CLAS 2010

Starting off, I’m a STEM major so I walked into the class because I really liked Greek myths and the culture. But in all honesty, this class was very tiring and sometimes a burden especially when I tried focusing on the classes that mattered for my major. The amount of reading for the class is way too much for a 3 credit class and if you didn’t attend lecture, good luck because that’s where everything is and there’s no recording of it besides the slides. Professor Dillery is really passionate about what he teaches, but at times it gets annoying because he often goes off track. The grading system of the class also is not really great since your entire grade depends on 5 things: a pre midterm paper(20%) , midterm(20%), pre final paper(20%), final(30%), discussion(10%). So if you mess up even one then your leeway to get an A drops immensely. I ended with an A and to do that I would often read the readings by skimming the 75+ page ones and then paying attention in lecture. While taking lecture notes, I ignored everything else besides 3 things: the context/background, location of content(pg # and line), and the importance(what it says about Greek culture). My notes were enough for me to get an A and I think it really matters how much work you put into the class. If you are a good writer and take notes well, do not stress for the class, but if you don’t like the content and are not ready for fast paced readings, then I recommend not taking this class. Overall, I liked the content, but I found myself frustrated over the level of work I had to do when it didn’t event benefit me much.

Dillery's lectures are far and away the best part of this course. The passion he has for the subject is evident, and he has the ability to turn a seemingly dull topic into something captivating. I also enjoyed how the course was designed. All the themes that we cover in class tie together in interesting and insightful ways throughout the readings and lectures. It's clear that a lot of work went into figuring out which readings to include in the syllabus. That being said, the readings are certainly a lot of work. Three fiftyish page long readings are assigned per-week, meaning you have to stay on top of the work because if you get behind it can be hard to catch up. Thankfully, in lecture Dillery goes over which passages in particular you need to know for the exam. This means that if you are going to skip readings, going to lecture is essential to succeeding on the midterm and final. The course also includes two 4-5 page papers. This is not made super clear in class, but the main thing that they look for in essays is original ideas and creativity. The TAs want to see that you synthesized the themes discussed in class with your own reading of the text. Overall, I would say that if you are interested in the subject and are willing to do the readings, take this class!

This class wasn't quite what I was expecting and hoping for if I'm being honest. I thought it would be more about Greek history when it was more about the literature and culture. They are related of course but it felt more like an English class than a history one. That being said, the content was still interesting and I still enjoyed the class. There is a lot of reading to do, which can be overwhelming when you look at the reading schedule. My tip is to try to split up the reading as much as you can, I found it more manageable to read 20-30 pages per day than read 50+ pages in one day, but up to you I guess. The lectures can be a bit dull at times because Professor Dillery essentially just goes through the key parts of the readings and tells you the passages you need to know for the exams. The exams themselves are passage identifications (make note of the quotes he gives in class and you'll be fine), terms and definitions (mostly just knowing character names or events) and essays. The essays for the exams as well as the papers (5 pages) are pretty much about different themes discussed throughout the course and using the readings to make argument. The readings aren't really necessary because he goes over all the important parts in class, but it does help to read them so you know the context of all the events. I will say that you can find most of the reading online as pdfs so look for those before you go out and buy all the books. Good Luck!

The subject matter is actually pretty interesting but this is not a course that you can allow yourself to fall behind in when it comes to reading. There is a significant amount of reading that is required to be completed before lecture and discussion. Some of the works were enjoyable and others were quite a slog to endure. The lectures themselves honestly feel rather pointless. It's usually just a summary of what we read along with some key ideas. Professor Dillery is no doubt qualified for the job but he isn't exactly engaging or exciting. After a few weeks, this class can really get boring if you don't put active effort into it.

Excellent lecturing; tells you everything you need to know for papers/exams, down to the exact passage. As long as you pay attention and take good notes in lecture, you can get away with doing barely any of the readings. There are two 5 page papers, each of which are worth 20% of your final grade. Midterm is 20%, final is 30%, participation and one quiz in section are the remaining 10%. Dillery can be a little intransigent in terms of flexibility with due dates/exam dates, but that doesn't really matter, since your TA does the grading anyways (my TA, Newman, was very nice and gave me several extensions.) If you're a good writer and pay attention in class, this course will be a breeze.

I really enjoyed this class, although it was different from what I expected. It's not as much of a study of Greek history as it is a examination of Greek values. The only work homework for this class was to complete the reading assignments. The readings are somewhat long, but I found nearly all of them to be very interesting with the exception of Thucydides. If you enjoy reading, you won't struggle with completing the assignments. In addition, there are two 5 page papers and a midterm and final. I did all of the reading for this class, but many people skimmed or skipped the books. Professor Dillery goes over the important passages during lecture and you can probably get by on the exams without doing the readings if you study your lecture notes. That being said, I would definitely recommend going to the lectures because Professor Dillery gives you the passages that will come up on the exams. I had Alison Newman as my TA and she was excellent, highly recommend taking it with her if possible! Overall, if you put the work in and TAKE GOOD NOTES, it is definitely doable to get an A in this class.

