UGS 303: Heroes of Ancient Greece Fall 2018 – Signature Course Class meets M & W 12-1 in WAG 420 Discussion sections meet F 10-11 or 11-12 or 12-1 in CBA 4.342 Unique #62695 F 10-11 CBA 4.342 (College of Business Admin) Unique #62700 F 11-12 CBA 4.342 (College of Business Admin) Unique #62705 F 12-1 CBA 4.342 (College of Business Admin) Instructor: Professor Steve White (contact email) office hours W 1-3 and by appointment in WAG 117 (Waggener Hall) Teaching Assistant: Josh Renfro (contact email) office hours MF 1-2 in WAG 121 (Waggener Hall) 1. Course Description: This course explores questions about heroes and heroism through close study of some masterworks from ancient Greece: Homer’s epic Iliad, plays by Sophocles and Aristophanes, conversations with Plato’s Socrates, and more. You will meet famous characters with exceptional powers facing life-transforming situations; and with guidance and help from your instructors and classmates, you will be asked to engage thoughtfully with these readings and the people, events, ideas, and stories they present. The more steadily and conscientiously you do so, the better you’re likely to do for yourself, both this semester and beyond, not to mention grades, classmates, and all the other people and things you care about … now or in years to come. 2. Course Goals: By the end of this course you will be familiar with some of the most influential models of heroism in world history, and you will be able to articulate key factors in analyzing and evaluating heroic conduct and people who perform it – or don’t. You’ll appreciate the importance of commitment in general, and of weighing different kinds of commitments; and how very similar commitments can have very different consequences in different situations, and how different ones can make all the difference in the same situation. You’ll also be better equipped to recognize and evaluate how our view of people and their actions is influenced by the ways we encounter them: how things are presented, reported, or depicted in various verbal or visual forms. 3. Signature Courses: Every student entering UT Austin is required to take one, either UGS 302 or UGS 303. They are all designed to cultivate verbal and reasoning skills you will need to do well in other courses, and in any path you might pursue beyond UT. This one in particular aims to help you develop your critical thinking, reading, writing, discussing, researching, and speaking by combining approaches that are both interdisciplinary and interactive. Assignments are designed to promote the core objectives of critical thinking, communication, personal responsibility, and teamwork. For more about Signature Courses: https://ugs.utexas.edu/sig/about Heroes of Ancient Greece Fall 2018 4. Course Format: Our class has two main formats, with some variation in both. A. On Mondays and Wednesdays we all meet together, and classes will usually center on lectures, but with plenty of room for questions and discussion. Some sessions later in the semester are set aside for group presentations. Details are on the Schedule at the end. About questions and comments in class: I’m always open to both, and I welcome constructive ones. That covers a lot, but especially ones about missing information; missing or questionable connections or assumptions; interesting parallels or implications; anything you find unclear, confusing, hard to understand, or inaudible; and plenty more. Some things it does NOT include are disrespectful comments, or results of poor preparation, inattention, or daydreaming. Remember, your classmates will also appreciate helpful questions or comments. Sometimes I will ask questions too. These are “no stakes” opportunities for you to affect the course of discussion and to practice valuable skills. Only if responses show poor preparation repeatedly will we raise the stakes and turn some questions into pop quizzes – something we’d all prefer to avoid. B. On Fridays you meet in three separate sections, and classes will usually be devoted to discussion, often focusing on or initiated by your own contributions and questions. C. Attendance Policy: Attendance at all classes, both lectures and discussions, is expected, required, rewarded – and rewarding, since it offers you many opportunities to discover more about your readings, the people and world around you, both near and far, and even yourself: what you think or value, how to think and talk about such things, maybe how to deal with some too. Attendance is also rewarded in two concrete ways: it contributes to the participation portion of your course grade (see §6D below), and it conserves points for your total course grade. In other words, absences will be penalized as follows: you may miss 1 class (lecture or section) without explanation or penalty; but each additional absence will reduce your total course grade by 1 point, unless excused (see §7). Acceptable excuses are medical or other emergencies (documentation required), religious holidays (see §9 below), and major personal obligations (documentation and at least 7-day advance notice), all at Prof. White’s discretion: his decisions on whether or not to accept an excuse are final. 