These quotations offer only a tiny fraction of the ideas that have been expressed about Cleopatra over the last 2000 years, for Cleopatra has exercised a hold over the imagination of people everywhere as no other woman has ever done. But who was Cleopatra?  Tarn’s comment may be the best answer we can give: her ‘true history’ may well be unknowable.  But the ways in which Cleopatra has been depicted over the centuries presents us with a more intriguing, and more interesting, question than that of who she really was. To the Romans, she was represented as the foreign queen who tried to steal their empire and who represented the most dangerous threat to their civilization in 200 years, but to the Egyptians she may have been a goddess incarnate, the universal mother, and a liberator who came to free them from oppression. Artists and writers since her death have not hesitated to offer their images of Cleopatra, as we shall see.  This course will examine these depictions of Cleopatra in a variety of different mediums to explore how each society has created their own image of this bewitching figure.

The primary objective of this course is for first-year students to see the complexity that lies behind a seemingly simple topic, and to develop the enthusiasm for probing deeply into such subjects that will carry them into more advanced coursework.  Specifically students will learn:

• To describe the basic historical context of the life and times of Cleopatra
• To read and write critically across a variety of disciplines
• To recognize the complexity of any individual fact or figure
• To recognize how images may be constructed to suit the conceptions of individuals or the society in which they live

  As a First-Year Seminar, this class is intended to promote "significant intellectual exchange both between the instructor and the students and among the students." This will be a discussion-based class; very rarely will I lecture, and then only to provide background that I think is essential to our discussions. I see my role as that of coach and guide, trying to steer our discussions in a fruitful direction. Each student needs to assume the responsibility for being prepared to ask questions of myself and your fellow students, to offer answers to the questions of others, and to support the claims you are making.

You will EARN your grades in this course based on a variety of activities throughout the term. You should view each of these activities as an opportunity to impress upon the instructor your preparation and your knowledge of the material. I promise that I will fairly and thoroughly evaluate your work, but ultimately the grade you receive is based on the quality of work you do. Specifically, your term grade will be based on your performance in the following areas:

Collegiality (20%): In essence, this part of your grade is determined by how good a colleague you are to your fellow students. Among other things, collegiality may be demonstrated by: your on-time arrival and attendance at class; your completion of assigned readings before class; your presence in class throughout the entire class session; your active participation in all class activities; your attendance at the movies (see below), and your ability and willingness to master the course material in a creative and sophisticated manner. In particular, the collegiality portion of your grade will be based on the following course requirements:

• Preparation. You should come to every class with the assigned readings read and absorbed. As you do the readings, take notes (either in the margins or on a separate piece of paper). Consider the study questions posted in Blackboard, and prepare thoughtful questions of your own about the readings; a good question is worth much more than a good answer. Try to make connections between the different authors that you read throughout the semester. Reading is not the same as thinking or knowing. In class we will be building on what you have read rather than repeating what was written in your texts; if you have not done the reading carefully, you will not find class time productive, and you will find it that much harder to study effectively for quizzes and to write good papers. Make sure you will bring all the relevant texts with you to class each day.
• Class Participation. While many assume that participation is synonymous with talking in class, I would encourage you to think about participation as both talking and listening. A good colleague is one who listens to his or her colleagues, the instructor and the authors, then adds to the existing conversation. To be a good participant, you need to listen, think about what your heard, and then offer your own voice to the discussion.
• Conversation. The classroom is an excellent place to work with others, but it is not the only place. I strongly encourage students to talk to me outside of class – come to my office anytime, meet me in the coffee shop, or make a lunch appointment with me. I want to know what you are thinking about as we work through the material, what bothers or interests you about it, and what you would like to explore further. If you have been to class and kept up with the readings, I assure you that this will be the easiest (and hopefully one of the more enjoyable) requirements for this course.
• Movies. We will screen a series of movies over the course of the semester, on Monday evenings. You should view these as another opportunity to consider different representations of Cleopatra and another opportunity for us to engage in conversation. You should attend at least three films over the course of the term and contribute to the discussion that will follow. Popcorn to be provided by the instructor!

