Greek and Roman Epic Poetry
Greek and Roman Epic Poetry Would Achilles and Hector have risked their lives and sacred honor had they understood human life and the Olympian gods as Homer portrays them in the Iliad? Why do those gods decide to withdraw from men altogether following the Trojan War, and why is Odysseus the man Athena chooses to help her carry out that project? And why, according to the Roman poet Vergil, do these gods command Aeneas, a defeated Trojan, to found an Italian town that will ultimately conquer the Greek cities that conquered Troy, replacing the Greek polis with a universal empire that will end all wars of human freedom? Through close study of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and Vergil's Aeneid, we explore how the epic tradition helped shape Greece and Rome, and define their contributions to European civilization.
Greek and Roman Epic Poetry Would Achilles and Hector have risked their lives and sacred honor had they understood human life and the Olympian gods as Homer portrays them in the Iliad? Why do those gods decide to withdraw from men altogether following the Trojan War, and why is Odysseus the man Athena chooses to help her carry out that project? And why, according to the Roman poet Vergil, do these gods command Aeneas, a defeated Trojan, to found an Italian town that will ultimately conquer the Greek cities that conquered Troy, replacing the Greek polis with a universal empire that will end all …Read more
I think this is a class to take if you are interested in Classics and have already read the major texts covered in the class (The Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid). Coming into the class with only rudimentary familiarity with the Odyssey, I spent a significant amount of time fighting through lengthy and sometimes opaque epics. This was not helped by the fact that Witkin, although brilliant, can be an incredibly obscure lecturer at times; By the second class, I had completely given up attempting to follow along. That said, he grades fairly and is incredibly lenient with deadlines, and most of the important details from lectures are stored in the handouts he gives out in class. If you have already read the key texts, this class will be a walk in the park, and Witkin is a fantastic scholar with a dry sense of humor that occasionally shines through in lecture.
I think this is a class to take if you are interested in Classics and have already read the major texts covered in the class (The Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid). Coming into the class with only rudimentary familiarity with the Odyssey, I spent a significant amount of time fighting through lengthy and sometimes opaque epics. This was not …Read more
Professor Witkin is incredibly passionate about the material and is clearly a genius. His lectures can be incredibly dull, and the readings are relentless and can be unforgiving if you fall behind. He comes from the old school of classical education so expect papers that are graded harshly and with total focus. He takes your work incredibly seriously and will spend hours grading just one paper. This class is interesting and I love Professor Witkin, but I cannot in earnest suggest this course to anyone that is not interested in classical literature or literature in general.
Professor Witkin is incredibly passionate about the material and is clearly a genius. His lectures can be incredibly dull, and the readings are relentless and can be unforgiving if you fall behind. He comes from the old school of classical education so expect papers that are graded harshly and with total focus. He takes your work inc …Read more
This was the second class I have taken with Professor Witkin, and I enjoyed both. If you are someone who is unfamiliar with the epic poems but would like to read them, this is the class for you. Sometimes Witkin can be hard to follow because he is too smart for his own good, but his thoughts are very valuable and he knows the material. As for workload, there are 4 discussion posts through the semester, 2 papers, and a takehome midterm. He grades very fairly as long as you cite your work. The class is interesting, and worth taking if you have any interest in classics.
This was the second class I have taken with Professor Witkin, and I enjoyed both. If you are someone who is unfamiliar with the epic poems but would like to read them, this is the class for you. Sometimes Witkin can be hard to follow because he is too smart for his own good, but his thoughts are very valuable and he knows the materia …Read more
I took this class for the PHL requirement, and I would say - if you aren't thinking of majoring or minoring in classics or have some experience or passion for the material - please save yourself the stress and take an easier PHL class. I felt like Professor Witkin almost expected us to have some prior knowledge, and if you dont have an interest in Classics - just dont take it. No poor feelings to the Professor, its very clear he is very passionate about the subject and he is flexible with deadlines too.
I took this class for the PHL requirement, and I would say - if you aren't thinking of majoring or minoring in classics or have some experience or passion for the material - please save yourself the stress and take an easier PHL class. I felt like Professor Witkin almost expected us to have some prior knowledge, and if you dont have …Read more
Do not take this class if it does not have to do with your major. I took this class thinking it would be interesting and slightly easy however both were untrue. Professor Witkin is very knowledgable and passionate about the subject, however not engaging at all.
I think this class was very interesting. I enjoy mythology a lot, and it is clear Professor Within does as well. His enthusiasm was very apparent, and though it was easy to get lost during lectures, the discussions were great. He did a really good job engaging everyone, and if you've done a little bit of preparation, you're good to go. A lot of reading and writing but manageable and he is very lenient.
I think this class was very interesting. I enjoy mythology a lot, and it is clear Professor Within does as well. His enthusiasm was very apparent, and though it was easy to get lost during lectures, the discussions were great. He did a really good job engaging everyone, and if you've done a little bit of preparation, you're good to g …Read more
Take the course if you are interested in classics and already have some background. I have no problems with the professor and he is very passionate about what he does, but I found it difficult to understand the lectures at points. He is very accommodating and values participation but I am not sure I learned too much.
A kinda mediocre course on very valuable material. We read the Illiad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and parts of the Metamorphoses, all in new, reader-friendly translations. These are some of the greatest works of literature ever written and I highly recommend either just reading them, or taking a course to read them and discuss them in. I'm just not sure I can wholeheartedly recommend taking it with Ganiban. His lectures are a little boring and his approach of trying to integrate small-group discussions into the lectures just doesn't work that well. This course needs a dedicated meeting for discussions. The papers and exam don't really pose a significant challenge as long as you've done the readings and are willing to think about them. The saving grace of this course is that there are plenty of opportunities to give your take on the readings during the lecture - that's one way I managed to keep from dozing off. Take this course if you want to read these classic works and don't mind some boring lectures.
A kinda mediocre course on very valuable material. We read the Illiad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and parts of the Metamorphoses, all in new, reader-friendly translations. These are some of the greatest works of literature ever written and I highly recommend either just reading them, or taking a course to read them and discuss them in. …Read more
Professor Witkin was very all over the place both in terms of his lecturing and also his attitude with regards to students. His lectures had virtually zero structure and he'd repeat the same thing over the course of three classes. Certain days he was very open to student questions but other days he would act like questions and the students asking them were an inconvenience. He clearly has had a strong foundation in Greek literature and he has moments were he makes absolutely brilliant points, but I'm not sure the rarity of those moments were worth having him for an entire semester. That said the course is not particularly difficult.
Professor Witkin was very all over the place both in terms of his lecturing and also his attitude with regards to students. His lectures had virtually zero structure and he'd repeat the same thing over the course of three classes. Certain days he was very open to student questions but other days he would act like questions and the st …Read more
This course was very underwhelming. The professor had difficulty looking beyond his own point of view or considering student's opinions of the readings if they did not align with his own. His lectures were also very mellow and he doesn't break down concepts even though it's a beginner-level class. Honestly would not recommend.
Great prof. Ganiban is enthusiastic and empathetic toward students if they need extensions or are facing extenuating circumstances. Have taken several courses with him throughout my time at Midd and enjoyed them all.
Took this class for distribution requirements and really enjoyed it. There were weekly readings with responses and papers. Professor Ganiban is great and his lectures are very enjoyable, I would definitely take this class again.