GRST 302-51, Blegen Seminar: Women in Greek and Roman Theater: John H. Starks, Jr./Vassar College – Spring 2011

Required Texts:

Aeschylus. Oresteia (tr. Peter Meineck). Hackett, 1998

Euripides III (tr. Grene/Lattimore). Complete Greek Tragedies, Chicago, 1958 (rep. 1992/2009)

Plays by Aristophanes. Staging Women, 2^nd e. (tr. Jeffrey Henderson). Routledge, 2010

Plautus. The Darker Comedies. (tr. J. Tatum). Johns Hopkins, 1983

Seneca. Six Tragedies (tr. Emily Wilson). Oxford World’s Classics, 2010

Foley, Helene P. Female Acts in Greek Tragedy. Princeton, 2001.

Zeitlin, Froma I. Playing the Other. Chicago, 1996

Course Requirements:

Class Participation: ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED. Beginning the second week of class, you will receive a daily grade for participation in class that suggests your level of preparation on material covered (A, B, C, D or 0) and your involvement in class activities. Participation includes questions, exchange of ideas, and responses to directed or general questions from the instructor or others. An absence from class for ANY REASON must be counted as a 0 since you cannot participate if you are absent. Two (2) absences or your lowest participation grades will be dropped, no questions asked, at the end of the term allowing 1 week, nearly 8% of class time, for illness, family matters, etc. In general, I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences for purposes of daily participation grades, but PLEASE always contact me by email or phone before class if you MUST be absent on a given day. I want to know when and why you need to miss class, and make sure that you don't get behind.

In addition to my own policy for daily grades, the Greek and Roman Studies Department stipulates that four (4) unexcused absences (those without prior notification to or approved justification from the instructor) will result in a student’s grade being lowered and every unexcused absence thereafter will continue the process. Missing more than a third of class meetings without excuse will result in a student’s failing the course.
    It is important to understand that participation can include informed questions, requests for further explanation, offering to answer specific questions, or any contributions that foster learning in the classroom environment.
    GROUP WORK PROVISO: I will utilize different groupings of students from time to time in and out of class to facilitate peer learning and review. Be prepared any given day to form groups quickly and efficiently as instructed. I encourage those of you who benefit from group study to create a working study group for out-of-class work.

Midterm Exam: This exam will be comprehensive over the Greek tragedies we read and will include objective questions. Absence from an exam FOR ANY REASON will result in a much more difficult test. Absence from a test FOR ANY REASON is very serious and may result in a much more difficult makeup test AT THE INSTRUCTOR's DISCRETION (I always reserve the right to refuse to give a makeup exam) - again, absence from a test for serious illness or other legitimate reasons demands prior notification of the instructor.

Oral Presentation of Scholarship: Students will choose and read an article or chapter of modern scholarship on a play we have read in class. Each student will prepare comments for 5 to 7 minutes of class presentation time (about 2-3 pages of double spaced text) on the Final Exam Day TBA. Students will choose the article early enough to confer with the instructor on their plans for the presentation and to make adjustments if necessary.

Written essay on women's issues and presentation of women in Greek tragedy: Students will write an 8-15 page paper on women in a play that we have not read together in class. Students will choose their play early enough that they can confer with the instructor about their topic. Some scholarly material should be consulted and cited, but your reading, observations, and argumentation are most important.

Dramatic Presentation - 1st at 7%, 2^nd at 8% - In groups of 4 (at most 5), students will present a scene or scenes (the latter is recommended) from two selected dramas. Members will work together to hone their dramatic skills by performing no longer than ten minutes on the day assigned. They do not have to memorize the scripts, but must show that they have read, understood and practiced the scene before they perform it in class. The first performance will be solid, well-rehearsed readers' theater emphasizing vocal style and characterization. Second performances should include play-acting before the class or other creative dramatic forms only limited by your own imaginations. Originality will be rewarded and students will be graded based on assessment of their contribution and commitment to the scene, not the quality of their acting.

ACADEMIC HONESTY AND SUBMITTED WORK – I cannot stress enough that every piece of work you turn in for a grade must be yours and yours alone (even your group work is graded based on your contribution). All of your submitted work is subject to the guidelines for academic honesty and integrity outlined in your student handbook.

