Unit One: The Whitening Thief
Week One: Course Introduction
Tuesday, January 17
Before the start of class today, please:
- Read the course syllabus and skim the schedule; bring your questions to class.
I’ll introduce the plan for the semester, answer your questions, and raffle off a few free copies of our course books!
You can view today’s slides here
Thursday, January 19: NO CLASS
Prof. Farmer is a little under the weather, so we won’t be meeting during our usual class time today. Instead, please use the time to:
- Complete the course survey
- Obtain the course books
- Create a website profile
- Check your family assignment, and post in your family’s forum
Week Two: Percy Jackson
Tuesday, January 24
Before the start of class today, please:
- Read The Lightning Thief, chapters 1-8
- Complete the course survey, if you haven’t already
Class will end a bit early today, unless you’re in Family A (but even for Family A it will still end on time).
Before Wednesday at midnight, consider participating in this week’s bonus Discussion Forum.
Thursday, January 26: STOKES
NOTE: Our class has changed to meeting in Stokes Auditorium. See you there!
Before the start of class today, please:
- Read The Lightning Thief, chapters 9-16
- Get in touch with Prof. Farmer if you haven’t been assigned to a Family / don’t have a working website profile
After class today, try taking the Contribution Survey for the first two weeks of class. This is optional and not worth points, but will show you what future surveys look like!
Week Three: No Such Thing as Western Civilization
Tuesday, January 31
Content Note: As you can see from the forum and slides, today’s lecture will focus on death in the ancient and modern world, particularly on beliefs about an afterlife. As always, take whatever space you need for yourself around this difficult topic: preview the slides below, and if you need to take breaks during class, step out of the room, decline to participate in the in-class polls, or otherwise take the space you need to engage with difficult material, please do so.
Before class today, try taking the Contribution Survey for the first two weeks of class. This is optional and not worth points, but will show you what future surveys look like!
Before the start of class today, please:
- Read The Lightning Thief, chapters 17-22
Class will end a bit early today, unless you’re in Family B (but even for Family B it will still end on time).
Remember to participate in the weekly forum before Wednesday at midnight!
Thursday, February 2
Content Note: Today we’ll be investigating the ways certain narratives about the ancient Greeks can be used to advance white supremacist agendas. Among other things, we’ll look at some examples of white supremacist imagery that makes use of classical art for its racist propaganda.
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Maxwell T. Paule, “The Whitening Thief: Latent White Supremacy in Percy Jackson” (or download pdf here)
- Kwame Anthony Appiah, “There Is No Such Thing as Western Civilization” (or download pdf here)
Class will end a bit early today, unless you’re in Family C (but even for Family C it will still end on time)
Assignments
- If you are in Family A, your first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
Unit Two: The Women of Troy
Week Four: Homer’s Iliad
Tuesday, February 7
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Lombardo, Essential Iliad, books 1-14 (pg. 1-79)
- Please read this specific translation, since it is heavily abridged and we’ll be focusing just on the sections included here.
- If your time is limited, focus on the excerpts from books 1, 6, and 9
Class will end a bit early today, unless you’re in Family D (but even for Family D it will still end on time)
Assignments
- If you are in Family A, your first Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, February 9
Before the start of class, please read:
- Lombardo, Essential Iliad, books 16-24 (pg. 79-157)
- If your time is limited, please focus on books 16, 22, and 24
Class will end a bit early today, unless you’re in Family E (but even for Family E it will still end on time)
Assignments
- Before the end of the day tomorrow (5:00pm on Friday, 2/10) please complete the Contribution Survey for weeks 3 and 4
- If you are in Family B, your first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder
Week Five: Euripides’ Trojan Women
Content Note
This week, we’ll be reading Euripides’ tragedy Trojan Women. This is a play about trauma: it focuses on the experiences of the women of Troy in the aftermath of Hector’s death and the fall of the city. It contains depictions of extreme grief and sadness, and the characters discuss the horrific fates that await them: enslavement, exploitation (of labor, as well as sexual exploitation), violence. It includes discussion of violence towards children, self-harm, and suicide.
As always, take the space you need to engage with these topics safely, and participate in our work as you are able. Consider reading the play slowly over longer time, or with other people; take space or breaks during class if you need it; and be mindful of the ways these traumatic topics may affect other students differently from you.
