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CLAS/ANTH 3009
Modern Issues, Ancient Times: Race & Antiquity
Spring 2021
Monday Wednesday Friday 12:40–1:30 pm
UMC 415 and

Professor Dimitri Nakassis
Office: ��������������������������������
Office hours: ���������� Wednesday, 2-4 pm (or by appointment)
Phone:���������������������������������� 303-492-8184
E-mail: �������������������������������� dimitri.nakassis@colorado.edu

This class is an introduction to identity and difference in the ancient Mediterranean world, with special emphasis on the Greeks and Romans, Egyptians and Persians. How did ancient authors and artists express and understand differences (which today we might call ‘racial’ or ‘ethnic’) between various communities living in and around the Mediterranean? How did they explain these differences? In trying to answer these questions, we’ll survey the rich evidence, mostly textual but also material, that survives about the peoples of the ancient world. In exploring this evidence, we’ll also reflect on modern identities, and especially the way that ancient perceptions influenced modern ideas about ‘race.’ No background in the ancient world or anthropology is necessary or expected.

• To understand better the ways that the ancients (and moderns) understood and organized human communities and the world through their creative and literary production;
• To explore the complex developments in thinking about difference from the ancient Greek and Roman world to the present;
• To read, write, discuss, and think critically about ancient evidence and modern scholarship.

• Anthology = Race and Ethnicity in the Classical World: An Anthology of Primary Sources in Translation, by R.F. Kennedy, C.S. Roy and M.L. Goldman (2013). ISBN 978-1-60384-994-4 (paperback).
• McCoskey = Race: Antiquity & Its Legacy, by Denise McCoskey (2012). ISBN 978-0-19-538188-7 (paperback).
• All other readings are available on Perusall via Canvas

General attendance and participation: 20%

I expect you to attend class regularly and to participate in class discussions. Although there will be some lecture, ultimately the most meaningful progress in our understanding will happen through class discussion. Participation includes (a) participating in synchronous ‘in person’ class discussions (in real space and in Zoom space), (b) comments made about the readings in Perusall, and (c) comments made in Canvas discussion boards. I’ll take attendance and monitor the comments section, and based on a total evaluation of your overall participation of all kinds, give you feedback on how you’re doing (i.e., a holistic analysis rather than a bean-counting operation). Those grades will be posted on Canvas on 2/1, 3/1, 3/15, 3/29, 4/12 and 5/1.

Short response papers (10): 30%

Over the course of the semester, you will write ten short response papers and turn them in on Canvas. The response papers should be no more than 500 words and at a minimum about 300 words (about a typed page, single-spaced). These are due before the class for which the readings are listed; for example, if you wanted to write a short response paper about Debbie Challis’ “The Ablest Race,” which is listed under January 20, you should turn it in before 12:40pm on that date. You can write about whichever readings you like, but I recommend that you don’t wait until the last minute, because the end of the semester is usually busier and more hectic, so I would recommend trying to write one a week on average.

The point of the assignment is to get you to think about, and write about, the course material in an in-depth way, but without you having to do any additional research. You might take issue with something that is asserted in the readings, for example, or connect something from the readings to another related topic that we discussed the week before. It’s up to you; just make sure that you don’t summarize; the idea to is to meaningfully engage with the course material.

Longer papers: 30%

You will write one or two longer papers, choosing from among the following:

