Syllabus for:

History 343: Ancient Greece

Call# 13595

Room 209 MWF 11:00 – 11:50

 

William Caraher                                                Office: Merrifield 209   a/b                              

Department of History                          Office Phone: 777-6379

william.caraher@und.nodak.edu                       Office Hours: MWF 12:00 – 1:00

 

Introduction and Welcome:

Hello!  And I hope you all had a pleasant and relaxing summer vacation.  The following syllabus outlines the philosophy, procedures, and standards for this class.  The attached reading list will provide you with the readings for the course which are from either the textbook or from primary sources (namely Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch).  In addition to these readings there will be supplemental readings which I will post from time to time on the class’s web site.  This class is very reading intensive, but it will introduce you to many of the most significant works of literature from ancient Greece.

 

It is important to stress up front that this course will have an ESSENTIAL online component.  So, it is crucial that you become familiar and comfortable with the class web site in Blackboard where course material, class discussions, and supplemental material will be posted daily. The web page can be accessed by going to “My UND (Blackboard)” on the University’s main web site (www.und.nodak.edu), and then clicking on the “My UND (Blackboard)” tab under the FOR STUDENTS heading on the left side of the webpage.   It will be essential for you to become comfortable with the course’s website and check it daily. 

 

The class reading list and syllabus is on the website now!

Consult it today!!

 

Course Goals:

The primary goal of this course is to explore the history and legacy of Classical Greece through a reading and interpreting of primary sources.  To do this we will not only examine the political, religious, social, and cultural significance of the ancient texts but also analyze how various groups have used these documents over time.  Complementing the study of text will be the analysis of the material culture of Greece and its role in establishing the cultural legacy of Greek antiquity.

 

The goals of the class, therefore, can be summarized as follows:

  1. To develop a basic understanding of the Greek society, political organization, religion, and culture in antiquity.
  2. To become familiar with the some of the key primary sources for the study of Greek history. 
  3. To sketch a basic outline of the way that antiquity has influenced the political, social, religious and cultural developments of the Greek peninsula and the West more generally from prehistory until the recent past.

 

Assignments and Grading:

Midterm 25%

This will be an in class essay exam administered during the 7th week of the quarter. 

 

Paper 25%

            This paper will be based on a more intensive reading and analysis of two or more of the primary sources assigned in the class.  The paper will be relatively short 5-7 pages, but I will expect it to be well written and draw heavily upon the primary documents.  It will be due the 12th week of the quarter.

 

Final 35%

            The final will be a midterm covering the final third of the class (25%) plus a cumulative question.

 

Participation 15%

            Participation will be awarded based on in class and online discussion. 

 

Discussion and Participation:

Each week there will be time set aside in class when we will discuss the primary source readings in some depth.  To focus and facilitate discussion, I will post questions on the class web page each week in order to help guide your reading, since at times the reading load will be quite high. Once these questions are posted, it would be advisable for you to discuss them in the online discussion board prior to in class discussion.  Participation on the class discussion board will count toward your overall participation grade and provides an opportunity for students who are less comfortable participating in discussions conducted in class to receive credit and influence their fellow students.  Even if you decide not to discuss the sources online, it will remain absolutely necessary for all students to follow the online discussion.  It goes without saying that the in class and online discussions will produce material that will appear on tests and in your papers.  Moreover, all discussion provides you with opportunities to test ideas, explore your own understanding of the material, and become comfortable participating in an educated and informed discourse. 


 

Reading List:

This is the reading list for the semester.  It may appear pretty daunting, but I can give you some tips on tackling it.  First, reading the primary sources should be your top priority.  You can use the textbook as a resource.  Second, I will post questions weekly to guide your readings.  Read the entire assignment, but focus your attention on the issues I raise in the weekly questions.  Finally, get started early.  You will notice that some readings are assigned for multiple weeks.  This is to encourage you to get reading early.  If you try to leave any of this to the last minute, you will really struggle.  Be sure to note that some of the readings are on the class web site and some remain TBA (to be announced!). 

 

 

 

Week 1 August 25-27

Introduction

 Brief History, Introduction.

 

Week 2 August 30-September 3

Early Prehistory

Thucydides Book 1: 1-22

Brief History, 12-16.

 

Week 3 September 8-10

Minoans

Homer, Iliad Books 1-2

Brief History, 16-22.

 

Week 4 September 13-17

Mycenaeans

Homer, Iliad, Book 1, 2, 18

Brief History, 22-35.

 

Week 5 September 20-24

Homer and the Dark Ages

Homer, Iliad, Books 11-23

Brief History, 36-60.

 

Week 6 September 27-October 1

Archaic Period

Herodotus Book 1 and Book 3 (especially 3.80-85)

Archaic Lyric Poetry (online)

Brief History, 61-90.

 

Week 7 October 4-8

Archaic-Classical Period

Herodotus Books 6-8

Thucydides Books 1

Brief History, 91-165.

Midterm Exam

 

Week 8 October 11-15

Classical Greece

Thucydides Books 2-5

Aescylus, Persae (online)

Brief History, 138-199.

 

Week 9 October 18-22

Classical Period

Thucydides Books 4-6

Brief History, 200-224.

 

Week 10 October 25-29

Late Classical Period

Thucydides Book 7

Plato, Crito (online)

Sophocles, Antigone (online)

Brief History, 225-253.

 

Week 11 November 1-5

Alexander and the Birth of Hellenism

Plutarch, Life of Demosthenes

Plutarch, Life of Alexander

Brief History, 254-293

 

Week 12 November 8-12

Hellenistic World and The Coming of Rome

November 11 Holiday

Polybius, TBA (online)

Plutarch, TBA (online)

Brief History, 294-329.

Paper due November 10th

 

Week 13 November 15-19

Roman and Late Roman Greece

Pausanius, Description of Greece (excerpts) (online)

 

 

Week 14 November 22-24

Early Christian and Byzantine Hellenism

Reading TBA (online)

 

Week 15 November 29-December 3

Post – Byzantine Greece and Classical Identities

Reading TBA (online)

 

Week 16 December 6-8

Modern Greece and the Ancient Past

Reading TBA (online)