Tuesday, February 14
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Euripides’ Trojan Women, lines 1-567 (pg. 1-13 of the pdf, or pg. 613-632 of the printed page numbers)
Assignments
- If you haven’t already, please complete the Contribution Survey for weeks 3 and 4 ASAP
- If you are in Family B, your first Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, February 16
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Euripides’ Trojan Women, lines 568-1332 (pg. 14-27 of the pdf, or pg. 614-661 of the printed page numbers)
Assignments
- If you are in Family C, your first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family A, your revised first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
Unit Three: The Name for What I Was Did Not Exist
Week Six: Homer’s Odyssey 1-6
Tuesday, February 21: LIBRARY SESSION
Library Meetings
Today our class will take place in Lutnick Library. Our library staff will introduce us to a set of Greek vases from the college’s collections, share information and resources about conducting research for our class, and provide an opportunity to study and check out specific materials related to your Reflection Projects. We’ll rotate through each of these sessions in three groups, so please plan to arrive at your assigned location for the start of class, as follows:
- Family A (Medea): Lutnick 200
- Families B-C (Artemis, Cerberus): Lutnick 232
- Families D-E (Nobody, Chaos): Lutnick Digital Commons (open space in front of the elevator)
Assignments
- If you are in Family C, your first Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, February 23
Reading Note: Today we begin reading Homer’s Odyssey. Although there are many translations available, Wilson’s will be the specific focus of our class. Please DO NOT read a different translation: we are reading Wilson’s Odyssey as a work of reception and scholarship in its own right, and you will not be able to engage with the course material for the next month if you are reading the wrong translation.
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Wilson, Homer: The Odyssey books 1, 5, and 6
- If you have time and inclination, you are welcome to also read books 2,3, and 4!
Assignments
- Before the end of the day tomorrow (5:00pm on Friday, 2/10) please complete the Contribution Survey for weeks 5 and 6
- If you are in Family D, your first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family B, your revised first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today.
Week Seven: Homer’s Odyssey 7-12
Tuesday, February 28
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Wilson, Homer: The Odyssey books 7-9
Assignments
- If you have not done so already, please complete the Contribution Survey for weeks 5 and 6 ASAP
- If you are in Family D, your first Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, March 2
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Wilson, Homer: The Odyssey books 10-12
Assignments
- If you are in Family E, your first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family C, your revised first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
Spring Break
Tuesday, March 7: No Class
Thursday, March 9: No Class
Week Eight: Homer’s Odyssey 13-18
Tuesday, March 14
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Wilson, Homer: The Odyssey books 13-15
Assignments
- If you are in Family E, your first Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, March 16
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Wilson, Homer: The Odyssey books 16-18
Assignments
- If you are in Family A, your second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family D, your revised first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
Week Nine: Homer’s Odyssey 19-24
Content Note
The Odyssey concludes with scenes of disturbing violence: Odysseus and his allies kill the suitors, and then publicly execute a group of enslaved members of Odysseus’ own household who are accused of collaborating with the suitors. For many readers, the scenes may evoke traumatic contemporary events, including mass shootings, as well as racist and misogynistic violence. As always, take the time and space you need to engage with these readings as you are able, and do what you can to seek and offer support as you and your fellow students need it.
Tuesday, March 21
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Wilson, Homer: The Odyssey books 19-21
Assignments
- If you are in Family A, your second Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, March 23
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Wilson, Homer: The Odyssey books 22-24
Assignments
- If you are in Family B, your second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family E, your revised first Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
Week Ten: Miller’s Circe, Part I
Books & Content Note
This week, we’ll begin reading Madeline Miller’s Circe. A few free copies are still available on the bookshelf outside my office door, Hall 205.
Please note that this novel contains depictions of sexual violence.
