Shaping Change in Attitudes : Self-Reflective Writing about Homosexuality / Charles Lloyd.

This paper discusses the reinvention of an existing course, Ancient Greek Civilization, to introduce undergraduates to current scholarship by inviting them to participate in the controversies which both divide and determine the discipline of classical studies. The paper states that the course is based on the philosophy in Gerald Graff's book, "Beyond the Culture Wars: How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American Education," which is that students deserve to see a discipline as a living group of scholars who regularly engage in antagonistic discourse that questions the assumptions, methods, and content derived from them. It explains that five areas of controversy within the classics discipline were chosen: (1) Greek social values; (2) gender studies in ancient culture and literature; (3) ancient "sexuality"; (4) ethnicity as defined by the controversy about Martin Bernal's "Black Athena"; and (5) orality versus literacy in ancient Greek society. The paper discusses why the unit of greatest interest to the professor/author is the one on ancient "sexuality" and how that unit explores homosexuality and the sometimes acerbic dialogue between constructionists and essentialists on the issue of how and to what extent sexuality for 5th-century Athenians is culturally constructed. According to the paper, students need some self-exploration before entering this disciplinary skirmish, and four strategies to achieve this self examination--three involving personal, reflective writing--are suggested. The paper then details the rest of the unit material. Contains handouts and assignments, a questionnaire, journal guidelines, evaluation guidelines, and a sample journal entry. (NKA)

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