Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CL/HS 221"
COURSE NAME: "History of Ancient Greece"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2016

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Benedetta Bessi
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course examines the history of Ancient Greece from the Archaic Age to the Age of Alexander, the seventh through fourth centuries B.C.E. Focus will be on the rise of Athens and Sparta as the most influential city states in Greece; the development of their respective political, military and social systems; and the causes of the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War that paved the way for the rise of Macedon and domination of the Greek world, first under Philip II, and then his son, Alexander the Great, until his death in 323 B.C.E. Readings in translation will include Herodotus, Aristophanes, Plato, Thucydides, Xenophon, and Plutarch.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Topics included in the course are Bronze Age Greece, The Dark Ages, The Archaic period and the Birth of the Polis, The Rise of Athens and the Birth of Democracy, the Peloponnesian War, the Shift of Hegemonies and the Coming of Macedon, Alexander the Great and the Conquest of Asia.

In addition to this overview of political and social history, we will also discuss aspects of the cultural history of Greece such as religion, family, education, gender etc.

Very important: please note that a museum visit might be included and considered an integral part of the course; in case, students are expected to pay for their entrance fee (around 10 euros).

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the course, students will have learned of the methods and strategies by which key Greek city-states and kingdoms, e.g. Athens, Sparta and Macedon expanded into politically and militarily strong, ethnically diverse and geographically complex powers as well as the reasons for their eventual collapse. Key Skills Taught - Critical analysis of sources - Clearer writing ability - More lucid oral expression - Greater facility in working independently and in teams

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
A History of Ancient Greece	S. Pomeroy et alii	OUP	0199981558

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
group presentation		15%
research paper (2000 words)		20%
midterm exam		25%
final exam		30%
attendance and class participation		10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance will be taken at each scheduled class session. Each unjustified absence after the fourth absence will result in your course grade being lowered by 3 points, e.g. after the second unjustified absence, a cumulative total of 87 would be lowered to an 84, changing one’s grade from a B+ to a B. In the event of justifiable absences, i.e. illness or serious injury, please bring a note from the doctor or the Dean of Student Affairs.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Session	Session Focus	Reading Assignment	Other Assignment	Meeting Place/Exam Dates
Jan 18	Introduction to the course and material.
Jan 20	The Greek World in the Bronze Age: The Minoan-Mycenan Civilization	Textbook, ch. 1
Jan 25	The Dark Age of Greece and the Eight Century Renaissance	Textbook, ch. 2
Jan 27	Archaic Greece	Textbook, ch. 3
Feb 1	Sparta	Textbook, ch. 4
Feb 3	Students presentation: Greek religion and mythology		Material prepared by the students
Feb 8	The Growth of Athens and the Persian Wars	Textbook, ch. 5
Feb 10	The Persian Wars	Textbook, ch. 5	Herodotus, Histories, selected passages
Feb 15	The Growth of Athenian Democracy	Textbook, ch. 6
Feb 17	Student Presentation: Greek Art and Architecture	Material prepared by the students
Feb 22	Periclean Athens	Textbook, ch. 5
Feb 24	Students presentation: Greek War and Warfare	Material prepared by the students
Feb 29	review for midterm exam	Ch. 1-6
Mar 1	Midterm exam
Mar 4	Make up day
Mar 7	Greece on the Eve of the Peloponnesian War	Textbook, ch. 7
Mar 9	Students presentation: The Greek Way of Life	Material prepared by the students
Mar 14	The Course of the Peloponnesian War	Textbook, ch. 8 Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, selected passages
Mar 16	Research skills workshop	the students
Mar 21	The Peloponnesian War Part II	Textbook, ch. 8 Thuc., The Peloponnesian War, selected passages
Mar 23	The Crisis of the Polis and the Age of Shifting	Textbook, ch. 9
Mar 28	Spring Break
Mar 30	Spring Break
Apr 4	Chicago notes and bibliography workshop	Library material
Apr 6	Philip II and the Rise of Macedon	Texbook, ch. 10
Apr 11	Students presentation: Greek Economy	Material prepared by the students
Apr 13	Alexander the Great	Textbook, ch. 11
Apr 18	Alexander by O. Stone	Plutarch, Life of Alexander
Apr 20	Alexander's Successors and the Cosmopolis	Textbook, ch. 12	RESEARCH PAPER DUE
Apr 27	Epilogue: the Hellenistic World and the Coming of Rome-wrap us session and review	Textbook, Epilogue