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IDH 2930 - (Un)Common Read (section 3419) The Homeric Hymns and Homerica: The Other Works of “Homer”
meets Monday, Period 10 (5:10-6:00 pm) in Hume 011. Instructor: Kenneth Silverman e-mail: [email protected] office hours: 1:45- 2:45 pm, Monday (or, by appointment), Dauer Hall 125E Classics Department phone: (352) 392-2075
Textbooks:
Diane J. Rayor, trans. The Homeric Hymns: A Translation, with Introduction and Notes. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014 [2004]). (ISBN-13: 978-0520282117) (required)
Note on editions: you may also use the older edition of this same book, published in 2004. The page numbers are identical. All other required readings, outside of Rayor 2014, will be provided on the Canvas course site.
Course description:
Many undergraduate students will have read at least parts of the Iliad and the Odyssey, either in high school or college courses; or, otherwise, they will be familiar with these stories from movies and TV shows (such as Troy [2004], or a recent Netflix series, Troy: Fall of a City). They will be less likely to know the Homeric Hymns and “Homerica”– shorter works that at different points in antiquity and the Middle Ages were attributed to Homer, or at least were grouped in the same corpus with the Iliad and Odyssey. Yet these “minor” poems can be equally, if not more, informative about ancient Greek society than Homer’s major epics. As many of them were composed for religious occasions, they offer invaluable evidence for the use of music in ancient cult, as well as the ritual aspects of myth and storytelling. A few compositions also have a parodistic or satyrical bent, providing us with unique insight on how Greeks could laugh at themselves and their cultural icons. !2
The Homeric Hymns and Homerica include some of the most colorful and entertaining stories from ancient times. Our main text for the first half of the semester will be a translation of the Homeric Hymns, which include such exciting tales as the cattle-rustling adventures of the baby god Hermes; the famous story of Persephone’s abduction by Hades; Apollo slaying the python and founding the sanctuary of Delphi. We will also read a translation of an unusual poem that reveals the lighter side of “Homer”: Batrachomyomachia, a mini-epic about a war between frogs and mice (!); and fragments of a comic poem called Margites, about a simpleton named Margites and his misadventures in the bedroom. We will also look at short fragments of lost epic poems, which include Trojan War stories other than those in the Iliad, as well as the Theban saga. This course will also include a brief introduction to Greek poetics, to give students a feel for the sounds and rhythms of the original language.
Course activities and objectives:
The Hymns and Homerica are short works (sometimes only several pages or less, whether they are complete or fragmentary), so I will sometimes assign several selections per week. Readings will include selections from the required textbook (Rayor) and online materials, and my own translations. By the end of the semester, we will have read translations of most of the contents of the fifth volume of the Oxford Classical Texts Homer series (Thomas W. Allen, ed., 1912): Homeri Opera, Tomus V, Hymnos, Cyclum, Fragmenta, Margiten, Batrachomyomachiam, Vitas continens. Students should come to class having done the readings and having prepared to discuss them: both to appreciate these poems as literature, and to consider them in their historical context.
1. We will spend most of class time discussing the readings. I will sometimes refer to the original Greek and Latin texts, to help students understand the sounds and original meanings of the language (some of which gets lost in translation). No prior experience with Classical Greek or Latin is required to take this class, however. Students will be graded on their attendance and participation in the weekly discussion (see Course Policies, below). 2. Every day, at the start of class, we will have a very short quiz (five multiple choice questions) about the reading(s) assigned for that day. Out of twelve quizzes, the two lowest scores will be dropped.
3. The one essay assignment for the semester will be largely open-ended. You may write about whatever aspects of the assigned readings most interest you. The extent to which you use outside sources (other than the assigned readings), including relevant secondary !3
literature, will be up to you. You may write a creative essay, an opinion piece, or, if you prefer, a research paper. The only basic rules are these: A. The essay should be 4-5 pages minimum, double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with page numbers. B. You must write about the assigned readings, and make specific references to the texts. C. The essay, every sentence of it, must be entirely your own work, or otherwise properly referenced (see the plagiarism policy, below). D. The essay must interpret, analyze, opine on, or otherwise make observations about the assigned readings - - do not take up too much space summarizing the readings. It is assumed that whoever reads your paper will already be familiar with the content of this literature. E. You must carefully cite any sources that you use. You may use whichever citation style you prefer, so long as it is consistent. A first draft of the paper will be due before Spring Break (Monday 2/25) , so that I can give you feedback for revisions. A final copy will be due on the last day of class.
