29942 - History of the Ancient Greek Language (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The students are expected to acquire specific skills in the analysis and interpretation of texts selected from the whole history of the Greek language (from the archaic age to the formation of the so-called 'common language' that then developed into Modern Greek).
Through a direct analysis of textual specimens the pupils are expected to improve: a) their ability to recognise the proper historical setting of a Greek text or document and to reconstruct both synchronically and diachronically its textual tradition; b) their methodological skills to analyse a text from a historical and linguistic point of view and to establish its relations with other texts and cultural products.
The students will prove their meeting of these goals by producing an essay on one text and giving a presentation of their work to the class.
The students will come in contact with the main tools of the ‘philological practice' (reading of papyruses and manuscripts on microfilm, consulting textual and bibliographical databases, paper and IT tools of documentation and analysis indexes), refining thus their skills in the textual analysis of ancient texts.

Course contents

Special focus course ('corso monografico')

a) ἔρως, γάμος, συνουσία: sex and love in Greek literature from Homer to Christianity.

Core course ('parte istituzionale')

b) General rudiments of History of the Greek Language

Lectures Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 15-17, Room II (1.10.2018-7.11.2018).

Start date: 1.10.2018 (1st semester).

Office Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9-13 (at Dept.).

Links: http://www.unibo.it/docenti/camillo.neri
http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/Programs/20182019/Neri/

Readings/Bibliography

a) Notes from the lectures. One book in the following list: Ruby Blondell-K. Ormand (edd.), Ancient Sex: New Essays. Classical Memories/Modern Identities, Columbus, Ohio State University Press, 2015; J. Boardman-E. La Rocca, Eros in Grecia, Milano, Mondadori, 1975; R. Bodei, Ordo amoris: conflitti terreni e felicità celeste, Bologna, il Mulino, 1991; Sandra Boehringer-D. Lorenzini (edd.), Foucault, la sexualité, l’Antiquité. Philosophie en cours, Paris, Kimé, 2016; A. Brelich, Paides e parthenoi, I, Roma, Edizioni dell’Ateneo, 1969; S. Caciagli (ed.), Eros e genere in Grecia arcaica, Bologna, Pàtron, 2017; C. Calame (ed.), L'amore in Grecia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1984 (3a ed.); C. Calame, I Greci e l’Eros. Simboli, pratiche, luoghi, trad. it. Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1992; Eva Cantarella, Secondo natura. La bisessualità nel mondo antico, Milano, Rizzoli, 2006 (5a ed.); E.R. Dodds, I Greci e l’irrazionale, trad. it. Milano, Sansoni, 2003 (3a ed.); K. Dover, L’omosessualità nella Grecia antica, trad. it. Torino, Einaudi, 1985; Kate Fisher-Rebecca Langlands (edd.), Sex, Knowledge and Receptions of the Past. Classical Presences, Oxford-New York, Oxford University Press, 2015; M. Foucault, La cura di sé, trad. it. Milano, Feltrinelli, 2001 (6a ed.); M. Masterson-Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz-J. Robson (edd.), Sex in Antiquity: Exploring Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient World. Rewriting Antiquity, London-New York, Routledge, 2015; D. Orrells, Sex: Antiquity and Its Legacy. Ancients and Moderns, Oxford-New York, Oxford University Press, 2015; J. Robson, Sex and Sexuality in Classical Athens. Debates and Documents in Ancient History, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2013; Giulia Sissa, Eros tiranno. Sessualità e sensualità nel mondo antico, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2003; R. Vattuone, Il mostro e il sapiente, Bologna, Pàtron, 2004. Further bibliography on the discussed texts will be provided during the lectures.

b) Notes from the lectures. One essay in the following list: O. Hoffmann-A. Debrunner-A. Scherer, Storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Napoli, Macchiaroli, 1969; A. Meillet, Lineamenti di storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Torino, Einaudi, 1981 (2a ed.); L.R. Palmer, Greek Language, London, Faber, 1980; V. Pisani, Storia della lingua greca, Torino, Sei, 1960; L. Heilmann, Grammatica storica della lingua greca, Torino, Sei, 1963; O. Szemerényi, Introduzione alla linguistica indoeuropea, a c. di G. Boccali-V. Brugnatelli-M. Negri, Milano, Unicopli, 1985, F. Villar, Gli indoeuropei e le origini dell'Europa, trad. it. Bologna, il Mulino, 1997; W.P. Lehmann, La linguistica indoeuropea. Storia, problemi e metodi, trad. it. Bologna, il Mulino, 1999; A.C. Cassio (ed.), Storia delle lingue letterarie greche, Firenze, Le Monnier-Mondadori, 2016 (2a ed.).

Students who do not attend the lessons are required to bring the same program as regards the institutional part and to define a personalized program, also in the light of their own interests, for the monographic part.

Teaching methods

After some introductory lectures by the teacher and the specimen analysis of selected texts, the lectures will be carried out by the students themselves as presentations (which will test thus the abilities they have developed through the course); the sessions will have a seminar-like form and meant to be moments of real common research, with the familiarisation and the use of the main philological tools (traditional and data processing).
All the material handed out in the lectures will be available afterwards on line at http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/Programs/20192019/Neri/

Assessment methods

A first assessment will be carried out to begin with in the individual presentations and in the seminars, where the students will be able auto-assess their learning.
The viva voce examination consists of a conversation in which the teacher, through a series of questions, will test the theoretical knowledge and the theoretical-practical methodologies as explained in the lectures.
The students who will not have given a presentation to the class will be required to carry out a linguistic analysis of some texts in the viva voce.

The maximum grade (30L) requires accurate and complete answers to all questions posed during the oral examination. The exam will be deemed to have been passed (with variable evaluation depending on the quality of the answers) if the candidate has answered in a precise and complete manner to most questions.

For deeply-rooted didactic conviction, I do not propose links to syllabi questions, which would inevitably end up impoverishing the general preparation of the students. Since exams take place every fifteen days, students who want to experience the actual performance of an exam can attend - as spectators - the exam sessions, which are public.

Teaching tools

PC, video projector, overhead projector, photocopied handouts.

Links to further information

http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/Programs/20182019/Neri

Office hours

See the website of Camillo Neri