GROUP ASSIGNMENT:

Each group will:

a. pick a passage, fifty to seventy-five lines in length, from any Greek tragedy;

b. study the passage as a group, so that you all thoroughly understand it and each one of you can answer any reasonable question about the text;

- this includes not only factual questions (“who is so-and-so?”) but literary questions (“what does this sentence tell us about her character?”, “with what emotion does he speak this line?”, “how does this scene relate to the larger themes of the play?”, etc. etc.)

c. prepare a fifteen-minute oral report highlighting everything you found interesting about the passage you have chosen;

- expect me to question you on this report

d. prepare to perform the passage in its entirety.

- the performance will be a dramatic reading; you don’t have to memorize anything but you should practice enough to read the passage fluenty and, yes, dramatically

The fine print:

i. students will work in groups of three or four. if you wish to work together with someone in particular let me know before noon on February 24 (rosivach@mail.fairfield.edu). if I do not hear from you, I will assign you to a group myself.

ii. the entire presentation (report, performance, questions, and comments should take an hour).

iii. I would like to hear these reports on Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and April 26. Reports that cannot be heard on the weekend will be scheduled for the first reading day.

iv. in the final group report every member of the group is responsible for everything.

v. remember: this assignment is worth 20% of you semester grade. prepare accordingly.