Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 3 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Syllabus Archive

The following syllabi come from a variety of different terms. They illustrate the evolution of this course over time, and are intended to provide alternate views into the instruction of this course.

Fall 2010, Steven Ostrow (PDF)

Fall 2009, Steven Ostrow (PDF)

Fall 2008, Steven Ostrow (PDF)

Fall 2007, Steven Ostrow (PDF)

Fall 2006, Steven Ostrow (PDF)

Fall 2005, William Broadhead and Steven Ostrow (PDF)

Fall 2004, William Broadhead and Steven Ostrow (PDF)

Description

This course elaborates the history of Ancient Greece from the Bronze Age to the death of Alexander. It covers major social, economic, political, and religious trends. It also includes discussions on Homer, heroism, and the Greek identity; the hoplite revolution and the rise of the city-state; Herodotus, Persia, and the (re)birth of history; Empire, Thucydidean rationalism, and the Peloponnesian War; Platonic constructs; Aristotle, Macedonia, and Hellenism. Emphasis is on use of primary sources in translation.

Class Participation

Your grade for class participation will be based on the following:

Attendance

You are required to attend both the Tuesday/Thursday lectures and your Friday discussion section every week.

Reading

You are required to complete all reading assignments in time for the meeting with which they are associated, as indicated on the schedule.

Active Participation

You are expected to arrive at your weekly discussion sections having completed all the reading and prepared to pose questions and actively to contribute to the discussion of the material covered that week.

Papers

The four required writing assignments for this course are as follows:

Paper 1

Five to six pages in length, the first paper will be due on lecture 11.

Paper 2

Five to six pages in length, the second paper will be due on lecture 23.

Revision

Since this course has been designated as a CI subject, all students are required to revise and resubmit one of their papers. In our case, you will be required to revise and resubmit either Paper #1 or Paper 2. Students who receive a grade lower than B on Paper 1 will be required to revise that paper; all others may choose which of the two papers they would prefer to revise. As part of the revision process, all students will be required to attend a 30-minute tutorial with the writing tutor for this course, at which you will have the opportunity to discuss strategies for improving the quality of your writing.

Paper 3

Ten to twelve pages in length, the final paper will be due at the last meeting of the course, on lecture 36. The final paper is intended not only to be longer, but also to be wider in scope and more adventurous in argument. Students will, with guidance, choose their own topics for these papers and will be required to submit a substantial outline of their proposed topic and argument no later than lecture 31. Students are strongly encouraged to schedule a second tutorial with the writing tutor to discuss the outline of their final paper.

Course Requirements and Grading