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Greek 462: Euripides’ Medea

Winter 2025

MW: 2:30-4:20

DEN 256

Instructor: James J. Clauss

Office: 262-C Denny Hall; tel. 543-2278

Office Hours: Before class (1:30) and by appointment per Zoom

NB: Jan. 20, Feb. 17 are holidays

Required Text:

Donald Mastronarde (ed.), Euripides Medea (Cambridge 2002)

For assistance with purchasing books for this course, see /undergraduate-textbook-fund.

Recommended Text:

1956. W. Smyth. Greek Grammar. Harvard University Press 1956. Online version is available at Perseus.

Goals of the Course:

Improvement of ability to read Ancient Greek;

Introduction to the big picture of the Argonautic myth;

Introduction to Greek Tragedy and Euripides in particular;

Examination of the meters used by the tragic playwrights;

Consideration of scholarly opinions regarding the Medea.

Schedule of Readings: Read the bracketed lines in English; M = Mastronarde

                                                Monday                                  Wednesday

Week 1 (1/6-8)                        Introduction                            1-35 <M. 1-7>

Week 2 (1/13-15)                    36-95 [96-213]                        214-46 <M. 7-15>

Week 3 (1/20-22)                    Holiday                                   247-301 <M. 15-22>

Week 4 (1/27-29)                    302-47                                     348-85 <M. 22-28>                

Week 5 (2/3-5)                        386-409; [410-45b]; 446-74   475-519 <M. 28-34>                         

Week 6 (2/10-12)                    520-575                                   576-626 <M. 37-44>                         

Week 7 (2/17-19)                    Holiday                                   Out of town for conference

Week 8 (2/24-26)                    [627-62]; 663-718                   719-63

Week 9 (3/3-5)                        764-823; [824-65]                   866-905

Week 10 (3/10-12)                  906-75; [976-1419]                 Oral reports

Requirements:

Non-graded translation in class.

Oral Report: read and critique an article or chapter of a book and present your report in class. Recommendation: during Week 7, read article/chapter in preparation for delivery in class and consider a topic for the final essay, both in consultation with the instructor. Presentations will be given the final day of class.

Final Essay: write a 6-8 page essay (double spaced, 12 point) on a topic to be determined and submit in Canvas by Monday, March 17 at 11:59 PM.

Grade:

Participation in class                                       40%

Oral report                                                      30%

Final paper                                                      30%

Select bibliographical items (in addition to those in Mastronarde’s text):

Allan, W. Euripides: Medea. Duckworth companions to Greek and ������ tragedy. London 2002.

Bartel, H. and A. Simon, Unbinding Medea: Interdisciplinary Approaches to a Classical Myth from Antiquity to the 21st Century. London 2010.

Clauss, J.J. and S.I. Johnston, Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy and Art. Princeton 1997.

Griffiths, E. Medea. Gods and heroes of the ancient world. Routledge, 2006.

Markantonatos, A. Brill’s Companion to Euripides. Leiden, 2020. (available online through the library)

McClure, L.K. A Companion to Euripides. Wiley 2017. (available online through the library)

Stuttard, D. Looking at Medea: Essays and a Translation of Euripides' Tragedy. Bloomsbury Academic 2014.

The Emotions of Medea, Greece and Rome 68. 2021.

Important UW policy-related things to know:

• The UW's Religious Accommodations Policy: “Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at . Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the .”
• The UW's Student Conduct Code: "The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at 
• Access and Accommodation: Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions.  Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS.  It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

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