Course Description
This course provides a survey of ancient Roman epic poetry (heroic, historical, didactic, and Ovidian), both within its cultural context and also as it was received by subsequent cultures. Roman epic poets appropriated their Greek epic sources for their own poetic, cultural, and ideological purposes. We begin with a close study of Vergil’s Aeneid (19 BCE), a heroic epic (after Homer) written for a culture recovering from devastating and traumatic civil war that instantly became the Roman national poem, as well as a text of enormous influence in subsequent world literature. We complete our study of heroic epic with Statius’s fragmentary Achilleid (ca. 95 CE) and his Thebaid (91-92 CE), an account of civil and intra-familial war set in mythic Thebes that pointedly addresses issues of autocracy, abuse of power, the relations of rulers and ruled, and political uncertainty. We then study Lucan’s morbid and dissonant epic poem (65 CE) on the civil war of Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great, written during the reign of Nero. Lucretius’ monumental philosophical/scientific epic On the Nature of Things (55 BCE) follows, which combines an intense presentation of atomic physics with the Epicurean philosophy of materialism and ethics of pleasure. Our semester closes with selections from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (before 8 CE), a rich collection of myths and model of narrative virtuosity structured around the motif of transformation, in which Ovid idiosyncratically subsumes epic and various other genres of ancient literature.
Instructor
Professor David Christenson (faculty webpage)
Modern Languages Building 326
christed@arizona.edu
Office Hours: M 9-10:30am, W 1-2:30pm, or by appointment
Course Objectives
Expected Student Outcomes
Class Participation
You are expected to prepare and complete all assignments in a timely manner, attend each class, bring the relevant required text(s) to class, and to engage in creative discussion. The rich epics that we are reading demand live analysis and fresh reinterpretation; please do not regard yourselves as passive consumers of them, or as consumers of neatly packaged “information” about them to be dispensed by me in class. Smart literature provokes and compels us to address important issues of human experience, none of which can be reduced to mere information bytes.
Attendance Policy
Behavior Policy
In class, please always be respectful of others and practice common courtesy: turn off phones and other digital devices, do not come to class late or leave early, or view online materials unrelated to the course. Students using any non-course related electronic media during class will be counted as absent.
Threatening Behavior Policy
The UA’s Threatening Behavior by Students Policy prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to oneself:
http://policy.arizona.edu/education-and-student-affairs/threatening-behavior-students.
Required Texts (available through the Inclusive Access Program)
Bartsch, S. Vergil: The Aeneid (Random House 2021)
Wilson-Joyce, J. Statius: Thebaid (Cornell University Press 2008) [unlimited access eBook at UA Main Library]
Lombardo, S. Statius: Achilleid (Hackett Publishing 2015)
Walters, B. Lucan: Civil War (Hackett Publishing 2015)
Englert, W. Lucretius: On the Nature of Things (Focus Philosophical Library/Hackett Publishing 2003)
Alison, J. Change Me: Stories of Sexual Transformation from Ovid (Oxford University Press 2014)
Course Requirements
1. There will be 2 in-class examinations.
2. Quizzes (i.e. unannounced) will be given on a regular basis (ca. 15 total).
3. 2 responses are required (2-3 pages each; topics will be supplied).
4. You are required to participate in 2 group presentations in class.
5. You must attend class and participate in discussion and all group activities.
6. 2 creative projects are required.
7. There will be a final in-class examination.
There normally are no make-up quizzes or examinations, or extra-credit assignments; the final examination cannot be taken early; responses must be submitted on the due date (those submitted after the due date may be penalized); a detailed guide to writing the responses is posted on the course website.
Course Grade
1. 30% = 2 examinations
2. 12% = quizzes
3. 15% = 2 responses
4. 10% = 2 group projects
5. 10% = attendance and class participation
6. 8% = 2 creative projects
7. 15% = final examination
Scale:
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89 %
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
E = 59% and below
[grades will be posted on the course’s D2L site]
Writing Requirement
This course is writing intensive (writing emphasis) and you are required to write at least 10 pages (on quizzes, exams, and responses). You will be asked to submit a draft of one response, and after receiving feedback, you will submit a final, revised version for grading.
