion 1: Identify Paper/examination Paper/examination Paper/examination Paper/examination the formation, is nearly devoid of demonstrates some demonstrates a demonstrates a traditions, and ideas any identification familiarity with basic mastery of thorough mastery essential to major and discussion of some of the the relevant ideas of the relevant bodies of historical, the relevant ideas relevant ideas and and knowledge ideas and cultural, literary, or and knowledge of knowledge concerning Roman knowledge philosophical Roman history, concerning Roman history, culture, concerning Roman knowledge culture, literature, history, culture, literature, or history, culture, or philosophy that literature, or philosophy, but the literature, or illuminate the philosophy, but the paper/examination philosophy that paper topic or the paper/examination responses miss one illuminate the examination responses miss or two salient paper topic or questions obvious points and/or examination 3 opportunities to contains a glaring questions; the identify and inaccuracy or a paper or engage with number of minor examination several of the mistakes of fact responses have relevant ideas and only a few minor facts and/or or trivial omissions contains a number or inaccuracies of glaring inaccuracies Criterion 2: Paper/examination Paper/examination Paper/examination Paper/examination Respond coherently responses fail in responses are responses are responses are and persuasively to making a coherent coherent and coherent and entirely coherent the materials of and persuasive persuasive in some persuasive in large and persuasive; humanities study; analysis/argument/ portions or in part, but there may any lapses in this may be interpretation some respects, but be one or two argument/analysis, through logical, in several cases or major instances etc. are few and textual, formal, in major sections where the minor historical, or are not coherent or paper/examination aesthetic analysis, persuasive responses lapse in argument and/or their coherence interpretation and/or persuasiveness, or there are several minor lapses UW System Shared See writing assessment rubric below (III.2.2) Learning Goal
III.2.2 Writing Assessment Rubric (Note: this rubric simultaneously assesses the student’s achievement of the UW System Shared Learning Goal 3)
Poor/minimal (1) Marginal/Needs Average/Satisfactory Very Significant Work (5-7) Good/Superior (2-4) (8-10) Criterion 1: Writing reflects Writing shows Writing shows Writing shows Critical reading, carelessness in understanding of general competence excellent grasp logical thinking, reading of the some aspects of in critical reading, of critical and the use of text, a lack of logical thinking logical thinking, and reading, logical argument and coherent thought and use of use of argument and thinking, and use evidence. about the coherent evidence, but there of argument and question or topic, arguments and are one or two areas evidence; little and minimal or evidence, but of significant weakness evident no use of there are some weakness and/or (i.e., minor or argument and major several minor trivial weakness evidence deficiencies and weaknesses evident in at most one or several areas that two areas) need improvement Criterion 2: The Writing shows Writing shows Writing shows Writing shows an 4 use of poor use of competence in general competence excellent grasp appropriate standard English some aspects of in use of standard of standard stylistic and (grammar, standard English English and in English and disciplinary spelling, usage and proper conventions of conventions of conventions in punctuation); methods of citing sources; there citing sources; writing and/or lacks proper citation, but there may be one or two errors are few speaking. format for are major areas needing and trivial citations (which deficiencies in substantial may be few or several areas improvement (or absent) several minor weaknesses) Criterion 3: Little to no Writing shows an Shows a basic grasp Shows strong Critical analysis engagement with attempt to engage of how to engage engagement with of information the sources; with primary with primary and/or the sources and from primary or minimal or no and/or secondary secondary sources care in analyzing secondary analysis based sources, but there and use them questions using sources for some on relevant are major effectively in a relevant primary portion of the primary and/or deficiencies in critical analysis; and/or secondary speaking and/or secondary the analysis or there may be one or sources; only writing. sources use of sources two major very minor weaknesses in using weaknesses sources, or