Fresco of a Bird from Knossos

Greek Fellows read the great Homeric epics the Iliad and the Odyssey, Aesychlus’ Oresteia, Sophocles' Antigone, Eurpides’ Medea, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra; Hesiod’s Theogony and selections from Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plato. Tour the MFA classical collection. Lecturers include internationally known scholars from Brandeis University, Wellesley College, Harvard University, Boston University, and University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Course Name: The Examined Life: Greek Studies in the Schools
Course Number: RSEM 016 1G1
Location: Brandeis University (campus map)
Times:

• Wednesday classes, 4:00-5:30PM, Goldfarb Library, Gardner-Jackson Room; class on Wed., May 27, 2009, meets at MFA Boston
• Saturday classes, 9:00AM–12:00PM., Schiffman 216

Contact: Connie Carven, email, 781-405-6094

2009 Calendar

Syllabus

January 14, 2009, Wednesday, 3:50-5:30 PM
Seminar 1: "The World of the Ancient Greeks in Art and Text"

• Welcome and Introductions: Dr. Barbara Harrison, PhD, and Prof. Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow.
• In addition to our welcome and introductions (to each other), Project Humanist, Prof. Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow will explain seminar goals and talk about the difficulties of reading ancient texts. It would be our hope that you would have finished reading at least Iliad, Bks. (scrolls) 1-24 and most of Odyssey by the end of January. The epics are LONG poems, you will need to give yourself sufficient time to read them and this means advance planning is necessary. The two entire "scrolls" of poetry (Iliad and Odyssey) amount to no less than 48 hours of reading! Yes, that is one hour per "book/ scroll" times 48 "books/scrolls." You can double that if you want to read them with care and thoughtfulness.
• Prof. Koloski-Ostrow will also give a brief slide lecture demonstrating some of the interconnections between ancient Greek material culture (painting, architecture, sculpture) and the literary tradition (oral and written). We will consider how the cultural ideals set forth in the Homeric tradition, Iliad and Odyssey, and in Athenian tragedy had far-reaching impact on many aspects of Greek (particularly Athenian) life and art. The discussion considers the power of art in ancient (and modern) society; and asks what exactly a "text" is (to us and to those in ancient Greece)?
• Reading: the Homeric tradition, Iliad, at least Bks. 1-12 (Fitzgerald).

January 24, 2009, Saturday, 9:00 AM - 12 Noon
Seminar 2: "The Epic Universe in the Iliad"

• Prof. Leonard Muellner, Dept. of Classical Studies, Brandeis, lectures on the Iliad: how to read it, how not to read it, and what is in it —friendship, anger, and the meaning of life, and what Achilles himself learns and what he teaches us.
• Discussion: The class will consider comparisons between our Judeo-Christian world view and that of the pagan world. This is an ideal forum in which to discuss issues of cultural and religious diversity with students in our own society.
• Reading: Finish reading the Iliad, Bks. 13-24 (Fitzgerald trans.), if you have not already done so; Hesiod’s Theogony is also highly recommended, although not required.

February 7, 2009. Saturday, 9:00 AM - 12 Noon
Seminar 3: "The Homeric Odyssey and the Journey to Ithaka"

• Prof. Gregory Nagy, Director of Hellenic Studies, Washington, D.C., and Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University, introduces some of the complexities of the epic poem, Odyssey.
• Discussion: Odysseus’ fantastic journey home (‘nostos’) and the struggle he faces when he reaches home raises questions about the meaning of “home,” growing up and leaving home, our inherent need ultimately to return home, and what life is like when one is truly home-less.
• Reading: Odyssey, Bks. 1-24 (Lombardo trans.)

February 14-22, 2009
Winter break, public school and Brandeis

February 25, 2009, Wednesday, 3:50-5:30 PM
Seminar 4: "Herodotus and Thucydides: The Greek Inventors of History’"

• Prof. Cheryl Walker, Dept. of Classical Studies, Brandeis University, introduces us to an overview of Greek history and shows us how the Greeks invented history through selected passages in the Greek historians, Herodotus and Thucydides.
• Discussion: Who were the Greeks? What is worthy of the historical record? How can we judge historical accuracy? Who are “history makers” today and in the ancient Greek city-state?
• Reading: Herodotus and Thucydides (selections): Herodotus, Bk. 1., Thucydides, Bk. 1.1-13. If you have time, Thucydides Bks. 2.34-54 and 5.84-116, are also highly recommended.

