CLA 254: Greek History Term 6 Spring 2020

Dr. Nick Wagner College Hall 103 Class meetings: M-F 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. email: [email protected] Russell (Thomas Commons) Phone: 319-895-4421 Office hours: M,W 3:30-4:30 pm, by appointment

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes:

This course will survey over 1000 years of Greek culture and history, from its beginnings in the Bronze Age up through the Hellenistic Period (roughly 1000 BCE to around 300 BCE). We will focus mostly on the archaic and classical periods — starting with the period when the and Odyssey attained their present form, followed by the rise of the distinctive Greek city-state (the ), the emergence and growth of democracy, and the most famous works of Greek art and architecture reflecting these changes. These periods cover the birth of Greek tragedy and comedy, philosophy, the greatest wars of Greece’s history and the historians who covered them. These periods saw developments in science, medicine, philosophy, art, and literature that are still felt today. We will study the voices of the ancient Greeks themselves, and let those voices guide our understanding of who they were and what they did.

This course supports the Educational Priorities and Outcomes of Cornell College and places an emphasis upon knowledge, inquiry, reasoning, communication, and intercultural literacy.

Over the course of the term, we will learn to analyze and interpret the sources used to study Greek history and ancient history more generally. These include literary texts and historical prose, art, archaeology, inscriptions, and other remains (Inquiry, Reasoning, Intercultural Literacy).

Students will become familiar with the basic elements of the Greek historical period, the names of major figures in Greek history and culture, and the major questions scholars pose about the ancient Greeks but also examine the way the history we “know” is shaped by the questions we choose — or choose not — to ask. In doing so, students will consider and investigate cultural interactions in the ancient world by situating Greece within its wider ancient Mediterranean context alongside , Persia, and the Near East (Knowledge, Inquiry, Intercultural Literacy).

Students will learn to analyze, evaluate, and critique course material and communicate their findings effectively in their writing and in class discussions. They will also learn to analyze and utilize these sources relative to current discussions and debates. In other words, they will learn how study of the ancient world informs the present and vice versa (Inquiry, Communication, Reasoning).

1 of 8 Required Texts:

Pomeroy — : A Political, Social, and Cultural History. Sarah B. Pomeroy, Stanley M. Burstein, Walter Donlan, Jennifer Tolbert Roberts, David W. Tandy with Georgia Tsouvala. Fourth Edition. Oxford University Press. 2018.

Herodotus. The Histories, transl. Aubrey de Sélincourt, Penguin , London and New York: Penguin Books. 2003.

Thucydides. The . P. J. Rhodes (ed.), Martin Hammond (transl.). Oxford World's Classics. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

SHD — Matthew Dillon and Lynda Garland, Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of , Routledge, Third edition, 2010.

Textbooks can be expensive. If you have a hard time acquiring any of the required texts, please talk to me and we can work out another alternative.

Optional Texts:

Plutarch, Greek Lives, transl. Robin Waterfield, Oxford World Classics, 2009. [selections on Moodle]

Grading: Attendance & Participation 10% Quizzes 10% Research Project 30% Essays (2) 15% each Final Exam 20%

For more details about each grade category, see below and/or additional documents.

Attendance and Participation: This course will primarily be a combination of lecture and discussion of the texts we read. There will be an average of around 80 pages of reading per day. You will be expected to have the readings done before each class; on most days, we will focus on the textbook in the morning and the historians in the afternoon.

Given the time of year, illness and weather might prevent you from coming to class. Please let me know as soon as possible so accommodations can be made.

2 of 8 Quizzes: There will be approximately 2 short quizzes every week. These are designed to be a way to assess your reading comprehension and also that you were paying attention in class. They will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer. Your lowest score will be dropped.

Exam: The final exam will consist of a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. It will be on the last day of class, March 4.

Essays: You will have two short essays over the course of the term. Each essay will be 2-3 pages, typed and double-spaced (12pt. font, Times New Roman, etc.). I will provide a few prompts before each essay that will be based on our readings and discussions. If you have another topic that you would like to write about, please consult me; I usually approve alternative options if you explain it to me.

