ENGLC 1301—The Classical Tradition

University of St. Thomas, Spring 2024

Instructor: Dr. Leta Sundet

Email: leta.sundet@stthom.edu
Office Hours: Malloy 236, M/W 1-2:30 and F 12:15-1:15 or by appointment

Course Description and Purpose

The Classical Tradition lays the foundation for the rest of the core curriculum in English through
a writing-intensive introduction to some of the most beautiful and life-altering poems and
philosophical works of the Classical world. Students will engage primary texts in a manner that
hones their capacity to ask good questions, to interpret carefully, to develop the interior life, and
to experience reality in all of its multi-layered richness, realizing the relationship of beauty and
ugliness to truth and falsity. Concluding with St. Augustine’s Confessions, the course immerses
students in the ties and tension that exist between Christian revelation and classical culture.

This is a literature course, but first and foremost it is a course in being human. In this class, we
will tackle the uniquely human questions, the questions that make us more human the more we
ask them: who are we, and why are we hear? But this class doesn’t approach these questions in
an abstract, philosophical way; rather, we tackle these questions by watching individual men and
women wrestle with them in their specific cases, in their particular literary circumstances.
Through Odysseus and Penelope, Aeneas and Dido, Oedipus, Job, and St. Augustine, we
consider questions like, What does it mean to be a truly great human being? How does the reality
of death affect human greatness? What kind of relationship can human beings have with the
divine? What might impede that relationship? What sort of relationship does the divine want to
have with humanity? Why do we suffer? Does suffering have any meaning, and if so, what gives
it meaning? What is wisdom, and where does it come from? Is life ultimately tragic? Comic?
Something else?

In the process of pursuing these questions, students will learn to read well and closely. This
course views reading and writing as two halves of the same endeavor. Reading is a means of
honing our capacity to inquire, to interpret, to develop the interior life, and to experience reality
in all of its multi-layered richness. Writing, likewise, is a process of discovery in which one
comes to terms with a text and one’s own thinking about it in new and deep ways; we haven’t
truly honed our thinking until we’ve endeavored to articulate it, to communicate it to another
person. Appropriately, in this course that begins with Odysseus the famous rhetorician,
wordsmith—and liar—we will conclude the semester by considering the powers and pitfalls of
language through Pieper’s Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power and Alfred Lord Tennyson’s
poem Ulysses.

Required Texts

Be sure to purchase physical copies of these particular editions; e-texts are not acceptable.

 The Odyssey, Homer, Trans. Robert Fagles

o 978-0140268867
 The Three Theban Plays, Sophocles, Trans. Robert Fagles
o 978-0140444254
 The Aeneid, Virgil, Trans. Robert Fagles
o 978-0143105138
 Abuse of Language Abuse of Power, Pieper
o 978-0898703627
 The Confessions, St. Augustine, Trans. Henry Chadwick
o 978-0199537822

Requirements

The final grade will be formulated in roughly the following way:

 Discussion Forum: 25%

 Commonplace Book: 10%
 Reading Quizzes: 5%
 Timed Essays and Revision: 40%
 Final Quiz: 5%
 Final Exam: 15%

Grading Scale:
A=excellent; B=good; C=satisfactory; D=deficient; F=failure to meet standards.
A 94-100; A- 90-93; B+ 88-89; B 84-87; B- 80-83; C+ 77-79; C 73-76; C- 70-72; D+ 67-69; D
63-66; D- 60-62; F 0-59

Discussion Forum: During most weeks, you will respond to a provided study question in a
paragraph on the discussion forum. These paragraphs should clearly answer the question, use at
least one quotation from the text as evidence, and be carefully proofread. You will then respond
to at least one other classmate’s response to engage in conversation.
Commonplace Book: A commonplace book is a place to record and compile quotations that you
do not wish to forget, that you wish to return to and mull over (and perhaps memorize), that you
wish to have at your disposal, that you wish to “befriend.” You will be keeping a commonplace
book this semester. While you should make this commonplace book your own and are free to
record quotations from anywhere your like (class lectures, reading you are doing outside class,
your friends’ particularly eloquent moments, etc.), you are required to use your commonplace
book to record at least two quotations (1 quote=at least one complete sentence) from the
reading you do before each recorded lecture. Quotations must be handwritten in a notebook
and you must submit pictures of each week’s quotations by the end of each week. Specifically,

1) Date the page.

2) Write out in its entirety a quote from the reading that strikes you as being important
somehow. Include a page number.
3) Write out in its entirety a quote you had some kind of strong reaction to—anger,
laughter, surprise, sympathy, confusion, etc. Identify the reaction and again include a page
number.

Reading Quizzes: There will be occasional quizzes (short answer and quote ID) over class
reading and/or lecture.

Timed Essays: You will compose four timed, open-book essays over the course of the semester.
These essays not only give you practice thinking and writing within a time limit; they also allow
you to articulate your initial response to a question both without distractions and without the
pressure to “polish” your work just yet.

Essay Revisions: For each of the first three timed essays, you will submit a revision following
specific instructions. Then, for the semester’s final project, you will choose one of your in-class
essays to revise into a completely polished essay.

