Classics: Greek History/Civilization I

Political, social, cultural, and literary development of ancient Greece with assignments appropriate to the introductory level. Students may take CLAS 1320 and CLAS 2320 or equivalent HST courses in different semesters as long as the topics covered are substantially different.

Colocated with CLAS 2320, HST 1705, HST 2705 Total combined enrollment = 138 Open to Degree and PACE students

A mixture of political, military, social, and economic history, this course will introduce students to the principal issues, events, and personalities of Greek History from the end of Persian Wars to Alexander the Great, including the Peloponnesian War. Issues to be treated include political systems—specifically constitutional theory and tensions between democracy and empire—war, trade and colonization, imperialism, law, agriculture, geography, climate and natural resources, slavery, gender, equality and inequality, identity construction, citizenship, sport, oratory, as well as urban and town planning. Primary sources include literature (Thucydides, Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, etc.), historical documents (inscriptions and coins), and archaeological sites and artifacts (pottery, metals, and building materials). One aim of this course is to understand the development of historical writing, the deliberate recording of events within a narrative framework. Students will study and evaluate a variety of primary sources and should be prepared both to question these sources and to scrutinize modern assessments of them. Students who have taken CLAS 21, CLAS 121, HST 21, HST 121 in fall 2021 are welcome to register. The textbook will be the same book used in fall 2021 (Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. 4th Edition, Pomeroy, Burstein, Donlan, Roberts, and Tandy, eds.). Please email the instructor if you have questions about registration.

Students are expected to complete all readings and attend class. Students should expect to spend approximately six hours a week on coursework per university policy regarding work required for a three-credit course, with additional time for assessments.

Quizzes, three tests. In addition, students registered in CLAS 2320 and HST 2705 will be required to write a ten-page research paper.