Grade Distribution:
30% = Midterm Exam
20% = Class Participation/Discussion/Attendance
15% = 2 Dramatic Presentation Assignments @ 7% & 8%
15% = Oral Presentation of Scholarship
20% = Written Essay on Greek Tragedy

I must insist on a firm grading scale as follows:

97-100 A+ 93-96 A 90-92 A- 87-89 B+ 83-86 B 80-82 B- (and likewise down to the lowest passing grade of 60)

I especially reserve the right to consider borderline grades as falling on either side of the divide that seems most appropriate given all grading circumstances (i.e., a 92.5 or even a 92.9 cannot automatically be assumed to round up, though I may determine that a student's overall performance may warrant such rounding). Consult me about your progress in seemingly nebulous areas such as class participation, etc. I am always available for questions about your grade. Improvement in writing and dramatic skills will be considered in your final grade.

Other Expectations:

You may need to spend 3-5 hours outside of class for every hour in class (6-10 hours per week). Reading plays carefully to be able to participate effectively in class discussions can take a considerable amount of time.

Suggestions for Success:
    1) ALL written work to be turned in for a grade must be pledged with an affirmation of your adherence to the Student Academic Integrity policies as described in the Student Handbook, pp 136ff.
    2) Make sure that you regularly consult your Vassar email or connect it to your regular email as this is the most efficient way for me to disseminate information to everyone enrolled in this class.
    3) My only real pet peeves in classroom demeanor are CELL PHONES and other non-academically applied electronic devices (turn them off), chronic tardiness, sleeping in class, and not informing me and others affected if you have a schedule problem.
    4) I guess the next closest thing to a peeve is my frustration with being unable to read the minds of completely silent students.  Part of the joy of the studying Greek and Roman literature and culture at an advanced level is sharing what you think about the material - whether good or bad. There's always something that deserves discussion, and the whole class can benefit from your insights. And (this is the lesson I've had to learn over time), if you're a natural talker, know when to balance your contribution with that of those around you. Be sensitive to the silences that sometimes occur - someone may be thinking deeply. I continue to believe that oral human communication is a most valuable gift and tool for all aspects of modern life, just as it was for the even more orally oriented cultures of the ancient world, and increasingly so now in our world of chats, tweets, and ims.
    5) Keep on your syllabus. This class will allow little time for catching up if you fall behind. The syllabus daily assignments  are a guide and a goal. If you find yourself unable to get through the assigned readings and exercises, let's discuss it as a group or individually - work with others, divide the load and then make sure you teach each other. I prefer to have a plan, and try to find the best way to get there. CHECK YOUR SYLLABUS FREQUENTLY FOR ANY CHANGES I MAY NEED TO MAKE ALONG THE WAY, especially new linked art works, event dates, or other resources.
6) PLEASE organize before you come to class and bring ALL the appropriate books each day they are required by the syllabus. For the most part, you will only need one, at most 2 books for any given session. Be prepared to mark up your books with a proper number of notes that will help you recognize key points and sectional breaks in the texts – like a self created outline   
7) Extra Credit - fuhgedaboutit!! (Someone burned me long ago abusing extra credit. I'm afraid there is no antidote for my allergic reaction to requests for extra credit). On the other hand, you get personal extra credit for every thing you learn above and beyond the call of absolute duty, so look at the bigger picture.
    8) Final Grades are an assessment of your whole performance. I like to create several components to a grade as an evaluation of a complete student. I tend not to curve (unless something is clearly wrong with the grading apparatus) in order to preserve my overall sense of student performance and aptitude for the assignment of the more important final grade. I do consider improvements in problem areas as part of what shows your increased aptitude.
    9) Enjoy thinking, reading, and learning critically. Let's make our time in class productive, but also, as often as possible, interesting, enjoyable and thought-provoking. We will talk frequently about the ways Greeks and Romans thought and lived to try to understand what they are saying to us. We will change exercises and engage in discussion of ideas often.
     Pursuant to this end, please feel free within reason to bring coffee or other legal stimulants for our meetings – we may outside when material and weather permit.
    10) One day there may be a suggestion 10, but right now, I don't have one and there were 9 Muses charged with inspiring humans in the learned, mostly performing, arts, so we will leave an ennead of sage Starks suggestions for student success - maybe suggestion 10 should be to practice saying that 10 times fast.