SYLLABUS
HISTORY 61: CLASSICAL MYTH

image of terracotta hydria depicting the rape of Persephone

Terracotta hydria attributed to the Group of B.M. F 308
c. 340-330 B.C.
Metropolitan Museum 07.128.1

MWF 11:00-12:10 p.m.
Stevenson 150

Instructors:

Charles Hedrick
Cowell 242, x2727
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Jenny Lynn
Cowell 240
Office hours: Tuesday 12 - 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 - 2 p.m. and by appt.

TAs:

Rita Jones Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon sections

Taylor Kirsch Tuesday morning and Friday afternoon sections

Tutor:

Rachel Greenwald

Schedule tutoring sessions with Learning Support Services by clicking here! (All enrolled students can get an hour of tutoring a week at no cost to them, and signup is easy!)

Required Text (available at Bay Tree Bookstore):

Powell, Barry. Classical Myth, 7th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2012. (= Powell)

You must also have an iClicker, available at the Bay Tree Bookstore. We will begin using the iClickers in class on Wednesday, January 8. Your iClicker must be registered to your name; please go to the iClicker registration site to register.  Your student ID is your cruzmail address WITHOUT the @ucsc.edu. Please register your clicker as soon as possible. Used iClickers are fine, and the very simplest kind is also fine for our purposes.

Course Requirements:

This course is designed to be an introduction to the philosophy of myth in general, and a survey of classical Greek mythology in particular. The first of the two elements of the course will introduce you to the mythic mode of thinking and to the characteristics which distinguish it from other ways of perceiving and expressing the world of experience, in particular history. This part of the course is somewhat abstract, speculative and theoretical, but necessary to a proper understanding and interpretation of the mythic narratives themselves. The second of the elements that we concentrate on will be the repertoire of Greek myths and the cultural context of their making and reception.

To rely solely on either readings or lectures will result in being inadequately prepared for the quizzes.  Attendance is required and will be checked by use of the iClickers.

Discussion sections A-D will each be divided into two groups (Hamsters and Chickens), which will meet on alternate weeks as outlined on the syllabus. You will be notified of your Hamster or Chicken status at the end of week 1. You are responsible for keeping track of when your discussion group is meeting, and must attend all meetings of your discussion group and complete all assignments for discussion group. Your attendance and participation in discussion section will count significantly toward your grade.

There will be short daily iClicker quizzes on the reading, as well as five longer written quizzes (see below for dates), for which you need to bring a scantron form (the pink form, F1712). The study guide for these quizzes is this syllabus and the lecture notes linked to it. There will be no final examination.  Quarter grades will be calculated as follows:

Daily Reading Quizzes and Lecture Attendance 20%
Biweekly Longer Quizzes 50%
Participation and Preparedness for Discussion Section 30%

You may miss up to three classes without penalty. Each further unexcused absence will result in the lowering of your participation mark by a full grade. Lowest scores on THREE of the daily quizzes will be dropped. The lowest score on ONE of the first four longer quizzes will be dropped; the score on the last longer quiz may not be dropped. There will be no makeup quizzes.  If you already know that you cannot be present for the quizzes, do not take this class.

The use of laptops, cell phones, or other electronic devices is not allowed in the classroom without authorization from the DRC (see ADA info below).

ADA Info:

If you qualify for classroom accommodations because of a disability, please get an Accommodation Authorization from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and submit it to me in person outside of class (e.g., office hours) within the first two weeks of the quarter. Contact the DRC at 459-2089 (voice), 459-4806 (TTY), or http://drc.ucsc.edu for more information on the requirements and/or process.

Schedule (check this page regularly for updates).

Make use of the Companion Website to our text at http://wps.ablongman.com/long_powell_cm_7/212/54492/13950032.cw/index.html For each chapter of the text, there is a list of key terms, various sorts of quizzes, and other supplementary material.

Readings are due on the day they are listed (e.g., you are responsible for having read Chapter 1 on Wednesday January 8)

Week One: January 6, 8, 10 (no discussion sections)

Week Two: January 13, 15, 17 (Hamsters: Genesis 1-3)

Week Three: January 22, 24 (Chickens: Genesis 1-3)

Week Four: January 27, 29, 31 (Hamsters: Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Powell, Chapter 9, pp. 218-223)

Week Five: February 3, 5, 7 (Chickens: Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Powell, Chapter 9, pp. 218-223)

Week Six: February 10, 12, 14 (Hamsters: Powell, Chapter 13, "Gilgamesh")

Week Seven: February 19, 21 (Chickens: Powell, Chapter 13, "Gilgamesh")

Week Eight: February 24, 26, 28 (Hamsters: Atalanta and female heroes: reread Powell pp. 531-537 "The Calydonian Boar Hunt")

Week Nine: March 3, 5, 7 (Chickens: Atalanta and female heroes: reread Powell pp. 531-537 "The Calydonian Boar Hunt")

Week Ten: March 10, 12, 14 (Hamsters and Chickens)

Week Eleven: March 17

 

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