I will assess your Athens/Sparta essay using the following guidelines:
STRUCTURE/ORGANIZATION (10 points) - Do you follow the recommended essay structure? Does your intro provide necessary background info and set up your thesis? Do your paragraphs each provide a key sub-argument (expressed clearly in your topic sentences), include evidence, and conclude by reconnecting back to your thesis? Does your conclusion explain the significance of your argument?
THESIS/ARGUMENT (10 points) - Is your thesis argumentative? Do you prove your argument in your body paragraphs?
EVIDENCE (5 points) - Do you have it? Do you integrate it smoothly into your own writing? Do you cite it properly?
MECHANICS (5 points) - Have you edited this effectively, correcting typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors? Does your writing flow smoothly?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Modern Slavery
In both classes today, people asked about whether slavery still exists today - and, indeed, it does. Varying by source, estimates of how many people are enslaved seem to run from 24 to 27 million worldwide, though given the covert nature of modern slavery, we can't be entirely precise in this area. If you're interested in the subject, two good places to start are BBC News's In Depth feature on modern slavery and the American Anti-Slavery Group's website. As you click around these sites, one point you discovery may surprise you - it happens in the US too.
Monday, November 16, 2009
2012, Apocalypse, and Monotheism
Who doesn't love a movie about apocalyptic disaster? It's certainly a popular theme among Americans, where 2012 dominated the box office this last weekend, and any number of other disaster movies have turned tidy profits in the past.
As with any movie "based on history," though, 2012 plays fast and loose with the facts. The biggest distortion? Apparently, it's the whole notion that the Mayans predicted the world to end in 2012. As Lane Wallace explains in The Atlantic, quoting historian Sandra Noble, "There is NOTHING in ancient Maya records that predicts the end of the world; no apocalypse, no destruction, no cosmic clashes. Nothing."
If you're interested in the subject of Mayan disaster prophecies, click the link to read more. Most important to our class, however, is the quick, historical overview of apocalyptic visions provided by Wallace. Specifically:
"Visions and prophecies have been found in writings dating as far back as 2,000 B.C., according to Kerkeslager, although not all cultures had an equal need for thunder and lightning delivery of justice. In a polytheistic culture like ancient Greece, the need for apocalyptic beliefs was less, because a multitude of warring gods could explain misfortune or disparity. You might simply be the casualty of a power struggle between Hera and Zeus.
As with any movie "based on history," though, 2012 plays fast and loose with the facts. The biggest distortion? Apparently, it's the whole notion that the Mayans predicted the world to end in 2012. As Lane Wallace explains in The Atlantic, quoting historian Sandra Noble, "There is NOTHING in ancient Maya records that predicts the end of the world; no apocalypse, no destruction, no cosmic clashes. Nothing."
If you're interested in the subject of Mayan disaster prophecies, click the link to read more. Most important to our class, however, is the quick, historical overview of apocalyptic visions provided by Wallace. Specifically:
"Visions and prophecies have been found in writings dating as far back as 2,000 B.C., according to Kerkeslager, although not all cultures had an equal need for thunder and lightning delivery of justice. In a polytheistic culture like ancient Greece, the need for apocalyptic beliefs was less, because a multitude of warring gods could explain misfortune or disparity. You might simply be the casualty of a power struggle between Hera and Zeus.
"But as cultures became monotheistic, the disconnect between a supposedly fair and just God, and an unjust world, became harder to explain away. Hence, Kerkeslager says, apocalyptic notions in the Hebrew Book of Daniel, which was written only three years after a Greek King named Antiochus had begun a brutal repression of the Jews in Jerusalem, including turning the Jewish Temple into a shrine for Zeus. The revolt of Jewish revolutionaries, including the restoration of the temple in 165 B.C. (the same year that the Book of Daniel was written) is the basis for the Jewish holiday of Hannukah. But at the end of the Book of Daniel, the author predicts that an apocalyptic end will come to the repressive Greeks 1,290 days after their desecration of the temple. Unfortunately, as with other apocalyptic prophecies, it didn't happen. So the last line of Daniel changes the date to 1,335 days."
It's an interesting argument worth considering - is the rise of apocalyptic notions a product of the shift towards monotheism, or is that simply coincidence?
