Course Syllabus

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Prof. Deborah Kamen (she/her/hers), dkamen@uw.edu

MW 2.30-4.20pm, SMI 211

OFFICE HOURS: Wednesday 1-2pm and by appointment. My office is DEN 262F and masking is strongly encouraged; if you'd prefer to meet over Zoom, just let me know and I'll send you a link.

 

Description

In studying the ancient world, we generally focus on the achievements of the Greeks and Romans in literature, philosophy, art, and architecture. But we cannot, and should not, overlook the darker aspects of the ancient world, including the pervasiveness of slavery. This course examines enslaved people and slavery in antiquity and asks the following questions: How was slavery defined and what forms did it take? How many enslaved people were there, and where did they come from? What was the status of enslaved people under the law? What roles did they play in the economy? How were they treated? In what circumstances were they freed? In what ways did they resist their owners? How did the ancients justify the subjugation of other human beings?

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will demonstrate the ability:

  • To explain the mechanisms of oppression and marginalization of certain groups of people in antiquity.
  • To describe the (social, economic, sexual, etc.) status and roles of enslaved people in Greek and Roman society.
  • To identify the (sometimes conflicting) ideologies of slavery in Greek and Roman literature and society.
  • To recognize the range of evidence available for studying Greek and Roman slavery, including what our sources can (and cannot) tell us.

 

Required Course Texts

These books can be purchased at the UW Bookstore or online. There is also a copy of each on reserve at Odegaard. If you are unable to acquire the books for whatever reason, just let me know!

  • Fisher, N. R. E. (1993 or 2001) Slavery in Classical Greece. London. [Fisher]
  • Joshel, S. (2010) Slavery in the Roman World. Cambridge. [Joshel]
  • Wiedemann, T. (1981) Greek & Roman Slavery: A Sourcebook. London and New York. [GARS] [available as a pdf and as an ebook through the UW Library

Another useful resource is this reference guide: “Writing About Slavery? Teaching about Slavery?”    

 

Grading

  • Participation: 10%
  • Aesop response paper/project: 20%
  • Exam 1: 35%
  • Exam 2: 35%

Participation includes discussing texts in class and asking questions; if you are unable to attend class on a given day, you should post a comment or question about the assigned reading under Discussions.

There is one response paper/project, which will be on the Life of Aesop, a text written during the Roman Empire about a Greek slave named Aesop. More details can be found under Assignments.

Both exams are OPEN-BOOK, OPEN-NOTE. This means you can use the assigned readings, your notes on the readings, the course lectures/powerpoints, and your notes on the lectures/powerpoints. However, you cannot simply copy phrases or sentences from the textbooks or from other readings, as that constitutes plagiarism. Also, you CANNOT consult with anyone else, use other people's notes, or use any internet resources (apart from ones found on or linked to this page).

Exams will be in the form of Word documents posted to the Canvas page; you should download the exams and re-upload them (completed) by the deadline. Both exams take the form of short essays. Exam 1 will cover lecture material and assigned readings from the first half of the course; Exam 2 will cover the second half.

 

 

Answers to FAQs

  • For each lecture, I will post on the course website a study guide with study questions.
    • NOTE: These study guides will be very helpful when you’re studying for exams, since I will draw the essay questions directly from these guides.
  • Make-up exams will not be given, and late papers/projects will not be accepted, except in the case of serious illness, family emergency, religious observance, or university-approved absences (like athletic events).
  • Any student requiring special accommodations should provide me with a letter from the Disability Resources for Students Office as soon as possible.

 

Religious Accommodations Policy

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

 

Academic Integrity

University of Washington students are expected to practice high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity. Instances of academic dishonesty (including cheating and plagiarizing) will result in being reported for academic misconduct. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please read this.

 

UW COVID-19 Face Covering Policy

Masking is RECOMMENDED as a way of keeping our community safe whenever you're indoors on campus, regardless of your vaccination status. This is UW's Face Covering Policy.

 

Schedule of Topics and Readings

In this course, we’ll be reading both primary sources (=original ancient sources) and secondary sources (=analysis and discussion that draws on primary sources). For each class meeting, I will generally assign you both types of sources to read. Primary sources will be from GARS unless noted otherwise. The secondary sources will usually be the course textbooks but are sometimes readings posted on the course website.

