English 390: EPIC – Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid                                Jonathan Randle   J309

TR 9:25-10:40                                                                                                Office Phone:  925-3269

Fall 2008, 3 hour lecture course                                                E-mail: randle@mc.edu

Jennings Annex 101                                                                              www.mc.edu/~randle

 

A version of this document in MS Word format is available here.

 

Course Description

“In-depth study in specials areas of literary inquiry.  Topics and readings will vary between offerings.  The course may be repeated for credit with the permission of the department chair if course readings differ between sections” (2008-9 Undergraduate Catalog 150).  Students should be advised that not having completed the English departmental core requirement (101, 102, 211, 212, 213) before taking Eng 370 may cause substantial difficulties in satisfactorily completing the assignments of the course.

 

Rationale for Eng 390: Special Topics

Special topics is an opportunity for members of the English department to offer an otherwise unavailable or minor subject for fuller study.  The course not only gives instructors a chance to engage in some personal pursuits in an academic setting, but it also allows students to participate in areas which they might not otherwise study.  This term’s topic could best be described as a genre study, for it focuses on one of the first genres to emerge in the history of literature – namely, epic narrative poetry.  We will be examining two of the earlier, “primary” epics (Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey), as well as a later (though still classical) “secondary” epic (Virgil’s Aeneid).  In so doing, it is hoped that students will gain an appreciation for and familiarity with one of the most prolific types of literature, as well as exposure to a corpus of texts which has influenced the history of Western culture. 

 

Learning Objectives

                The student will:

·         Learn to define “epic” and identify significant features and characteristics of the epic genre

·         Learn the main and secondary (“mid-level”) characters in the epic texts read in class

·         Be able to describe, with attention to book divisions, the plot of each text read for class

·         Comment on and analyze the primary writings of Homer and Virgil studied in class, and trace the relationship between Homer and Virgil in terms of these writings

·         Understand the historical and contemporary literary contexts of these works (ancient Greece and Rome), and analyze the texts against these two divergent backgrounds

·         Understand the importance of ‘myth,’ the ‘archetypal,’ ‘hero’ and ‘heroism’ in the class texts

·         Become aware of the ways in which later authors and artists utilized material from the Greco-Roman epic narratives

 

Academic Integrity Statement

The English Department adheres to Mississippi College’s academic integrity policy as outlined in the current Undergraduate Catalog:  “Mississippi College students are expected to be scrupulously honest.  Dishonesty, such as cheating or plagiarism, or furnishing false information, including forgery, alteration or misuse of University documents, records or identification, will be regarded as a serious offense subject to severe penalty, including, but not limited to, loss of credit and possible dismissal.  See the current Mississippi College Student Handbook or University Policy 2.19 for specific information regarding penalties associated with dishonest behavior at Mississippi College” (2008-9 Undergraduate Catalog 60). 

 

Methods of Instruction, Requirements, Assessment, and Grading Scale

While it is not designed as a major research course, and you should not therefore expect to spend too much time on bibliographic projects, Eng 390 will require a substantial amount of reading.  I suspect that you will need to spend at least two hours between every class period, in preparation for the next period’s discussion; such preparation should include reading the primary text (of course), highlighting any problematic areas which you come across in your reading, and consulting secondary sources which I shall make available to you.  That said, I realize that this course will appeal to a wide variety of students (not all of whom will be English majors), and I will try to make this as enjoyable as possible – which shouldn’t be too hard, after all, because these texts are captivating to begin with. 

 

As far as assignments go, I envision two short essays (5-6 pages) – one on either the Iliad or the Odyssey, and one on the Aeneid – which must be turned in on the due dates listed below in the course outline.  In addition to these two essays, you will need to write a short response paper (3-4 pages) in which you identify and evaluate a “modern” (i.e., Medieval or later), “artistic” version of any episode from any of the texts we will read.  More information about each of these written assignments will be forthcoming.  In addition to these papers, frequent reading quizzes will be given on the assigned passages from our texts; these quizzes will be administered in the first 10 minutes of class time, and they cannot be made up should you miss a class period in which a quiz is given.  Finally, there will be an end-of-term exam, with both objective and essay components.

 

Your final grade will be determined by your score, out of 600 points, across the following distribution:

 

                Short essays                                         200 points  (2 @ 100 points each)

                Response Paper                                   50

                Reading Quizzes                                   150

                Final Exam                                             200

 

I will use the following grading scale to determine your scores on each assignment:

A = 93-100%                                                         558-600 points

B = 85-92%                                                            510-557 points

C= 75-84%                                                             450-509 points

D= 65-74%                                                             390-449 points

F= below 64%                                                       below 389 points

 

Texts and Required Materials

                Homer, The Iliad.  Trans. Robert Fagles.  New York: Penguin, 1990.

                Homer, The Odyssey.  Trans. Robert Fagles.  New York: Penguin, 1996.

                Virgil, The Aeneid.  Trans. Robert Fagles.  New York: Penguin, 2006.