It's an interesting argument worth considering - is the rise of apocalyptic notions a product of the shift towards monotheism, or is that simply coincidence?
Books, Books, Books
In preparing for classes, I've made use of a number of useful works on Ancient Greece. In the same way that I expect you to cite your sources in your essays, I want to share these books with you, so that you have some sense of where the information presented in class is coming from. And, on the off chance that you want to pursue this subject farther on your own, I want you to have some ideas...
The Classical World: An Epic History of Greece and Rome by Robin Lane Fox - This is, without question, the most useful single text I have found on the ancient world. It's stuffed - 600 pages total and very little of it unnecessary - but it also reads easily. Fox makes the material accessible and enjoyable, blending together a variety of sources and approaching the subject matter from a number of angles. I particularly like his frequent references to recent archaeological discoveries - and the ways those discoveries have changed the way we think about the past. In so doing, he emphasizes the sheer uncertainty that engulfs ancient history while also promoting a sense of optimism, that every single day we move closer to understanding what happened. If you want one book that spans Greece and Rome, this is it.
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill - I was really excited to find this book. It seemed like an ideal tool for the type of ancient history class I wanted to teach, as Cahill's professed goal was to explore the key lessons that can be learned from the ancient world by the present. With chapters devoted to key themes like "How to Rule," "How to Think," and "How to Fight," I anticipated excerpting chunks out of this book for class use. Unfortunately, Cahill doesn't deliver what he promises. For example, the chapter on Greek contributions to governance / political science focuses more on Greek theater than connections to the present. That said, the book is nonetheless interesting, providing an overview of a number of key aspects of Classical Greece. To put it another way, Cahill's thesis doesn't correspond to his body paragraphs, but the body paragraphs are still compelling work in their own right.
Ancient Greece: State and Society by Nicholas Jones - It's a useful text, certainly, for gaining an understanding of how the government functioned in Greek history, from the Minoan/Mycenaean period up through Hellinistic Greece. But, it's drier than a pack of Saltines and I wouldn't recommend it unless you were passionate about the subject matter or looking for a cure for insomnia.
Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski - I'm heavily biased in favor of Kapuscinski, my favorite travel writer and among my favorite writers of non-fiction in general. This was his last work, a career retrospective of sorts. Kapuscinski was a Polish journalist who seemed to be on site for every major revolution and coup in the developing world in the second half of the 20th century. On most of his trips, he took a copy of Herodotus's Histories with him, which we briefly discussed in class. This book is largely a rumination on Herodotus's work, providing extensive excerpts from the book and reflections on what the historian described - and above all else, the Persian Wars. We will read a short excerpt from this in class.
The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton - You already read Mythology by Hamilton, one of the more prolific early authors on the ancient world. This text, her definitive work on Ancient Greece, hits all of the highlights, including Greek art, religion, and the major intellectual figures. While Hamilton was among the great experts of her time, that was more than 60 years ago and thus her work neglects many recent research developments. That said, as a defining work in the field, this remains a mandatory read for those interested in the subject matter.
The Classical World: An Epic History of Greece and Rome by Robin Lane Fox - This is, without question, the most useful single text I have found on the ancient world. It's stuffed - 600 pages total and very little of it unnecessary - but it also reads easily. Fox makes the material accessible and enjoyable, blending together a variety of sources and approaching the subject matter from a number of angles. I particularly like his frequent references to recent archaeological discoveries - and the ways those discoveries have changed the way we think about the past. In so doing, he emphasizes the sheer uncertainty that engulfs ancient history while also promoting a sense of optimism, that every single day we move closer to understanding what happened. If you want one book that spans Greece and Rome, this is it.
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill - I was really excited to find this book. It seemed like an ideal tool for the type of ancient history class I wanted to teach, as Cahill's professed goal was to explore the key lessons that can be learned from the ancient world by the present. With chapters devoted to key themes like "How to Rule," "How to Think," and "How to Fight," I anticipated excerpting chunks out of this book for class use. Unfortunately, Cahill doesn't deliver what he promises. For example, the chapter on Greek contributions to governance / political science focuses more on Greek theater than connections to the present. That said, the book is nonetheless interesting, providing an overview of a number of key aspects of Classical Greece. To put it another way, Cahill's thesis doesn't correspond to his body paragraphs, but the body paragraphs are still compelling work in their own right.
