Andrew Wolpert

Time and Location

Tuesday 3:00-6:00 PM in Ustler 101

Course Description

Study of Demosthenes 21 with particular attention to rhetorical methods of persuasion, the social dynamics of the disputing process, and the political and cultural impact of law on the Athenian democracy. Topics to be explored will include citizenship, authority, punishment, and ideology. In addition, students will gain a familiarity with new approaches to Greek law drawn from cultural studies, legal anthropology, legal studies, and political science.

Required Texts

• MacDowell, D.M. 2003. Demosthenes Against Meidias. London: Duckworth Publishing.

Recommended Texts

• Liddell, H.G., and Robert Scott, eds. 1945. An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, 7th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Smyth, H.W. 1920. Greek Grammar. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Course Requirements

• Weekly Assignments typically consist of 15-18 sections of Demosthenes 21.
• Class Participation (5%) based on attendance, participation in discussions, and translation of weekly assignments.
• One Presentation (5% total). Each student will provide an overview of a scholarly work on Athenian law and society.
• Two Hourly Examinations (30% each) on February 28 and April 18.
• One Paper (30%), 2,000-3,000 words (not including footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography) due on April 25.

Grading Scale

A = 92.5-100
A- = 89.5-92.4
B+ = 86.5-89.4
B = 82.5-86.4
B- = 78.5-82.4
C+ = 74.5-78.4
C = 71.5-74.4
C- = 68.5-71.4
D+ = 65.5-68.4
D = 61.5-65.4
D- = 60.0-61.4
E < 60.0

Course Policies

• Students are expected to complete all requirements on the specified dates and will not be granted an alternate date unless they have an acceptable reason for their absence as specified in the graduate catalog, fulfill the conditions described therein, and provide timely notification (see Attendance Policies).
• Students are required to be honest in their coursework. Any act of academic dishonesty will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs, and may result in failure of the assignment in question and/or the course.  See Honor Code.
• Students seeking special accommodations, need to submit such requests to the Disability Resource Center prior to the deadline of the scheduled requirement, and preferably as early in the Semester as possible.  For further information, see the Disability Resource Center.
• Students facing difficulties completing the course or who are in need of counseling or urgent help may call the UF Counseling and Wellness Center (352-392-1575), or U Matter We Care (352-294-care).

Weekly Schedule

January 10

• Robert P. Burns, A Theory of the Trial (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001), 10–33.
• Mogens H. Hansen, The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes (Oxford: Blackwell, 1999), 178–224.
• Stephen C. Todd, “The Use and Abuse of the Attic Orators,” G&R 37 (1990): 159–78.

January 17

• Dem. 21.1-15.
• MacDowell, Demosthenes’ Against Meidias, 1-37.

January 24

• Dem. 21.16-30.
• Josiah Ober,  “Power and Oratory in Democratic Athens,” in Persuasion: Rhetoric in Action, ed. Ian Worthington, 85–108 (London: Routledge, 1994).

January 31

• Dem. 21.31-45.
• Peter J. Wilson, “Demosthenes 21 (Against Meidias): Democratic Abuse,” PCPS 37 (1992): 164–95.

February 7

• Dem. 21.46-60.
• Adriaan M. Lanni, “Relevance in Athenian Courts,” in the Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek Law, ed. Michael Gagarin and David Cohen, 112–128 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005).

February 14

• Dem. 21.61-75.
• Steven, Johnstone, Disputes and Democracy: The Consequences of Litigation in Ancient Athens (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999), 93-108.

February 21

• Dem. 21.76-90.
• Edward M. Harris, The Rule of Law in Action in Democratic Athens (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 101–137.

February 28

• Dem. 21.91-106.
• Exam 1

March 14

• Dem. 21.107-123.
• Gabriel Herman, “Tribal and Civic Codes of Behaviour in Lysias 1,” CQ 43 (1993): 406–19.
• William V. Harris, “Lysias III and Athenian Beliefs about Revenge,” CQ 47 (1997): 363–66.

March 21

• Dem 21.124-146.

March 28

• Dem 21.147-169.
• Reports

April 4

• Dem 21.170-192.
• Reports

April 11

• Dem 21.193-215.
• Reports

April 18

• Dem. 21.216-227.
• Exam 2