HIST 111 Women in Antiquity
For updated syllabus see: http://www.usd.edu/~jsebesta
Honors Comparative Civilization I
Judith Lynn Sebesta Office: East 204 677-5218
jsebesta@sunbird.usd.edu Office hours: 12:00 -1:15 p.m.MW
This course examines women's place in four civilizations: their social conditions, the gender roles they played and the power/authority they possessed, their silence, their speech, and their accomplishments. Readings will include essays that are sociological, historical, anthropological, feminist/gender, and literary analytical in approach. In addition to these essays, our sources will include the writings of men about women, women's own writings (all too few), stele inscriptions, papyrus rolls, vase paintings and other forms of art.
In the course of this investigation into history, students will learn how historians make use of other disciplines, gather and interpret evidence, and formulate a picture of the past.
Textbooks:
S. Blundell, Women in Ancient Greece. Harvard, 1995.
M. Ehrenberg, Women in Prehistory. University of Oklahoma, 1989.
Fagles, R. Three Theban Plays. Penguin, 1984.
M. Lefkowitz and M. Fant, Women's Life in Greece and Rome. Baltimore, 1982.
Robins, G. Women in Ancient Egypt. Harvard University Press, 1993.
Vellacott, P. Alcestis and Other Plays. Penguin, 1953.
Reserve Readings: These are indicated by an asterisk in the syllabus and may be obtained from the Circulation Desk of I.D. Weeks Library. In addition, I have put on reserve a number of books students may find useful in preparing their projects.
Attendance and Expectations: Attendance is mandatory except for personal illness or family crisis. Students are expected to read all assignments, attend every lecture, take notes, participate in discussions, and secure all handouts.
Students who expect to miss more than three meetings should meet with the instructor during the first week. In case of an emergency causing a student to miss more than two consecutive meetings through absence from campus, the student should notify the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences who will notify all the instructors.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be on the basis of a three short essays, a midterm, the group project, and participation in class discussions. The group project is required for successful completion of the course, and will be assigned only a Pass/Fail grade. (see below)
Essays
Four essay topics are given below; a student should select any three. Each essay should be five pages in length and conform to the Department of History's Guide for Writing Research Papers . Each essay is due in the Office of the History Department (E 207) by 4:00 p.m. on the scheduled day (it may, of course, be turned in early.) An essay submitted later than that time and date will be penalized by ten points, and an additional ten points every twenty-four hours thereafter.The essays must by typed neatly.
Topic for Prehistory: Comparison/Contrast. Examine this Naqada II (3600-3100 B.C.E.) prehistoric figure. (The vase is also shown so that you can see the complete pose of the figure's damaged arms.) Construct an interpretation of this artifact accourding to Gimbutas and Mathur/or/Tallalay. Your essay should compare/contrast these interpretations.
Topic for Aegean Women: Description. Refer to these artifacts. Describe and interpret these objects and locate them within the context of the Aegean civilization we have examined.
Topic for Egyptian Women: Synthesis. Refer to this artifact. Your task, as a museum docent, is to use this artifact and any selection(s) from our readings to write an essay on the role/status of Egyptian women in the NK for secondary students who are making a museum trip.
Topic for Greek Women: Explanatory. Use either the play Antigone or Alcestis to explain Blundell's statement that "The ideological separation of masculine and feminine spheres in firth-century Athenian society made gender relations a fruitful base for the exploration of other differences: men and women, to borrow a famous expression used by Levi-Strauss, were 'good for thinking with.'" (Blundell p. 173, 1st full paragraph).
Group Project: Students will assign themselves to one of five groups. Each group will address one of these four themes of the course: women in antiquity and
religion
concepts of gender
the body
power and authority.
The project may be in the form of a poster project (poster guidelines), a play, "interview" of women of antiquity, etc. To receive a 'pass' grade a project must demonstrate its theme clearly in relation to two or more of the cultures studied in the course and use either artifacts or literature or both. The best two project(s) will be nominated to the Undergraduate IdeaFest held at USD in April, 1999. You will find the web site, DIOTIMA: Women and Gender in the Ancient World (www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/gender.html) a valuable source containing illustrations, essays, bibliography, etc.
To find out which group you belong to, group.
Grade determination: A total of 225 points is assigned to this class, divided thus:
Midterm 50 points
First essay 50 points (40 content, 10 style)
Second essay 50 points (40 content, 10 style)
Third essay 50 points (40 content, 10 style)
Class participation 25 points
Total Points:
240-202 2 = A
201-182 = B
181-159 = C
198-137 = D
136-0 = F
Course Calendar
* means the reading is on reserve at ID Weeks Library.
September 2 Syllabus and Orientation.
Prehistoric Women: Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages
September 4 Prehistoric Chronology and Traditional Views
Readings: Ehrenberg, chapters 2 and 3.
September 7 Labor Day Holiday
September 9 Discussion of Ehrenburg readings
Readings: *M. Gimbutas, The Language of the Goddess., introduction pp. xv-xxiii. Chapter 12 The Vulva. sections 12.1
through 12.6.1; chapter 13 The Deer and Bear as Primeval Mothers section 13.2; chapter 17 Male Gods and Daimones all
sections; appendix, The Place and Function of the Goddess pp. 316-317.