1. Short papers (15% each, due March 1 and April 26):
   1. Option A: Imagine that you are approached by The New Yorker, The New Criterion, The Atlantic, or a similar literary/cultural magazine to write a short (1500 to 2000-word) article aimed a general audience who doesn’t know all that much about the ancient world. The subject of your article is the topic of our class: how does the ancient world inform the way that we should think about modern issues of race and ethnicity? Within that general rubric, you can pick any topic that you are interested in. If you’re not sure if it’s an appropriate topic, please ask me. An example of a good topic might be to ask how appropriate (or not) it is to cast black actors to play ancient Greek heroes in a modern cinematic adaptation of Greek literature, using what you’ve learned in class. The articles by Sarah Bond are a good model: historically informed, but oriented towards modern debates and general readers.
   2. Option B: The Getty Museum has a blog post entitled “Rethinking Descriptions of Black Africans in Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Art” () in which they discuss changing the museum labels of their ancient artwork that depicts individuals from Africa. For this assignment, find an image of an artwork that depicts the ‘Other’ (from the perspective of the artistic tradition): non-Greeks, non-Romans, non-Egyptians or non-Persians in an online museum catalogue (like the Met, the Cleveland Museum of Art, or the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; you could also look in Google Arts & Culture) and write a new label (1500 to 2000-words long) that explains to a general museum-going audience the complexities of ancient art and what this artifact tells us about the representation of ancient world.
   3. Option C: Select one of the parts of the ancient world that we’re not covering in class (Anthology chapters 8, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15) and analyze the readings from the Anthology using the perspectives and methods that we’ve developed in class to write an analytical discussion of 1500 to 2000 words. Some of the questions that you should consider asking and answering: (i) How do Greek and Roman sources talk about the places and inhabitants in question? (ii) What themes appear consistently, and where do we get divergences? (iii) What do these consistencies and divergences mean for the way that our sources think about these places and inhabitants? Are there any patterns, for example differences between our Greek and Roman sources? Are these similarities with the way that other places and peoples are described? Try to keep your summarizing to a minimum and focus on analysis.

These short papers are not research papers, but you might want to do some additional reading, depending on the topic; feel free to cite any sources that you found useful, and you can also cite relevant sources from class reading (of course if material from other classes you’ve taken is also relevant, feel free to bring that in too). Be careful of sketchy material online; if you’re not sure if it’s sketchy, ask me and I’ll be glad to tell you. There’s a lot of bad information online that will lead you astray.

1. Research paper (30%, due April 28, abstract due March 19): If you would like to choose this option, I will require a short (200 word) abstract with at least 3 scholarly sources you plan to use for your paper, turned in to me by March 19. The abstract isn’t a contract, but it encourages you to start thinking about what you’re doing to write about, and it gives me an opportunity to make suggestions. The topic of the research paper must be relevant to the topic of the class. You could follow up in more detail on a topic that we’ve covered in class (for example, artistic representations of Ethiopians in Greek art) or explore a topic that we didn’t have time to get around to in class (for example, the representations of Thracians in Greek literature); but you should make sure to organize your paper around a clear and original thesis or argument. It should be about 12-16 pages double-spaced (3000 to 4000 words).

Final exam (take-home, due at the end of our final exam period): 20%

Before the last day of classes, I’ll provide (in class and on Canvas) a set of four essay questions based on the class readings (and discussion). You’ll have to answer one of these questions and turn it in by the end of the final exam period assigned for this class via Canvas. The essay you write will not require any additional research, and it shouldn’t take too long to write (certainly no longer than 2.5 hours, the length of the final exam period).

Accommodation for Disabilities

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit your accommodation letter from Disability Services to your faculty member in a timely manner so that your needs can be addressed.�� Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities in the academic environment.�� Information on requesting accommodations is located on the Disability Services website. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or dsinfo@colorado.edu for further assistance.�� If you have a temporary medical condition, see on the Disability Services website.

Classroom Behavior

Both students and faculty are responsible for maintaining an appropriate learning environment in all instructional settings, whether in person, remote or online. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran��status, political affiliation or political philosophy.�� For more information, see the policies on and the Student Code of Conduct.

Requirements for COVID-19

As a matter of public health and safety due to the pandemic, all members of the ��ƷSM����ӰƬ community and all visitors to campus must follow university, department and building requirements, and public health orders in place to reduce the risk of spreading infectious disease. Required safety measures at ��ƷSM����ӰƬ relevant to the classroom setting include:

• maintain 6-foot distancing when possible,
• wear a face covering in public indoor spaces and outdoors while on campus consistent with state and county health orders,
• clean local work area,
• practice hand hygiene,
• follow public health orders, and
• if sick and you live off campus, do not come onto campus (unless instructed by a CU Healthcare professional), or if��you live on-campus, please alert ��ƷSM����ӰƬ Medical Services.

Students who fail to adhere to these requirements will be asked to leave class, and students who do not leave class when asked or who refuse to comply with these requirements will be referred to Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. For more information, see the policies on COVID-19 Health and Safety and and the . If you require accommodation because a disability prevents you from fulfilling these safety measures, please see the “Accommodation for Disabilities” statement on this syllabus.