Schedule:
week 1 (1/7) M – Introduction to Ancient Greek Poetry and Poetics week 2 (1/14) M - Hymns to Dionysus [1] and Demeter (pp. 15-34, Rayor)
week 3 (1/21) M - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; no classes. week 4 (1/28) M - Hymn to Apollo (pp. 35-53, Rayor) !4
week 5 (2/4) M – Hymn to Hermes (pp. 55-74, Rayor) week 6 (2/11)
M – Hymn to Aphrodite [5] (pp. 75-85, Rayor) week 7 (2/18) M – The shorter Hymns (pp. 86-103, Rayor) week 8 (2/25)
M – Chrestomathia (Proclus) [Canvas Course Files] DUE: Essay First Draft week 9 (3/4) - Spring Break week 10 (3/11) M – Fragments: Titanomachia, Oedipodea, Thebaid, Epigoni, Cypria [Canvas Course Files] week 11 (3/18) M- Fragments: Aethiopis, Ilias Parva, Iliou Persis, Nostoi, Telegonia, Carmina Epica Cyclo Non Comprehensa [Canvas Course Files] week 12 (3/25) M – Fragments: Margites [Canvas Course Files] !5 week 13 (4/1) M- Batrachomyomachia [Canvas Course Files] week 14 (4/8) M – Vita Herodotea [Canvas Course Files]
week 15 (4/15) M – The Contest of Homer and Hesiod [Canvas Course Files] week 16 (4/22) [last day] M – Review and Summary Discussion: What have we learned?
DUE: Essay Final
Course policies:
1. Late work will not be accepted unless appropriate documentation is provided. Under such circumstances, you will be given the chance to make up the work that you missed in a timely manner. If you expect to have difficulty completing an assignment, please speak with me ahead of time. 2. Warning about plagiarism:
Plagiarism, along with any other form of academic dishonesty, will not be tolerated. The first offense will result in a warning, the second in a grade of 0 on the assignment, and the third will result in my submitting a report to the Dean of Students Office. See the Student Honor Code (item 5, below). 3. Participation and Attendance will be worth two points every class day, adding up to a total of 30 points for the semester (30% of the final grade). On each class day, one point will be given for attending, and another for participating in the discussion.
4. You can expect to have written work graded/commented on in a timely manner (1 week for quizzes, 2 weeks for papers). You can expect to have e-mails answered within 24 hours. Also, please feel free to stop by during my office hours, or to discuss concerns with me during or after class. !6
5. We will abide by the University of Florida Honor Code. The Honor Pledge: “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: ‘On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.’” 6. Perfect attendance is expected. For every unexcused absence during the semester, you will lose two points from the Participation and Attendance grade. Students who leave class without permission should expect to be counted as absent and assigned a zero for the day. A zero means no credit for quizzes, homework, or other in class activities for that day. For absence due to participation in an official university activity, observance of a religious holiday, performance of a military duty, or any other conflict (e.g., jury duty) as per the university policy, the student is required to notify the instructor of the conflict before the assignment is due, and if possible at the start of the semester. 7. We will try, in everything we work on and discuss, to be honest about what we know and understand, and what we don’t. Information for students requesting accommodation for disabilities: Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student, who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Please have the notification delivered to the instructor one week prior to need. Grading:
Quizzes: 20% Attendance/Participation: 30 % Essay First Draft: 20% Essay Final: 30% !7
Grading Scale: 93-100: A, 90- 92: A-, 88-89: B+, 83-87: B, 80-82: B-, 78-79: C+, 73-77: C, 70-72: C-, 68-69: D+…
Final grades will be rounded up: 87.5% = B+, 87.0 to 87.4% = B.
Student evaluation on the quality of instruction: Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course based on 10 criteria. These evaluations will be conducted online at https://evaluations.ufl.edu.
Resources for students: 1. Counseling Resources: On-campus resources for students include the following:
a. University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall for personal counseling: If you or a friend is in distress, please contact [email protected] or call 352 392-1575. b. Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171, personal counseling. c. Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, sexual counseling. d. University Police Department: 392-1111 or 9-1-1 for emergencies. 2. Academic Resources:
a. E-learning technical support, 352-392-4357 (select option 2) or e-mail to Learning- s [email protected]. https://lss.at.ufl.edu/help.shtml. b. Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601. Career assistance and counseling. https:// www.crc.ufl.edu/. c. Library Support, http://cms.uflib.ufl.edu/ask Various ways to receive assistance with respect to using the libraries or finding resources. d. Teaching Center, Broward Hall, 392-2010 or 392-6420. General study skills and tutoring. https://teachingcenter.ufl.edu/. e. Writing Studio, 302 Tigert Hall, 846-1138. Help brainstorming, formatting, and writing papers. https://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/.