Disclaimer: This is an indicative syllabus only and may be subject to changes. The final and official syllabus will be distributed by the Instructor during the first day of class. The American University of Rome Archeology and Classics Program Course Title: Classics and Comics: Ancient Culture and Modern Sequential Art Course Number: CLS 204 Credits & hours: 3 credits – 3 hours Co‐/Pre‐Requisites: ENG 202 Course description This course analyzes the adaptation of ancient Greek and Roman literature and visual culture in modern comic books, graphic novels, and manga, with a specific focus on narratives of the Trojan War ands it aftermath. Students read major works of classical literature such as The Odyssey and plays by Aeschylus and Euripides and examine their reception in subsequent periods, from the manuscripts of the middle ages to modern sequential art. Students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of sequential art and its analysis, and will examine the artistic processes involved in translating texts into visual narrative. Required Textbooks (subject to change) Editions of Homer, The Odyssey and The Iliad; Euripides, Iphigenia at Aulis; Aeschylus, The Oresteia S. McCloud, Understanding Comics (978‐0060976255) G. Duggan and P. Noto, The Infinite Horizon (978‐1582409726) E. Shanower, Age of Bronze Volume 1: A ThousandSyllabus Ships (978‐1582402215) and Volume 2: Sacrifice (978‐1582403601) N. Gaiman, The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones (978‐1563892042) Readings posted on MyAUR or available electronically through the AUR library (lib). Entry Fees Students ymust pa their own entrance fees when required. Course Learning Objectives At the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. Understand major works of ancient literature and visual culture within their original historical and social contexts 2. Examine works of sequential art (comics, graphic novels, manga) as products of a particular art form with its own conventions and methods of analysis, using the Samplespecialized terminology of the medium 3. Analyze how works of sequential art interpret ancient literary and visual sources to impart additional meaning to both the source material and the modeern context 4. Consider the ways in which the ancient world can provide a useful medium for exploring modern issues of cultural identity and social problems Course Learning Activities Out of class reading and writing assignments: The readings listed for each day are required, and in general should be completed in close correlation with (immediately before or after) the pertinent lecture. Weekly quizzes and journal entries will be tied to specific readings – make sure to complete all of the readings for the previous week to prepare for the quiz. In class discussions and analysis: Students will participate in discussions, sustain their views and ideas by using a new and specialized lexicon, and demonstrate their knowledge of Roman society and religion. Journal entries Write a brief weekly response (around 400 words, but a particular length will be specified for each entry) to the topics and textual/material sources presented in class and the readings. Specific questions will be provided for inspiration, and entries are due by midnight on Sunday. Each student must submit a minimum of 6 (out of a possible 9) journal entries. Students must complete two journal entries per course unit (two on The Odyssey etc.) A separate document is available on Blackboard delineating expectations and format. Please note: no extensions will be granted on journal entries. Final paper: Original research paper or creative project engaging with both aspects of the course: the classical source material and the medium of sequential art (comics and graphic novels). 2000 words. Assessment tools Weekly Quizzes (best 8 out of 10) 30% Journal Entries 30% Final Paper 25% In‐class participation 15% Syllabus Sample COURSE SCHEDULE Week Topic Reading Week 1 Introduction to the Course McCloud Chapters 1 & 2 (p.1‐59) Graphic Novels, Comics, and Visual Narrative McCloud Chapter 3 (p.60‐93) Week 2 Primary Narrative: Homer’s Odyssey Odyssey books 1‐6 The Lost Hero Odyssey books 7‐12 Adventures and Misadventures Week 3 Primary Narrative: Homer’s Odyssey Odyssey books 13‐18 The Return and Quiz 1 Odyssey books 19‐24 Revenge and Restoration Week 4 The Odyssey and its Reception A. Shapiro, “Homer’s Odyssey: The The Odyssey in Antiquity: Receptions in Art & Wanderings and Homecoming of Literature and Quiz 2 (carry through to Week 12) Odysseus” from Myth into Art and J. Farrell, “Roman Homer” from The Cambridge Companion to Homer (BB) Modern Odysseys Excerpts from E. Hall, The Return of Ulysses “Blood Bath” and “Sex and Sexuality” and S. Goldhill, “Naked and O Brother Where Art Thou?: The Politics and Poetics of Epic Cinema” from Homer in the Twentieth Century (BB) Week 5 Odysseus as Comic Book Hero T. Jenkins, “Heavy Metal Homer: Heavy Metal to Percy Jackson Countercultural Appropriations of the Odyssey in Graphic Novels” from Classics and Comics; and selections from other graphic novels of the Odyssey (BB) Post‐apocalyptic dystopia SyllabusDuggan and