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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CL/HS 285"
COURSE NAME: "Wine and the Culture of Drinking in Classical Antiquity"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2020
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Benedetta Bessi
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 10:00-11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Using primary ancient sources (literary texts, artistic representations, and archaeological finds), this course will examine the role of wine drinking in ancient societies. Where and when did viticulture and wine making originate? Where did the custom of the reclining banquet come from, and what social implications did it carry? How was wine served and how was its consumption regulated? What type of entertainment was offered at these banquets? Our primary focus will be Greece and Rome, but important parallels or corollary practices in neighboring and modern cultures will also be considered.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course is designed to offer a deep immersion in the history and culture of ancient wine and wine drinking. It will begin from the invention  of viticulture and wine making in the Neolithic and will continue with their introduction into the Mediterranean. Particular emphasis will be placed  on the role of wine and wine-drinking in Greece but Early Italy and Rome will also be taken into considerations.  
The course will be organized in the form of lectures and class discussion.  Among the topics covered there will be: 
The origins of viticulture and its introduction in the Mediterranean
Wine and wine drinking in the Aegean societies and in the Homeric poems
The Oriental reclining banquet and its introduction in Greece (symposium)
The symposium and Archaic society (private and public banquet
The symposium and entertainment (love, games, music, poetry)
The symposium as a journey in alterity (Greek vs. Barbarian, Male vs. Female, Life vs. Death)
The symposium and philosophy (Plato, Xenophon)
Wine and wine drinking as a religious experience (Dionysus and the religion of wine)
Wine and wine drinking in the Etruscan world (possible museum visit to Villa Giulia)
Wine and wine drinking in Roman culture (selection of readings from Horace, Martial, Petronius etc.)
The economy of wine in the Roman world (wine production and trade)
Wine in other Mediterranean contexts (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)  
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  By the end of the course, students will be able: 
- to articulate an historical overview of the history of wine in antiquity based on clear chronological and geographical definitions
- to understand the importance of the Greek symposium as a very elaborated experience
- to discuss the role of wine as a generator of culture, religious practices and philosophical thought
- critically compare ancient and modern social practices connected to wine drinking 

Other transferable skills acquired by the end of the course include:
- bibliographic research skills
- academic writing skills
- verbal skills


TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Aesthetic of the Greek Banquet Lissarague Princeton University Press978-0691633268 No need to buy this book as it is entirely available on JStor   
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
in class midterm The exam will consist in a combination of short answer questions and essay questions25%
research paper 1500 word research paper on a topic selected by the student to reflect her/his personal interests and academic background.15%
final exam The exam will consist in short answer questions and a final self reflection essay on the overall learning experience and the the impact this course l has made on the undestanding of the history of wine and the culture of drinking past and present. 30%
in class presentation Each student will be part of a group facilitating the discussion of a scholarly article among those proposed in the syllabus. 15%
attendance and partecipation Full points assigned only to those students who, in addition to a regular attendance, participate actively to the course by coming prepared for class, engaging in discussions and contributing to the creation of a favourable learning and teaching environment. 15%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. 
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

 Week 1

Jan 20 Course and materialintroduction.

Jan 22 The origins of viticulture  

Explore http://www.penn.museum/sites/wine/wineneolithic.html

Read the interview to P. McGovern at https://archive.is/20130203000209/http://www.sommelierjournal.com/articles/article.aspx?year=2011&month=04&articlenum=36

Optional P. Mc Govern, Sailing the Wine Dark Mediterranean, from Uncorking the Past, University of California University Press, 2009, 159-197 (read with a map of the Mediterranean under sight)          

Week 2

Jan 27 Wine and Wine Drinking in Egypt and the Middle East

Jan 29 Wine and Wine Drinking in the Aegean world and in Early Greece.

 Z. Papakostantinou, "Wine and Wine Drinking in the Homeric World", L'Antiquité Classique, 78, 2009, 1-24, Jstor        

Week 3

Feb 3 The Oriental reclining banquet in Assyria

Browse these two websites

https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=366859&partId=1

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/symp/hd_symp.htm

Feb 5 The introduction of the reclining banquet in Greece (symposium)

Week 4

Feb 10 The Symposium and Greek Society
Lissarague, Ch. 1-2

Feb 12 Ch Murray, Oswyn. "Violence at the Symposion." In The Topography of Violence in the Greco-Roman World, edited by Riess Werner and Fagan Garrett G., 195-206. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2016.  

 Week 5

 Feb 17 Sympotic Space and Equipment

 Lissarague, ch. 2

Feb 19 G. Hedreen, "Involved Spectatorship in Archaic Greek Art" available from Academia (see PDF posted on the course page)

Week 6

Feb 24 The symposium and love

  Lissarague, ch. 3

Feb 16 Neill, J, "Others within the Other: An Intimate Look into Hetairai and Maenads" available from Academia (see PDF posted on the course page)

Week 7

Mar 2 Review for the midterm

Mar 4 Midterm exam

Week 8

SPRING BREAK

Week 9

Mar 16 Music and Entertainment  

 Lissarague ch. 4-7

Mar 18 Selected passages from Greek elegiac and lyric poems.

Week 10

Mar 23 Wine and Wine Drinking as a religious experience  

Euripides’ Bacchae

Mar 25 Wine and Philosophy

Plato’s Symposium (selected passages) Xenophon’s Symposium (selected passage)

Week 11

Mar 30 Wine among the Etruscans  

F. Di Savino, The Original Chianti, from Chianti Classico: The Search for Tuscany Noblest Wine, California University Press 2013, 1-20 JStor (please focus on the Etruscan period but read the entire chapter to familiarize with the history of one of the most famous Italian wines)

Apr 1 Pieraccini, “The Wonders of Wine in Etruria,” in The Archaeology of Sanctuaries and Ritual in Etruria, ed by N.T. de Grummond and I. Edlund-Berry (JRA Suppl. 81) JRA 2011 (Frohring Library)

 Week 12

Apr 6 Wine in early Rome

Apr 8 Wine in the Roman Empire

Week 13

Apr 13 NO CLASS EASTER MONDAY

Apr 15 Russell, Brigette Ford. "Wine, Women, and the Polis: Gender and the Formation of the City-State in Archaic Rome." Greece & Rome 50, no. 1 (2003): 77-84. (Jstor)

Week 14

Apr 21 Murray, Oswyn. "Symposium and Genre in the Poetry of Horace." The Journal of Roman Studies 75 (1985): 39-50

Apr 23 Mc Govern, Beginning of Viniculture in France, PNAS 110, 2013, 10147-10152 (Jstor)

Week 15

Apr 27 Wine in other cultures

Apr  29  Wrap up session and final review