Honors Credit
The course is available for honors credit on an individual, contractual basis. Honors students, in addition to completing the requirements for all enrolled students, usually write a research paper (12-15 pages) on a focused topic requiring extensive reading and synthesis of secondary sources, as negotiated in consultation with me. I will meet individually with Honors students to formulate, outline, develop, and discuss this project.
Accessibility and Accommodations
At the University of Arizona we strive to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268, http://drc.arizona.edu) to establish reasonable accommodations.
Please be aware that the accessible table and chairs in this room should remain available for students who find that standard classroom seating is not usable.
UA Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment Policy
The University of Arizona is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination. In support of this commitment, the University prohibits discrimination, including harassment and retaliation, based on a protected classification, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. The University encourages those who believe they have been the subject of discrimination to report the matter immediately as described in the section below, “Reporting Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation.” All members of the University community are responsible for participating in creating a campus environment free from all forms of prohibited discrimination and for cooperating with University officials who investigate allegations of policy violations. See further: http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/nondiscrimination-and-anti-harassment-policy
Mental Health and Wellbeing
The Dean of Students Office’s Student Assistance Program helps students manage crises, life traumas, and other barriers that impede success. The staff addresses the needs of students who experience issues related to social adjustment, academic challenges, psychological health, physical health, victimization, and relationship issues, through a variety of interventions, referrals, and follow up services. The Dean of Students Office can be reached at 520-621-7057 or DOS-deanofstudents@email.arizona.edu.
Campus Health provides quality medical and mental health care services through virtual and in-person care (Phone: 520-621-9202).
Counseling and Psych Services (CAPS) provides mental health care, including short-term counseling services (Phone: 520-621-3334).
The Survivor Advocacy Program provides confidential support and advocacy services to student survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The Program can also advise students about relevant non-UA resources available within the local community for support (Email: survivoradvocacy@arizona.edu; Phone: 520-621-5767).
Crisis Support
Suicide Crisis Lifeline: call 988
Crisis Text Line: text TALK to 741-741
Visit https://preventsuicide.arizona.edu for more suicide prevention tips and resources.
UA Code of Academic Integrity
Each of you must adhere to the University of Arizona’s Code of Academic Integrity. You are encouraged to share your intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials, but graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. In this course any and all uses of generative artificial intelligence (AI)/large language model tools such as ChatGPT, Dall-e, Google Bard, Microsoft Bing, et al., will be considered a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity, specifically the prohibition against submitting work that is not your own. This applies to all assessments in the course, including responses, quizzes, exams, group and creative projects. This course policy is driven by the learning goals and desired learning outcomes for the course.
The University Libraries offers advice on avoiding plagiarism: http://new.library.arizona.edu/research/citing/plagiarism.
Content Warning
Our course materials address topics such as sexual assault, slavery, and violence that may pose personal challenges. Please be assured that these issues will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and professionalism, and that their inclusion in the course is intended to generate productive and valuable discussion of our required texts. Course materials may also sometimes be sexually explicit. Please speak with me in advance to discuss any content related concerns, as alternative materials may be available.
The Classics Major and Minor
The University of Arizona’s interdisciplinary Department of Religious Studies and Classics offers a major (B.A.) and a minor in Classics, with options in Classical Civilization, Greek, or Latin. For more information on the Classics major and minor, see http://classics.arizona.edu. Classics majors have pursued careers in a wide variety of fields, including business, government, law, medicine, education, and social services. Many students have paired the Classics major with majors in a wide range of fields, earning a double major or dual degree. This provides a comprehensive undergraduate education and gives graduates a competitive edge when applying for jobs or graduate studies (further recruitment information).
For questions about the Classics major or minors and/or to declare a major/minor, contact the Classics undergraduate faculty advisor, Dr. Robert Stephan, at classics-advising@email.arizona.edu or visit https://classics.arizona.edu/declare. You may also contact the College of Humanities Advising Office for any advising needs: http://advising.humanities.arizona.edu. For information about double majoring, visit this COH site: http://doubleup.humanities.arizona.edu.
The Department also offers a major (B.A.) and a minor in Religious Studies, as well as a minor in New Testament Language and Literature. For more information on these degree options: religion.arizona.edu and religion.arizona.edu/students/new-testament.
*The information contained in this syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.