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GRW 3501: The Apology of Plato

Fall 2007

Time and Location Socrates_Louvre

T 8 (TUR 2306), R 8-9 (MCCB 1108)

Texts

Required

  • Plato, Apology, edited by Gilbert Rose (Bryn Mawr Commentaries 1989).
  • Brickhouse, Thomas C., and Smith, Nicholas, D., The Trial and Execution of Socrates: Sources and Controversies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001).
  • Liddell, H.G., and Robert Scott, eds., An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, 7th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1945).

Recommended

Course Reserves (ARES)

  • All required readings are either on reserve in Library West or available electronically at Course Reserves.
  • To access course reserves, you will need to have an ARES (automatic reserves) account.  If you do not yet have an ARES account, you can obtain one here.
  • To access library links off campus, you will either need to use UF VPN or the Library Proxy.

Prerequisites

GRE 1131 or the equivalent. All students must have completed introductory ancient Greek.

Course Description

This course serves as an introduction to Plato, teaching students how to develop strategies for translating, and helping them improve their knowledge of ancient Greek grammar and vocabulary by reading passages that illustrate different prose styles and rhetorical techniques.  Each day the class will go over assigned readings from Plato’sApology.  The class will also read passages at sight and review Greek syntax and morphology.  In addition, we will consider the social and historical setting of the trial and execution of Socrates to better understand how Plato represented these events.

Course Requirements

  • Class Participation (15%) based on attendance, participation in class discussions, and translation of daily assignments.  No unexcused absences.
  • Three One-Hour Examinations: September 20 (15%), October 18 (20%), November 20 (30%).
  • One Term Paper (20%), approximately 4-6 pages, due on December 4.

Weekly Assignments

  • Daily translation of select passages of Plato (approximately 2-3 OCT pages per week, depending on the difficulty of the text and the pace of the class).
  • Review of Greek syntax and morphology (daily).
  • Sight translation (every other Thursday).
  • Reading of Brickhouse and Smith (every other Thursday).

Grading Scale

A = 91-100%
B+= 86-90.9%
B = 81-85.9%
C+ = 76-80.9%
C = 71-75.9%
D+ = 66-70.9%
D = 61-65.9%
E < 60.9%

Grading Policy

No student will be permitted an alternate time or day to complete scheduled requirements except (1) in the case when the scheduled requirement conflicts with a  religious holy day of the student’s faith provided that s/he provides prior notification, (2) in the case of a student with a serious illness, or (3) in the case of a student with disabilities who requires additional time for quizzes and/or examinations, alternative  spacing, and/or other accommodations provided that s/he submits such requests to theDisability Resource Center prior to the scheduled assignment.

Academic Honesty

Students are required to adhere to the University of Florida’s academic honor code.

Disability Resource Center

For information about resources that are available to students with disabilities, contact the Disability Resources Center.