several evident, if any minor weaknesses Class Not well Preparation and Preparation and Presentation is Participation prepared or organization is organization are excellent to organized; not good in some good, but superior; engaged; shows respects, but improvement is comments and minimal mastery substantial needed in one area questions are of the reading improvement is (e.g., mastery of the engaging and needed in two reading, well motivated, areas (e.g., organization of reflecting careful mastery of the comments, level of thought about the reading, engagement/interest) reading and the organization, class discussion; level of any deficiencies engagement in are minor or the class trivial discussions)
IV. Required Texts Edwards, C. Suetonius: Lives of the Caesars. Oxford, 2009 (reprint). ISBN-13: 978-0199537563
Fitzgerald. Virgil: The Aeneid. Random House, 1990 (reprint). ISBN-13: 978-0679729525
Walsh, P. G. Apuleius: The Golden Ass. Oxford, 2008 (reprint). ISBN-13: 978-0199540556 5 V. Course Grade V.1 Grading Scale
A: 93-100% A-: 90-92% B+: 87-89% B: 83-86% B-: 80-82% C+ 77-79% C 73-76% C- 70-72% D+ 67-69% D 63-66% D- 60-62% F: below 60%
V.2 Breakdown of assignments and their contribution to your course grade:
1. Attendance and Participation (5% Class Participation, 5% Attendance)
2. Study Question Sets (40%)
5. Midterm Examination (25%)
6. Final Examination (25%)
VI. Workload Statement
On average students should expect to spend 48 hours per credit hour in a college course. The estimated breakdown of time required to complete the work for Classics 303 is as follows:
Course meetings (75 minutes, twice a week): 75 minutes X 29 meetings = 36.25 hours Final Examination = 2 hours Course Readings = 52 hours Written Assignments = 53.75 hours Total time invested = 144 hours
Keep in mind that this is an estimate. Your course grade will be based on your performance on assignments and tests, not on how much time you invest in preparing.
VII. Attendance and Make-up Policies
Attendance and Participation: Taking careful lecture notes will be essential to success in this course; much of what we will cover in course meetings will not be in your books or D2L site. I assume that you will attend regularly and participate. See the Class Participation and Attendance grading policy above.
The final exam will be limited to material from the second half of the course. Make-up exams are allowed only in documented cases of illness or emergency. If a make-up exam is necessary, it must 6 be taken as soon as possible after the regularly scheduled exam, and it may differ from the original exam in content.
Late work: Assignments are due by the beginning of class on the due date listed in the syllabus. Students’ grades for late assignments will incorporate a penalty. Assignments turned in later on the due date will lose 5 pts automatically (half a letter grade); an assignment turned in on the following calendar day will lose 10 pts, and for each subsequent day the assignment grade will be adjusted down an additional 10 pts. The penalty will be waived only if the student can provide documentation of an illness or emergency, and in such instances the penalty will be adjusted proportional to the duration of the illness or emergency. For example, a viral illness lasting three days cannot compensate for turning in an assignment three weeks late.
VIII. Course Rules 1) Attend every course meeting and participate in the discussion. Take careful notes in class and review them everyday. 2) Check your email at least once a day. If I need to make adjustments to the schedule of assignments or communicate other information to you, you will usually receive notice well in advance, both by email and announcements in class. It is your responsibility to come to class and check your email regularly so that we are all on the same page. 3) Do all of the assigned reading before you come to class and bring it with you. 4) Think carefully about what you read, taking notes, outlining, and formulating questions. You may not understand everything on the first pass; it is important that you read slowly and re-read if necessary. Take your time in completing your homework assignments. 5) Etiquette: Please refrain from talking during the lecture unless you have a question or are called on. Please do not eat or chew gum during class. Please be on time. Please refrain from using electronic devices in class.
IX. Academic Misconduct You are expected to uphold the standards of academic integrity in this course. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. For the UWM policy on academic misconduct see http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm.
