2013-14 Undergraduate Index A-Z
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Classics [clear]
| Title | Offering | Standing | Credits | Credits | When | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty | Days of Week | Multiple Standings | Start Quarters |
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Ulrike Krotscheck and Marilyn Freeman
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | Must quotidian always be associated with humdrum? Rather, it is perhaps the quotidian—the everyday, the banal—that, in the long run, heroically ensures the survival of the individual and the group as a whole. -Michel Maffesoli, An “epic” is generally defined as a poem or narrative of considerable length, which explores grand themes such as a hero’s journey, or the origin myth of a country or peoples. As an adjective, “epic” refers to something that is larger than life and often extra-ordinary. By contrast, the “everyday” is flatly defined as ordinary and is often seen as boring, trivial, and lacking in grandeur. Yet, the “everyday” has a rich creative history and garners remarkable attention in contemporary art, spiritual practices, and other areas of study and praxis. Our lives are made up of both the epic and the everyday; both are integral components of the human experience. And the tension that exists between the two is rich territory for insight and imagination.This program interrogates how the essence of the epic enters the everyday and how the quotidian gives meaning to the epic.We will juxtapose the exploration of the “epic” as a literary form with the exploration of the “everyday” as a creative practice that engages experiments in text, sound, and image. We will conduct these explorations through readings, film screenings, analyses, lectures, workshops, seminars, and by developing discovery strategies rooted in the creative practices of writing nonfiction and of crafting video essays.During fall quarter students will read ancient Greek epic poetry, myth, and tragedy. These works tap deeply into the human condition, and they explore our most persistent and universal questions, such as the concepts of destiny, power, morality, mortality, and the (in-)evitabilty of fate. As we analyze the grand questions raised by epic texts we will also consider if or how we encounter such themes in everyday life. Conversely, we will examine how everyday life may intersect with epic-scale experiences and insights.To facilitate these considerations students will develop a daily writing practice and craft a variety of creative nonfiction essays—meditative, lyrical, personal, and hybrid forms—and we will factor into our studies exemplars that engage thematically with the everyday. Fall quarter explorations will move off the page to incorporate sound and image as tools for creative and critical inquiry. Students will take a series of electronic media workshops and gain hands-on experience with audiovisual scriptwriting, audio recording, photography, and video editing. Fall quarter will conclude with students applying their creative writing skills and electronic media competencies in collaboratively crafted video essays that blend students' literary works with audio and images to explore the realm between the epic and the everyday.During winter quarter we will deepen our investigations into the epic and the everyday through additional readings and analyses of classic Greek texts and by furthering our audiovisual inquiries. One goal of this quarter will be to advance students’ understanding of various film and adaptation theories to put into practice in their individual work. Winter quarter will conclude with rigorous individual projects that encompass a research paper on sources and methods of adaptation, and an independently made video essay.This is a full-time program emphasizing classical Greek literature and media arts, creative and critical practice, collaborative learning, and individual accountability. Expect assignments to be process-driven, highly structured, and challenging. Students are expected to participate fully in all program activities, and to work about 40 hours per week including class time. If you’re eager to blend the study of Ancient Greek literature with experiments in media arts, then this program is for you. | Ulrike Krotscheck Marilyn Freeman | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||||
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Ulrike Krotscheck
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Program | FR–SOFreshmen - Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | Why, after 2,000 years of historical perspective, do we still find meaning in the works of Homer and Aristotle, Julius Caesar and Virgil? What can we learn from Athenian experiments in democracy or the formation and fall of the Roman Empire, as an alternative to republicanism? Why are ancient Greek and Roman images and ideas still represented in so much of our contemporary culture? The principles of classical literature, architecture, philosophy, theater and politics still permeate our society in this increasingly multicultural and globalized world. In these three quarters, we will explore the significant and unassailable ways in which ancient Greece and Rome have influenced our understanding of the world and many more tangible aspects of our contemporary culture.Each quarter will focus on a slightly different variation on our theme, and students may either stay in the program for the duration of the year, or join according to their interests in any one quarter. Continuing students over the three quarters will help organize and deliver content for new students, cementing the learning that they have already accomplished by sharing their knowledge with newcomers. On the other hand, new students in the winter and spring will actively participate in the formation of learning communities in which the faculty is not the sole provider of content. This program will support first year and sophomore students in their transition to college, while also providing a solid foundation in the origin of western civilization. It will be an intensive reading- and writing-based experience that will prepare students for upper-level work in the humanities and social sciences. Program activities will also include work on the Academic Statement Initiative.The three quarters will be organized as follows: In the fall, we will begin by learning the history of the ancient world. We will explore how this narrative has been handed down to us through historiography and archaeology, and what information and misinformation we can garner from it. We will study archaeological sites, art and architecture, and interrogate the uses of these visual canons in our own surroundings. In the winter, we will explore the influence of classics in modern films of every genre, from to and ?. We will read and analyze the ancient myths and epics that form the basis for the film interpretations, and discuss both the universal and the not-so-applicable lessons, themes and morals contained in the modern adaptations. The ancient Mediterranean was the stage for the earliest attempts in Western democracy and republicanism. Some of these experiments were more successful; some were less successful. We will examine these political innovations and compare them to our own contemporary systems of government. We will investigate the rights of citizens and the selection of who is allowed to participate in the political process and why. We will discuss the roles (or lack thereof) of foreigners, women and slaves. We'll read Aristotle, Plato and Cicero to understand ancient political ideologies and realities and to analyze how these have helped us build the foundation of our modern political system. | Ulrike Krotscheck | Mon Wed Thu Fri | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Fall |