Very interesting class and you can tell professor Dillery is very passionate about the topic. The readings could be a bit long at times, but as long as you take note on the important passages during lecture, you'll be fine.

Great professor! A LOT of reading, but you don't have to do it all. I didn't. There are two papers that are difficult, but the TAs are easy graders.

I loved the content of the book but did not know how much reading I would have to do. really do read the readings, you will be stressed tf out if you dont. The essays are graded fairly but they expect a lot out of you. I was so happy when I received an A- on my last paper after getting a B- on my first one. DO THE READINGS!!! and take your own personal notes while reading

Do not underestimate the readings, there are SO many. In the beginning, reading the Iliad and the Odyssey aren't so bad but then you move into Herodotus and Thucydides and they were pretty hard to get through in my experience. It is pretty standard to have 100 pages of readings for each the Tuesday and Thursday lectures and then 100 more between Thursday and Friday for discussion. Other than that, Dilly is a really good lecturer and tells you exactly what you need to know for the tests as long as you take good notes. Tests were fair, the grading on the papers kind of bothered me because he only wanted to see his own ideas reflected on paper but otherwise, alright. It's not hard to do well in this class.

This class is very interesting for anyone who likes Ancient Greece/mythology, but be warned it includes a LOT of reading. I didn't mind all of the readings, usually about a book or two per week, but I could see someone disliking the course if they don't find the topic interesting because you have to read for every class. That being said, Professor Dillery is a phenomenal lecturer who is really enthusiastic about Greek classic literature and Ancient Greece. He had interesting lectures that always included some form of culture lesson as well, usually with art or architecture. He made sure to go over in detail every reading assignment in class, which was helpful for some of the more obscure works. I also had a great TA, Evan Waters, who made the discussions bearable on a Friday morning. The two papers were manageable and were fairly graded. I'd highly recommend this class to anyone who likes Ancient Greece and reading!

I really loved this class! I was a little worried about how much reading it seemed like we had to do, but honestly it wasn't bad, and Dillery explains them all so well in class. Dillery is a GREAT lecturer. There are two papers, a midterm, and a final. As long as you go to class and take notes you should do fine. I highly recommend this class!

Professor Dillery is very enthusiastic and passionate about the subject which is nice because even if you aren't that interested in Greek Civ the lectures are usually pretty interesting. It is a VERY reading heavy course. You have to buy like 7 or 8 books and read large amounts for each class so be prepared for that. The papers are usually pretty easy and the exams are easy if you go to lecture because Dillery goes over all of the passages you will need to know in class. It's not the greatest class, but was definitely not as bad as I thought it would be.

This class is amazing! The professor is very enthusiastic about his work and is always makes the lectures interesting. There is a lot of reading so beware, this is not an easy class. However, even if you have no prior knowledge of Greek Myth then you can definitely take this class because that is who it's targeted towards. I definitely recommend taking this class and experiencing having such an enthusiastic professor!

So much reading, but Dillery is an awesome professor. I recommend this class highly

This class was a ton of reading, a lot of times you needed to read about 70 pages for each class. I found a lot of the readings to be interesting though. Two exams for this class and two short papers (5 pages). Going to class is important because the exams are mainly all passage identifications from passages focused on in class. If you do the readings and pay attention in class you will do fine. Dillery makes lectures interesting as well. Harold Reeves is also a good TA. If you are interested in Greek Civilization and don't mind the reading then you should take this class. If not, then avoid this class and save yourself a ton of time from all the reading.

A ton of reading, definitely more than was necessary...the exams were based almost entirely on the readings...the only connection to the lectures was that passages discussed in class were covered in lectures as well...too much reading, really only worthwhile if you are a Classics major or if you have an interest in Greek literature.

So this class is very misleading in that you do not learn about Greek Civilization. You learn about Greek values through ancient Greek literature. There is usually about 200-300 pages of fairly dense Greek reading a week (Plato, Aristophanes, Homer etc). Make sure you know what you're signing up for before you take this class! Listen to every quote that professor Dillery mentions in class because the tests are passage identification (identify the author, speaker, significance, chapter # etc.) and are very specific to his lessons. Overall he is a very passionate lecturer, but since I was not interested in Greek literature, the class got very dull sometimes. Papers aren't bad, but send them to the TA to review! It helps! And Bouxsein was an awesome TA. This was a rewarding course in that I learned a good bit and it was hard sometimes, but in retrospect I regret taking it. If you do all the work and reading, it takes hours and hours a week. The grading is pretty fair, though. If you put the right work in to it you'll be fine. Seriously, though, if you aren't interested in Greek literature... do not take this class!

John Dillery is the best professor I have had at UVA, he really likes his job. Interesting class that I really enjoyed.