The Greeks (Classics 83, History 101), Winter Quarter 2019

This course was a survey on ancient Greek history, society, and culture ranging from 12’000 BCE to the Battle of Actium. In his lectures, Ian Morris covered the major periods and events in Greek history as well as central climatic, demographic, economic, social, and cultural aspects. I had the opportunity to lecture on the ‘Fourth-Century Transformation, 404-360 BCE‘.

Textbook & Readings

Apart from the textbook (Morris, Ian and Powell, Barry B. (2009). The Greeks: History, Culture, and Society. 2nd Edition. Upper Saddle River NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall), the students also had to read a collection of ancient sources in translation (Aristotle, Economics 1; Hesiod, Theogony; Xenophon, Spartan Society; Poems by Tyrtaeus, Solon, Theognis, and Pindar; Herodotus; 7, 8, and 9; Plato, Protagoras 320c-328d; Thucydides II.34-46; Pseudo-Xenophon, Constitution of the Athenians; Plato, Crito; Lysias, On the Killing of Eratosthenes; Strabo, Geography XVII.7-8; II Maccabees 4:7-21; and various inscriptions).

Students’ Assignments

In addition to submitting weekly discussion questions, writing a brief reply to a question posed by me, and giving a brief presentation on a specific ancient author, each student had to write two papers: a short essay (ca. 1200 words) on why Sparta and Athens developed in such different ways as well as a research paper (ca. 4000 words) on a subject of their choosing. For both papers, the students had to submit an abstract, outline, first draft and a final draft to me, on all of which they received written feedback to be incorporated into the next version or as a rationale for their grade.

Section Meetings

In weekly section meetings, I expanded on certain of these issues and discussed a range of topics with the students, often focusing on the primary sources, how to read and interpret them, and how we come to our understanding of ancient Greek society. Specifically, we’ve discussed whether life in Greece was “nasty, brutish, and short”; why there were so many different Gods; how Greek society was structured and how the aristocracy was composed; why the Greeks won the Persian wars; Greek concepts of democracy and how they differ from modern ones; the formation of the canon of Greek art and literature; the changes brought about during the fourth century; Hellenisation; and the meaning of Ancient Greece in the modern world.

Materials

In order to prepare the students for their presentations, papers, and discussions, I prepared several handouts:

Feedback & Evaluation

The students seemed to be quite content with the way I taught the section, and appreciated that I had incorporated much of their midquarter feedback. In the final evaluation, more than 70% of all students said they learned a great deal or a lot from me, and that my teaching was very or extremely effective, and some 80% were of the opinion that I helped them a lot or a great deal with both their critical thinking skills. The students particularly liked the feedback I provided them with and my approachability. That being said, there were still plenty of suggestions on how I could improve my teaching, particularly with regard to the assignments.

Licence

Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on this website can be used, adapted, and shared under the CC BY 4.0 licence, meaning you’re welcome to use anything you might find useful as long as you give credit.