Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2020 - HS 100 D100

The Greek World (Inactive) (3)

Class Number: 7356

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 8, 2020: Tue, Thu, 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An interdisciplinary introduction to the Greek culture in different periods. Using various sources and materials the course explores continuities and ruptures, evolutions and revolutions, and the impact such issues have on the imagination of people today. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:



The Greek World

On a tiny corner of Europe, a people still speak the language of Plato. This ancient land, visited every year by millions of tourists, is rich in history and culture. This course is a study of this land and of the Greek World at large from the time when civilization first stirred in the Aegean Sea through the modern age.

Starting with the dawn of civilization in the Near East we move to Homer’s heroic times, we then witness the rise of city-states, study the vibrancy of the Athenian Democracy and the stark might of Sparta. Alexander the Great takes us to the rich Hellenistic world of the east. We then examine the lives of the Greeks and the afterlife of their ideas in the Roman era when the teachings of Jesus are recorded in Greek into the New Testament and preached by St Paul by the Acropolis. We then visit Byzantium’s palaces, where Christian Roman emperors speak Greek.

By the time of the Renaissance Byzantine intellectuals teach Greek philosophy to Italian aristocrats in Florence while merchants link, by way of trade, new and old Greek communities in Ottoman Constantinople, Venice, and Odessa. Our journey ends in the present, at a time of economic crisis, cutting age cinema, mass tourism, and refugee movements. Through word, sound, image, reason and emotion we seek to introduce you to the rich history and culture of the Greeks and stir your interest in Hellenism. Join us then for a journey through The Greek World.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:


  • Students will gain an interdisciplinary insight into the history and culture of Greece and Hellenism from antiquity to the present through examination of sources from this era and the study of modern scholarship on the subject at hand.
  • Students will learn to analyze art, architecture and literature from diverse periods of Greek history, and interpret it in wider cultural and historical contexts.
  • Students will evaluate our ideas about identity, history, and culture from diverse perspectives (historical, artistic, literary), and how these ideas shape our beliefs today.

Grading

  • Class participation 20%
  • 4 short take home written assignments 40%
  • Weekly online ID/Map/Image quizzes 40%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Class Readings and other study materials (videos, images, lecture power-point presentations, study questions, maps and more), will all be provided in PDF form on CANVAS. There is no assigned textbook.


Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2020

Teaching at SFU in fall 2020 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).