Ancient Greece Syllabus

Ancient Greek Humanities Syllabus

Online high school class for any youth 14-18 years old

Mentor: Julie Greenman

Assistant Mentor: Jalene Richman

Office Hours: Please contact me any time you have a question, and I will make time to respond or talk with you.

Communication: Once you register and pay, I will give you my contact information. It's not a good idea to give it here.

Schedule:

Wednesday, 8:30-10:00 MT Youth Humanities 1

Wednesday, 10:30-12:00 MT Youth Humanities 2

Wednesday, 1:00-2:30 MT Adult Humanities


Cost: $350 per semester/ $700 annually



Dates to add to your calendar:

Orientation: August 9, 2023 (two weeks before class starts)

First day of class: August 23, 2023 (you will need to have read the first reading by this class)

1st-semester Written Finals: December 6-8, 2023

1st-semester Oral Finals: December 11-13, 2023

2nd-semester begins: on January 3, 2023 (you will need to have read the first reading by this class)

Spring Break: March 25-29, 2024, the week before Easter

2nd-semester Written Finals: April 24-26, 2024

2nd semester Oral Finals: April 29-30 and May 1, 2024

Course Description: This course is an introduction to the Ancient Greeks. Together, the Greeks and the Biblical Hebrews form the very foundation of all our Western Heritage and the foundation of all our education. You will be introduced to one of the very first epic poems of Homer, written circa 800 BC, the plays and dramas of the ancient Greek playwrights, the Histories by Herodotus (an account not only of the Greeks, but of the Persians, even King Xerxes of Persia who married the Jewish girl Esther from our Bible), and finally, the great philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Consider the books as the principal teachers. They are not easy to read and demand attention; however, if the attention is given, the books will greatly reward you. As you study and read, the reading will get easier and easier, for one book leads to another. As a maintainer of liberty, you have an obligation to learn from them as they will teach you the foundation of our understanding of the world and its people. Robert Hutchins, editor in chief of the Great Books of the Western World, said, “These books are, I believe, the finest written creations of the human mind... [they] have made the world in which we live, and it is impossible to understand the world without understanding the principal positions taken in them.”

Course Purpose: The purpose of this class is twofold, first, to introduce you to the Great Conversation and to introduce you to yourself and who you can become. Hutchins said, “The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.” and his “Idea of education is to unsettle the minds of the young and inflame their intellects” that they may not wallow in the muddy waters of apathy, indifference, and mental undernourishment.

Questions addressed in the course:

1. What is the relevance in my life of studying the ancient Greeks?

Each of the classic works will introduce you to the ideas that have shaped and moved civilizations. You will learn which governments work best, which ideas and thoughts lead to happiness, which choices lead to a tragic life, what constitutes the greatest happiness, etc.

2. Why a liberal arts education? And, by the way, what IS a liberal arts education?

The course is designed after the model of a liberal arts education. What is a liberal arts education? Robert Hutchins answers this, “It is easy to say what it is not. It is not specialized education, not vocational, avocational, professional or pre-professional. It is not an education that teaches a man how to do any specific thing. I am tempted to say that it is the education that no American gets in an educational institution nowadays. We are all specialists now...What is missing in education to be human beings, education to make the most of our human powers, education for our responsibility as members of a democratic society, education for freedom.” As Robert Hutchins states, a liberal arts education’s purpose is to help you become a better person, become the person that God intends you to be, the kind of person who knows and lives the Law of Nature and obeys Nature’s God. A liberal arts education provides the means by which you, the student, will see yourself in the mirror of improvement. You will see the flaws and strengths of men, women, leaders, fictional characters, ideas, and governments and watch as the consequences unfold from the initial choices made.

3. How hard is it to keep up?

  1. Not too hard if you keep at it each day. Plan for a solid hour to an hour and a half each day, and you will not fall behind.

  2. The readings can be difficult but don’t sweat it. If it is getting rough, just contact 

    me, and I will show you some tips and help you understand. Re-read the Learning Resources section at the bottom.

  3. Turn in each assignment each day, even if you are not quite finished. Remember, you can 

    add to it even after the due date.

Learning Goals and Outcomes:

1. Ideas you should understand by the end of the course:

  1. Discover more deeply who you are

  2. The nature of man

  3. The proper education for a human being

  4. How to obtain the highest virtue: happiness (according to Aristotle)

  5. How to become who you were created to become

  6. Natural Law

  7. The proper responsibility of governments

  8. Man’s responsibility in his family, community, and nation

  9. How to reason

  10. How to draw on the great works of mankind rather than learning the specific tricks of a trade

  11. How to be truly educated in any future career, not merely schooled to be a professional who knows the rules or how to manipulate them.

Readings, Materials, and Resources:

Items and technology you need for this class:

  1. The books (see the Book List below)

  2. Computer

  3. Camera and headset. Students are required to keep their cameras on for the entire class. Make sure you have a working camera and audio to participate.

  4. Internet. You will be invited to join the Canvas Course. Check your email to join.

Preparation and Participation:

Each class is rooted in the discussion of the assigned readings. Therefore, each student is expected to complete all assigned readings before the start of each class meeting. Please note that the very first class is no exception--you will read the assigned reading before the first class to be prepared to discuss and discover.