Ground Rules

Participation
Especially in online education, the temptation to divertissement (engaging in another activity
while being “in class”) is immense. It is not enough that you listen to class lectures half-
heartedly or absentmindedly. You must listen attentively, with a fullness of being. I will assess
your level of attentiveness through the discussion forum, quizzes, and timed essays.

Most weeks, there will be at least two lectures to watch as well as a discussion forum or quiz to
complete, generally due by Sat. at midnight. I strongly encourage you to treat this online class
like an in-person course: always do the assigned reading before watching the lectures; watch the
lectures on designated days at designated times, leaving yourself some time in between lectures;
leave yourself plenty of time to work on the discussion forum before each due date.

This course involves substantial, challenging reading—but if you embrace the challenge, it will
grow easier and reward you enormously. These texts must be experienced—I urge you not to
consult online plot summaries, either in preparation for class or for your essays, as these
inevitably limit your understanding. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the reading, speak to
your instructor about alternative means of support. To assist you in reading productively and to
prepare you to participate well in class, you will be given reading questions to consider for each
class reading.

Late Work
Late work will be penalized ONE FULL LETTER GRADE for each day late. Extensions must
be requested via email a minimum of 24 hours in advance to avoid penalization. Work more
than three days late will not be accepted without prior agreement.

Absence Policy
Should you fail to participate in at least three discussion forums or complete at least three timed
essays, you will fail the course automatically. In case of an emergency or unavoidable
problem, you should contact me as soon as possible, preferably ahead of time—just as you
would a boss for a job.

Course Texts
It is essential that you purchase the editions of the texts listed under Required Texts so that we
are all on the same page—literally. Get into the habit, if you are not already, of marking up your
book—as Mortimer Adler says, it is “not an act of mutilation but of love.”

Essay Submission
The final essay should follow MLA format (9th edition). See the Purdue OWL for information on
MLA format.

Academic Dishonesty Statement:

In accordance with the moral and academic standards of the University of St. Thomas, academic
dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism (the
appropriation of passages from the writing of another as one’s own), collusion (improper
collaboration with another in preparation of notes, term papers, or other written work), cheating
(giving or receiving, offering or soliciting information, or using illicit material in an examination
or quiz), or fabrication of sources used in a paper and included in its bibliography. It also
includes appropriating another’s ideas, theories, or interpretation as one’s own without proper
attribution. Stern disciplinary action will be taken against any student who is found guilty of
academic dishonesty, and penalties levied will be clearly stated in each course syllabus.

Claiming as your own the words or ideas of others is a grave offense against the university
community. Students who violate the honor pledge will at a minimum receive a zero on the
plagiarized assignment and may receive an F for the course. The academic dean and the dean of
students will be notified and further disciplinary action may be pursued. Using AI software is an
egregious form of cheating on par with paying someone to write your essays for you and
will face the same penalties. Be aware that use of your own work that was produced and/or
submitted for another class constitutes self-plagiarism. If you are ever uncertain about
plagiarism or whether consulting others is OK, please come talk to me.
Statement on Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
University of St. Thomas-Houston is committed to making reasonable accommodations to assist
individuals with disabilities in reaching their academic potential. If you have a disability which
may impact your performance, attendance, or grades in this course and require accommodations,
you must first register with the Office of Counseling and Disability Services Disability Services |
University of St. Thomas Houston . Disability Services is responsible for coordinating classroom
accommodations and other services for students with disabilities. Please note that classroom
accommodations cannot be provided prior to your instructor’s receipt of an accommodations
letter from Disability Services.

For more information about accommodations, please contact Disability Services:

Disability Services | University of St. Thomas Houston
713.525.2169
cds@stthom.edu
 Course Schedule (subject to revision with notice)

Week 1: Jan. 16-21

Read: Lewis, “On Reading Old Books”;

Odyssey Books I-II

Week 2: Jan. 22-28

Read: Odyssey Books III-VI

Discussion Forum

Week 3: Jan. 29-Feb. 4

Read: Odyssey Books VII-VIII

Quiz

Week 4: Feb. 5-11

Read: Odyssey Books IX-XII

Timed Essay 1

Week 5: Feb. 12-18

Read: Odyssey Books XIII-XVIII

Discussion Forum

Week 6: Feb. 19-25

Read: Odyssey Books XIX-XXI

Quiz
Revision Due

Week 7: Feb. 26-March 3

Read: Odyssey Book XXII-XXIV

Timed Essay 2

Week 8: March 4-10

Read: Excerpts from Aristotle’s Ethics and Poetics;

Oedipus Rex Parts 1 and 2

Quiz

3/11-3/15 SPRING BREAK—NO CLASS

Week 9: March 18-24

Read: Oedipus at Colonus Part 1 (pp. 284-327) and Part 2 (pp. 328-388);
Job Part 1

Discussion Forum
Revision Due

Week 10: March 25-31

Read: Job Part 2

Timed Essay 3

EASTER BREAK

Week 11: April 1-7

EASTER BREAK

Read: Aeneid Books I-II

Quiz

Week 12: April 8-14

Read: Aeneid Books III-IV, IV

Discussion Forum

Week 13: April 15-21

Confessions Books I-III

Discussion Forum

Week 14: April 22-28

Confessions Book VIII

Timed Essay 4

Week 15: April 29-May 5

Read: Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power;

Tennyson, Ulysses

Final Quiz
Essay Revision

FINAL EXAM: TBA