Tuesday, March 28
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Miller, Circe, chapters 1-8
Assignments
- If you are in Family B, your second Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, March 30
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Miller, Circe, chapters 9-14
Assignments
- Before the end of the day tomorrow (5:00pm on Friday, 3/31) please complete the Contribution Survey for weeks 9 and 10
- If you are in Family C, your second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family A, your revised second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
Week Eleven: Miller’s Circe, Part II
Tuesday, April 4
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Miller, Circe, chapters 15-21
Assignments
- If you have not done so already, please complete the Contribution Survey for weeks 9 and 10 ASAP
- If you are in Family C, your second Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Today’s Slides and Shared Workspace
Thursday, April 6
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Miller, Circe, chapters 22-27
Assignments
- If you are in Family D, your second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family B, your revised second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
Unit Four: The Dragon Chariot
Week Twelve: Euripides’ Medea
Content Note
As you probably know, Euripides’ Medea is a deeply disturbing and violent play. Medea murders Jason’s new bride and her father, and their deaths are described in gruesome detail. Finally, she murders her own children. As always, take the space you need to engage with this material safely, and be mindful of the ways it may affect other students differently from you.
Filmed Production
If you’d prefer to watch a staged production of Medea, rather than reading a translation, you can access a high quality staging of the play here through the college library digital collections. If you’re off campus, you’ll need to log in through the library proxy server.
Tuesday, April 11
Before the start of class today, please read:
Assignments
- If you are in Family D, your second Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, April 13: NO CLASS
Out of deference to the rituals and associated mythology of Pinwheel Day, we will not have a class meeting today. All work submission deadlines still apply.
Assignments
- If you are in Family E, your second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family C, your revised second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- Before the end of the day tomorrow (5:00pm on Friday, 4/14) please complete the Contribution Survey for weeks 11 and 12
Week Thirteen: The Medea Project
Tuesday, April 18
Before the start of class today, please read:
Assignments
- If you are in Family E, your second Reflection Project feedback is due to your partners before the start of class today.
Thursday, April 20
Content Note
In class today, we’ll engage with readings and videos that adapt Euripides’ Medea for contemporary life. As you might imagine, these will involve mentions of violence towards children. In examining the work of the Medea Project, we’ll also hear stories of incarceration, intimate partner violence, addiction, exploitation. As always, take the space you need to engage with these materials safely, and be mindful of the ways they may affect other students differently from you.
Before the start of class today, please read:
- Kevin J. Wetmore Jr., “Black Medea” (from Black Dionysus: Greek Tragedy and African American Theatre, 2003)
- Angela Y. Davis, foreward to Imagining Medea: Rhodessa Jones and Theater for Incarcerated Women (Rena Fraden, 2001)
And if you have time, explore:
- Rhodessa Jones, “Nudging the Memory: Creating Performance with the Medea Project: Theatre for Incarcerated Women” (from Black Acting Methods by Sharrell Luckett and Tia Shaffer, 2017)
- The Medea Project
Assignments
Before the start of class today, everyone must post their Storytelling assignment to the course Flipgrid page.
- If you are in Family D, your revised second Reflection Project is due before the start of class today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
Week Fourteen: Concluding Discussions
Due to the tragic events on campus last week, we are making some changes to our plan for the last week of classes.
Tuesday, April 25
Assignments
- Everyone will receive full credit for discussion forum this week. If you feel up to it and would still like to comment and vote on each other’s storytelling assignments, please do so before the start of class today.
- You can find the Storytelling vidoes here
- Once you’ve watched, you can vote for your favorite stories from your Family using the form below:
Class Plan for Today
In class today, we’ll watch Disney’s Hercules. Attendance is not required, but if you would like to spend some time in community with fellow students engaging with Greek mythology in a relaxed way, that’s what we’ll aim for in class. You are welcome to come and go as you need. The movie will run slightly over the end of our class time.
Thursday, April 27
Class Plan for Today
Today in class, we’ll wrap up our work together this semester by watching the top-voted Storytelling Assignments. We’ll also complete the Course Feedback Survey, which you can also find here.
Friday, April 28th
Assignments
- If you are in Family D, your revised second Reflection Project is due by 5:00pm eastern today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- If you are in Family E, your revised second Reflection Project is due by 5:00pm eastern today in your family’s Google Drive folder.
- Before 5:00pm today, please complete the Contribution Survey for weeks 13 and 14 [note: you are still welcome to submit this survey, but everyone will receive full credit for contribution during these weeks regardless]
Finals
Saturday, May 6
If you are a senior, your Final Portfolio is due today at 5:00pm eastern.
Friday, May 12
If you are not a senior, your Final Portfolio is due today at noon (12:00pm eastern).