Course Syllabus
FALL 2024 CLA3930: Crime in Ancient Athens
Contact Dr. Wolpert
Andrew Wolpert, Associate Professor of Classics
352-273-3702
138 Dauer Hall
MWF 1-2 pm and by appointment
I am available to meet with you during my office hours either in person or by Zoom. To meet me during my office hours via Zoom, please call or email me, and I will send you a link. If you want to meet with me at another time, please email me to schedule an appointment.
Class Meetings
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Period 5 in 104 Leigh Hall
Course Description
The courts of ancient Athens heard cases that concerned murder, assault and battery, theft, embezzlement, insurance fraud, slander, sacrilege, impiety, prostitution, rape, adultery, conspiracy to overthrow the democracy, and many other violations of Athenian law. This course examines those violent, harmful, and dangerous actions that the Athenians considered to be especially detrimental to society. Particular attention will be given to the ways in which the Athenians defined, regulated, and suppressed criminal activities and what the Athenian political discourse on crime reveals about Classical Athens as well as the nature of democracy, both ancient and modern.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students will be expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes in content, critical and, communication:
- Content: Students will identify and describe Athenian norms, customs, statutes, and laws to regulate anti-social behavior. Achievement of this learning outcome will be assessed through quizzes and exams.
- Critical Thinking: Students will evaluate and analyze Athenian conceptions and representations of crimes and criminal activity as well as interpersonal conflicts and disputes that threaten the social order. They will critically assess how interpersonal conflicts in ancient Athens are similar to and different from those in modern democracies, and what this tells us about democracy and its legal system. Achievement of this learning outcome will be assessed through exams.
- Communicate: Students will express clearly and effectively in written and oral forms how crime was regulated in ancient Athens. Achievement of this learning outcome will be assessed through exams.
Required Text
Gagarin, Michael, ed., Speeches from Athenian Law (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2011).
Hardy, Clara Shaw, Athens 415: The City in Crisis (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2020).
There is no M&S Fee for this course.
Copies of the required textbooks are also on reserve in Library West. All other readings are available in the weekly modules.
Course Requirements
- Attendance (100 points, 10%) with a 20% deduction for arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving early. Deduction of 2.6 points for every unexcused absence.
- The App in Canvas is used to track attendance. It shows what will be your final attendance grade based on your current attendance percentage. So, if you currently have two unexcused absences for 10 class meetings, it will show your attendance percentage as 80% (i.e., 8/10). At the end of the semester, if you have no more unexcused absences, your final attendance percentage will be 94.8% (i.e., 37/39 or 100 minus 5.2 points).
- 4 In-Class Quizzes: 25 points, 2.5% (each); 100 points, 10% (total). Each quiz will consist of brief identification questions and/or short-answer questions (i.e., 2-3 sentences). Students will be asked to briefly identify and explain the significance of terms, concepts, laws, legal disputes, proceedings, procedures, etc. and/or briefly answer short questions (e.g. "What are the different parts of an Attic oration?").
- Quiz 1 on September 6
- Quiz 2 on September 2 October 2 because of Hurricane Helene
- Quiz 3 on October 28 moved to October 14 because of Hurricane Milton
- Quiz 4 on November 18
- 4 In-Class Exams: 200 points, 20% (each); 800 points, 80% (total). Each essay will consist of short-essay questions.
- Exam 1 on September 13
- Exam 2 on October 9
- Exam 3 on November 8
- Exam 4 on December 4
- Quizzes and Exams will be based on materials covered in readings and lectures.
Weekly Schedule
Part 1: Athenian Democracy, Law, and Oratory
Analyzes the history of the political institutions, and the legal system of classical Athens. Students will consider what are the defining characteristics of the Athenian democracy, how the Athenian legal system differs from its modern counterparts, and how litigants addressed Athenian courts.
- Aug 23: Course Overview
- Course Syllabus, Requirements, and Objectives
- Aug 26-30: The Democracy and the Legal System of Classical Athens
- John Rothchild, "Introduction to the Athenian Democracy of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries BCE," Wayne State University Law School Legal Studies Research Paper 32.7 (2007), 13-28.
- David Cohen, "Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law in Classical Athens," in The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek Law, edited by Michael Gagarin and David Cohen (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 211–35.
- Michael de Brauw, "The Parts of the Speech," in A Companion to Greek Rhetoric, edited by Ian Worthington (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007), 187-202.
- Lysias 24: On the Invalid (in Gagarin).