All students who are new to campus must complete the��COVID-19 Student Health and Expectations Course. Before coming to campus each day, all students are required to complete the��.

Students who have tested positive for COVID-19, have symptoms of COVID-19, or have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for or had symptoms of COVID-19 must stay home.��

In this class, if you are sick or quarantined, please just let me know via e-mail, and we will come to a mutually-agreeable accommodation.��

Preferred Student Names and Pronouns

��ƷSM����ӰƬ recognizes that students' legal information doesn't always align with how they identify. Students may update their preferred names and pronouns via the student portal; those preferred names and pronouns are listed on instructors' class rosters. In the absence of such updates, the name that appears on the class roster is the student's legal name.

Honor Code

All students enrolled in a ��ƷSM����ӰƬ course are responsible for knowing and adhering to��the Honor Code.��Violations of the policy may include: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, threat, unauthorized access to academic materials, clicker fraud, submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from all course instructors involved, and aiding academic dishonesty. All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Honor Code (honor@colorado.edu);��303-492-5550). Students found responsible for violating the academic integrity policy will be subject to nonacademic sanctions from the Honor Code as well as academic sanctions from the faculty member. Additional information regarding the Honor Code academic integrity policy can be found at the��Honor Code Office website.

Religious Holidays

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance.�� In this class, you must notify me at least 14 days in advance of any religious observance so that we can make alternative arrangements for your absence. See the for full details.

Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, Harassment and/or Related Retaliation

The ��ƷSM����ӰƬ (��ƷSM����ӰƬ) is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming learning, working, and living environment. ��ƷSM����ӰƬ will not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct (harassment, exploitation, and assault), intimate partner violence (dating or domestic violence), stalking, or protected-class discrimination or harassment by members of our community. Individuals who believe they have been subject to misconduct or retaliatory actions for reporting a concern should contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at 303-492-2127 or cureport@colorado.edu. Information about the OIEC, university policies, , and the campus resources can be found on the .

Please know that faculty and graduate instructors have a responsibility to inform OIEC when made aware of incidents of sexual misconduct, dating and domestic violence, stalking, discrimination, harassment and/or related retaliation, to ensure that individuals impacted receive information about options for reporting and support resources.

Some general principles

None of us signed up for learning and teaching this way, not to mention all of the other effects of COVID-19. I will do the best that I can to teach you in these new circumstances, to be as humane as possible, to stay flexible when things change, and to foster an environment of mutual support.

Communication

I will make announcements verbally in class and electronically via Canvas and e-mail. It is your responsibility to check Canvas and your University e-mail address on a regular basis.

Resources and Information for DACA/ASSET Students

See /undocumentedstudentresources/

Complicated materials

Some (or maybe all) of the material we’ll deal with in this class is complicated; some of it may be difficult to read and to talk about. I’ll do my best to deal with class materials sensitively, but please do talk to me if you have any questions or issues. This is primarily a class about the ancient world, and it’s also very empirical (that is to say, there’s a lot of ancient evidence – too much evidence! – that we’ll be sorting through and dealing with). But the nature of the class is to interrogate the relationship between ancient times and modern issues, and so we’ll inevitably talk about race in 21^st century America. I would like us to have a civil classroom, but that doesn’t mean that all opinions are somehow equivalent, or that I will tolerate racism. It’s through discussion and sometimes disagreement that we’ll learn the most about our positions (i.e., not only what we believe but also, and more importantly, why we believe the things we do). I’ll do my best to be an effective arbiter in the classroom, but please speak with me if I’m falling short of my duties.�� Also: keep in mind that I don’t always agree with the readings that I assign!

