GREEK 461 A: Early Greek Literature

Autumn 2025
Meeting:
MW 2:30pm - 4:20pm / SAV 169
SLN:
16150
Section Type:
Lecture
Instructor:
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

Greek 461 A Early Greek Literature: Hesiod                                                     MW 2:30-4:20

Prof. Olga Levaniouk

olevan@uw.edu

Denny M262B (206) 543-2266

Description:

We will read selections from the Theogony and Works and Days. We will spend some time on the narratives of the most famous myths (Pandora and Prometheus, to start with) but also go beyond them to less discussed but no less interesting passages, such as the calendrical parts of the Works and Days. Parts of Hesiodic poems may look like simple and practical advice, but below the surface there are depths of mythology, religion, and moral philosophy.  In the course of the quarter, we will look at the Near-Eastern and Indo-European "ingredients" of Hesiodic poetry and consider the poetic and cultural questions brought up by the text. The course will involve reading occasional passages beyond Hesiod  (from Homer, Alcaeus, Theognis, and Simonides, among others) in order to probe the themes of the Theogony and Works and Days a little further and shed light on their cultural functions. Apart from translation, the work for the course will involve a very modest amount of secondary reading. Evaluation will include two quizzes, a brief class presentation, and a short essay, which may take the form of a commentary on a passage

Texts:

Richard Hamilton, Hesiod's Theogony. Bryn Mawr Greek Commentaries, 1990.

Richard Hamilton, Ellen Rainis and Rebecca Ruttenberg, Hesiod's Works and Days. Bryn

Mawr Classical Commentaries 1988.

 

Recommended:

Cunliffe, R. A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect. Norman 2012.

 

Policies and useful links:

Phones:Please put your phone on vibrate and keep it out of the way during class. Please NEVER RECORD, AUDIO OR VIDEO, ANYTHING IN THIS CLASSROOM without first requesting permission from me and you peers.

AI: For this course, please do NOT use ChatGPT, Large Language Models (LLMs), or any other AI tools to assist you in translating the text.  Please do not use these tools for writing your essay either (this includes using these tools to generate ideas or to rephrase or paraphrase yours or others’ work) unless you have a specific idea for how to use AI to do something you wouldn't be able to do otherwise. In the latter case, please talk to me.   

Student conduct: The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Safe Campus (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.: Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others.

Disability Resources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Religious accommodations

“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 (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..”

 

Learning Support:

Land Acknowledgment:

I am a white person of Russian, Jewish, Ukrainian, Polish and Belorussian descent, and I am teaching this course on the Seattle campus of The University of Washington, which occupies the unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, the lands which touch the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Duwamish, Puyallup, Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations, whose ancestors have dwelt here since time immemorial and who live here today.  

You can learn more about the history and culture of the Duwamish people from the resources at duwamishtribe.org. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Real Rent Duwamish (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. offers a collection of resources to learn more about the practices of Land Acknowledgement here (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

If you have comments about this Land Acknowledgement, please let me know: olevan@uw.edu

Catalog Description:
Readings and discussion of selected authors of the early Greek period.
GE Requirements Met:
Arts and Humanities (A&H)
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
May 9, 2025 - 10:07 pm