 

Attendance

The English Department adheres to Mississippi College’s attendance policy as outlined in the current Undergraduate Catalog:

“Class attendance is an essential part of university education, and students are expected to attend regularly and punctually all classes and laboratories for which they are registered. Cumulative absences may result in a lowered grade or loss of credit for the course. Tardiness is also subject to penalty, as is any failure to complete required class work on time. Although some specific requirements may vary according to the nature and structure of the course, the following guidelines summarize university policy:

                1. Class attendance is required, and accurate records are kept.

                2. Students must not accumulate excessive absences.

 

A student receives a grade of F in a course immediately upon accumulating the following number of absences, whether excused or unexcused:

 [. . .]

                8 in semester classes meeting 2 times per week

[. . .]

For lesser numbers of absences, the student should expect a lowered grade in the course, with the maximum penalty of one letter grade for each week of absences (in a semester) or the equivalent.

 

Absence Appeal. If a student misses more than the number of class periods specified in university policy and believes that there are reasonable explanations for the absences, he/she may appeal the absences to the dean of the school in which the course is being taught. Students may obtain a Student Absence Appeal Form from the office of the appropriate dean.”

 

 

Late Paper Policy

The English Department has established the following policy for late work submitted in upper-level and graduate English courses:

 

No major papers or projects will be accepted after the due date except in the case of your hospitalization or the death of an immediate family member; you may appeal your case, if necessary, to a departmental committee after filling out an appeals form available from the department chair. 

Grades for other assignments will be reduced according to the following schedule: 

·                     after time due and up to 24 hours late: one letter grade;

·                     after 24 hours and up to 48 hours late:  two letter grades;

·                     after 48 hours and up to 72 hours late:  three letter grades;

·                     after 72 hours, any paper turned in will be given an “F.”

                Failure to turn in an assignment will result in a grade of zero on that assignment.

 

The last day to drop a course for the fall semester is 31 October.

 

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change; check online for any updates to the schedule)

Week

Title

Date

Topics of Discussion

Readings

1

Introductions and Beginnings

Aug. 28

Thurs.

Class introduction; Syllabus review and expectations

 

2

Laying Foundations: Definition and Description

Sept. 2

Tues.

Oral vs. Literary

Primary vs. Secondary

Gods vs. Men

Individual vs. National

Aristotle, from The Poetics

C.S. Lewis, from A Preface to Paradise Lost

·  Chapters 1 and 3

·  Chapters 4-6

 

4

Thurs.

Situating Homer and Virgil

Knox, Introduction to The Iliad [pages 3-64] (and his introductions to the Odyssey and Aeneid, if you’ve got the stomach for it)

3

The Iliad

9

Tues.

·  The Background of the Trojan War

·  timę, kleos, and the Wrath of Achilles

Il 1-3

11

Thurs.

·  Gods and Men

·  Fathers and Sons

·  Husbands and Wives

Il 4-6

4

16

Tues.

·  The Embassy to Achilles

·  timę and kleos Revisited

Il 7-9

18 Thurs.

·  aristeia: a Warrior in the Spotlight

Il 10-12

5

23

Tues.

·  The Gods: Fate and Glory?

Il 13-15

25

Thurs.

·  The aristeia and Death of Patroclus

·  The Reaction of Achilles

Il 16-18

6

30

Tues.

·  The Arming of Achilles

·  thnętoi : the Identity of Man

Il 19-21

Oct. 2

Thurs.

·  Achilles and Hector

Il 21-24

7

The Odyssey

7

Tues.

·  The Odyssey is NOT Iliad, Part 2

·  nostos and xenia

Od 1-4

9

Thurs.

·  Odysseus and the Ladies

Od 5-8

8

14

Tues.

FALL RECESS; NO CLASS MEETING

 

16

Thurs.

·  Wanderings in retrospect

·  kleos in the Iliad and Odyssey

·  The Nekuia: Odysseus in the Underworld

Od 9-12

9

21

Tues.

·  Homecoming, Part 1

·  xenia Revisited

Od 13-15

23

Thurs.

·  Fathers and Sons

·  Homecoming, Part 2

Paper 1 (Iliad and/or Odyssey) due today

Od 16-18

10

28

Tues.

·  Recognitions and Revenge

Od 19-21

30

Thurs.

·  The Nekuia Revisited

·  Resolution

Paper 1 (Iliad and/or Odyssey) due today

Od 22-24

11

The Aeneid

Nov. 4

Tues.

·  In medias res

·  The Anxiety of Influence: Homer and Virgil

·  Aeneas, furor and pietas

Aen 1

6

Thurs.

·  Epic History: Aeneas’ Odyssey

·  Fathers and Sons

Aen 2-3

12

11

Tues.

·  Epic Love: Aeneas and Dido

·  infelix Dido

·  Gender Roles

Aen 4

13

Thurs.

·  Epic Death: Patronage and Pietas

·  decensus ad infernos

Aen 5-6

13