Learning objectives
The first part of the course (Unit A) allows students to acquire a general knowledge of the political, social, and institutional history of the Greek world from the archaic age to the beginning of the Hellenistic period. At the same time, it aims at providing them with the basic critical and methodological tools necessary for reading and understanding the different types of sources.
The second part of the course (Unit B), of monographic character, aims at showing how one can construct a research about a specific topic – a topic that may also be broad enough to involve a fruitful interaction between different kinds of sources and the different aspects of the historical reality. In this Unit students are urged to a more active participation, so that in addition to acquiring knowledge and understanding, they can apply these competences to definite topics and develop their capacity for independent judgment as well as their communication skills.
Prerequisites
No particular prerequisite is asked for, but for a good general preparation given in the secondary schools in historical disciplines.
Course unit content
The course of Greek History will be divided into two Units: the first one (A) will focus on the basics, while the second one (B) will consist of in-depth analyses.
Unit A (6 credits = 30 hours of frontal lectures plus some other hours of practice and training activities): February, 17th – March, 19th 2015.
The Unit A, which has a preparatory and methodological character, will serve as an introduction to the history of the ancient Greek World, from the early archaic period to the death of Alexander the Great (ca. 800-323 BCE). Through the study of several translated literary and epigraphic texts and a few figurative documents, the teacher will illustrate: a) the sources, research tools, and methodologies which allow us to reconstruct the history of archaic and classical Greece; b) the broad lines of the history of Greek historiography; c) some of the main political, social, and economic issues of the pre-hellenistic Greek world.
Unit B (6 credits = 30 hours of frontal lectures plus some other hours of practice and training activities): April, 14th – May, 14th 2015.
The Unit B, whose title is “Oligarchic coups and civil war at Athens (411-403 BC)”, will offer a systematic treatment of a dramatic period of the Athenian history that saw, in parallel with the last phase of the Peloponnesian War, two successive oligarchic revolution (411 and 404) and the final restoration of democracy in 403 BC.
Full programme
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Bibliography
Unit A.
Students will prepare this Unit on the following material:
1. the following textbook (to be studied with the support of a good historical atlas); M. CORSARO – L. GALLO, “Storia greca”, Firenze, Le Monnier Università, 2010;
2. the topics dealt with and the sources read in class (the teacher will supply these texts). Students who cannot attend the class will study in substitution the following text: M. BETTALLI (ed.), “Introduzione alla storiografia greca”, nuova edizione, Roma, Carocci editore, 2009.
Unit B.
Students will prepare this Unit on the following material:
1. the texts read and commented by the teacher in class (the teacher will supply this material);
2. the parts specified by the teacher in class of the following books:
C. BEARZOT, "Come si abbatte una democrazia. Tecniche di colpo di Stato nell'Atene antica", Roma-Bari, Editori Laterza, 2013;
L. CANFORA, "La guerra civile ateniese", Milano, Rizzoli, 2013.
Teaching methods
Teaching will consist mainly of frontal lessons, integrated with practice and training activities. These activities will consist of visits to the libraries, in order to directly consult collections of sources and bibliographical as well as research tools, and of workshops with small groups of more actively involved students, aimed at the close analysis of literary and epigraphic texts.
Assessment methods and criteria
Learning assessment will consist of an oral examination. Tests are not planned during the course, but the final grading will duly take into account the level of participation of the students, including training activities and workshops. In the final oral test, questions will aim at ascertaining that students, as a minimum requirement to pass the exam, master the basic knowledge of the historical development of the Greek world from the archaic age to the Hellenistic period and the main research tools, while showing the capacity to set the evidence studied in class in its proper context and find their way, with significant self-confidence, among the sources and texts pertaining to the in-depth monographic Unit.
Other information
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