5. Required Texts: Assigned readings are mainly from the five books listed below, all available from the Coop and other vendors; additional readings will be posted as pdfs or links on Canvas. Please use these translations and editions; everything listed is available in many other versions, but using others will cause problems – for both you and others, both in class and in written work. Sophocles: Oedipus the King & Other Tragedies, trans. Oliver Taplin (Oxford UP: 9780192806857) Sophocles: Antigone, trans. David Franklin (Cambridge UP: 9780521010733) Homer: Iliad, trans. Richmond Lattimore (U Chicago: 9780226470498) Aristophanes: Lysistrata, trans. Jeffrey Henderson (Hackett: 9780941051026) Plato: Five Dialogues, trans. John Cooper and George Grube (Hackett: 9780872206335) 6. Course Assignments: mainly reading, writing, research, discussion, and presenting, as follows. A. Reading assignments Primary readings are listed on the Schedule at the end, and everything on Canvas Pages. Some are short but none are easy; all will repay your careful reading with focused attention and minimal distraction. Lectures and discussions assume familiarity with assignments up to and including each day, so make sure to read each day’s before class. Also take time to review your readings and notes. 2 Heroes of Ancient Greece Fall 2018 B. Writing assignments B1. Short papers: 3 mini-papers (max 400 words on 1 page) due weeks 3, 6, and 11 Papers respond to prompts posted on Canvas (guidelines TBA) B2. Critical papers: 2 short papers (max 800 words on 2 or 3 pages) due weeks 10 and 14 a) Visual art paper = C2 (below) due week 10 b) Critical revision: revisit a previous mini-paper in light of peer papers; due week 14 B3. Midterm test: short answers & 1 essay (on selected passages); week 8 in class Note: this course has no final exam. * No make-up exam: except for exceptional and documented reasons, and at my discretion. * Late work: writing assignments lose 5% of their grade per calendar day, starting at the hour due. C. Research assignments C1. Library assignments: explore world cultural networks via versions of assigned works a) Bibliography of translations (guidelines TBA) due week 5 b) Passage comparison (guidelines TBA) due week 7 c) Reception exercise (guidelines TBA) due weeks 12 and 13 C2. Visual art assignment: select an object on campus to describe and explain how it represents or commemorates something heroic (max 800 words on 2 pages, guidelines TBA) due week 10 Either a) visit a campus museum (Blanton, Stark, HRC, LBJ, etc.) and pick an artwork; or b) pick a campus sculpture, monument, building, or other landmark. C3. Group projects: various exercises throughout, culminating in Hero nominations a) Library assignments C1a and C1c involve teamwork b) Greatest hero assignment: teams prepare nominations to present in class, week 15 Pick a single figure from assigned readings to present as the best or greatest hero; support your choice by explaining what is so special about that figure, and why that matters so much. D. Participation D1. Weekly participation: mainly contributions to discussion section D2. Online modules: some independent, some in class (dates and details TBA) D3. Event assignment: attend a campus lecture or performance, and provide a report (date TBD) Options include the University Lectures (Sep. 24-25), a lecture or colloquium in a course-related field, a play or other dramatic performance (guidelines TBA). 7. Course Grades will be based on individual assignments as follows: Short papers (3 papers) = 15% Critical papers (2 papers) = 20% Midterm exam (includes essay) = 20% Library assignments (3 components) = 15% Group project (includes peer assessment) = 15% Participation (mainly for discussion section) = 15% Total possible = 100%, minus any points for unexcused absence (see §4C above) 3 Heroes of Ancient Greece Fall 2018 A grade of C is for satisfactory work: sufficient to pass a university course at an introductory level like this one. D is still passing but below par for this university: you’ll want to work on your study habits, time management, or other factors; see §9 for some helpful contacts, and make use of our office hours. Satisfactory work in this course requires understanding and addressing the substance of our readings and discussions, and demonstrating an ability to explain and support points clearly with reasonable arguments, examples, or evidence. B is for good work: beyond satisfactory, it shows clear understanding, notices complications, and presents good arguments etc. A is for excellent work: beyond good, it also shows independent thinking, draws instructive connections, considers alternative views or objections, and presents a balanced or compelling case. Scale: A = 93 or above, A– starting at 90, B+ starting at 87, B starting at 83, etc.