Part 2: Property and Commerce
Examines what disputes over property and commerce reveal about the nature of the Athenian economy, how the Athenians sought to protect the private rights of its citizens, and whether Athenian law provided adequate protections to promote private ownership.
- Sept 2-6: Property
- Demosthenes 55: Against Callicles (in Gagarin).
- Hyperides 3 : Against Athenogenes (in Gagarin).
- Quiz 1
- Sept 9-13: Commerce and Banking
- Isocrates 17: Trapeziticus (in Gagarin).
- Demosthenes 32: Against Zenothemis (in Gagarin).
- Exam 1
Part 3: Homicide and Assault
Examines why interpersonal disputes erupt into violence, the extent to which the Athenian legal system curbs conflicts or becomes a stage for elite citizens to perpetuate their feuds, whether Athenian law functions in ways comparable to modern legal systems to regulate violent behavior and actions, and the extent to which democracies, both ancient and modern, promote the rule of law.
- Sept 16-20: Adultery and Murder
- D. M. MacDowell, The Law in Classical Athens (London: Thames and Hudson, 1978), 109–20.
- Gabriel Herman, "Tribal and Civic Codes of Behaviour in Lysias 1," Classical Quarterly 43 (1993): 406–19.
- Antiphon 1: Against the Stepmother (in Gagarin).
- Lysias 1: On the Murder of Eratosthenes (in Gagarin).
- Sept 23-27: Wounding
- Lysias 3: Against Simon (in Gagarin).
- W. V. Harris, "Lysias III and Athenian Beliefs about Revenge," Classical Quarterly 57 (1997): 363–66.
- Demosthenes 54: Against Conon (in Gagarin).
- David Cohen, Law, Violence and Community in Classical Athens (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), 119–35.
- Quiz 2
- Sept 30-Oct 9: "Hybris"
- Demosthenes 21: Against Meidias (in Wolpert and Kapparis).
- David Cohen, Law, Violence and Community in Classical Athens (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), 87–118.
- Exam 2
Part 4: Impiety, Sacrilege, and Conspiracy
Explores the intersections between religion, politics, and civil war in ancient Athens. Did the Athenians seeks to regulate religious and political beliefs or did they tolerate controversial views and opinions? What lessons do the civil wars of ancient Athens provide for modern democracies? How are threats to the democracy of classical Athens similar to and different from threats to modern democracies? What causes democracies to restrict personal freedoms? What causes them to collapse or to be overthrown?
- Oct 11-16: The Mutilation of the Herms and Profanation of the Mysteries
- Clara Shaw Hardy, Athens 415: The City in Crisis (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2020), Chapters 1-2, 5-6
- Oct 21-25: The Thirty Tyrants of Athens
- Sarah B. Pomeroy et al., A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004) 217–227.
- Xenophon, Hellenica (tr. Rex Warner) II.3.1-4.41.
- Lysias 12: Against Eratosthenes (in Wolpert and Kapparis)
- Andrew Wolpert, Remembering Defeat: Civil War and Civic Memory in Ancient Athens (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006), 3–47.
- Oct 28-Nov 1: The Trial of Socrates
- Nicholas D. Smith and Thomas C. Brickhouse, Socrates on Trial (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989), 1-24.
- Plato's Apology (tr. Hope May).
- Quiz 3
- Nov 4-8: The Trial of Socrates (Continued)
- M. F. Burnyeat, "The Impiety of Socrates," Ancient Philosophy 17 (1997): 1–12.
- W. R. Connor, "The Other 399: Religion and the Trial of Socrates." In Georgica: Greek Studies in Honour of George Cawkwell, edited by M. Flower and M. Toher (London 1991), 49–56.
- Exam 3
Part 5: Sexual Deviancy
Study of Athenian conceptions of sexuality and sexual deviancy. How are Athenians views on sexuality similar to and different from modern views? Did the Athenians attempt to regulate sexual behavior for religious, social, or political reasons? Or did they avoid regulating sexuality activity in order to protect individual freedoms? How are Athenian regulations on sexual activity different from modern regulations? How are they similar? What does the Athenian discourse on sexuality tell us about modern debates on sexual norms and mores?
- Nov. 11-18: Prosecution of a Courtesan
- Demosthenes 59: Against Neaera (in Gagarin)
- Debra Hamel, Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), 117–31.
- Allison Glazebrook, "The Making of a Prostitute: Apollodoros's Portrait of Neaira," Arethusa 38 (2005), 161-87.