Noto’s Infinite Horizon Week 6 The Prequel: Narratives of the Trojan War Euripides, Iphigenia at Aulis; Harris Trojan War Narratives in Athenian Tragedy & Platzner, “Heroes at War: The Troy Saga” from Classical Mythology (BB) Other Ancient Sources for the Origins of the Trojan Iliad books 3, 6, & 24; Ancient War Sources for the Trojan War: Cypria and Ovid’s Heroides 16 & 17 (folder on BB) Week 7 Assembling the Story E. Shanower, “Twenty‐First‐Century The Archaeological Record Troy” from Classics and Comics; Chapters 1‐3 (p.31‐103) from J. Pedley, Greek Art & Archaeology 4th ed. (BB) The Visual Record Excerpts from S. Woodford, The Trojan War in Ancient Art (BB) Sample Week 8 Post‐Antique Contributions and Corruptions Diane Thompson, “Chapter 8: The Medieval and Renaissance Interpretations Transmission of the Troy Stories to the Middle Ages” and “Chapter 10: Guido delle Colonna’s Historia Destructionis Troia” in The Trojanr Wa Troy on Stage and Screen: Achilles from John Gay Thompson, “Chapter 13: Improving to Brad Pitt Iphigenia” and J. Burgess, “Achilles’ Heel: The Historicism of the Film Troy,” from Reading Homer: Film and Text (BB) Week 9 Eric Shanower’s Age of Bronze Shanower, Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships Establishing the Framework Shanower, Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships Developing Character and Motivation Week 10 The Alternate Ending: The Oresteia Aeschylus, Agamemnon; Pindar, Pythian 11 The Crime Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers; A. Shapiro, “Aeschylus” from Myth into Art (BB) The Revenge Week 11 The Furies, The Eumenides, The Erinyes Aeschylus, The Eumenides The Punishment The Furies in the post‐antique imagination Countee Cullen, “After a Visit,” from Medea and Some Poems (1935); L. Graybill, “The Display of Violence in Philippe‐Auguste Hennequin’s The Remorse of Orestes,” Art History 37.5 (November 02014) 94 ‐959; A. Potter, “Hell Hath No Fury Like a Dissatisfied Viewer: Audience Responses to the Presentation of the Furies in Xena: Warrior Princess and Charmed,” from Classics for All: Reworking Antiquity in Mass Culture (BB) Week 12 Neil Gaiman and Classical Reception Excerpts from N. Gaiman, The Sandman The Sandman series and its uses of antiquity series (“Playing House,” “Calliope,” “The SyllabusStory of Orpheus,” “The Parliament of Rooks,” and “Brief Lives, Chapters 6 and 9” (BB) The Furies and Dream N. Gaiman, The Sandman Volume e9: Th Kindly Ones Week 13 Comics and Mythology C.W. Marshall, “The Furies, Wonder Woman, and Dream” from Classics and Conclusions – Comics and Classics Comics; Entries on “The Furies,” “Fury I,” “Fury II,” and “Tisiphone” from The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia (BB) Week 14 FINAL EXAM Sample ATTENDANCE POLICY In keeping with AUR’s mission to prepare students to live and work across cultures, the University places a high value on classroom experience. As a result attendance is expected in all classes and attendance records are maintained. The University’s attendance policy is as follows: 1.0. Minimum Attendance Requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 70% of a course in order to be eligible to be considered for a passing grade. 1.1. Automatically Accepted Absences Students will not be penalized for one absence from classes meeting once a week; Students will not be penalized for three absences from classes meeting twice a week; Students will not be penalized for four absences from classes meeting more than twice a week, as in the case of some intensive courses. 1.2. If further absences are recorded, grade penalties will be applied according to the Instructor’s specific attendance policy, as stated in the syllabus, and following the institutional parameters given in the Note* below. 1.2.1. If the Instructor does not specify an attendance policy, there will be no grade penalty other than that attached to the minimum attendance requirement, and any penalized absences recorded above the basic 70% attendance requirement for the course will be invalidated. 1.3. During Summer sessions where courses are taught more intensively over a shorter period the following applies: ‐ Students will not be penalized for two absences from class. 2.0. Tolerated Absences Syllabus Certain categories of absence will not be penalized but they will be counted as an absence (for a 3‐credit course meeting twice a week). These absences are: • The Model United Nations (MUN); • Permit to Stay, • SG’s “Ambassador Program” (Student Government initiative) • Religious Holidays The American University of Rome makes all reasonable efforts to accommodate students who must be absent from classes to observe religious holidays. (Please verify with the Dean’s Office for the list of accepted absences for religious holidays) Not attending a class due to the observance of a religious holiday will not be penalized but will be counted as an absence. Students who will need to miss class in order to observe religious holidays must notify their Instructors by the end of the Add/Drop period (first week of classes), and must make prior arrangements with their Instructors to make up any work missed.