Overview of What to Expect in this Course

Welcome to Women in Greek and Roman Antiquity Spring 2025

terracotta colored figures on balck background: women handling cloth. Scene on a small jar (pyxis).

Scenes of women in a household from a cosmetics jar (pyxis), made in Attica, 500-470 BCE. British Museum 1873,0111 Links to an external site.. The woman seated on the left is spinning raw wool into thread for weaving. I use this image of women processing wool to illustrate what to expect in this class because the Latin word for homework assignment is pensum, which is literally a weight of wool handed over to a household laborer (free or enslaved) for processing.

What to Expect

In order to explore the roles and experiences of women in ancient Greek and Roman society (approximately 1600 BCE-400 CE), we will be reading and analyzing primary sources in English translation in the areas of religion, philosophy, medicine and law along with modern scholarly analyses.

There is no final or midterm exam. Grades will be calculated on the basis of team assignments and mini-quizzes/short responses throughout the term (75%) and a final project (25%).

The course is organized in modules that list the readings and the in-class team discussions/ writing activities.

Before each class session, please read the assigned readings along with other materials that I prepare.

If there is a quiz/short response to submit, please do so. These will be very short (write a 100 words, answer one or two questions).

Class sessions will include

presentations from me, typically in the first hour. Your questions are welcome at any time.
time, typically in the last 40 minutes or so, to work in teams on group projects to be submitted via Canvas and sometimes shared with the rest of the class in various formats. I am fully available for questions and followup during your team work sessions.

Sometimes we will reconvene as a whole class after your group work time to share and discuss what you have done. Some of the group assignments might be simple ("what questions does your group have ?—chose the best one, submit it and put it to the whole class (and me) when we reconvene"). Some of the group assignments will be more substantial and creative and require you to submit something at the end. You will *not* need to meet with your group outside of class time in order to complete the assigned group work, all the group work will happen *in class.*

Each students will be graded individually for group activities, even when you submit collective work. The two lowest scores will be dropped.

Do make every effort to keep up with the assignments on Canvas. All assignments are due on the day of class. All assignments will remain open for the week they are due to give you a little grace period, then close. I do not automatically deduct points for late assignments, but I do see in the gradebook that they are late (and how late) and points may be deducted from your overall grade if there are significant problems getting work in on time. Please be in touch with me at any point if you have questions.

Each student will also work on a final essay/project on a topic chosen in consultation with me, to be shared with the class during week 10 (via a showcase rather than a report). Your final project can be an essay of 5-6 pages or in can take a different from (from poetry to statistical analysis—seriously; in the past people have created short stories, poems, dramatic dialogues, comics, blogs, board games, etc.; audio and video formats are as welcome as the writing, as are made object accompanied by creator's statements —in the past, people have recreated items of ancient clothing, for example). Classics has something for everyone and I enjoy consulting with students to help you find a project that lets you explore an area relevant to your interests, so feel free to ask project related questions at any time and stay tuned for more information in the project module.

How to Be Successful in This Course

Your curiosity, open mind, and follow-through are all you need. Previous experience with the study of ancient Greece and Rome is not required. Many of the readings in primary sources from ancient Greece and Rome are hard to understand on your own, but I'll be there to help you develop the skills to analyze and understand these sources and their larger historical and cultural context.

Penelope seated on right, in front of a loom, while Telemachus stands on the left. Drawing of a greek vase.

Athenian Red-figure Skyphos. Telemachus stands on the left while Penelope sits in front of her loom. Vase: Chiusi, Museo Archeologico Nazionale 63.564, 62705, and 1831. Drawing by K. Reichhold.