College can be hard in the best of times, and these are not the best of times. If you need help, here are some resources:

• If you’re facing food insecurity, reach out to��food@colorado.edu, and they will work with you to find food resources. If you’re having trouble paying rent or facing housing insecurity, you can get in touch with these advocates:����at 303-441-1000 or��Off-campus Housing��������och@colorado.edu��& 303-492-7053. For assistance with landlord-tenant matters, contact����at 303-441-4364 &��mediation@bouldercolorado.edu.��
• ����Student Emergency Fund��has been created to support students experiencing a temporary financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. Other campus resources are available here (including mental health resources and��free therapy).��Case manager resources��are also available to help you find appropriate campus and local resources. A 24/7��Suicide Prevention hotline��is available for you: just call 303-492-2277. Please don’t hesitate to also approach me if you have trouble negotiating these resources.��
• Student Support & Case Management (/studentaffairs/sscm) assists students through individualized planning (also see /today/2018/09/28/campus-support-resources)
• Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can help in any way.

Readings should be completed before the class for which they are assigned.

Week 1

Friday, January 15

Topic: Class introduction

Reading: none

Class activity: syllabus and schedule review

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Week 2

Monday, January 18: no class

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Wednesday, January 20

Topic: Why ‘race and antiquity’?
Reading:

• Debbie Challis, “The Ablest Race”
• Denise McCoskey, “Race”

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, January 22

���������������������������� Topic: Race, part one

Reading:

• McCoskey, pp. 1-5
• ��貹����,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Class activity: lecture

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Week 3

Monday, January 25

Topic: Race, part two

Reading:

• Michael Omi and Howard Winant, “Racial Formations”
• Ta-Nehisi Coates, “What We Mean When We Say ‘Race Is a Social Construct’”

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, January 27

Topic: Ethnicity

Reading:

• Jonathan Hall, Ethnic identity in Greek antiquity ch. 2, pp. 17-33
• Jeremy McInerney, “Ethnicity: An Introduction”
• Ian Holmes, “What Happens When Geneticists Talk Sloppily About Race”

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, January 29

Topic: Race & ethnicity

Class activity: discussion (see discussion questions on Canvas)

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Week 4

Monday, February 1

Topic: Background on the ancient Mediterranean world (lecture)

Reading: none

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, February 3

Topic: Background on the ancient Mediterranean world (lecture)

Reading: none

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, February 5

Topic: Background on the ancient Mediterranean world (lecture)

Reading: none

Class activity: lecture

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Week 5

Monday, February 8

Topic: Orientalism

Reading:

• Kwame Anthony Appiah, “There is no such thing as western civilisation”
• Charlotte Higgins, “Ancient Greece, the Middle East and an ancient cultural internet”
• Edward Saïd, Orientalism, pp. 1-9, 49-73

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, February 10

Topic: Skin color and antiquity

Reading:

• McCoskey, pp. 5-34
• Denise McCoskey, “What would James Baldwin do?”
• McCoskey, “Black Athena, White Power” (https://eidolon.pub/black-athena-white-power-6bd1899a46f2)
• James Dee, “Black Odysseus, White Caesar”

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, February 12

���������������������������� Topics: Orientalism and Skin color

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion (see discussion questions on Canvas)

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Week 6

Monday, February 15: no class

Wednesday, February 17: no class

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Friday, February 19

Topic: Greek statues

Reading:

• Painter, The History of White People, ch. 5
• Sarah Bond, “Whitewashing ancient statues”

Class activity: lecture

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Week 7

Monday, February 22

Topic: Greek painting

Reading:

• Brinkmann et al., Gods in Color
• Brecoulaki, “Greek painting and the challenge of mimesis”

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, February 24

Topic: Neo-classical statues and architecture

Reading:

• Small, “A Video Game…” ��
• Monteiro, “Power Structures”
• Strauss, “The Black Phalanx”

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, February 26

���������������������������� Topic: Statues, architecture, and color

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion

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Week 8

Monday, March 1�������������������������������������������������������� first longer paper due

Topic: Genealogical theories

Reading:

• Anthology, chapter 2 (pp. 15-33)
• Erich Gruen, “Fictitious Kinships: Greeks and Others”
• Erich Gruen, “Did Romans Have an Ethnic Identity?”