Ancient Greece: State and Society by Nicholas Jones - It's a useful text, certainly, for gaining an understanding of how the government functioned in Greek history, from the Minoan/Mycenaean period up through Hellinistic Greece. But, it's drier than a pack of Saltines and I wouldn't recommend it unless you were passionate about the subject matter or looking for a cure for insomnia.
Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski - I'm heavily biased in favor of Kapuscinski, my favorite travel writer and among my favorite writers of non-fiction in general. This was his last work, a career retrospective of sorts. Kapuscinski was a Polish journalist who seemed to be on site for every major revolution and coup in the developing world in the second half of the 20th century. On most of his trips, he took a copy of Herodotus's Histories with him, which we briefly discussed in class. This book is largely a rumination on Herodotus's work, providing extensive excerpts from the book and reflections on what the historian described - and above all else, the Persian Wars. We will read a short excerpt from this in class.
The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton - You already read Mythology by Hamilton, one of the more prolific early authors on the ancient world. This text, her definitive work on Ancient Greece, hits all of the highlights, including Greek art, religion, and the major intellectual figures. While Hamilton was among the great experts of her time, that was more than 60 years ago and thus her work neglects many recent research developments. That said, as a defining work in the field, this remains a mandatory read for those interested in the subject matter.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Participation Grades
If you log into Edline, one new thing you'll notice is that I've added a participation grade for the last week. My goal is to continue this moving forward, posting a weekly score for your role in class discussions. The grade scale is pretty simple and generally follows this model:
Outstanding - 100% - Is ready to go when class starts, has read and underlined the previous night's reading, participates regularly and constructively, is not disruptive
Satisfactory - 90% - Generally ready to go and prepared, contributions well to most classes, is minimally disruptive
Acceptable - 80% - Is focused and ready for class after a gentle reminder, has some understanding of the reading, contributes every other class, is occasionally disruptive
Not satisfactory - 70% - Often unprepared, contributions are either lacking in frequency or relevance, is often disruptive
Unacceptable - 50% - Disruptive and unprepared
Obviously, not everyone fits into these easy categories. It is possible to make excellent contributions and yet also be very disruptive. Similarly, it is possible to be silent in class but fully prepared and engaged, listening well to others. Grades will be adjusted accordingly in those circumstances. If you feel that the participation score you receive is unfair, talk with me.
Outstanding - 100% - Is ready to go when class starts, has read and underlined the previous night's reading, participates regularly and constructively, is not disruptive
Satisfactory - 90% - Generally ready to go and prepared, contributions well to most classes, is minimally disruptive
Acceptable - 80% - Is focused and ready for class after a gentle reminder, has some understanding of the reading, contributes every other class, is occasionally disruptive
Not satisfactory - 70% - Often unprepared, contributions are either lacking in frequency or relevance, is often disruptive
Unacceptable - 50% - Disruptive and unprepared
Obviously, not everyone fits into these easy categories. It is possible to make excellent contributions and yet also be very disruptive. Similarly, it is possible to be silent in class but fully prepared and engaged, listening well to others. Grades will be adjusted accordingly in those circumstances. If you feel that the participation score you receive is unfair, talk with me.
Odds and Ends
Thanks everyone for a very good second week. If you have any difficulty finding any of the items on your map assignment this weekend, take a look at this website, a great resource for ancient maps.
In a class earlier this week, one student asked if Theseus was a real person, or strictly a legendary one. There appears to be some historical debate on the subject. Professors Morford and Lenardon, experts on the subject and authors of a major textbook on Greek mythology, write that "Theseus of all the legendary heroes has the strongest claims to being a real person. As stated above, he was for Plutarch a historical figure and he very likely was one of the kings of Athens perhaps in the ninth or eighth century B.C. But serious historical and chronological problems arise when we try to understand how he appears as the great conqueror of the legendary Minotaur and a king of Athens in the earlier Mycenaean Age and also a later king of Athens." You can find out more at the link.
In another class, when we were discussing democracy as it exists today, compared with during Classical Greece, Taylor asked about the electoral college and whether that serves to limit democracy in the US. The electoral college is a fascinating subject and one of the best overviews of its historical development comes from an article by Tara Ross on the Heritage Foundation website. (Note - the Heritage Foundation is a conservative-leaning organization. But, the article is carefully constructed around detailed evidence.)
