Ancient Greek and Roman Rhetorics – Basic Principles

The course aims to highlight the circumstances of the birth and development of the art of rhetoric during the ancient Greek and Roman periods and, on the one hand, to introduce students to the basic principles of political rhetoric and the characteristics of ancient Greek and Roman discourse and, on the other hand, to present the methodology for the analysis and decoding of ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical texts. In this context, among other things, the following are taught: the characteristics and contribution of the Attic rhetors, Platonic and Aristotelian concepts of rhetoric and politics, persuasion, patterns of intellect, rhetorical schemes, argumenta, types and parts of rhetorical discourse, rhetorical contests, rhetorical art and jurisprudence, rhetoric in modern and contemporary times, etc.

Upon successful completion of the course, postgraduate students will be able to:

-Understand the basic principles and characteristics of the art of rhetoric during the ancient Greek and Roman periods. 
-Identify the modes of operation of rhetorical-political discourse.
-know the basic modes and familiar methodology of analysis of ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical texts.
-Understand the influence of ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical art on modern times and the modern era.

Week 1: The birth and evolution of the art of rhetoric (political, social, economic conditions)

Week 2: Plato. Presentation and analysis of Platonic concepts of rhetoric and political art. Analysis of passages from Plato's works (The State, Gorgias, Apology, Laws).

Week 3: Aristotle. Presentation and analysis of Aristotelian concepts of rhetoric (rhetorical power, example, example, mnemonic, artless and artful beliefs, etc.). Analytical approach to extracts from Aristotle's works (Politics, Rhetoric, Ethical Nicomachees)

Week 4: Deliberative, forensic, demonstrative speeches (basic characteristics, analysis of examples, rhetorical places, parts of rhetorical discourse, rhetorical style)

Week 5: Lysias, Demosthenes, Isocrates. Presentation and analysis of passages.

Week 6: The art of rhetoric in Cicero's work (In Catalinam orationes, De inventione, De oratore, De partitiones oratoriae, De optimo genere oratorum, etc.) Analysis of passages. Seneca (Oratorum et Rhetorum Sententiae, Divisiones, Colores) 

Week 7: Persuasion, forensic rhetoric. Rhetorical schemes, schemes of intellect.  Logical-formal fallacy (argumenta). Theory of Dramatism

Week 8: Rhetoric and Law. Rhetoric, advocacy, law. Ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical art and jurisprudence.

Week 9: Discourses. Rhetorical struggles (Ancient Athens, Rome, modern and contemporary times).

Week 10: Rhetorical art - Critical art. Analysis of excerpts from classical plays (W. Shakespeare)

Week 11: The influence of ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical art during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Week 12: The influence of ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical art in modern times and the modern era

Week 13: Student paper presentations. Discussion

Θεοδωρακόπουλος, Βασίλειος. 1979-1980. «Πληροφορίες υποδομής για την ερμηνεία των ρητορικών κειμένων», Νέα Παιδεία, τ. 8, 107-124 και τ. 13, 86-93.

Σπυρόπουλος, Ηλίας Σ. 1992. Πλάτωνος Πρωταγόρας. Εισαγωγή, κείμενο, μετάφραση, ερμηνευτικά σχόλια, 4η έκδ., Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών, Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη, Θεσσαλονίκη.

Χατζοπούλου, Λίτσα. 1992. «Έργα ρητορικής και ποιητικής (18ος-19ος αι.)», Μαντατοφόρος τχ. 35-36, Ιούνιος-Δεκέμβριος, 59-147.

Büchner, Karl. 1979. «Cicero, M. Tullius» στο Der Kleine Pauly. Lexikon der Antike in fünf Bänden, τ. 1, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Μόναχο, 1174-1186.

Cole, Thomas. 1991. The Origins of Rhetoric in Ancient Greece, Βαλτιμόρη.

Fuhrmann, Manfred. 1995. Die antike Rhetorik. Eine Einführung, 4η έκδ., Artemis & Winkler Verlag, Ζυρίχη.

Pernot, Laurent. 2005. Η ρητορική στην αρχαιότητα. Μτφ. Ξανθίππη Τσελέντη, επιμ.

Βάλια Σερέτη, Δαίδαλος, Ι. Ζαχαρόπουλος, Αθήνα. 

Spengel, Leonard. 1856. Rhetores Graeci, vol. III, B. G. Teubner, Λειψία.

Δικτυογραφία

https://www.ebooks4greeks.gr/aristotelhs-peri-fysews-to-b-biblio-twn-fysikwn

https://www.ebooks4greeks.gr/tag/πλατωνασ

https://www.ebooks4greeks.gr/tag/ισοκρατησ

https://www.ebooks4greeks.gr/tag/δημοσθενουσ-λογοι

https://www.ebooks4greeks.gr/tag/λυσιας

https://www.didaktorika.gr/eadd/handle/10442/39705

https://www.didaktorika.gr/eadd/handle/10442/25045

https://www.ebooks4greeks.gr/tag/αρχαια-ελληνικη-γραμματεια

https://www.greek-language.gr/digitalResources/ancient_greek/library/index.html

https://www.plato-dialogues.org/plato.htm

https://plato.stanford.edu/

https://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/

https://philological.cal.bham.ac.uk/bibliography/index.htm

http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/index.html

https://mediterranees.net/art_antique/rhetorique/index.html

http://www.kirke.hu-berlin.de/kirke/autor.html

https://mcl.as.uky.edu/glossary-rhetorical-terms

http://virtualology.com/rhetoricaltheory/

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-rhetoric/

The course is two hours long and takes the form of a lecture with a dialectical method and with the help of PowerPoint and online material. At regular intervals exercises are given to consolidate the theoretical knowledge. The compulsory work assigned to postgraduate students combines theoretical knowledge, knowledge of the relevant literature and personal scientific research.

Use of ICT in teaching.

Graduate students are assessed throughout the semester, based on their participation in the teaching process and their response to the optional and compulsory assignments. The final assessment and grading is done through a written compulsory assignment of the semester, in which postgraduate students are required to apply part of what they have learned during the lectures by developing a research activity.