The democratic Athens of the 5th century BC has seemed to many the high point of Greek history, a period in which Athens became both one of the world's first democratic states and the most powerful state in the Greek world. It was also a time of a tremendous flowering in art and literature. This course will centre around a reading of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, one of the greatest historical works ever written. Thucydides describes Athens’ acquisition of its empire, followed by the descent of the Greek world into a long, destructive, brutalising war between Athens and Sparta. The course will also examine Athenian social and cultural history, using inscriptions, works by Euripides and Aristophanes, and law-court speeches.
Course Outline
Greek states and society
The classical Athenian democracy
The Athenian empire
Greek warfare, society and culture
Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Read ancient sources critically.
- Research and write about ancient Athens, democracy and the Empire.
- Construct and criticise arguments.
- Effectively present material orally and in writing.
- Understand the ways other societies differ from our own.
Other Information
Course information, further reading and lecture recordings will be provided on Wattle.
Indicative Assessment
Source exercise (10%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3]
Tutorial participation(10%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 3, 4,5]
Group presentation and reference sheet (museum) (10%) [Learning Outcomes 2, 4, 5]
One 1,500 word essay (30%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
One three-hour exam in the examination period (40%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The course consists of one 1–hour lecture, one 2–hour tutorial, and seven hours of associated study time per week.
Prescribed Texts
Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (edition to be announced).
JACT, The world of Athens: an introduction to classical Athenian culture (2nd. ed., revised by R. Osborne: Cambridge, CUP, 2008) [recommended book]
Preliminary Reading
Recommended preliminary reading: S.B. Pomeroy, S.M. Burstein, W. Donlan and J.T. Roberts, Ancient Greece: a political, social, and cultural history (3rd ed.: New York, Oxford University Press, 2011)
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2604 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $3576 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 16 Feb 2015 | 06 Mar 2015 | 31 Mar 2015 | 29 May 2015 | In Person | N/A |