Learning objectives
At the end of the class, students should be able to:
1. Know and remember the main events and issues of the political, social, and economic history of the archaic and classical Greek world; understand the content and historical context of the primary sources and the use of basic tools, both critical and methodological, discussed in class (knowledge and understanding).
2. Apply the basic tools, both critical and methodological, which allow us to reconstruct the history of archaic and classical Greece, to the reading and understanding of different categories of primary sources and secondary literature, not necessarily touched upon in class (applying knowledge and understanding).
3. Know how to analyze and judge autonomously the data provided by primary sources and secondary literature; know how to develop, for the moment at a basic level, a personal critical reflection on the interpretation of the main historical facts of the Greek world (making judgments).
4. Know how to communicate and present with clarity, verbally or in writing, non-specialized contents related to the main events and issues of the history of the Greek world (communication skills).
5. Develop the learning skills necessary for connecting the different topics covered in class with each other and with other similar, basic disciplines, in order to pursue further studies or carry out non-specialized professional activities (learning skills).
Prerequisites
No particular prerequisite except a good general grounding in historical disciplines given by secondary schools.
Course unit content
The course is divided into two units: the first unit covers the basics of the discipline (A), while the second unit offers an in-depth analysis of a major topic of the history of the Greek world (B).
A. The first unit (6 cfu = 30 hours), for students enrolled in both the 6 cfu course and the 12 cfu course, is scheduled from February 10 to March 13 2020. This unit, which consists of a preparatory survey, serves as an introduction to the history of the Greek world from the archaic age to the reign of Alexander III (the Great) of Macedonia (ca. 800-323 BCE). Through the study of a large selection of literary and epigraphic texts in translation and figurative documents, the instructor will illustrate: 1) the main events and issues of the political, social, and economic history of the archaic and classical Greek world. 2) The basic lines of the history of Greek historiography, and the sources, research tools, and methodologies that allow us to reconstruct the history of archaic and classical Greece.
B. The second unit (6 credits=30 hours), intended only for students enrolled in the 12 cfu course, is scheduled from April 6 to May 8 2020 and is entitled: “The development and functioning of the Athenian democracy (6th-4th c. BCE)”. This unit covers, in its first part, the origin and main lines of historical development of the Athenian democracy from the 6th to the 5th c. BCE, while, in its second part, it deals with the functioning of the democratic institutions in the most mature phase of their history, between the end of the 5th and the 4th c. BCE. In particular, the instructor will bring to the students’ attention the primary sources that contribute to the reconstruction of these historical processes and institutions and to the interpretations that the modern and contemporary scholarly debate offers on the Athenian democracy and its origins.
Full programme
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Bibliography
A. Basic knowledge unit.
Students will prepare this unit on the following material:
1. M. Corsaro - L. Gallo, “Storia greca”, Le Monnier Università, 2010 (to complement with the aid of a good historical atlas).
2. The topics dealt with and sources read in class (uploaded to the distance-learning platform http://elly.dusic.unipr.it).
B. In-depth knowledge unit.
Students will prepare this unit on the following material:
1. Aristotele, “La costituzione degli Ateniesi”, a cura di P.J. Rhodes, traduzione di A. Zambrini, T. Gargiulo e P.J. Rhodes, Fondazione Lorenzo Valla - Mondadori, 2016.
2. The topics dealt with and additional sources read in class.
3. Further specific bibliography that the instructor will indicate at the beginning of the class.
Teaching methods
The class consists of 30 hours of lectures for each unit. The basic knowledge unit (A) is offered also in a blended way on the distance-learning platform http://elly.dusic.unipr.it, to which the instructor will upload the topics dealt with and sources read in class on a weekly basis. For the in-depth knowledge unit (B), the instructor will also upload to Elly the sources read in class and further specific bibliography on a weekly basis. At any rate, for the materials of this unit, non-attending students are expected to contact the instructor directly.
Generally, all students are expected to check on the platform Elly the available material and the indications provided by the instructor.
Assessment methods and criteria
The learning assessment consists of an oral examination.
Students will be able to pass the exam (18-23/30) if they demonstrate, at least to a sufficient degree, that they know the main events and issues of the political, social, and economic history of the Greek world, understand the content of the primary sources and secondary literature discussed in class, orient themselves in the use of basic critical and methodological tools, and communicate such contents in a relatively clear manner and with a sufficiently appropriate vocabulary.
Students who do not fulfill these basic requirements will fail the exam.
Students will achieve middle-range grades (24-27/30) if they demonstrate to fulfill to a more than sufficient or good degree the requirements listed above.
Students will achieve higher grades (28-30/30 cum laude) if they demonstrate a solid mastery of the main events and issues of Greek history, the capacity to fully understand and reflect autonomously on primary sources and secondary literature, a clear familiarity with basic critical and methodological tools, the capacity to operate transversal connections between the topics discussed in class, and the ability to communicate such contents in a clear manner and with the appropriate technical vocabulary.
Other information
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