September 11 Discussion of Gimbutas readings
September 14: Guest Lecture Professor Susan Wolfe, Department of English
Readings: Students whose ID #s end in 0 through4, read *Talaly, "A Feminist Boomerang"
Students whose ID #s end in 5-9, read *Mathur Multifunctional Analysis of Neolithic Figures
September 16 Summary and Discussion book review
Aegean Women: Crete and Thera
September 21 Freshman Convocation (no class)
September 23 Aegean Women: The Traditional View: Lecture and Video "Crete and Mycenae"
September 25 Video Crete and Mycenae continued
Readings: Ehrenberg, chapter 4, pp. 108-118.
September 28 Lecture on Priests and Priestesses, Palaces as Religious Centers
First essay due
Optional Reading: * N. Marinatos, Art and Religion in Thera: Reconstructing Bronze Age Society (xeroxed selection)
September 30 Lecture on the Paintings of Akortiri
Readings: * A. Baring and Jules Cashford, The Myth of the Goddess: Evolution of an Image, chapter 3 "Crete: The goddess of Life, Death, and Regeneration" pp. 106-144.
*M. Gimbutas, The Language of the Goddess, Chapter 14 Snake p. 121 and section 14.4; chapter 24 Bull, Bee, Butterfly (entire chapter)
October 2 Summary and Discussion
Women of Ancient Egypt (revised calendar)
October 5 Lecture: Egyptian Women: Old Kingdom and New Kingdom.
Readings: Robbins, Women in Ancient Egypt. Chapter 6 "Women outside the home" pp. 111-126; Chapter 7 "The economic and legal position of women" pp.127-141.
October 7 Women's Social and Legal Position
Readings: Robbins, Women in Ancient Egypt. Chapter 3 "Marriage" pp. 56-74; Chapter 4 "Fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth" pp. 75-91; Chapter 5 "The family and the household" pp. 92- 110; Chapter 8 "Women and Temple Ritual" pp.
142-156; Chapter 9 "Personal Religion and Death" pp. 157-175.
October 9 Instructor attending RMMLA. No Class.
October 12 Native American Day No class.
October 14 Discussion: Daily Life and Religious Life
Readings: *Gay Robbins, Women in Ancient Egypt. Chapter 10 "Images of women in literature and art" pp. 176-189.
Readings: *J. Foster, translator. Love Songs of the New Kingdom. University of Texas. 1992 (xeroxed selections).
October 16 and 19 Depiction of women in Literature. Discussion of the love songs.
Readings: Students whose ID #s end in 0 through 4, read *The Instruction of Ptahhotep. trans. by M. Lichtheim in Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings, vol. I. University of California Press 1973 (xeroxed selection).
Students whose ID #s end in 5-9, read * The Instruction of Any. trans. by M. Lichtheim in Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings, vol. II. University of California Press 1976 (xeroxed selection).
October 21 General Aspects of Egyptian Art: Lecture
October 23 Old Kingdom Artistic Depictions of Women. Guest lecturer: Professor Brian
Molyneaux, Anthropology Program
October 26 New Kingdom Artistic Depictions of Women. Guest lecturer: Professor Brian
Molyneaux, Anthropology Program
Second essay due.
October 28 Midterm
October 30 Video "Ancient Lives: A Woman's Place"
November 2 Summary and Discussion
Women of Ancient Greece
November 4 Lecture: Greek Women: Sources. Man's Life/ Woman's Life in the Polis
Readings: S. Blundell, Chapters 11 and 12
Lefkowitz and Fant, Women's Life in Greece and Rome: Numbers 28-38; 208; 225-230; 234; 249-250, 267 (bring to class).
November 6 Discussion on the Blundell, L&F readings: Qualities of the Ideal Woman.
Readings: Blundell, Women in Ancient Greece. Chapters 6 "Women in an age of transition" pp. 65-
77 and 9 "Women in Stone" pp. 92-94.
November 9 Depiction of Women in Literature: Video Antigone
Readings: Blundell, Women in Ancient Greece. chapter 15 "Women in drama" pp. 172-180.
Sophocles, Antigone
November 11 Holiday
November 13 Depiction of Women in Literature: Video Antigone
Readings: Sophocles, Antigone
Third essay due.
November 16 Depiction of Women in Literature: Video Antigone and Discussion
Readings: Readings: *E. Fantham et al, Women in the Classical World: Image and Text. Chapter 6, "Medicine and the
'Proof' of Anatomy," by Leslie Dean-Jones. (you should xerox your own copy of this chapter)
Lefkowitz and Fant, Women's Life in Greece and Rome: Numbers 338, 341, 343-350
November 18 Discussion of Women's Bodies (Fantham, L&F readings) (bring these readings to class).
Reading: Euripides, Alcestis
November 20 Video Pandora
Reading: Euripides, Alcestis
November 23 Discussion on Video Pandora
Reading: Euripides Alcestis
November 25 Women's Work: Hands-on Spinning
November 27 Thanksgiving (no class)
November 30 Summary and Discussion (includes Euripides, Alcestis )
December 2 Group Project #1
December 4 Group Project # 2
December 7 Group Project #3
Fourth essay due.
December 9 Group Project #4
December 11 Group Project #5