HIST 381.01 ANCIENT GREECE AND THE HELLENISTIC WORLD
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Spring 2008 Dr. Linda Jones Hall MWF 9:20-10:30 Calvert 004
Office: 204 Kent Hall Phone: 240-895-4434 or on campus ext 4434
Office hours: M 10:40-11:30; W 1:20-2:20 and by appointment
email ljhall@smcm.edu webpage: http://www.smcm.edu/ljhall/ljhall.html

Course Description

This course covers Greek history from the Archaic period and the Classical period and through the Hellenistic era. Beginning with the Homeric and archeological evidence for the Bronze Age, the evolution of the Greek city-states is traced, through such defining conflicts as the Persian War and the Peloponnesian War. The Golden Age of Athens and the rise of Greek literature, science, and art will be examined. The spread of Greek culture via the conquests by Alexander the Great led to the development of unique Hellenistic kingdoms up to the death of Cleopatra. The very words of the Greeks (and their observers) will provide the basis of this study. However, the evidence of art, archeology, and coinage will also be utilized. A chronological narrative will be developed from the reading assignments and lectures. Critical issues will be addressed in class discussion and from the secondary sources.

Required texts These texts are available at the SMCM bookstore.

TEXT = Sarah Pomeroy, Stanley Burstein, Walter Donlan, and Jennifer Tolbert Roberts. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 2008, ISBN 9780195308006.

READER = Nagle, Brendan, and Stanley M. Burstein, Readings in Greek History: Sources and Interpretations. Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 9780195178258.

*ILIAD = Homer. The Iliad. Translated by Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972. Pbk. ISBN 0226469409, or ANY EDITION OF YOUR CHOICE.

*HERODOTUS = Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt. New York: Viking Penguin, 1996. Pbk. ISBN 0140446389, or ANY EDITION OF YOUR CHOICE.

*THUCYDIDES = Thucydides. The History of the Peloponnesian War. Translated by Rex Warner. Introduction by M. I. Finley. New York: Viking Penguin, 1972. Pbk. ISBN 0140440399, or ANY EDITION OF YOUR CHOICE.

*PLUTARCH = Plutarch. Greek Lives. A Selection of Nine Greek Lives. Translated by Robin A. Waterfield. Oxford University Press, 1999. Pbk. ISBN 0192825011 (Lycurgus, Solon, Themistocles, Cimon, Pericles, Nicias, Alcibiades, Agesilaus, Alexander) or these lives from any edition of your choice.

Recommended Supplemental texts

ATLAS = Robert Morkot, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece. Penguin, 1996. ISBN 0-14-051335-3.

*ODYSSEY = Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Richmond Lattimore. New York: Harpercollins, 1999. Pbk. ISBN 0060931957, or ANY EDITION OF YOUR CHOICE.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS
In this course, there will be a presentation of historical background, alternating with student discussion of assigned readings. Selected videos will be shown to acquaint students with the geographical settings and the cultural expressions of Greece. Read assignments before class so that you can fully understand the presentations and be prepared to discuss the topic of the day.

GRADING

Grade scale Ultimately, the student’s grade is based on the professor’s assessment of the student’s work. 94-100 = A, 93-90 = A-, 87-89 = B+, 84-86 = B, 80-83 = B-, 77-79 = C+, 74-76 = C, 70-73 = C-, 67-69 = D+, 64-66 = D, 63-60 = D-, below 60 = F

Exams will give the student the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of broader themes from the course readings and lectures, and these will last about one hour. The mid-term exam and the final exam will include short answer questions and essay questions.

Two papers, approximately 1200 words in length (about 4-5 pages in 12-point font) are assigned. You must use five primary source quotations from our readings in this paper. The best papers come from the attempt to answer an interesting question which you try to answer from the primary sources. Do not write encyclopedic, all-knowing papers. You may also use modern works which analyze the relevant topic but these must also be cited and are in addition to the primary source requirement. For primary texts, give the author, the title of the work, and the section number. Indicate the translator, date and place of publication, page number[s], and URL (if from an online source). ALL sources which you use (books, articles, internet) must be cited properly.

10 written exercises at 25 points each will be assigned and will consist mainly of one-page reaction papers to the primary source readings.

