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| REQUIREMENTS |
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| OVERVIEW |
| Over
the course of the semester you will develop your ability to
read continuous Greek prose clearly and cogently, and to understand
Herodotus' work in the context of the development of the genre
of history and the events that shaped his world. The course
requirements are designed to help you sharpen these skills.
You will take one midterm and one final exam, which will focus
your attention on grammar, syntax and vocabulary, and coherent
prose translations. You will write one-page
essays weekly as a presentation of a work of scholarship,
thus honing your writing skills and your ability to
understand and synthesize scholarly arguments. Finally, you
will write and present a final paper which will expand on
one of your weekly essays and in so doing draw upon all of
these skills:
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| PARTICIPATION |
Class
participation includes preparation of readings and assignments,
and participation in readings, translations and discussions
in the classroom. Obviously, if you do not attend class you
can not participate. You may take 2 absences from the classroom
during the semester without penalty. After two absences, each
absence will result in a lowering of the class participation
component of 20% by one full grade. Come to class. |
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| PRESENTATION
OF SCHOLARSHIP / DISCUSSION QUESTIONS |
Each
week, beginning in week 3, you will submit a one-page paper
on the discussion question for that week. These are due electronically
by 5 PM Wednesday, and should be distributed to the entire
class via e-mail.
What
I'm looking for in these papers is a single, strong, argumentative
point, based on your own attentive, independent reading of
the text, and supported with a few well-chosen pieces of evidence.
You should engage with the assigned scholarship, but don't
simply regurgitate it. The role of scholarship is to inform
and inspire your thinking, not to replace it.
Obviously
a single page isn't enough space to develop a major argument.
Instead, think of these as your first entry into that week's
discussion, and be ready to develop and defend your point
further in class. But you should also choose a thesis that
you can articulate clearly in a single page. Think small and
precise — no sweeping generalizations! Also, don't waste
time on summarizing the entire article — get in, make
your point, defend it, and get out.
These
essays will form the basis for our discussions on Thursday,
so get in the habit of reading each other's papers before
class; come to class with a copy of everyone's paper, and
be ready to engage seriously with your colleagues' observations. |
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| MIDTERM
AND FINAL EXAMS |
The
midterm exam, to be given on October 28th just after the study
break on the 24th, will be designed for you to show off your
best work. The exam will include a variety of tasks - translation
of a few passages, attention to grammar and syntax, and an
essay on something drawn from our discussions and readings
up to that point. The final exam will follow a similar format
and is set for December 16th (1.30-4.30pm). |
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| FINAL
PROJECT |
The
final project for this class will be to expand one of your
short essays into a mid-length research paper (6-8 pp.). Developing
and supporting your argument will almost certainly require
you to explore the secondary (and perhaps primary) literature
beyond the assigned class reading, and you may decide to raise
a different question than the one that prompted your essay,
but the core of your paper should be your own close, careful
engagement with Herodotus' text and the scholarly article
you have chosen as the foundation for your research.
Some
milestones for the project (dates TBD):
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Topic
One paragraph declaring which essay you've decided to
develop, and outlining the precise question you intend
to focus on, the approach you plan to take, and any expected
conclusions. This paragraph should be the outcome of some
thoughtful preliminary work. Note: You may choose to write
your paper on a question we haven't covered yet in class.
In that case, you should have done the relevant primary
and secondary readings and begun to think about them by
this point. Think of the work it'll save you later in
the semester!
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Rough draft
A working version of the project. All matters pertaining
to structure and content should at least be settled, if
not fully developed. Some gaps here and there are acceptable,
provided that there are summaries of what is missing.
The topic, approach, evidence, and supporting materials
should all be evident. A bibliography of all secondary
sources should accompany the rough draft.
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Presentations
The last week of class will be devoted to short (5-7 min.)
presentations describing your projects and their most
interesting results for the rest of the class.
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Final Version
A polished version of your project (electronic submission
ok).
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| Participation |
20%
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| Presentation
of scholarship |
20%
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| Midterm
exam |
20% |
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| Final
exam |
20% |
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| Final
project |
20% |
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| ACADEMIC
INTEGRITY AND HONESTY |
As
you hone your skills as a reader of Greek you will develop
your own perspectives, methodologies and solutions to
some of the vexing questions that the study of language,
literature and culture raises. It is absolutely essential
that you take credit for your own work, and give credit
to others when you draw upon their ideas and words.
Accordingly, plagiarism and cheating of all sorts will
not be tolerated in this course and are grounds for
an "F". Be sure to read carefully the Academic
Integrity and Ethics
of Scholarship webpages.
All members of the College community are bound by Skidmore's
Honor Code, included here:
"I hereby accept membership in the Skidmore College
Community and, with full realization of the responsibilities
inherent in membership, do agree to adhere to honesty
and integrity in all relationships, to be considerate
of the rights of others, and to abide by the college
regulations." |
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