Description
A term paper may be submitted at the end of the course in
lieu of taking the final examination. The technical
requirements for the term paper are as follows:
- 5-10 pages in length
- makes use of AT LEAST two critical sources. These sources
need not be something you found outside of class. For example,
it's perfectly legitimate to use Aristotle and Segal as critical
sources in a paper about Sophocles or one of Sophocles' plays.
- Times New Roman font
- Double-spaced
- One inch margins
- either MLA or APA documentation style is fine, but you MUST make a
choice and stick with it.
Assignment
In the space of 5-10 typed, double-spaced pages, critically analyze a
particular aspect of Greek Drama. Topics must be approved by the
instructor (that's me!). This means approaching me sometime during
the semester and bouncing an idea or two off of me. This is
actually a requirement designed to HELP you so that you do not submit
something in May that I do not think fulfills the assignment of a
critical analysis of something to do with Greek Drama. This is
a very open assignment, and I welcome topics not covered in class.
In fact, I encourage it. Literary interpretation is not fixed.
Multiple perspectives exist. This is an opportunity for you, the
student, to become the teacher and teach me something new (a different
perspective, perhaps?) about a topic in Greek Drama and/or its
interpretation.
Possible paper topics
The following list is intended to help students brainstorm potential
topics. You need not write about any or all of these questions.
However, bear in mind that you MUST OBTAIN MY APPROVAL for your paper
topic, even if it's listed below. This doesn't mean you can't
change your mind, but if you do, I want to be apprised of the situation.
- What does it mean to be a 'hero' in Greek Tragedy? Comedy?
Do you want to deal with ALL tragedy or just Sophoclean? or
Aeaschylian? or Euripidean?
- What are the origins of Tragedy?
- What are the origins of Comedy?
- What, if anything, does Tragedy (or a particular tragedy) say
about society (either in 5th century Athens or the modern day)?
- What about Comedy?
- What influences do ancient comedians and/or tragedians have on
modern playwrights?
- How about other famous playwrights? What elements of Greek
Drama are apparent in Shakespearean Drama, if any?
- What do Tragedy, Comedy, and/or Epic have to do with History
and/or Philosophy?
- What is the significance of fate in Sophoclean Drama?
- What are the difference between Sophoclean Drama, Euripidean
Drama, and/or Aeschylean Drama? In other words, what are the
THEMATIC differences?
- Is Aristotle's analysis of Tragedy THE analysis or just one of
many? Prove it.
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