March 7, 2009, Saturday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
Seminar 5: "Weavers and Weepers: The Women of Ancient Greece"

• Prof. Mary Lefkowitz, Dept. of Greek and Latin, Wellesley College, tackles this contention by way of two tragedies and a slide presentation on Greek painted pottery.
• Lecture, 9:00 -10:30 AM: The Greeks were notoriously harsh in their treatment of women.
• Discussion, 11:00 AM- 12:00 Noon: What were the contributions of women in ancient Greek society? Can myths help inform ancient reality and even how we feel about women in society today?
• Reading: Sophocles(Antigone); and Euripides (Medea)
• Assignment (for those taking the course for credit): Paper #1 due.

March 21, 2009, Saturday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
Seminar 6: "Greek Comedy and Greek Politics"

• Prof. Theoharis C. Theoharis, Dept. of Comparative Literature, Harvard University, explores Athenian comedy through the work of Aristophanes.
• Discussion: We may consider differences between ancient and modern comedy. We will also consider the nature of the Athenian democracy compared to our own.
• Reading: Aristophanes (Acharnians, Lysistrata, Clouds)
• Assignment (for those taking the course for credit): Paper #2 due.

April 2, 2009, Thursday, 1:00-6:00 PM
Seminar 7: “Symposium on Athenian Tragedy”

• Symposium to celebrate the opening of Euripides’ Hecuba at the Brandeis Spingold Theater, Brandeis University with live performance of the play at 8:00 PM.

April 9 – 16, 2009
Brandeis Spring/Passover Break

April 18 – 26, 2009
Public School Vacation

April 18 – May 1, 2009
Greek Study Tour, Year 10

• From Saturday, April 18 to Friday, May 1, 2009, Greek Study Fellows will travel to a variety of ancient Greek sites. The itinerary features sites highlighted in the texts read during the winter months. Connie Carven, Barbara Harrison, Ann O. Koloski-Ostrow, and Judy Malone-Neville will accompany the year ten Fellows on the tour.
  
• Separate readings on the art and archaeology of ancient Greece are encouraged (to be provided closer to the trip) for this archaeological component of the seminar. Greek Study Fellows are asked to participate fully, which involves informal discussions in evenings and occasionally “on site” in Greece.

May 9, 2009, Saturday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
Seminar 9: "Why did the Athenians Kill Socrates?"

• Prof. Andreas Teuber, Dept. of Philosophy, Brandeis University, guides Fellows through these texts with a number of fascinating questions: Why did the Athenian democracy condemn its most famous citizen, Socrates, to death? What did Socrates say or do that prompted the charges against him in the first place? What was the relationship between Socrates and Plato and their philosophies?
• Discussion: According to one common interpretation of the Crito, Socrates seems to say that a citizen must always obey the laws of the city, no matter what it commands, but in Apology he seems to leave room for justified disobedience. How can the Apology and Crito be reconciled? Was Socrates inconsistent? What are Socrates’s arguments in Crito for a citizen’s obligation to obey? Are those arguments still applicable today?
• Reading: Plato’s Apology, Crito, and (optional) Republic Bk. 1.

May 13, 2009, Wednesday, 3:50-5:30 PM
Seminar 10: "Greeks Bearing Gifts into Later Literature"

• In Seminar 10, Greek Study Fellows have an opportunity to consider the influence of the ancient Greeks on one “modern” classic and on modern Greek poetry. Part of the discussion, led by Dr. Judy Malone-Neville focuses on a comparison of Aeschylus’s trilogy and the three plays of O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra.
• Discussion: will begin with O’Neill, though we can also consider other modern texts strongly influenced by the quest for “the examined life,” especially in the realm of poetry.
• Reading: Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra.
• Assignment: preliminary curriculum ideas due for ALL Fellows.

September 16, 2009, Wednesday, 3:50-5:30 PM
Preworkshop Planning and Sharing for Year 10 Fellows

• This is the first of two meetings scheduled for Fall, 2009, where Greek Study Fellows will present their ideas for implementing the materials from the seminars in their future teaching and in the curricula of their schools.

