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.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Evaluate critically the historical value of ancient sources.
- Research and write at an advanced level about ancient Athens, democracy and the Empire.
- Skilfully construct and criticise arguments.
- Effectively present material orally and in writing, including explaining research ideas to a group
- Display sophisticated insight into the ways other societies differ from our own.
Indicative Assessment
- Source exercise 750 words (5%) (5) [LO 1,2,3]
- Tutorial participation (10%) (10) [LO 1,3,4,5]
- In-class seminar presentation (20 minutes) (15%) (15) [LO 1,2,4,5]
- One 3,000 word essay (40%) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- One three-hour exam in the examination period (30%) (30) [LO 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
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of workshop and workshop-like activities (tutorials).
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Thucydides, Peloponnesian War [edition to be prescribed]Aristophanes, Acharnians, Clouds, Lysistrata [edition to be prescribed]
Other texts (Euripides, law-court speeches, etc. will be supplied.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found 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 |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $3960 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $5820 |
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.
