LA 201 - Liberal Arts Core 3 "Aggression and Altruism in Ancient Greek Culture."

Institution:

The Boston Conservatory

Subject:

Description:

3 hours weekly; 3 credits This course explores ancient Greek culture from Homer to Plato using texts, film, and the collections of art and artifacts at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It develops a method of comparison and contrast between ancient and contemporary cultures and analyzes a set of themes directly relevant to contemporary culture and the role of the artist in society. The class emphasizes the ways in which myths, stories, and symbols encode cultural values, and draws from multiple explanatory models (from science-evolutionary biology, sociobiology, game theory etc, --as well as from social science-psychoanalysis, sociological theory, anthropology) to investigate central themes and their development in the texts we will cover. Several areas of exploration are pursued through examination of the history, anthropology, literature, philosophy, and art of ancient Greek Culture: The Nature and Origin of Human Aggression and Altruism Recent discussions from evolutionary biology, sociobiology, and primitology in writings of Richard Dawkins, Matt Ridley, Richard Wrangham, Frans B.M. de Waal and others are drawn upon at the opening of the class to define and debate cultural origins of the primal themes of aggression and altruism. This opening debate and discussion is used to set the tone of Socratic questioning and skeptical appraisal. The nature of Oral Culture The epics of Homer are presented in the context of backgrounds on oral culture. This discussion introduces students to questions and theories of the function of media in cultures and begins a process of defining media. The Function of Myth in ancient Greek society We consider various anthropological and sociological theories and approaches to the function and meaning of myth, starting with Gregory Nagy's definition of myth as "the way a culture encodesits truth values in story telling patterns." We also examine the role of the artist in creating, shaping, and perpetuating cultural myths, including those of war. The Concept of the Hero We spend several weeks, throughout our study of the Homeric Epics, exploring the meaning and function of the hero concept in ancient Greek society. This study sets the ancient Greek concept off against our more modern conceptions and highlights similarities and differences in ways that illuminate strikingly different world views and value systems. We also explore the relationship between hero concept, memory, and media technology. Other central themes include: the concept and function of the gift and gift exchange; gender and sexuality; individuality and community; ? ?ros? ?and the nature of love, and the contrast ofApollonian and Dionysian impulses and sensibilities. The class operates by exploration and argument. Crucial issues and texts are presented in dialectical form with opposing sides. Students get credit for preparing and leading class debates and write three short essays, one of which is a 'Museum Essay' involving the discussions of anobject of the student's choice from the Museum of Fine Arts collections. Regular reading and dialectical quizzes are given on course texts. Texts include Richard Wrangham, Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Aggression; The Iliad of Homer; Aeschylus, The Oresteia; The Poems of Sappho; Euripides, Bacchae; Plato, The Symposium; Aristophanes, (either) The Clouds, Lysistrata, or The Frogs. The class also includes a course pack of supplemental readings and critical articles.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bostonconservatory.edu

Phone Number:

(617) 536-6340

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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