October 5, 2009, Monday
Ithaka 2009 Reception and Curriculum Dissemination for Year 10 Fellows

• The second meeting of Fall, 2009, is the Welcome Festschrift, where Year 10 Fellows meet and greet the new Year 11 Fellows and share curriculum projects.

Class Participation

Class starts promptly at 4:00 PM on Wednesdays and at 9:00 AM on Saturdays. We ask Greek Study Fellows to arrive by 3:50 PM on Wednesdays, and 8:50 AM on Saturdays in order to meet informally, hear announcements, and receive any handouts for the day.

Class attendance will be taken informally, but Greek Study Fellows are always expected to be present and alert, during those class periods set aside for analysis of a text (or texts), to participate with informed observations, reactions, questions, and answers as often as possible. Two or more absences (unless the circumstances are extraordinary and laid out well in advance) WILL have a negative affect on your participation. Such an attendance record will be brought to the attention of the funding organizations and authorities at your schools.

Essays

Two essays (5-6 pages each) on two separate texts read in the course of the year are required for this course.

• Essay #1 topic: TBD
• Essay #2 topic: TBD

Curriculum Development

It is the responsibility of each Greek Fellow to develop a curriculum project pertaining to the study of Greece based on his/her discipline or area of interest. Serious consideration should be given to this project as the year progresses. Projects will be considered for publication on this website. For examples, see the Study Guides section on this website.

The Curriculum project has three requirements:

• A preliminary proposal to be presented on May 13, 2009
• A final paper (3-5 pages or longer)
• A presentation of the final project at the Welcome Reception for new Fellows on October 5, 2009.

Course Grade Determination

For those Greek Study Fellows who wish to receive three graduate credits from the Rabb School of Summer, Special, and Continuing Studies at Brandeis for their participation in the seminar, the following course requirements must be completed:

1. Regular attendance at all Wednesday and Saturday seminars with participation in discussions.
2. Two short papers (5-6 pages) on two separate texts read in the course of the year.
3. Written preliminary proposal for the curriculum project to be presented on May 13, 2009.
4. Paper (3-5 pages or longer, if desirable) and presentation (to be delivered on September 26, 2009, in the fall at the end of the seminar) with clear explanation of how material from the seminar will be implemented into the curriculum at your school.

Grade by Percent:

Class Participation during the year:	20%
Essays 1 and 2:	40%
Preliminary Curriculum Report:	20%
Final paper on curriculum implementation and presentation:	20%
	100%

Required Texts (in the order to be read during the winter and spring)

1. Iliad (Homer) trans. by R. Fitzgerald (Vintage/Random) ISBN 0-385-05941-8
   or Iliad (Homer) trans. by Stanley Lombardo (Hackett Publishing Co, Inc.) ISBN 0-87220-352-2
2. Odyssey (Homer) trans. by R. Fitzgerald (Vintage/Random) ISBN 0679728139
   or Odyssey (Homer) trans. By Stanley Lombardo (Hackett Publishing Co, Inc.)
3. Oresteia: Agamemnon, Choephoroi, Eumenides (Aeschylus) trans. by R.
   Fagles (Penguin/Viking) ISBN 014 044-3339
4. Electra, (Sophocles), in Sophocles' Electra and Other Plays trans. by E. F.
   Watling (Penguin/Viking) ISBN 014-044-028-3
5. Electra, Medea (Euripides), in Medea and Other Plays, trans. by Vellacott) (Penguin/Viking) ISBN 014-044-129-8
6. Antigone, Oedipus the King (Sophocles), in The Three Theban Plays trans.
   by R. Fagles (Penguin/Viking) ISBN 014 044-425-4
7. Herodotus and Thucydides (selections): trans. by David Grene, Herodotus
   The History (Univ. of Chicago Press) ISBN 0-226-32772-8 (paperback), trans. by Crawley, Thucydides. (ISBN not available.)
   Other possibilities: trans. by Moses Finley, selections of Herodotus & Thucydides (Penguin/Viking) or trans. by Paul Woodroof, Thucydides (Hackett Publishing Co., Inc.).
8. Apology and Crito (Plato) trans. by G.M.A. Grube (Hackett Publishing Co.,
   Inc.) ISBN 0-915145-22-7; Republic (Plato) trans. by G.M.A. Grube,
   revised by C.D.C. Reeve (Indianapolis, Hackett Publishing Co.) (ISBN not
   available.)
9. Acharnians, Lysistrata, Clouds (Aristophanes) trans. J. Henderson (Focus Classical Library, R. Pullins Company, P.O. Box 369, Newburyport, Mass. 01950) ISBN 0-941051058-7
10. Mourning Becomes Electra (E. O’Neill), in Three Plays of Eugene O’Neill (Vintage/Random) ISBN 0679763961
11. Your own notebook (see below).