Zoom is our virtual classroom. After registration, I will send you a link to our Zoom Classroom

Course Policies and Expectations:

As a student, you have a huge responsibility to educate yourself. As a mentor, I promise to prepare and help moderate a discussion, but most of the weight of your learning is in your own hands. Please consider the following as extremely valuable to your learning and expected:

  1. Come to class every week, please work your schedules so that you will not miss any classes since we meet only 32 times for the whole year.

  2. Turn on your cameras for the entire class. I may ask to meet with you and your parents if you are unwilling to keep your cameras on. It is imperative that you are there and present in all the discussions. If you need to leave briefly for any reason, you have permission to turn off your camera for a minute or two, but return promptly and ready to discuss with the class

  3. Spend an intense hour each day reading and annotating. You may need a little more time, but prepare to dig in and keep your mind tuned directly to the daily assignment. Part of your education is learning to have stick-to-it·ive·ness (perseverance and persistence)

  4. You are expected to start and join a study group each week to discuss the ideas with your peers.

  5. You are expected to turn in your assignments each day whether you are finished or not with the entire assignment. You can update the assignments, if needed, before they are graded.

  6. Re-doing your assignments: After your assignment is graded and returned to you, you are expected to revise anything you missed and re-submit for more points.

Learning Toolbox:

1. How should you best prepare for this course?

  • Learn to find a quiet hour each day. The morning is when the mind and heart are most invigorated and usually the best time to use your reasoning skills. The afternoon is okay, but usually, you are more tired, and your body is expending quite a bit of energy digesting food. Therefore the afternoon is best for physical activity and other studies involving movement.
  • Learn to dig deep and push yourself to stay with the assignment, you will forever be grateful for this mature and enabling skill.
  • Learn your responsibility as a student. Who is in charge of your education? Who must push you to do your studies? YOU. If you are struggling to understand anything, it is your responsibility to reach out to me or Jalene. We are most willing to help and waiting for you to crush your pride and seek help.
  • Learn to prepare for exams (See the Exam Tutorial)

How should you take notes?

  • Although most people may disagree with me, the best place to take notes is right in your book, a notebook, or a digital doc, such as Google Doc or Microsoft Word Doc. Why? We live in a fast-paced world and don’t have room or time to keep dozens of physical notebooks that will someday seem like fillers for your trash barrel. Annotating your books will make them your very own, and you will be able to find your ideas, epiphanies, and connections right there in the book each time you need them. See the video below on how to mark a book.
  • Use your word docs to write all your thoughts, ideas, and epiphanies that will forever be useful to you. Google Docs should last forever and they do not take up physical space. Learn how to organize your Google Drive to make it most efficient for you. 
What are notes for?

  • Extremely helpful during exam time (I let you use your books and notes)
  • Forever advantageous in future discussions with friends, fiancés, and family!!

  • Fruitful for creating neural pathways in your brain--helping to cement the ideas in 

    your memory.
  • Give your hands practice writing in books and typing on your digital docs.

Videos about study skills and principles:

  • Preparing to Read video by Audrey Rindlisbacher, my good friend 
  • How to Read a book video by Audrey Rindlisbacher
  • How to Mark a Book, by Audrey Rindlisbacher
  • How to Find Principles as You Read, by Audrey Rindlisbacher 
  • Natural Law, by Audrey Rindlisbacher


Learning Resources:

Where can you turn when you need some help with anything?

  1. If you are stumped on a passage in a book, text or email me 

  2. If you worry that you don’t know enough, I can assure you you know enough for you. Remember you are getting this education for the reasons above under the heading Course Purpose. If you are still worried, please call me or text me. 

  3. If you are needing help with an assignment, text or email me. 

  4. Let me know if you see an error in one of my instructions. Thank you!

  5. If you want to run away and never open one of these hard books again, just know you are not alone! All the students at one time or another feel the same. 


Greek Humanities Book List

The following book list contains links to the books on Amazon. The name in parenthesis is the translator. You must buy these specific translations, even if you own another one. I promise the cost will not exceed $120 and will be well worth it. If you have more than one child in the class, please, I beg you, please purchase a separate book for each child.

  1. The Iliad, by Homer (Fagles) $12.99

  2. The Odyssey, by Homer (Fagles) $10.99

  3. Aeschylus, The Oresteia (Fagles) $9.59

  4. Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays (Fagles) $7.67

  5. Herodotus, The Histories, selections (Grene)*** $16

  6. Plato’s Republic, books 1, 2, 7 (Bloom) $12.69

  7. Plato, The Five Dialogues, selections (Grube) $10-12

  8. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, selections (Sachs) $13-19

  9. Thucydides, selections from On Justice, Power, and Human Nature: Selections from The

    History of the Peloponnesian War, purchase a used one; many are available. Be sure to choose one in good or very good condition with clean pages and a tight spine. $5-20

***Note to parents: The cover painting of this book is by Jacques Louis David and is
of Leonidas at the Thermopylae. So that you know, the figure is not covered. Some families use a sharpie to cover the nakedness.

Audiobooks: highly recommended to listen to WHILE reading & annotating Homer's books. Note it is not to replace reading but to use while reading. It helps with name pronunciations and other difficult words.

• The Iliad (free audio at this site)
• The Odyssey (Audible), read by Ian McKellen, the actor of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings) 

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