Alphabetic writing is one of the inventions we can study here. Arguably (Barry Powell argues it) the alphabet proper was developed to record a definite text of Homer's--previously oral--Trojan War poetry. After a number of revolutions (lots of literature--see for instance Friedrich A. Kittler's work,
especially Aufschreibesysteme 1800 / 1900. München 1985, 2. erw. Aufl. München 1987, 3. vollständig überarbeitete Aufl. München 1995.
engl.: Discourse Networks 1800 / 1900, with a foreword by David E. Wellbery. Stanford/Ca. 1990, paperback 1992.
Grammophon Film Typewriter. Berlin 1986.
engl.: Gramophone Film Typewriter. Minneapolis, London 1997)
Assignments for this course are based on a rigorous notion of writing as learning. As we learn about anything--here it's ancient history and the writing of ancient history--we need (1) to discover things about the subject, (2) unlearn old things that get in the way of this new knowledge, (3) get the new knowledge into our memory by putting it in our own words and (4) figure out how to apply the new learning to other things we care about. Writing figures in all of these operations, but only if we'll let it: we need to write out, in our words (words that are meaningful to us), what we think we're finding out. We need to edit critically, to eliminate the words that describe something we no longer believe because we've learned something new. And we need to test out and confirm our knowledge by trying to apply it in new ways.
Concretely, the assignments for this course are shorter and longer written pieces:
Short pieces: We'll write to class folder in the CC Outlook system. For this you need to log on. You'll find the folder in Public Folders-All Public Folders-Academic Departments-Classics-Cramer (sorry for all the clicks). Try to write short (1 screen) e-essays frequently; (or bring to class equivalent length printouts in multiple copies).
Once a week circulate a longer, better worked out paper (or hand it in to me). When you want a grade, send it to me individually, or tell me which posting from the folder you want me to grade.
Honor system works like this: cite all modern sources in bibliographical footnotes, including sources of quotations or references other than "common knowledge" (and be conservative in deciding it's "common") (Ancient texts are cited in brief form in the body of your text). Work alone on final exam and keep to the time limit and instructions.
Note about the Internet: A lot of what passes for research these days is found by Googling and by clicking from one Internet site to another. Some of this material is very good, and on the Readings, Schedule and Links pages I've identified a good deal of it. If I've picked it out it's probably academically sound, meaning that it (1) makes sense and (2) comes from someone with qualifications to be doing the scholarly work a site presents. Lots of sites aren't sound in that way.
One of the least productive ways to write about anything is to cut and paste out of web pages you don't know well enough to critique: and if you look above at the writing as learning blurb, you'll see that cutting and pasting where you don't know the material violates the rules about discovering, unlearning, putting into our own words and applying knowledge in writing.