Notebooks

Your notebooks should contain a number of items:

• Up-to-date notes on class presentations
• Impressions of the texts we read
• Ideas
• Questions

If you are serious about notebooks, you will have an excellent collection of material to help you in your own teaching, and to help you remember in the distant future all the pleasurable moments you will experience from your reading and your hard work! This is a great way to begin to develop your curriculum ideas as well.

Handouts

Handouts include materials such as outlines, study guides, chronologies of the ancient world, glossaries, pronunciation guides, maps, discussion questions/problems, and/or anything deemed useful for enhancing appreciation and understanding of the texts. When questions about the texts are given in advance of reading texts, they are not intended to limit discussions, but to give them some focus, and, perhaps, a point of departure for the new areas we would like to explore through interaction with each other throughout the year.

100% Academic Honesty

Violations of University policies on academic integrity, described in Section Three of Rights and Responsibilities, may result in failure in the course or on the assignment, or in suspension or dismissal from the University. If you are in doubt about the instructions for any assignment in this course, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification: aoko@brandeis.edu or 781-736-2183.

ExL Faculty

• Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow*, PhD, ExL Project Humanist, Associate Professor and Chair, Dept. of Classical Studies, Brandeis University, tel. (781)-736-2183 (with voice mail) or email: aoko@brandeis.edu
  
• Mary Lefkowitz*, PhD, Professor Emerita, Dept. of Greek and Latin, Wellesley College
  
• Kenneth Rothwell, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Classics, University of Mass., Boston
  
• Leonard Muellner*, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Classical Studies, Brandeis University
  
• Andreas Teuber*, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, Brandeis University
  
• Cheryl Walker*, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Classical Studies, Brandeis University
• Eirene Visvardi, PhD, Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Classical Studies & Theater Arts, Brandeis University
  
• Gregory Nagy, PhD, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard Univesity Classics Department
  
• Olga Broumas, MFA, Director of Creative Writing and Writer-in-Residence, Department of English and American Literature, Brandeis University
  
• Theoharis C. Theoharis*, PhD, Associate in Department of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
• Frank Nisetich, PhD, Visiting Professor, Classical Studies, Boston University; Professor Emeritus, Classics Department, University of Mass., Boston
• Judith Malone-Neville*, PhD, Independent Scholar
• Charles Segal, PhD, Walter C. Klein Professor of Classics at Harvard University (b. 1936, d. 2002)

ExL Program Specialists

ExL Program Specialists comprise the administrative-advisory team responsible for the ExL program, including: graduate course; curriculum guides; study tour of Greece; dynamic teachgreece.org website; distance learning; evaluation; expansive outreach.

• Program Director: Barbara Harrison, PhD, Newton Public Schools
  
• Program Humanist: Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, PhD, Professor, Classics Department BrandeisUniversity
  
• Teacher Specialist and Liaison with School Districts: Constance Carven, MEd, Newton Public Schools
  
• Program Administrator: Judith Malone-Neville, PhD, Newton Public Schools
  
• Program Director of Media Production: Stephen Coren, Newton Public Schools

ExL Program Administration

The Examined Life: Greek Studies in the Schools (ExL) Program is administered by the Newton, MA school district (fiscal agent and primary school district partner) in cooperation with Brandeis University (primary university partner).

Funding

The ExL Program is made possible by a lead grant from the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation. Additional support is provided by the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association National Housing Corporation (AHEPA NHC), the Hellenic Ministry of Education, the AHEPA Educational Foundation, the AHEPA Newport Foundation, the Gerondelis Foundation, the Newton Schools Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Brandeis University’s Rabb School of Graduate Professional Studies, the Newton Public Schools, and participating school systems.

"…teachers are and will remain at the centre of the educational system, and thus the continuing professional development of teachers remains the most important force in the quest for educational improvement.” — Philip Adey, King’s College, London,United Kingdom