: Ancient Greece Course Information Instructor Information Instructor: Dr. N. Lazaridis Office: Tahoe Hall 3091 Office Hours: W 9.30-11.30am (or by appointment) Office Telephone: 916-2786234 E-mail: lazaridi@saclink.csus.edu Course Description and Class Arrangements Political, social, and cultural development of Greece from the Mycenaeans to the post- Alexandrian world with emphasis on Fifth Century Athens and on a reading of Thucydides. GE Area: C2 Humanities Class Location and Meeting Times: Riverside 1015, TuTh 1.30-2.45pm Textbook & Course Materials Required Text 1. S. Pomeroy et al, A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture, 2 nd edition, Oxford University Press 2008 (or more recent) 2. N. Lazaridis, Voices from Ancient Greece: Sources for Greek history, society, and culture, Preliminary edition, Cognella Publishing 2018 (only in bookstore) Recommended Other Readings Additional readings will be made available on Canvas. Learning Objectives In this course students will: 1) Demonstrate knowledge of the conventions and methods of the study of the humanities. 2) Investigate, describe, and analyze the roles and effects of human culture and understanding in the development of human societies. 3) Compare and analyze various conceptions of humankind. 4) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the historical development of cultures and civilizations, including their animating ideas and values. California State University, Sacramento Page 1
5) Work with primary sources, including both assessing sources and building an essay with primary documents. 6) Construct persuasive arguments based upon historical evidence. Topic Outline/Schedule Week 01 (Aug 28 & 30): Sources, dating, geography Week 02 (Sep 4 & 6): Early Greece and the Bronze Age A Brief History, Chapter 1 Week 03 (Sep 11 & 13): Greece in the Dark Age and the Eighth Century A Brief History, Chapter 2 Week 04 (Sep 18 & 20): Archaic Greece I: History and society + Social Groups A Brief History, Chapter 3: all sections except for The arts and sciences Voices, Chapter 3 Week 05 (Sep 25 & 27): Archaic Greece II: Culture + Science A Brief History, Chapter 3: section The arts and sciences Voices, Chapter 9 Week 06 (Oct 2 & 4): Sparta and the Growth of Athens + Education A Brief History, Chapter 4 & Chapter 5: up to section The rise of Persia Voices, Chapter 5 Week 07 (Oct 9 & Midterm exam on Thursday): The Persian Wars A Brief History, Chapter 5: starting from section The rise of Persia Week 08 (Oct 16 & 18): Rivalries of City-States and Athenian Democracy A Brief History, Chapter 6 Week 09 (Oct 23 & 25): Life and culture in the Fifth Century I + Family and Household A Brief History, Chapter 7: all sections up to and including Intellectual Life Voices, Chapter 1 Week 10 (Oct 30 & Nov 1): Life and culture in the Fifth Century II + Leisure A Brief History, Chapter 7: all sections from Historical and Dramatic Literature onwards Voices, Chapter 8 California State University, Sacramento Page 2
Week 11 (Nov 6 & 8): The Peloponnesian War + Military A Brief History, Chapter 8 Voices, Chapter 7 Week 12 (Nov 13 & 15): The Crisis of the Polis + Sexuality A Brief History, Chapter 9 Voices, Chapter 2 Week 13 (Nov 20 & No class on Thursday): Philip II and Macedon A Brief History, Chapter 10 Week 14 (Nov 27 & 29): Alexander + Religion A Brief History, Chapter 11 Voices, Chapter 6 Week 15 (Dec 4 & 6): Alexander s Successors and the Cosmopolis + Travel A Brief History, Chapter 12 Voices, Chapter 4 Grading Policy Graded Course Activities Points Description 30 Participation and class exercises 60 Midterm exam 50 Project 60 Final exam 200 Total points possible Late Work Policy Be sure to pay close attention to deadlines there will be no make up exams and late work will not be accepted without a serious and compelling reason. Letter Grade Assignment Final grades assigned for this course will be based on the percentage of total points earned and are assigned as follows: Letter Grade Percentage Performance A 93-100% Excellent Work California State University, Sacramento Page 3
Letter Grade Percentage Performance A- 90-92% Nearly Excellent Work B+ 87-89% Very Good Work B 83-86% Good Work B- 80-82% Mostly Good Work C+ 77-79% Above Average Work C 73-76% Average Work C- 70-72% Mostly Average Work D+ 67-69% Below Average Work D 60-66% Poor Work F 0-59% Failing Work Course Policies Participation and Absences Students are expected to attend, and participate in, the weekly classes. Before each class you will be expected to have done the assigned readings and thus be familiar with the period or topic to be discussed in class. Attendance roll will be taken occasionally: three to five absences lead to reduced participation points, while six or more absences lead to F for the course. Class exercises Projects Exams At least three take-home exercises will be assigned without prior warning, focusing on the reading of ancient sources from the sourcebook. The topic of the project is up to the student. One may, for example, choose to: write a biography of a historical figure or discuss one of the sourcebook s topics, using the ancient sources presented there. The essays may not be less than 1,500 words (excluding bibliography). A detailed guide for these projects will be uploaded on SacCT. Projects are due on Tuesday, November 13. They can certainly be turned in before the due date, but late projects will not be accepted. The two exams will consist of a map section and three essay questions. The map section will be based upon a list of locations in the Greek world that, along with the exams study guides, will be uploaded on SacCT. The final exam will be on Thursday, Dec 13, 12.45-2.45pm. California State University, Sacramento Page 4
Commit to Integrity As a student in this course (and at this university) you are expected to maintain high degrees of professionalism, commitment to active learning and participation in this class and also integrity in your behavior in and out of the classroom. Cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable and may be reported to the office of student affairs. Sac State's Academic Honesty Policy & Procedures The principles of truth and honesty are recognized as fundamental to a community of scholars and teachers. California State University, Sacramento expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles, and in so doing, will protect the integrity of academic work and student grades. Read more about Sac State's Academic Honesty Policy & Procedures Definitions At Sac State, cheating is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work through the use of any dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Plagiarism is a form of cheating. At Sac State, plagiarism is the use of distinctive ideas or works belonging to another person without providing adequate acknowledgement of that person s contribution. Source: Sacramento State University Library Important Note: Any form of academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, may be reported to the office of student affairs. Course policies are subject to change. It is the student s responsibility to check SacCT for corrections or updates to the syllabus. Any changes will be posted in SacCT. California State University, Sacramento Page 5