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LLT 121.2Classical Mythology – Spring 2009                                                            9:30 TTH; 204 Craig Hall
Instructor: J. A. Johnson                                                                      Office: 382 Craig
Office Phone: 836-5122                                                       Office Hours: 7:30-9:15, 1:45-2:00 TTH
                                                                                              Electronic Office Hours: 1-2:00 MW
 Email:JulieJohnson@missouristate.edu                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                                                         
Course Page:
http://courses.missouristate.edu/JulieJohnson/- Click on link to correct section.

 

Texts:  Ovid, Metamorphoses, translated by Rolfe Humphries (Indiana U. Press)    
             Homer, Odyssey, translated by W.H.D. Rouse (Signet Classic)
           

Films: Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts, Black Orpheus, Midsummer Night’s Dream

Schedule Study Guides
Syllabus  

                                                                            Tentative Schedule
  

Date                                 Class                                                              Reading Assignments

Wk 1          Greetings & Overview      Greek Myth                                   Ovid – pp 3-27
(Jan 13/15) Ovid & Homer; Cosmogonies                                            (Creation – Jove & Io)   
  Greek Creation      Olympians - Children of Cronus     Olympians - Children of Zeus   Hesiod's Ages of Man                    

Wk 2   Man vs. Gods – nature of the beast                                               Ovid – pp 28-54
(Jan 20/22) Theories of Myth – as primitive science                        (Phaethon – Goddess Envy)      
                  Ovid - Wk 1                 Ovid - Wk 2                    Debussy's "Syrinx"                                 
                                                              
Wk 3   Theories of Myth – religious explanations                                    Ovid – pp 54-80
(Jan 27/29)       Ovid - Week 3    Ovid - Week 3b                     (Europa – Pentheus & Bacchus)  

Wk 4  Myth as inspiration    Ovid - Week 4    Sisyphus                                       Ovid – pp 81-100
(Feb 3/5) Midsummer Night’s Dream                                 (Daughters of Minyas – End of Cadmus)

Wk 5     12th - Test 1                                                                                 Ovid – pp 100-133
(Feb 10/12)     Ovid - Week 5                                                              (Perseus – Minerva’s tales)        
                                                                                                    
Wk 6  Moral Compasses – cultural values/gender roles                          Ovid – pp 133 - 152
(Feb 17/19)     Ovid - Week 6                                                       (Niobe – Tereus, Procne, Philomela)

Wk 7 Legends and Heroes  Ovid - Week 7                                          Ovid – pp 153 - 180
(Feb 24/26) Film: Jason and the Argonauts                               (Jason & Medea – Cephalus & Procris)

Wk 8  Mythic dysfunctional families                                                        Ovid – pp 181 -- 198
(Mar 3/5) Heroic Patterns    Ovid - Week 8                               (Nisus & Scylla – Brand of Meleager)

Wk 9   10th- Test 2                                                                                       Ovid – pp 200-237            
(Mar 10/12)   Further heroes...and one or two good examples         (Baucis & Philemon – Orpheus & Eurydice)
                             Ovid - Week 9      Ovid - Week 9b

Wk 10  Film: Black Orpheus                                                                     Ovid – pp 239 - 261                                        
 (Mar 17/19)  Adaptation of myth                                                         (Ganymede – death of Orpheus)
                             Ovid - Week 10
 

                                    [ March 17th - Deadline for no-penalty drops.]
                                                        ---------------Fall Break-----------------                  


Wk 11    Backstory of Troy  A              B                                                        Odyssey, Books 1-4
(Mar 31/Apr 2)   Ody 1-4                                                         Penelope's Song - YouTube

Wk 12  7th – Test 3                                                                                       Odyssey, Books 5-8
(Apr 7) Ody. 5-8      Arrival on Calypso's island - YouTube        Calypso - YouTube song   Aeolus

---------------------------Spring Holiday--------------------------------------------------------------------                          

Wk 13  Sagas & Songs: Faraway Places with     Ody 9-12                             Odyssey, Books 9-12
(Apr 14/16)  Odysseus at Last!  And strange-sounding names...     Odyssey (Part I) - YouTube 
                        Odysseus leaves Calypso's island             The Sirens - Greek Song              The Sirens - O Brother Where Art Thou

Wk 14  Home at last! (cf. homecoming vets)                                               Odyssey, Books 13-16
(Apr 21/23) Ody 13-16              Arrival on Ithaca           
                    
Wk 15  28th  - Test 4                                                                                 Odyssey, Books 17-20
(Apr 28/30)  Film  Ody 17-20    Ithaca - YouTube, by Cavafy  (Second version: Ithaca
        Odysseus' First Interview with Penelope
                    

         

Wk 16  What now? (cf. Tennyson & Brooke)                                               Odyssey, Books 21-24
(May 5/7)  Ody 21-24         Contest of the Bow - YouTube        The Odyssey Suite

                                                            Final – Tues. 8:45 am, May 12


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                                                                                          Syllabus

Course: LLT 121 is an introduction to the principal tales of ancient Greece, particularly those which form the mythic heritage of Greece and Rome and which now serve as the common tradition and cultural legacy of the west and, in particular, as the store of symbols and icons from which we draw in expressing values and communicating interests.