- Quiz 4
- Nov. 20-22: Male Prostitution
- Aeschines 1 (in Gagarin)
- Dec 2-4: Male Prostitution (Continued)
- Adriaan Lanni, "The Expressive Effect of the Athenian Prostitution Laws," Classical Antiquity 29 (2010), 46–50.
- Exam 4
The required readings and assignments are posted in the weekly modules.
Grade Scale
| A = 100–93% | B = 86-83% | C = 76-73% | D = 66-63% |
| A- = 92–90% | B- = 82–80% | C- = 72-70% | D- = 62-60% |
| B+ = 89-87% | C+ = 79-77% | D+ = 69-67% | E < 60% |
Grades are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g., 89.4% = 89% and 89.5% = 90%).
For more information on UF grades and grading policies, please consult the Undergraduate Catalog Links to an external site..
Course Policies
University of Florida students are bound by the Honor Pledge. On all work submitted for credit by a student, the following pledge is required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” The Student Honor Code and Conduct Code (Regulation 4.040) Links to an external site. specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code, as well as the process for reported allegations and sanctions that may be implemented. All potential violations of the code will be reported to Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. If a student is found responsible for an Honor Code violation in this course, the instructor will enter a Grade Adjustment sanction which may be up to or including failure of the course.
Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies: https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/attendance-policies/ Links to an external site.
A late assignment is subject to a deduction of 5 percent for every day that passes before the work is submitted, unless an extension has been granted in accordance with UF policies on attendance (see assignment rubrics for more information). So, for example, if a student hands in an assignment two days after it is due and has not been granted an extension, there will be a deduction of 10 percent on the assignment.
Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the Disability Resource Center by visiting https://disability.ufl.edu/students/get-started/ Links to an external site.. It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs, as early as possible in the semester.
Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/ Links to an external site.. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/ Links to an external site.. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/. Links to an external site.
Students are allowed to record video or audio of class lectures. However, the purposes for which these recordings may be used are strictly controlled. The only allowable purposes are (1) for personal educational use, (2) in connection with a complaint to the university, or (3) as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor.
A “class lecture” is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participation, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session.
Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To “publish” means to share, transmit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to another person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.
Resource and Services
Students experiencing either health or personal problems that interfere with their general well-being are encouraged to seek assistance through the university’s health care and counseling centers. Resources are also available on campus for students who wish to explore their career options.
- Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, shcc.ufl.edu Links to an external site.
- University Counseling and Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Road, 392-1575, counseling.ufl.edu Links to an external site.
- U Matter We Care, 294-care, umatter.ufl.edu Links to an external site.
- The Teaching Center, https://teachingcenter.ufl.edu/ Links to an external site.
- Ask a Librarian, https://uflib.ufl.edu/contact-us/ Links to an external site., is a quick way to get outside expertise on finding or using library resources.
- The UF Writing Studio, https://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/ Links to an external site.
- Career Connections Center, Suite 1300 J. Wayne Reitz Union, 392-1601, career.ufl.edu Links to an external site.
You can also check out the UF Resources page for the many other university resources, services, and support that are available to you.
Credits
- Landing Page and Syllabus Page: Death of Hipparchus by the Syriskos Painter, Athens 475-460 BC, Martin von Wagner Museum, Würzburg Museum, photographed by P. Neckermann, licensed under CC-0 Links to an external site..
- Weekly Modules: "The Acropolis of Athens viewed from the Hill of the Muses," photographed by Carole Raddato, 18 April 2014, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolemage/14220794964/ Links to an external site.
The syllabus page shows a table-oriented view of the course schedule, and the basics of course grading. You can add any other comments, notes, or thoughts you have about the course structure, course policies or anything else.
To add some comments, click the "Edit" link at the top.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Fri Sep 6, 2024 | Assignment Quiz 1 | due by 11:45am |
| Fri Sep 13, 2024 | Assignment Exam 1 | due by 11:45am |
| Wed Oct 2, 2024 | Assignment Quiz 2 (Updated) | due by 11:45am |
| Mon Oct 14, 2024 | Assignment Exam 2 | due by 11:45am |
| Mon Oct 28, 2024 | Assignment Quiz 3 | due by 11:45am |
| Fri Nov 8, 2024 | Assignment Exam 3 | due by 11:45am |
| Mon Nov 18, 2024 | Assignment Quiz 4 | due by 11:45am |
| Wed Dec 4, 2024 | Assignment Exam 4 | due by 11:45am |
| Fri Dec 6, 2024 | Calendar Event University of Florida GatorEvals – Fall 2024 Main Project | 11:59pm |
| Assignment Roll Call Attendance |