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, March 3

Topic: Environmental theories

Reading:

• Anthology, ch. 3 (pp. 35-51)
• McCoskey, pp. 35-49
• Benjamin Isaac, The Invention of Racism in Classical Antiquity

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, March 5

Topics: Genealogical and environmental theories

Class activity: discussion

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Week 9

Monday, March 8

Topic: Genetic theories

Reading:

• Anthology, ch. 4 (pp. 53-64)
• Rebecca Futo Kennedy, “Airs, Waters, Metals, Earth”

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, March 10

���������������������������� Topic: Cultural theories

���������������������������� Reading:

• Anthology, ch. 5 (pp. 65-80)
• McCoskey, pp. 49-76

���������������������������� Class activity: lecture

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Friday, March 12

���������������������������� Topics: Genetic and cultural theories

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion

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Week 10

Monday, March 15

Topic: Slavery, part one

Readings:

• Vincent Rosivach, Historia
• Page duBois, “Slavery”

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, March 17

���������������������������� Topic: Slavery, part two

���������������������������� Readings:

• Aristotle, Politics
• Monoson, “Recollecting Aristotle”

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, March 19���������������������������������������������������������� abstract due (if writing research paper)

�������������������������������������� Topic: Slavery

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion

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Week 11

Monday, March 22

Topic: Egypt

Reading:

• Anthology, ch. 7 (pp. 111-140)
• James Redfield, “Herodotus the Tourist”

• François Hartog, “Greeks as Egyptologists”

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, March 24

���������������������������� Topic: Egypt

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion

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Friday, March 26: no class

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Week 12

Monday, March 29

Topic: Ethiopia

Reading:

• Anthology, ch. 9 (pp. 179-201)
• McCoskey, pp. 132-139
• Frank Snowden, Jr., “Greeks and Ethiopians”

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, March 31

Topic: Africans in Greek and Roman art

Reading:

• Frank Snowden, Jr., The Image of the Black in Western Art, chapter 3
• John Clarke, Looking at Laughter, chapter 5
• McCoskey, pp. 139-143

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, April 1

���������������������������� Topic: Ethiopia, art

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion

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Week 13

Monday, April 5

���������������������������� Topic: Egypt and Africa

���������������������������� Reading:

• Stuart Tyson Smith, “Black Pharaohs? Egyptological bias, racism, & Egypt & Nubia as African Civilizations” ()

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, April 7

Topic: Egyptian views of difference

Reading:

• “The Teaching for King Merikare” and “The Hymn to the Aten”
• Ann Macy Roth, “Representing the Other”
• Stuart Tyson Smith, “Nubian and Egyptian Ethnicity”

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, April 9

���������������������������� Topic: Egypt

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion

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Week 14

Monday, April 12

Topic: Egypt after Alexander

Readings:

• Graham Shipley, The Greek World After Alexander
• McCoskey, pp. 81-131

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, April 14

���������������������������� Topic: Cleopatra

���������������������������� Readings:

• McCoskey, pp. 11-23
• Ashton, “Cleopatra – Black and Beautiful?”
• Haley, “Black Feminist Thought and Classics”

���������������������������� Class activity: lecture

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Friday, April 16

���������������������������� Topic: Egypt after Alexander

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion��

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Week 15

Monday, April 19

Topic: Persia

Reading:

• Anthology, ch. 10 (pp. 203-242)
• McCoskey, pp. 148-152
• Pierre Briant, “History and Ideology: The Greeks and ‘Persian Decadence’”

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, April 21

Topic: Persians in art

Reading:

• McCoskey, pp. 143-148
• Margaret Miller, “Persians in the Greek Imagination”
• Margaret Miller, “I am Eurymedon”

Class activity: lecture

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Friday, April 23

���������������������������� Topic: Persia

���������������������������� Class activity: discussion

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Week 16

Monday, April 26�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� second longer paper due

Topic: Persian views of difference

Reading:

• Pierre Briant, From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire, 172-183
• Jennifer Gates-Foster, “Achaemenids, Royal Power, and Persian Ethnicity”
• Elspeth Dusinberre, Empire, Authority, and Autonomy in Achaemenid Anatolia, 259-271

Class activity: lecture

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Wednesday, April 28�������������������������������������������������������������������������� research paper due

���������������������������� Topic: Black Athena

Reading:

• Martin Bernal, Black Athena, pp. xii-38
• McCoskey, pp. 167-201
• Eric Adler, Classics and the Culture Wars

Class activity: lecture