Imagining Greece: Pausanias' Periegesis Hellados

Temple of Poseidon, Sounion

Instructor: Dr. John Gruber-Miller, College Hall 312, Ext. x4326

Class Hours: M-F 10-11; 1-3 p.m.

Office Hours: M W F 11 a.m.-12 noon, and by appointment

Required Texts:

Goals of the Course

Course Format and Requirements

Greek reading: I don't expect perfect, polished translations, but I do want you to work at it diligently, have questions about the reading, and show that you have been thinking about the meaning of the Greek and the meaning of the text. We will begin with a moderate amount of reading while you get acquainted with Arrian's style and vocabulary, and then we will gradually increase the amount of reading as the course progresses.

English reading: In order to get an overview of Pausanias, we will read all intervening sections of the Periegesis in translation along with other authors that influenced Pausanias or were contemporary with him.

Collaborative work: Collaboration is an essential skill for success both in and outside of the academic world. By working with several others on various tasks, you can take advantage of different people's strengths, e.g. specific knowledge, ability to explain ideas and concepts, talent for asking good questions, aptitude for negotiating difficulties, organizational skills, leadership, and humor. Working together gives you an opportunity to learn from each other, test out ideas, and tackle a larger problem than a single person could easily do in the same amount of time. At the same time, working together can be difficult because of different expectations and experience. Learning when to stand firm and when to compromise and when to prod are difficult skills that take lots of practice.

At the beginning of the course, small groups will work at reviewing grammar and going over homework. Throughout the course, small groups will meet to work at reading comprehension of the Greek text.

Grammar Guru: Twice during the first week, each student will become the expert on a grammar topic to be covered in class. Each student will present an overview of the topic and lead the class in learning that topic. In addition, the student expert will create an activity to help the rest of the class learn the topic. Possible activities might include a skit, puzzle, game, an oral question-answer drill, or a set of sentences to translate. You may use any of the grammars or Greek composition books for ideas. The best presentations engage the rest of the class, summarize and condense the information in a way that makes sense to you (and others), include something visual (an overhead, a handout, an outline on the board), and provide Greek sentences that exemplify each type. Most presentations should be no more than 20 minutes, with no more than 5 minutes summarizing the grammar point and the rest of the time practicing.

Vocabulary Vizier: Once during the second week, you will organize and present vocabulary on a particular topic, such as words of coming and going, military vocabulary, topographical terms, religious vocabulary, etc. You can organize such words graphically, by synonyms, by part of speech, etc.--whatever you think will help people remember them. You can find such words by reviewing Athenaze, scouring our text, and/or typing the English word in the Liddell & Scott Lexicon at Perseus. Like the grammar guru activities, plan to create an activity to help everyone learn the vocabulary you have come up with.

Weekly seminars: In order to appreciate Pausanias, we will do weekly reports on topics that will help us understand him within the context of his times. The first week we will focus on important background information regarding archaeology, history, and religion. The next two weeks will focus on more specific issues.

Writing: Pausanias is selective in what he tells the reader about each site he visits and each monument he discusses. Sometimes he provides more information later in his narrative that adds more detail. Other times he is silent, but modern archaeological research has discovered more details about a particular site or the monuments there. Therefore, using Pausanias' text and your own research as a starting point, each week you will have the opportunity to write your own version of a Greek travel narrative. You may focus on a particular monument, a story from mythology, a historical event, an itinerary, or some combination of the above. The composition will be graded on comprehensibility (e.g. is the grammar reasonably correct), coherence (does the story flow from one paragraph to the next, use the proper transitional words, etc.), and inclusion of material relevant to your version of the monuments or events. You may add images to illustrate your text. The center eight stations in the HMC have the software program Antioch so that you may type your text in Greek with accents.

At the end of the course, you will prepare a portfolio of your writing this term, including both rough and final drafts. In addition, you will write a 1-2 page commentary on your writing in English. What challenges did you meet and how did you attempt to overcome them? What do you feel you still need to work on as a writer? What do you wish you could have done different? How has writing improved in terms of endings, vocabulary, and syntax? How has writing helped you understand the art, archaeology, history, or myth of the Greek world? How has writing helped you improve your understanding of Pausanias' Greek?

Testing: exam(s) will include translation/reading comprehension of both prepared and unseen passages, commentary on particular passages (grammatical, historical, and/or literary), and essay (more general questions about Greek archaeology, religion, society, literature, and culture.

Grading