Academic dishonesty is a very serious offense.
Definition of Plagiarism from To The Point and the College Catalog:
Plagiarism is the act of appropriating and using the words, ideas, symbols, images, or other works of original expression of others as one's own without giving credit to the person who created the work. If students have any questions regarding the definition of plagiarism, they should consult their instructor for general principles regarding the use of others' work. Among sources commonly used for documenting use of others' work are the style manuals published by the American Psychological Association, the Council of Biology Editors, the Modern Language Association, and Turabian's Manual for Writers of Term Papers. The final authority concerning methods of documentation is the course instructor. Specific instances of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) Word-for-word copying of sentences or paragraphs from one or more sources that are the work or data of other persons (including books, articles, theses, unpublished works, working papers, seminar and conference papers, lecture notes or tapes, graphs, images, charts, data, electronically based materials, etc.), without clearly identifying their origin by appropriate referencing.
b) Closely paraphrasing ideas or information (in whatever form) without appropriate acknowledgement by reference to the original work or works.
c) Presenting material obtained from the Internet as if it were the student's own work.
d) Minor alterations such as adding, subtracting, or rearranging words, or paraphrasing sections of a source without appropriate acknowledgement of the original work or works.
3. Falsification
Falsification involves misrepresentation in an academic exercise.
Misrepresentation includes, but is not limited to:
a) Falsely attributing data or judgments to scholarly sources.
b) Falsely reporting the results of calculations or the output of computer programs, or materials from other electronic sources.
c) Presenting copied, falsified, or improperly obtained data as if it were the result of laboratory work, field trips, or other investigatory work.
4. Resubmission of work
No student may turn in work for evaluation in more than one course without the permission of the instructors of both courses.

Penalties for plagiarism can include, but are not limited to, a zero on the work in question, an F in the course, and referral to the Office of the Provost. ALL sources which you use (books, articles, internet) must be cited properly.
Participation will be noted by 50 points for attendance, discussion, and timely completion of assignments. The College allows two absences; thereafter deductions will be made for unexcused absences. The grade for any written assignment will be reduced by 10% for every business day it is late, unless the student has an exceptional emergency, such as illness, death in the family, etc.

IMPORTANT RESEARCH RESOURCES
See the Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed.) in the Reference section of the Library for articles and important bibliography on numerous topics. See also the relevant volumes of the Cambridge Ancient History which circulate.

JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Journals at SMCM (on the second floor of the library near the stairs at the rear of that floor) include such print journals as Archaeology, American Journal of Archaeology, American Journal of Philology, Arethusa, Classical Journal, Classical Review,and Greek Roman and Byzantine Studies. Current issues are on the display racks. Back issues are bound and are on the shelf by the call number which you can find either from the current issue or from the catalog. Many others, such as the Journal of Hellenic Studies are now online via JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/ or PROJECT MUSE http://muse.jhu.edu/
For citations use such search engines as ARTICLE FIRST, FIRST SEARCH. http://www.smcm.edu/library/database.htm or TOCS-IN which is an excellent search tool for recent bibliography of journal articles (some will print) on ancient history http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/amphoras/tocfind
Get books and articles from SMCM Interlibrary Loan http://www.smcm.edu/library/illpolic.htm or by paper forms at Circulation

PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary sources are writings by ancient authors. Every book in this course except the main textbook is a primary source. The Loeb volumes on the second floor of the library in the PA section are very useful. Look up by ancient author in the online catalog. Also many primary texts are online at these links:

INTERNET RESOURCES
DIOTIMA http://www.stoa.org/diotima/
Women’s Life in Greece and Rome http://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/wlgr/
Greek and Roman History http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/histlink.html
Foundation of the Hellenic World http://www.fhw.gr
History of the Greeks http://users.otenet.gr/~bm-celusy/history.html
ATHENS http://www.stoa.org/athens/
Roman CORINTH http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/corinth.html
MYCENAE http://harpy.uccs.edu/greek/mycenae.html
NEMEA http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~clscs275/index.html
SPARTA museum http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21105m/e211em05.html
Very brief history of Greece http://www.stoa.org/athens/essays/history.html
Greek religion and Myth http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/greekrel2.html http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook07.html#Religion%20and%20Myth
Greek ministry of archaeology list of sites http://www.culture.gr/2/21/toc/arc_sites.html
Ohio State University Excavations at Isthmia http://isthmia.osu.edu/
SMCM Greece Study Tour http://www.smcm.edu/users/mstaber/Greece/
Here is a link to all the translations of Thucydides online or in print.
http://www.grtbooks.com/thucydides.asp?idx=3&yr=-431&aa=TH&at=GA