Course Objectives:

Class:  Class time will be spent in a combination of lecture, discussion, films, and student activities.  You are responsible for reading and pondering assigned material in advance of the class in which it will be covered, for attending promptly and cheerfully, and for chewing over the material in class with gusto and thoughtfulness.  To prime our conversational pumps, you should always come to class with at least two questions prepared in writing on each day’s topic. [These may be collected on occasion, so make them good.]

Testing: There will be 4 tests and a final exam during the term.  The tests will total 100 points (25 points each); the final exam, 35 points.  All exams will cover the information from our primary sources (who, what, where, and when of myth), class handouts, lectures, graphic representations, discussions, activities, and whatever else is pertinent.  

Study guides for all tests and for the final will be available by link to the online course page.

Participation: Participation will be assessed based on faithful attendance and lively engagement as shown by discussion, raising questions, comments, and general sharing in the work of the class.  This is your class, and its level of interest depends upon the contributions of each and every students. Excessive absences will certainly impair your ability to perform on tests.  If you should miss class, it is your responsibility alone to acquire notes and information from other students. (Do feel free, however, to e-mail me at any time with questions about the material or about assignments.)

Notate Bene: There will be no make-ups on tests without my permission prior to the day in question.  Medical absences should be verified by a physician’s note.  However, in the case of a natural disaster (e.g., blizzard, ice storm, flood, and plague of locusts) we shall adjust the schedule as appropriate.  Risk neither life nor limbs.  In the event of inclement weather, if you suspect the roads are impassible, you should check the course page to see whether class has been cancelled or call Mrs. Burlison, MCL Executive Secretary, at 836-5122. 

There will be absolutely no fudging on the official date and time of the final exam.   Do not ask.  A necessary (but not sufficient) requirement for any change of an individual’s final schedule is the written permission of that student’s college dean.

Grading: At the end of term, the point total for the tests and final will be added (along with any possible bonus points) and a grade will be assigned on the basis of the percentage achieved out of the total possible points according to the following scale: 100-90% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; 0-59% = F.

The approximate percentage breakdown of the course work is as follows:      
                
                                            4 tests = 100 points or 63 %
                                 Participation =  25 points or 16 %
                                            Final =  35 points or 21 %           Total: 160 points                                                                                                       
Procedures for Grade Inquiries: If you have any questions about test, written work, or final course grading, please see me first. If you have further questions, I shall refer you to Professor Madeleine Kernen, Department Head, Modern & Classical Languages.

Some of you (e.g., athletes, pledges, scholarship recipients, etc.) may require regular feedback on your grade.  If so, please apprise me early in the term and check with me often.  If  you wish a ‘snapshot’ estimate of your grade at any time, just email your request.

  Courtesies: Late arrivals to and early departures from class are both rude and disruptive.  Inclement weather aside, such comings and goings will not be tolerated.  If special circumstances pertain (e.g., a 8:00 or 11:00 in the Professional Building), please let me know at the start of term. 

  Integrity: I presume at the outset that everyone is of the highest moral character and probity. However, in a case of suspected cheating or plagiarism (‘Plagiarism’ means the theft of intellectual property, stealing the ideas or words of another and passing them off as one’s own.), I shall return the exam without a grade, and the student must see me immediately. If good faith has been restored, a grade will be given. In the case of unquestioned dishonesty, the test or written material will be given an automatic zero; and the student must still see me immediately. In the latter instance, the student will be counseled to drop the course and the Academic Integrity Council may be notified.

Missouri State University is a community of scholars committed to developing educated persons who accept the responsibility to practice personal and academic integrity.  You are responsible for knowing and following our student honor code, Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures, available at http://www.missouristate.edu/acadaff/AcademicIntegrity.html and also available at the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library. Any student participating in any form of academic dishonesty may be subject to sanctions as described in this policy. 

Accommodations: To request academic accommodations for a disability, contact Katheryne Staeger-Wilson, Director, Disability Services, Plaster Student Union, Suite 405, (417) 836-4192 or (417) 836-6792 (TTY), http://www.missouristate.edu/disability. Students are required to provide documentation of disability to Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations. Disability Services refers some types of accommodation requests to the Lea rning Diagnostic Clinic, which also provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. For information about testing, contact Dr. Steve Capps, Director, Lea rning Diagnostic Clinic, (417) 836-4787, http://www.missouristate.edu/contrib/ldc.

 

Nondiscrimination: Missouri State is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution, and maintains a grievance procedure available to any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against. At all times, it is your right to address inquiries or concerns about possible discrimination to Jana Estergard, Equal Opportunity Officer, Siceluff Hall 296, (417) 836-4252. Other types of concerns (i.e., concerns of an academic nature) should be discussed directly with your instructor and can also be brought to the attention of Professor Madeleine Kernen, Head, Department of Modern & Classical Languages.

Emergency Response

 Students who require assistance during an emergency evacuation must discuss their needs with their professors and Disability Services. If you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.

 For additional information students should contact the Office of Disability Services, 836-4192 (PSU 405), or Larry Combs, Interim Assistant Director of Public Safety and Transportation at 836-6576.

 For further information on Missouri State University’s Emergency Response Plan, please refer to the following web site: http://www.missouristate.edu/safetran/erp.htm.

 

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Dis Volentibus!

(With gods willing!)