First-Year Seminar (101-6-1)

Topic

Justice, Punishment, & Revenge in Ancient Greek Li

Instructors

Daniel Everett Ferguson

Meeting Info

Lunt Hall 101: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

All of us have a sense of justice, and, whether we like it or not, all of us feel the pull to punish and exact revenge on those who've done us or others wrong. This is no truer for us than it was for the ancient Greeks, who, like us, grappled with these sentiments in their literature. In this course, we'll study their masterful portrayals and examinations of justice, punishment, and revenge in mythology, epic and lyric poetry, history, drama, forensic speeches, and philosophy. Our goal will be not merely to understand ancient Greek literary attitudes towards our themes, but also to gain a deeper understanding of our own views about them. No less importantly, we will improve our interpretive and argumentative skills by way of seminar discussion and written assignments.

Class Materials (Required)

The Iliad of Homer (Lattimore translation, ISBN 13: 978-0226470498)
The Oresteia (Fagles translation, ISBN 13: 978-0140443332)
Republic (Grube translation, revised by Reeve, ISBN 13: 978-0872201361)

Class Attributes

WCAS First-Year Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for First Year & Sophomore only
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required