Learning objectives
At the end of the class, students should be able to:
1. Know in depth the proposed monographic topic; understand the appropriate methodologies of source criticism and the main schools of thought of the modern and contemporary scholarly debate on the proposed topic (knowledge and understanding).
2. Apply the critical and methodological tools learnt in class (including the gathering of bibliographical material) to the understanding of other sources and other complex historical and historiographical issues, both ancient and modern (applying knowledge and understanding).
3. Know how to analyze and judge autonomously primary sources and secondary literature, and know how to develop personal critical reflections and original arguments on complex historical and historiographical issues (making judgments).
4. Know how to communicate and present with clarity, verbally or in writing, specialized contents related to complex historical and historiographical issues as well as the reasoning underlying personal reflections and original arguments (communication skills).
5. Develop the learning skills necessary for pursuing further studies autonomously or entering successfully the world of work, either teaching in secondary schools or joining business and professional lines of work (learning skills).
Prerequisites
A good knowledge of the history of the Greek world and a sufficient acquaintance with the ancient Greek language.
Course unit content
The course consists of a single unit (6 cfu = 30 hours) whose title is “State and interstate institutions in the Greek world” and is scheduled in the first part of the second semester (February 14th – March 18th 2022). This unit intends to offer a survey of the institutions that in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE marked the civil and political life of poleis and federal states and that regulated official relationships between states. Such a survey will be achieved through the analysis of the main categories of epigraphic documents that enlighten the working of state and interstate institutions, properly supplemented by historiographical and literary texts. This general overview will be accompanied by in-depth investigations of individual epigraphic texts and case studies.
Full programme
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Bibliography
1. Primary sources
The collection of epigraphical texts being discussed in class will be made available by the instructor during the semester and uploaded to the platform Elly.
2. Bibliography
The relevant bibliography will be indicated by the instructor during the class and uploaded to the platform Elly.
The final program in view of the exams will be made available on Elly at the end of the class.
Teaching methods
The class consists of both lectures and workshops. During workshops, students will present to the instructor and classmates the results of the individual research project they carried out autonomously and on their own under the supervision of the instructor. This research project will focus on the in-depth analysis of an epigraphic document or a specific case study regarding the topic of the class and will make use of primary sources as well as reference texts and further bibliography. The presentation will be then turned into a 10-page written report to be submitted to the instructor at the end of the class or close to the chosen exam session.
Non-attending students are expected to contact the instructor directly to receive information about the class material and make arrangements for carrying out the individual research project.
Since the course will take place in the second semester, teaching arrangements will be subordinated to the evolution of the health situation.
Assessment methods and criteria
The learning assessment will be based on the in-class presentation of the individual research project accompanied by the written report (50% of the final grade) and on an oral examination concerning the content of the class (50% of the final grade).
Students will be able to pass the exam (18-23/30) if they demonstrate, at least to a sufficient degree, that they understand and are capable of commenting the texts discussed in class and proposed by the instructor during the exam, know the topics covered in class, orient themselves in the use of the appropriate methodologies of textual criticism and in the discussion of the main schools of thought of the scholarly debates, are able to develop personal critical reflections and arguments in the research project agreed upon with the instructor, and express themselves in a relatively clear manner.
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 that they fully understand and comment autonomously on the texts discussed in class and proposed by the instructor during the exam, have a solid mastery of the topics covered in class, the appropriate methodologies of textual criticism, and the main schools of thought of the scholarly debates, are able to develop critical reflections and original arguments in the research project agreed upon with the instructor, know how to gather autonomously the necessary bibliographical material, and express themselves in a clear manner and with the adequate specialized vocabulary.
Other information
This Greek history class is aimed at students of the master degree course in Classical and modern philology and literature who included 6 cfu of Greek history (LM) in their study plan.
The class is still open to students of other degree courses as long as they fulfill the set out requirements.
All students are expected to sign up for the class on Elly before lectures start and to check always on the platform the available material and the indications provided by the instructor. It is equally important that during classes and close to the exams students keep constantly monitored their official e-mail address (@studenti.unipr.it) in order not to miss important announcements and communications sent by the instructor.