Ross describes the creation of the electoral college as a check on what were perceived to be the worst excesses of democracy. Her quotations from the founders are particularly revealing: "Alexander Hamilton agreed [with James Madison] that "[t]he ancient democracies, in which the people themselves deliberated, never possessed one feature of good government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure, deformity." Other early Americans concurred. John Adams, who signed the Declaration of Independence and later became President, declared, "[D]emocracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." Another signatory to the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Rush, stated, "A simple democracy . . . is one of the greatest of evils.""
As I wrote, it's a compelling read, and worth a look if you're interested in the subject.
Finally, as I mentioned in class, "Education for Death" is just one of a number of anti-Nazi and anti-Japanese propaganda films produced by Disney in support of the war effort in WWII. The most famous cartoon from this period features Donald Duck - "Der Fuhrer's Face." I've embedded it below. As with the other cartoon, consider what they have chosen to mock and criticize about Nazi Germany - and what, by comparison, they are promoting as good and right about America.
In a class earlier this week, one student asked if Theseus was a real person, or strictly a legendary one. There appears to be some historical debate on the subject. Professors Morford and Lenardon, experts on the subject and authors of a major textbook on Greek mythology, write that "Theseus of all the legendary heroes has the strongest claims to being a real person. As stated above, he was for Plutarch a historical figure and he very likely was one of the kings of Athens perhaps in the ninth or eighth century B.C. But serious historical and chronological problems arise when we try to understand how he appears as the great conqueror of the legendary Minotaur and a king of Athens in the earlier Mycenaean Age and also a later king of Athens." You can find out more at the link.
In another class, when we were discussing democracy as it exists today, compared with during Classical Greece, Taylor asked about the electoral college and whether that serves to limit democracy in the US. The electoral college is a fascinating subject and one of the best overviews of its historical development comes from an article by Tara Ross on the Heritage Foundation website. (Note - the Heritage Foundation is a conservative-leaning organization. But, the article is carefully constructed around detailed evidence.)
Ross describes the creation of the electoral college as a check on what were perceived to be the worst excesses of democracy. Her quotations from the founders are particularly revealing: "Alexander Hamilton agreed [with James Madison] that "[t]he ancient democracies, in which the people themselves deliberated, never possessed one feature of good government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure, deformity." Other early Americans concurred. John Adams, who signed the Declaration of Independence and later became President, declared, "[D]emocracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." Another signatory to the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Rush, stated, "A simple democracy . . . is one of the greatest of evils.""
As I wrote, it's a compelling read, and worth a look if you're interested in the subject.
Finally, as I mentioned in class, "Education for Death" is just one of a number of anti-Nazi and anti-Japanese propaganda films produced by Disney in support of the war effort in WWII. The most famous cartoon from this period features Donald Duck - "Der Fuhrer's Face." I've embedded it below. As with the other cartoon, consider what they have chosen to mock and criticize about Nazi Germany - and what, by comparison, they are promoting as good and right about America.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Today's WL Prompt
As is likely clear already, modern democracies (including the US) descend in part from Athens, which tends to be held up as the early model of enlightened political rule. Sparta, meanwhile, has received the opposite treatment - used as an example of poor and uncivilized governance. Why is that the case? What makes Athens seem so superior to us?
To answer this effectively, you should:
To answer this effectively, you should:
- Identify key areas in which Athens and Sparta differ
- Explain why these differences are so significant to us => Why do we value the Athenian style more?
- Consider whether we are being entirely fair to Sparta => Are there aspects of Sparta's government that we do emulate or should emulate?
- A great response will include at least one quote from each of this week's assigned readings
- Please have a brief intro paragraph that includes your thesis. For an in-class write like this, it is acceptable for the intro to be only your thesis statement
- An easy way to structure this essay would be to find three key issues in which Athens seems to be superior to us than Sparta, devote one paragraph to each, and explain the specific issue and its importance to those of us in the US today
- If you believe, personally, that Sparta is superior to Athens, that's ok. This essay prompt isn't asking you to go against what you believe. What is undeniable, though, is that Athens has been more important in influencing the American system - and that's what the question is asking you to explore.
- You do not need a full works cited page - just include the page number from the packet in parentheses after the quote.
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