Short Argumentative paper (20%):  Students will write one short (5-page) paper on a historical aspect of the career of Cleopatra.  Suggested paper topics will be distributed in class well before the due date, but students are free to choose their own topic in consultation with the instructor.

Research Paper (50%):  Each student will write a 10-12 page paper that explores the representation of Cleopatra in more detail.  Students will develop these papers on their own in consultation with the professor, beginning with a prospectus and bibliography, and including the submission of an outline in addition to the final draft, which will be due on November 26.  Loosely speaking these papers might pursue one of two paths. Students might  1) explore a particular time period and its representations of Cleopatra in two or more genres (fiction, drama, poetry, art, history): Is there a consistent image of Cleopatra that appears across the different genres?  If there are differences, where do they emerge and what might account for those differences? Alternatively, students might 2) explore a particular ‘type’ of Cleopatra (for instance, using Hughes-Hallett's categories, the Queen, the Lover, the Killer, the Suicide, the Foreigner, the Woman, the Child)  as represented in two or more time periods: What accounts for the same image appearing in two different time periods?  What did those societies have in common that they chose to emphasize the same aspects of Cleopatra's life and personality?  Are there any differences in how those societies used these ‘types’ and what might account for them?

Final Essay (10%): Over the course of the semester we will be encountering many different narratives of the life of Cleopatra. At the end of the semester, each student will be asked to compose his or her own narrative, using whatever format the students chooses and emphasizing whatever aspects of Cleopatra’s character seem most significant to that student. This narrative will be due on the final day of classes; there will be no final exam.

• The dates of the assignments given on the class schedule are firm. 
  To ensure fairness for all students, I do not give extensions except in cases of documented medical or family emergency.  Late papers are penalized one-half grade for every day they are late.  After two weeks, late papers are not accepted at all and are scored a zero. 
• Please come see me as soon as possible if you are having trouble keeping up with your work. I know that crises sometimes arise unexpectedly in the middle of the semester, and one of the ways in which you will judged as you enter the ‘real world’ is how you handle such crises. You will find that I am quite sympathetic to those who notify me as soon as they start having difficulty or notice a problem cropping up and come discuss it with me, but I have a ‘tin ear’ for those who send me an email on the morning a paper is due.  I want to see everyone in this class succeed, but you need to take responsibility for your own success.  My office hours are for you: I guarantee to be there at those designated times, but I am usually in my office at other times as well, and you are encouraged to schedule an appointment with me outside those hours if you like.
• I will strictly enforce the University policy on academic honesty.  The following is quoted from the Academic Handbook: "Academic dishonesty can take many forms, including but not limited to the following: plagiarism, which is the misrepresentation of someone else's words, ideas, research, images, or video clips as one's own; submitting the same paper for credit in more than one course without prior permission; collaborating with other students on papers and submitting them without instructor permission; cheating on examinations; mistreatment of library materials; forgery; and misuse of academic computing facilities."  I suggest each student read the complete policy, which includes examples of plagiarism, at: http://www.ups.edu/dean/Handbook/honesty.html.
• Special Note on Electronic Resources:  The World Wide Web is a wonderful tool, and we will make extensive use its resources.  But there are also several big disadvantages to the Web.  One is that it is huge, nearly infinite, and this means that it can often be quite frustrating trying to track down specific pieces of information.  Trust me, I know from pulling your syllabus together!  The best place to start your research is still in the library, with the reference librarian or even (gasp!) the library catalog. The second big disadvantage is that because almost anyone can post on the Internet, there is a lot of junk out there along with all the good stuff.  In order to save you from hours of fruitless searching which leads you straight to a pile of rubbish, my policy is that you may not use information taken off the web unless the site is directly linked to the course website.  Please respect this policy; if you find a website that you think is respectable, let me know.  I will explore it and link it directly to the course homepage if it checks out.