WEEK 1

Day 1

AM

First encounters with oral traditions
"Coyote and Junco," in D. Tedlock, trans. Finding the Center: Narrative Poetry of the Zuni Indians (1972)
The Homeric Question
Archaic Greece: History and Culture
Overview of Archaic Greece, sections 1-16 (Perseus)

PM

The wrath of a hero, Iliad Book 1
Guest presentation: Jim Van Valen
Study Guide for Homer's Iliad (Ablemedia)
Book-by-book Study Questions for the Iliad (Robin Mitchell Boyask)

Day 2

Defining epic, Greeks and Trojans, men and women
Iliad Books 2, 3, 5, 6
Sappho (late 7th century BCE), Poems 1, 16, and 44

Day 3

AM

R. Thomas, "Introduction," Literacy and Orality in Ancient Greece (Cambridge 1992)
M. Scott Momaday, "The Native Voice," in The Columbia Literary History of the United States, ed. E. Elliott (Columbia 1988)

PM

The speech of Achilles: traditional or original?
Iliad Books 9, 11, 12

Day 4

Flyting and Type scenes: Iliad Books 14, 16, 18, 20

Day 5

Coping with death and dying: rage, games, laments, reconciliation
Iliad Books 21-24

WEEK 2

Day 6

AM

Setting the context: Rome in the age of Augustus
Guest presentation: Jim Van Valen

PM

A tale of two cities--Carthage and Troy: Aen. 1-2
(slides); Aeneid Study Guide (Johnson)

Day 7

Aeneas' journey--Anchises and Dido: Aen. 3-5 Barbara McManus, "Antony, Octavian, Cleopatra"

Day 8

AM

Workshop on introductory paragraphs (introductory paragraph due at 9:00 a.m.; email a copy to jgruber-miller@cornellcollege.edu and lfarmer@cornellcollege.edu) and bring a hard copy to class

PM

Rome--past, present, and future: Aen. 6-8

Day 9

AM

Paper Conferences
Complete draft of paper 1 due at the time of conference

PM

Audio: Henry Purcell (1689), Dido and Aeneas

Day 10

Relationships in a context of war: friendship, family, tribe: Aen. 9-12

PAPER #1 due Saturday at noon

WEEK 3

Day 11

The Song of Roland, laisses 1-150
Guest lecture: Prof. Devan Baty
List of major characters in the Song of Roland; study guide (Diane Thompson)

Day 12

The Song of Roland, laisses 151-298
Jaufre Rudel (12th century troubadour), Songs 1, 2, 4, 6

Day 13

Birth, childhood, and exile: Epic of Sunjata, pp. 1-94 (lines 1-2613); Sunjata characters; Study Guide

Day 14

AM

Aoidos, jongleur, griot: the oral poet in ancient Greece, medieval France, and west Africa
Group 1: metapoetics of Homer
Group 2: oral poets in medieval France E. B. Vitz, "Old French Literature," in J.M. Foley, Teaching Oral Traditions, and G. Nagy, Poetry as Performance, pp. 11-26
Group 3: "Music across the griot world" in T. Hale, Griots and griottes: Masters of words and music
Group 4: "The oral artist" and "The making of a griot" from T. Hale, Griots and griottes: Masters of words and music

PM

Return of the King: Epic of Sunjata, pp. 95-195 (lines 2614-5445)

Day 15

Omeros, Books 1-2; Study Guide

WEEK 4

Day 16

AM

Workshop on introductory paragraphs (introductory paragraph due at 9:00 a.m.; email a copy to jgruber-miller@cornellcollege.edu and lfarmer@cornellcollege.edu) and bring a hard copy to class

PM

Omeros, Books 3-5

Day 17

AM

Paper Conferences
Complete draft of paper 2 due at the time of conference

PM

Omeros, Books 6-7

Day 18

Paper #2 due at 5 p.m.

Contact Information

Department of Classical and Modern Languages

Cornell College
600 First Street West
Mt Vernon, IA 52314

John Gruber-Miller
(319) 895-4326