Research Project: At the end of the term, you will present the results of your research project to the class. In order to spread out some of the burden of the project, there will be a few progressive due dates over the course of the term. These projects will be more expository or descriptive than argumentative (i.e., you will not so much be arguing a thesis as presenting the results of your research on a topic). For this reason, I have provided a list of (possible) topics for your research at the end of this syllabus. Like the essays, if you have another topic you’d like to explore more, please consult me. The final result will be a 6-8 page paper that explores and explains your given topic by placing it in its proper historical context. This means explaining the social, political, economic, religious, or legal background to your topic, how your topic came to be within that context, and then also what it meant for Greeks going forward.

In terms of grading, the project will be based 25% on your Annotated Bibliography (due 2/21), 25% on your presentation (in class either 3/2 or 3/3), and 50% on the paper itself (due 3/4). The overall project is 30% of your final grade.

Academic Honesty Cornell College expects all members of the Cornell community to act with academic integrity. An important aspect of academic integrity is respecting the work of others. A student is expected to explicitly acknowledge ideas, claims, observations, or data of others, unless generally known. When a piece of work is submitted for credit, a student is asserting that the submission is her or his work unless there is a citation of a specific source. If there is no appropriate acknowledgement of sources, whether intended or not, this may constitute a violation of the College’s requirement for honesty in academic work and may be treated as a case of academic dishonesty. The procedures regarding how the College deals with cases of academic dishonesty appear in The Catalogue, under the heading “Academic Honesty” and here.

3 of 8 Disability Resources Cornell College makes reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. Students should notify the Coordinator of Academic Support and Advising and their course instructor of any disability related accommodations within the first three days of the term for which the accommodations are required, due to the fast pace of the block format. For more information on the documentation required to establish the need for accommodations and the process of requesting the accommodations, see here.

Counseling Center The Cornell College Counseling Center is designed to help students develop effective problem- solving and decision-making capabilities, in order to make satisfying life choices and maximize their capacity for continued emotional growth. As part of this we wanted to make it easy for students to gain access to the resources they may find the most helpful, including contacting the Student Health Center or Office of Student Affairs or finding out more about sexual assault and much more here.

Schedule Readings marked as “recommended” are just that: recommended. They are meant to supplement Pomeroy and other readings. “Optional” articles are usually tied to a discussion I might ask, but they are not required.

Date Topic Reading Pages Important Notes 2/10 Introduction Read syllabus before class 8 2/11 Indo-Europeans and 1. Pomeroy: 1-55 55 the Bronze Age 2/12 Te “Dark Ages” or 1. Pomeroy: 56-100 52 Quiz #1 Early Iron Age 2. Tucydides, Book 1.1-22 2/13 Te Archaic Age I: 1. Pomeroy: 101-135 45 Cole Library Lab Te Polis and 212, 1-2pm Colonization 2. , Book 4.147-158; 2.172-182 [Colony on Tera and Cyrene] 2/14 Te Archaic Age II: 1. SHD Ch. 1 72 No afternoon class Social Structure

2. SHD Ch. 2

4 of 8 2/17 Lyric and Te First 1. Pomeroy: 135-153 60 Quiz #2 Philosophers 2. SHD Ch. 3 (3.1-3.5, 3.8-3.9, Preliminary 3.14-3.20, 3.36-3.40, 3.43, 3.53, Bibliography of 3.68, 3.72-3.91) Primary and Secondary Sources 3. SHD Ch. 4 (4.1-4.15, 4.32-4.48, due 4.72-4.77, 4.81-4.82, 4.90, 4.105) 2/18 and Forms of 1. Pomeroy: 154-185 76 Essay #1 Due Government 2. Herodotus, Book 1.65-66; 6.56-59

3. SHD CH. 6

4. Optional: “Te Sparta Fetish Is a Cultural Cancer” and “In Defense of Sparta” [Moodle] 2/19 Te Growth of 1. Pomeroy: 186-206 79 Quiz #3 2. Herodotus, Book 1.59-65; 5.55- No afternoon class 5.96 [On Athenian Tyranny and Democracy]

3. , Life of Solon [Moodle]

