黑龙江大学外语部应用提高管理中心

European Culture: an Introduction欧洲文化入门课程教案Foreign Language Teaching and Research DepartmentHeilongjiang UniversityChapter One Greek Culture and Roman CultureI.Teaching ObjectivesOn completion of this Chapter, students should be able to:1. get to know the historical context of ancient Greece and ancient Rome2. be clear about the great achievements of ancient Greeks and Romans in various fields such as literature, philosophy, science and art.3. understand the significance and impact of Greek culture and Roman culture.II.The Points to Be Highlighted1. Democracy of ancient Greece.2. 3 styles of columns in ancient Greek architecture.3. The greatest names in European philosophy---- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle4. Impact(1). Spirit of Innovation(2). Supreme Achievement(3). Lasting effectIII.T eaching Approaches1. Pair/Group work2. Discussion 3 Task-based approach 4. Communicative approach 5. Questions and answerIV.Background Informationthe Parthenon (447—432 B.C.) --- the most important of ancient Greek Temples the finest monument of Greek architecture and sculpture in more than 2000 years V.Teaching Procedures and Contents1.Lead-in (or) Warming-upHow much do you know about Greece (ancient or modern)?Do you know when the first Modern Olympic Games was held?Homer was famous for two epics. Do you know what they are?There are many famous philosophers in ancient Greece. Could you name some of them?You must have ever heard of the following sentence, “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world.” Do you know who said it?2. S pecific ContentsGreek CultureA.The Historical Context(1). 1200 B.C. the war of Troya war was fought between Greece and Troy, ending in the destruction of Troy.(2). 5th century B.C. Greek culture reached a high point of development.--- successful repulse of the Persian invasion--- the establishment of democracy--- the flourishing of science, philosophy, literature, art and historical writing in AthensThe century closed with civil war between Athens and Sparta(3). In the second half of the 4th century B.C.all Greece was brought under the rule of Alexander, king of Macedon Greek culture wasspread(4). In 146 B.C. the Romans conquered GreeceB.Social and Political StructurePolitics --- Athens was a democracyDemocracy means “exercise of power by the whole people.”But “the whole people” the Greeks meant only the adult male citizens.Economy --- the economy of Athens rested on an immense amount of slave labour.Farm, workshop, mineThere was harsh exploitation in Greek societySports --- Greeks loved sportsA big festival on Olympus Mount once every 4 year ---- Olympic GamesModern Olympic Games revived in 1896 顾拜旦(法)C.Homer ( probably lived around 700 B.C.)Two epics: IliadOdysseusThey are about great men and wars of a remoter age, probably in the period 1200—1100 B.C D.Lyric PoetrySappho (about 612—580 B.C.) woman poetShe is noted for her love poems of passionate intensity, some of which are addressed to women. She was considered the most important lyric poet of ancient Greece. Many Greek and Latin writers know nearly all her poems by heart. But in the 10th century the Christian church burned her works. Only fragments remain. Two samples(1)I could not hopeTo touch the skyWith my two arms(2)In gold sandalsDawn like a thiefFell upon mePindar (about 518—438 B.C.)He is best known for his odes celebrating the victories at the athletic games, such as the 14 Olympian odes. Pindar also had imitators, such as the 17th-century English poet John Dryden. E.DramaOrigin: perform plays at religious festivals.Develop: in the 5th century B.C. a powerful drama developedStates: open-air theatres, audience sat on stone benches and looked down at the stage from three sides, actors wore masksTragedyAeschylus (525 — 456 B.C.)Works: Prometheus Bound, Persians, and AgamemnonIn these plays there are only two actors and a chorus. Yet they manage to stir and move the audience deeply by showing heroes and heroines in complicated human situations, out of which there is no escape but death. The play are written in verse.Aeschylus is noted for his vivid character portrayal and majestic poetrySophocles (496 --- 406 B.C.)Works: Oedipus the King, Electra《厄勒克特拉》, and Antigone《安提戈涅》 . Contribution: he added a third actor and decreased the size of the chorus.Sophodcles has had a strong impact on European literature. Some of his plots were taken over and adopted by later writers. The Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud’s term “the Oedipus complex” was also derived from Sophocles’s play.Euripides (484 --- 406 B.C.)Works: Andromache《安德洛玛刻》, Medea《美狄亚》, and Trojan WomenComedyAristophanes (about 450 --- 380 B.C.)Works: Frogs, Clouds, Wasps and BirdsThese plays are loose in plot and satirical in tone.F.HistoryHistorical writing started early in Greece.Herodotus (484 --- 430 B.C.)“Father of History”, he wrote about the wars between Greeks and Persians.His history, full of anecdotes and digressions and lively dialogue, is wonderfully readable.He kept alive many traditional stories, which were not always accurate.His object in writing was “that the great and wonderful deeds done by Greeks and Persians should not lack renown.”Thucydides (about 460 --- 404 B.C.)Younger than Herodotus, he is more accurate as an historian.He traced events to their causes and brought out their effects.He was never dull, but wrote with imagination and power.He was called “the greatest historian that ever lived.” by Macaulay (an eminent historian)G.Philosophy and ScienceThe ancient Greeks were curious about many things, including what made the universe. They had the spirit of free enquiry and were quite ready to drop established ideas, to speculate, to use their imagination and to form their own conclusions. They were also not afraid to speak theirminds.Pythagoras (about 580 --- 500 B.C.) had the idea that all things were numbers.Heracleitue (about 540 --- 480 B.C.) believed fire to be the primary element of the universeHe also said: You cannot step twice into the same river. The sun is new everydayDemocritus (about 460 --- 370 B.C.) speculated about the atomic structure of matter.He was one of the earliest exponents of the atomic theory.a.Socrates (about 470 --- 399 B.C.) details in textbook P-23The dialectical method --- method of argument, by questions and answers.Greek philosopher who initiated a question-and-answer method of teaching as a means of achieving self-knowledge. His theories of virtue and justice have survived through the writings of Plato, his most important pupil. Socrates was tried for corrupting the minds of Athenian youth and subsequently put to death (399).苏格拉底希腊哲学家，首创了问答工教学方法，作为获得认识自我的一种方法。