Classics 100, History 100
Fall, 1994

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Ancient Greece and Perseus 1.0

INFORMATION ON STUDENT PATH ASSIGNMENT

As you know, the required work for this course includes the submission of two original Perseus "Paths" for evaluation by the instructor. The first of these is due on Thursday 20 October; the second must be submitted by Thursday 1 December. I will not attempt to duplicate here information on the practical use of the Perseus resource which is presented clearly and in a graphic manner in the User's Guide; I do, however, wish to clarify for you the nature of the assignment and the point of the exercise.

The Path assignment takes the place of what would be in a more conventional course the term paper assignment. Like a traditional essay assignment, the Path exercise is meant to give students the opportunity of examining, in more detail than may be possible in class lectures, issues and problems related to Classical Greece about which they wish to know more, A successful student Path will consist of up to 27 Perseus locations arranged in such an order that they illuminate or explain a particular issue related to the course material. Make use of the Path Note cards to add explanatory remarks; use the Guided Tours in Perseus as examples. Here is a sample Path Note selected at random from Guided Tour #1:

In designing your Paths, remember that you are operating under more or less the same constraints which apply to a professor designing a lecture; that is, there just isn't time (or in the case of a Perseus Path, there aren't sufficient locations available) to say everything that could be said about a particular topic. You will need to be selective and to make sure that each location which you include adds something to your presentation of the Path's topic. Clearly, it will be a good idea to use as diverse as selection of material as you can; that is, a Path which consisted of, say, 27 pictures of Athena on coins would do little to illuminate the more general topic of the cult of Athena.

Members of the class must discuss the issue of a topic with the instructor. Do not just go off on your own, lest you undertake a completely impossible task (e.g., "The Gods," or "Greek History"). Your topic must be sharply focussed and specific (e.g.. "The Cult of Apollo at Delphi," "Athenian Life During the Peloponnesian War"). Paths may just be left on the Path Stack of the Mac IIsi in Goddard for me to examine; however, it is far better (not to mention far safer) to copy your Path onto your own 3.5" disk and turn it in, appropriately labelled and with an explanatory title (i.e. not just "Jones, Path #1").

To copy a Path from the computer, you will first need to get the key to the disk drive lock from the Reference Desk at Goddard and to turn off the security software which prevents access to the hard disk; explain that you are a member of this course. Now, quit Perseus;

that is, click on on the Gateway and click OK when asked. Now open the hard disk by double-clicking on its icon. Find the Perseus folder and open it, also by double-clicking. Insert your disk into the disk drive; label the disk with your name. Now drag the "Paths" icon in the Perseus folder to your disk. This copies the whole Path Stack, including your new Path (which also should have your name on it), to the disk. Eject the disk by dragging its icon to the Trash, label it for submission and relock the disk drive. If this seems mysterious or at all unclear, I will be happy to demonstrate on the machine in my office. The Reference Desk staff are generally familiar with Perseus and should be able to assist you.

Topics: Your topic may be drawn from any of the categories of material which make up the course: literature, art and archaeology, history, politics, etc. Appendix B in the User's Guide (pp. 105-109) should give you some ideas about investigating literature, myth, "culture," art and archaeology. Use customized maps, site plans, building plans, passages from ancient authors, and especially the Path Notes, to beef up your Path. Consider using the English text-search function to find, e.g., all the places where Athena appears in the Odyssey for a Path on Homer's portrayal of Athena. Use the archaeological key word function to locate depictions of divinities, mythological persons, etc. in ancient art. See me at any time for help if you feel the need of advice or direction.

Possible types of topic might include:

1. Investigate the portrayal of an idea such as "war" or "death" or "wealth" in one or more primary texts. Illustrate your path appropriately.

2. Document some aspect of daily life, such as the role of women, children or slaves in Classical Greece. Again, search primary text for, e.g., the appearances of Helen, Penelope et al. in the Odyssey. Use the archaeological key-word search for suitable illustrations in vase painting, etc.

3. Create a Path on a particular site, such as Delphi, or a particular building, such as the Parthenon at Athens. Document the history of the building, its artistic decoration and its use. If the site or building has religious significance, and most of them do, document the cult of the god or goddess concerned with illustrations and passages from primary texts, including perhaps Pausanias' guide-book to ancient Greece, or the histories of Herodotus or Thucycides.

See me for assistance in developing a topic of your own.