5 of 8 2/20 Te Greco-Persian 1. Pomeroy: 210-221 82 Wars I: Introduction and Ionian Revolts 2. Herodotus, Book 5.28-38; 5.49-51; 5.96-103; 5.116-126; Book 6.1-22; 25-33; 41-45 [Aristagoras, Ionian Revolt, and Aftermath]

3. Herodotus, Book 6.94-120 [Persian Expedition and ]

4. Herodotus, Book 7.1-21; 7.44-54; 7.101-104; 7.131-178 [Xerxes prepares to invade Greece; Athens retreats to its ‘wooden walls’; Sparta looks for allies]

5. Recommended: Plutarch, Life of Temistocles chapters 1-20 [Moodle] 2/21 Te Greco-Persian 1. Pomeroy: 221-231 87 Wars II: Termopylae and the Growth of 2. Herodotus, 7.178-end Athens [Termopylae]; 8.40-125; [Salamis]; 9.25-40; 9.50-89 [Plataea]

3. Recommended: Plutarch, Life of Temistocles, chapters 21-end [Moodle] 2/24 Herodotus and the 1. Herodotus, 1.1-5; 1.95-140; 80 Quiz #4 Framing of the Wars 1.201-16; 3.1-38; 3.61-88 Annotated 2. SHD Ch. 11 (11.1-2, 11-18, 23, Bibliography Due 25-26, 31-33, 35, 38, 40-46, 48-50, 52-53, 55-57)

3. Recommended: Herodotus, 1.141-177

6 of 8 2/25 Te Rise of Athens 1. Pomeroy: 231-276 89 No afternoon class

2. Tucydides, 1.89-100 [on Delian League and ascent to power]

3. Plutarch, Life of Pericles, 1-28 [Moodle] 2/26 Te Acropolis and the 1. Pomeroy: 277-324 77 Quiz #5 School of Greece 2. Tucydides Book 2.1-65 [Preparations at Athens, Pericles' Funeral Oration, and Plague] 2/27 Te Peloponnesian 1. Pomeroy: 325-368 80 Essay #2 Due War 2. Tucydides, Book 1.118-end; Book 3.1-6, 3.8-16, 3.18-19; 3.27-50 [Mytilene Revolt]

3. Plutarch, Life of Pericles, 29-39 [Moodle]

4. Recommended: Tucydides, Book 4.2-6, 4.8-23, 4.26-41, 4.117-19 [Pylos, attempts at peace, and ] 2/28 Tucydides and the 1. Tucydides, Book 5.84-116 75 Framing of the [Melian Dialogue] Peloponnesian War 2. Book 6.1-71; 6.94-105; Book 7.1-17; 7.36-41; 7.75-87 [Sicilian Expedition];

3. Recommended: Plutarch, Life of Alcibiades [Moodle] 3/2 Te Post-War Period 1. Pomeroy: 369-408 65 Quiz #6 & Shifting Hegemonies 2. Xenophon Apology of Socrates Research Project [Moodle] Presentations

7 of 8 3/3 Philip and Alexander 1. Pomeroy: 409-469 60 Research Project Presentations or or

2. SHD Ch. 15 40 3/4 Final Exam Research Project Due

Suggested Research Topics

Early Greece and the Bronze Age Knossus (Palace) Invention of Coinage Theseus and Minotaur Greek Colonization [pick one colony] Indo-European arrival in Greece Statue of Harmodius and Aristogeiton Life of archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann Cult Statue of Athena Polias Battle of Troy: or History? Pre-Socratic philosophy (pick one or two End of Bronze Age in Greece philosophers) Origins of Greek tragedy Berlin Foundry Cup The “Dark Age” of Greece & the Eighth- Childhood in Greece Century “Renaissance” Phoenicians – traders and shipbuilders Black Athena – Egyptian origins for Greek culture Delian League and/or Peloponnesian League The First Olympics Trireme (Greek ships) The Lelantine War Athenian Tragedians (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Oracles (, Dodona, Siwa, etc.) Euripides) Heracles Greek Philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) of Lefkandi Greek Comedy (Aristophanes, Menander) Greek historians (Herodotus, ) The Parthenon Aspasia (Pericles’ mistress) Cause(s) of the Peloponnesian War Second Athenian League Theban Hegemony (371-362)

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