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Humanities 10a, The Western Canon
Syllabus: Spring Term 2014
Prof. ReuvenKimelman Tel. X62963,
TF Carrie Rhodes,
Tuesday and Friday, 11-12:20, office hour: Lown 208, Tues. 12:30-2, Fri. 12:30-1:30
This course is designed to introduce the student to Western classics of Antiquity on the subject of evil and human destiny. The relationship among the divine, the world, and history will be explored through the prisms of justice, suffering, and death. The focus is on the manner the formative cultures of our civilization -- the Hebrew and the Greek -- wrestled with these problems and how their various resolutions endeavored to endow human life with meaning.
Texts to be read and/or viewed: Genesis, Exodus, Iphigenia, Iliad, Oedipus, Antigone, the
Platonic dialogues - Euthrypho, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo - Job and Matthew
Jan. 14 Tue. Introduction -- Genesis 1 (Tanach, JewishStudyBible)
17 Fri. Gen. 2-3; N. Sarna, Understanding Genesis (UG), 1-62.
21 Tue. Gen. 4; R. Kimelman, “The Seduction of Eve,” seeWomen in theHebrew Bible, ed. A. Bach, or: (Summer 1998).
Start with part 2, page four, “Second Reading.”
24 Fri.Gen. 5-11; M. Fishbane, Text and Texture, 17-39 (on Latte)
28 Tue. Gen. 12-18, Chart: Bible and ANE on Flood, UG, 63-80
31 Fri. Gen. 19-22; UG, 81-165. First paper due
Feb.04 Tue. Gen. 24-36; UG, 166-210.
07 Fri. Gen. 37-50; UG, 211-231.
11 Tue. Exodus 1-2; Sarna, Exploring Exodus (EE), 1-37
14 Fri. Ex. 19-20, 32; 1 Kings 19-20; EE, pp. 130-157, 13-220
Tues and Fri. 17-21 no class, spring break
25 Tue.mid-term
28 Fri. Aeschyles, Iphigenia, movie
March 4 Tue. Iliad1-8, and Introduction
7 Fri. Iliad 9-18
11 Tue.Iliad 19-24
14 Fri. Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
18 Tue. Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
````````` Night session : movie Antigone)
21 Fri.Sophocles, Antigone,
25 Tue. Plato, Euthrypho (second paper due)
28 Fri. Plato, Euthrypho
April1 Tue. Plato, Apology
4 Fri.. Plato, Crito and Phaedo
8 Fri. Job 1-14, Gordis, TheBookofGodandMan, 76-91
11 Tue. Job 26-42, Gordis, TheBookofGodandMan, 135-156
No class, Passover break
25 Fri. Matthew
29 Tue. Review
May, Final
Western Canon 10a, Sample midterm
Document answers by citing the text and if relevant course readings.
1. In what sense is Cain the moral fruit of Adam and Eve (what are the parallels and what do they mean)?
2. What is the difference in meaning between reading the episode of the Garden of Eden as a one-time historical event or as ongoing parable of the human condition? Which do you think it is and why?
3. From the point of view of literary structure and meaning how is Abraham’s argument about Sodom (Genesis 18) and Abraham’s binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) similar and dissimilar? What understanding is gained by such a comparison?
4. In what sense does the Jacob cycle of stories reflect the title of this course “Evil and Human Destiny”?
5. How is the story of Joseph structured to make moral points? What are they?
6. What are the unifying themes of Genesis?
7. What are the different themes of the plague narrative? What is the interplay between them?
How does the narrative make its point?
8. What is gained by reading Exodus 32:7-14, 30-35 in the light of Genesis 18:17-33, and I Kings 19 in the light of Exodus 32:7-14, 30-35. How does the theory of intertextuality contribute to the explication?
First paper (three and a half to four pages)
Compare Sarna, Fishbane, and Kimelman on the meaning of Genesis 1-4. Focus on three issues they all discuss such as the meaning of the snake. Explain each approach and the evidence for it. Make the case for the best interpretation of Genesis 1-4 by citing verses to support your thesis. Each position should be supported by citations followed by page number. Include an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction should state the paper’s task and your thesis. The conclusion should summarize your argument without documentation and without new material. Each paragraph should begin with a topical sentence which introduces its content. No paragraphs should exceed 2/3 of the page. Include on a separate page the first sentence of each paragraph. Make sure its reads like an outline. After reading your paper, your learning partner should append an evaluation that includes a statement of your thesis and your best and weakest argument. Do not use the word “this” or “that” if it refers to something antecedent. Always spell out what you mean. Minimize words such as thus or therefore. Do not assert a logical connection, show it.
On a separate page, make an outline consisting of the first sentence of each paragraph.