The course is about the interplay of moral quandary, literary form, and cultural interaction in the Hellenistic period of Greece and Rome -- the period that the course calls the Cosmopolis. As outcomes, students write quizzes, blue book essays, and a paper which show:
 
• Analysis of the literary form of the assigned readings, following the methods shown in class
• Description of the tension between tradition and new historical context seen in the readings, again as shown in class
• Understanding of how the readings create ideas (models of reality) about what the good life is -- another topic of the class meetings
 
The course assumes no background at all in this period.  Beyond that consideration, liberal arts courses should have meaning that transcends their immediate subject matter. The instructor (T. Banks) hopes the students of this course will find its methods and concepts applicable to the literature of other times and places -- especially their own.

• Three quizzes, 5% each
• Prepared attendance at general sessions, 5%
• Prepared attendance at discussion sessions, 5%
• Mid-term exam, 25%
• Final exam, 25%
• Individual project, 25%

March 9 - 13:  Beginnings -- Cosmopolitan Forms, Atmosphere, Ideas
 
March 16 - 20:  Dyskolos. Friday:  Quick Quiz #1.
 
March 23 - 27:  Daphnis and Chloe.
 
March 30 - April 3:  The Idyllsof Theocritus, # 1 - 6.  Friday:  Quick Quiz #2.
 
April 6 - 8:  The Idyllsof Theocritus, # 7 - 16.
 
April 13 - 17:  Monday and Wednesday: Mid-term prep.  Friday:  Mid-term exam.
 
April 20 - 24:  Selections from The Greek Anthology
 
April 27 - May 1:  Selections from The Greek Anthology. Friday:  Quick Quiz #3.
 
May 4 - 8:  The Satyricon
 
May 11 - 15:  The Satyricon
 
May 21:  (Thursday) Final exam, 8:00 A-Gasp-M.
 
May 21:  (Thursday) Individual projects due --  in Banksís office by Noon.
 

Textbooks
 

World Literature Texts (which Greek and Latin registrants read, too)
 

Classical Author	Title	ISBN	Translator/Editor	Publisher
Menander	The Dyskolos	0-452-00865-4	Carroll Moulton	Penguin Classic
Longus	Daphnis and Chloe	0-14-044059-3	Paul Turner	Penguin Classic
Theocritus	Idylls	0-14-044523-4	Robert Wells	Penguin Classic
	The Greek Anthology	0-14-044285-5	Peter Jay	Penguin Classic
Petronius	The Satyricon	0-452-01005-5	William Arrowsmith	Penguin Classic

 

Additional texts for GK 216/316
 

Classical Author	Title	ISBN	Translator/Editor	Publisher
	Greek New Testament with Dictionary	3-438-05113-3	Aland et al.3rd (or newer) edition	United Bible Society (# AO 285 XD)
	Acts of the Apostles	0-92952-400-4	Richard Hamilton	Bryn Mawr Commentaries
	Abridged Greek-English Lexicon	0-19-910207-4	Liddell & Scott	Oxford University Press

 

Additional texts for LT 216/316
 

Definitions:
 
• Hellenistic period.  We'll use a relaxed definition:  from the time of Alexander the Great (died 323 BCE) until well into the Roman Empire (we end with the emperor Nero, in the 60s CE).

 
• Cosmopolis.  In earlier times, people could hope they belonged to a community that was stable, friendly in size, understandable, homogeneous, comfy -- and they called it the city-state, or polis.  In our Hellenistic period, though, the growth of empires and the encounter with diverse cultures had brought awareness of membership in a new, turbulent community -- the world-city, or cosmo-polis.  Hence the title and central referent of the course.

 
• Prepared attendance.   Prepared attendance means to be in class unless you have a good excuse, and to show a reasonable preparation of the day's assignment.  Each Unprepared or Absence (after the first) lowers the grade in this realm by half a letter -- from A to A-, then to B+, then to B, and so on.  If I ever think your preparation hasn't been adequate, I'll let you know, either with a kind, discrete, but obviously regretful Tsk-Tsk in class, or privately.  If you had to miss class, or unavoidably could not prepare, please let me know why.

 
• Individual Projects

World Literature.  During the weekly discussion sections, you'll gradually build a ten-page research paper and bibliography.  The topic for the paper is life in a selected Hellenistic city in a selected time-frame, including the literary life.  I can merrily suggest good cities and times.  Each week in our discussions we'll try to learn from and help each other.  Each week we'll set our goal for the next week's research and writing.

Greek:  The project is (1) all of your translation for the term, revised, polished, and typed/printed, and (2) an organized list of the phenomena weíve met (with definitions and examples) that are characteristic of (H KOINH\ DIA/LEKTOS.

Latin:  The project is (1) all of your translation for the term, revised, polished, and typed/printed, and (2) an organized list of the phenomena weíve met (with definitions and examples) that are characteristic of sermo vulgaris latinus.
 

Connecting:

Instructor:  Thomas Banks, Professor of Classics

• Office:  Old Main 126
• Office hours:  2:00 - 3:00 daily, or just drop in, or make an appointment for your best time
• To T. Banks's Home Page (and campus schedule)
• To T. Banks by e-mail: clbanks@augustana.edu
• By voice (Office): 309-794-7240
• By voice (Home): 309-764-5099
• By fax (Office): 309-794-7702
• By post:

Thomas R. Banks
Department of Classics
639 - 38th Street
Augustana College

Rock Island, IL 61201-2296