X. Links to Important UWM Policies 1. Students with disabilities. http://www4.uwm.edu/sac/
2. Religious observances. Accommodations for absences due to religious observance should be noted. http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S1.5.htm
3. Students called to active military duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of reserves to active military duty should be noted. Students: http://www4.uwm.edu/current_students/military_call_up.cfm Employees: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S40.htm (Editorially Revised, 3/25/09)
4. Incompletes. A notation of "incomplete" may be given in lieu of a final grade to a student who has carried a subject successfully until the end of a semester but who, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond the student's control, has been unable to take or complete the final examination or to complete some limited amount of term work. https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_31_INCOMPLETE_GRADES.pdf 7 5. Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment). Discriminatory conduct will not be tolerated by the University. It poisons the work and learning environment of the University and threatens the careers, educational experience, and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_47_Discrimina_duct_Policy.pdf
6. Academic misconduct. Cheating on exams or plagiarism are violations of the academic honor code and carry severe sanctions, including failing a course or even suspension or dismissal from the University. http://www4.uwm.edu/osl/dean/conduct.cfm
7. Complaint procedures. Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic unit or department in which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be directed to the head of the department or academic unit in which the complaint occurred or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy. https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_47_Discrimina_duct_Policy.pdf
8. Grade appeal procedures. A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a capricious or arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the established procedures adopted by the department, college, or school in which the course resides or in the case of graduate students, the Graduate School. These procedures are available in writing from the respective department chairperson or the Academic Dean of the College/School. http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S28.htm
9. The final exam requirement, the final exam date requirement, etc. http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S22.htm 8
XI. Schedule of Topics and Assignments (subject to revision)
Mon. 1-25 Introduction to the course; timeline of Roman history; review of the crisis of the late Republic
Wed. 1-27 Suetonius The Deified Julius Caesar: Edwards vii-xxx; 3-18 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 1
Mon. 2-1 Suetonius The Deified Julius Caesar: Edwards 18-42 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 2
Wed. 2-3 Suetonius The Deified Augustus: Edwards 43-52; introduction to Vergil; Vergil Eclogues 1, 9 (on D2L); Horace Satires 1.5 (on D2L) Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 3
Mon. 2-8 Suetonius The Deified Augustus: Edwards 52-90 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 4
Wed. 2-10 Suetonius The Deified Augustus: Edwards 90-97; Introduction to Vergil’s Aeneid Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 5
Mon. 2-15 Aeneid 1: Fitzgerald 3-30 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 6
Wed. 2-17 Aeneid 2: Fitzgerald 33-61 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 7
Mon. 2-22 Aeneid 3: Fitzgerald 65-91 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 8
Wed. 2-24 Aeneid 4: Fitzgerald 95-121 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 9
Mon. 2-29 Aeneid 5: Fitzgerald 125-156 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 10
Wed. 3-2 Aeneid 6: Fitzgerald 159-192 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 11
Mon. 3-7 Aeneid 6: Fitzgerald 159-192 (continued) Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 12
Wed. 3-9 Midterm Examination
March 13-20 Spring Break
Mon. 3-21 Aeneid 7: Fitzgerald 195-225 9 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 13
Wed. 3-23 Aeneid 8: Fitzgerald 229-256 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 14
Mon. 3-28 Aeneid 9: Fitzgerald 259-289 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 15
Wed. 3-30 Aeneid 10: Fitzgerald 293-327 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 16
Mon. 4-4 Aeneid 11: Fitzgerald 331-364 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 17
Wed. 4-6 Aeneid 12: Fitzgerald 367-402 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 18
Mon. 4-11 Suetonius Life of Tiberius: Edwards 98-135 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 19
Wed. 4-13 Suetonius Life of Caligula: Edwards 136-167 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 20
Mon. 4-18 Suetonius Life of Claudius: Edwards 168-194 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 21
Wed. 4-20 Suetonius Life of Nero: Edwards 195-227; Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 22
Mon. 4-25 Apuleius The Golden Ass: Walsh xi-xxiii; 1-38 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 23
Wed. 4-27 Apuleius The Golden Ass: Walsh 39-99 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 24
Mon. 5-2 Apuleius The Golden Ass: Walsh 100-190 Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 25
Wed. 5-4 Apuleius The Golden Ass: Walsh 191-240; xxiii-xlviii Turn in to D2L Dropbox before class: Study Question Set 26
Mon. 5-9 review for final examination
Final Examination: Monday, May 16, 12:30-2:30 pm