 

Week 1:

Wed Jan 4: Introduction

 

Week 2:

Mon Jan 9: Defining slavery (study guide)

  • Secondary sources:
    • Fisher ch. 1
    • Joshel ch. 1

 

Wed Jan 11: Greek slaveries (study guide)

  • Secondary sources:
    • Fisher ch. 2 and 3
  • Primary sources [NOTE: Feel free to read either the pdf or ebook]

 

Fri Jan 13: OPTIONAL: Talk by Prof. Dan-el Padilla Peralta (Princeton), “The epistemics of mass enslavement in Greco-Roman antiquity: some initial hypotheses” (3.30pm, Communications 120). You can also attend by Zoom (register in advance here).

 

Week 3:

Mon Jan 16: NO CLASS (MLK Day)

Wed Jan 18 : Slave supply and slave numbers (Greece) (study guide)

  • Secondary sources:
    • Fisher pp. 34-37
    • Forsdyke, S. (2021) Slaves and Slavery in Ancient Greece. Cambridge. Chapter 2.
  • Primary sources:
    • GARS #80 (bottom of p. 84 to top of p. 85), 89, 101
    • Fornara 147D part 1 and part 2

 

Week 4:

Mon Jan 23: Slave supply and slave numbers (Rome) (study guide)

 

Wed Jan 25: Economic role of enslaved people (Greece) (study guide)

  • Secondary source:
    • Fisher pp. 37-57
  • Primary sources:
    • GARS #87, 91, 134, 139

 

Week 5:

Mon Jan 30 Economic role of enslaved people (Rome) (study guide)

  • Secondary source:
    • Joshel ch. 5 [NOTE: this is a very long chapter. Most important is that you get a big-picture view of enslaved labor in Rome--you don't have to worry about all of the details!]
  • Primary sources:
    • GARS #130, 148

 

Wed Feb 1 Enslaved people and the law (study guide)

  • Secondary sources:
    • Fisher pp. 58-65
    • Watson, A. (1987) Roman Slave Law. Baltimore. Chapter 4. [NOTE: Focus on pp. 46-47, 54-58, 61-64]
  • Primary sources:
    • GARS #11, 177

 

EXAM 1 will be available for download as of 5pm on Feb 1

 

Fri Feb 3 by 11.59pm: EXAM 1 due on Canvas

 

Week 6:

Mon Feb 6: Treatment of enslaved people (Greece) (study guide)

  • Secondary source:
    • Fisher 65-66, 70-77

 

Wed Feb 8: Treatment of enslaved people (Rome) (study guide)

  • Secondary source:
    • Joshel 112-152

 

Week 7:

Mon Feb 13: NO CLASS; Life of Aesop response paper/project due by 11.59pm

  • Assignment: Read the Life of Aesop and craft a response, focusing on what kinds of things this text can tell us about Greco-Roman slavery. More details can be found under Assignments.

 

Wed Feb 15: Manumission (Greece) (study guide)

 

Week 8:

Mon Feb 20: NO CLASS (Presidents’ Day)

 

Wed Feb 22: Manumission (Rome) (study guide)

  • Secondary sources:
    • Joshel 41-47
    • Watson, A. (1987) Roman Slave Law. Baltimore. Chapter 2.
  • Primary sources:
    • GARS #5 (sections 13-15), 34, 35, 36, 43, 47

 

Week 9:

Mon Feb 27: Slave resistance and revolt (Greece) (study guide)

  • Secondary source:
    • Fisher ch. 6

 

Wed Mar 1: Slave resistance and revolt (Rome) (study guide)

  • Secondary source:
    • Joshel 57-65, 152-160

 

Week 10:

Mon Mar 6: Justifications and criticisms of slavery (Greece) (study guide)

  • Secondary source:
    • Fisher ch. 7
  • Primary source:
    • GARS #2

 

Wed Mar 8: Justifications and criticisms of slavery (Rome) (study guide)

  • Secondary source:
    • Bradley, K. (1994) Slavery and Society at Rome. Cambridge. Chapter 7.
  • Primary sources:
    • GARS #238, 241

 

EXAM 2 will be available for download as of 5pm on Mar 8

 

Tues Mar 14 by 11.59pm: EXAM 2 due on Canvas

 

                 

UW Grade Scale
Percentage to GPA conversion

Percentage Earned 

Grade-Point Equivalent

100-97

4.0

96-95

3.9

94

3.8

93-92

3.7

91

3.6

90-89

3.5

88-87

3.4

86

3.3

85

3.2

84

3.1

83

3.0

82

2.9

81

2.8

80

2.7

79

2.6

78

2.5

77

2.4

76

2.3

75

2.2

74

2.1

73

2.0

72

1.9

71

1.8

70

1.7

69

1.6

68

1.5

67

1.4

66

1.3

65

1.2

64

1.1

63

1.0

62

0.9

61

0.8

60

0.7

59 and x < 59

0.0

 

 

 

 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due