|
| greek
history survey course |
Date:
Fri, 7 Jan 1994
From:
Andrew Erskine
Subject:
greek history survey course
I'm
considering introducing an introductory greek history course for
first year students which provides a survey from Mycenaean times to
hellenistic age. But I've two problems with this 1. Is it a good or
bad idea? Do any list members have a view on merits of such courses
from their own experience either as teachers or students? 2. Is
there a text book that can be used with such a course?
Date:
Fri, 7 Jan 1994
From:
Jim Helm
Subject:
Re: greek history survey course
I'd like to second Andrew Erskine's request for a discussion of
introductory Greek history courses. I have offered one such as he
describes (survey from Mycenaean times to hellenistic age) for a
number of years, and always agonize over which textbook to use. For
some time I used A.R.Burn's _Pelican History of Greece_, short
enough to give an overview and leave time to concentrate on
Herodotus and Thucydides in translation, plus something on the
hellenistic era (e.g., Tarn's _Hellenistic Civilization_). But most
of this is pretty dated by now. So last time around I used
Boardman/Griffin/Murray's _Oxford History of Greece and the
Hellenistic World_, but found it too brief on the actual historical
events. I next teach it in 1995, and would appreciate any ideas
others have on the topic. Incidentally, I also have students read
other primary works, including selected lives of Plutarch,
Aristotle's Ath Pol, Xenophon's Spart Pol, the "Old Oligarch"
and the Oxyrhynchus Historian, all as found in J.M. Moore's useful
collection, called _Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and
Oligarchy_; plus a bit from Plato's Republic and Aristotle's
Politics, and a few more recent articles as well.
Date:
Fri, 7 Jan 1994
From: Owen Cramer
Subject:
Re: greek history survey course
I
took Nate Greenberg's form of the survey course Jim Helm describes,
in the late '50s, and recall it with pleasure; I've also done what
he describes with the Boardman et al. volume plus readings. Lately
I've centered a one-unit course on the Hellenistic period, partly
because we have another course called "Greek History and
Philosophy" which does Plato and Aristotle in a
Homer-to-5th-cent. context including a lot of Herodotus and
Thucydides, and partly because I like the Hellenistic as a prototype
of multicultural educated elite living in case that's useful for
students. Students, btw, are now demanding more of a timeline in any
course (e. g. literature): few can place any event/book/person with
any clarity; few have a historical understanding of the Bible. I'd
say the Greek history survey ought to include the late Bronze Age
and the Achaemenids in the Near East, at least.
Date:
Fri, 7 Jan 1994
From:
Greg Daugherty
Subject:
Re: greek history survey course
Yes
it is a good idea. Students can profit from an overview of Greek
history. However, it is not practical to cover all periods in equal
depth. In my own course the Helladic and Hellenistic periods get
treated in very broad terms (about 3 hours each out of 39 total). I
used to give them mu ch more space, but I keep adding topics to the
classical section. I still believe that it is important to show
students where the Greeks came from and where they were headed.
> 2. Is there a text book that can be used with such a course?
I use Bury/Meiggs, but have use the english Bengtson and Botsford
and Robinson. I also use a Mary Renault novel (usually LAst of the
Wine) something Hellenistic (nothing I would recommend) and various
readers and source or problem books none of which have pleased me.
Ocassionally I have used Hdt or Thuc but not with great results. Jim
Arieti uses only the ancient historians!
Date:
Fri, 7 Jan 1994
From:
Doug Burgess
Subject:
Re: greek history survey course
As
an historian, I think it is a great idea to Greek history! Actually
I teach about nine different courses on a rotation basis, so I teach
the Greek history every three semesters or so. This is what I do:
Books: Jean Hatzfeld. *History of Ancient Greece* I used to use
N.G.L. Hammond, but was having problems with getting the students to
read it. It is wonderful, but very dense. Botsford and Robinson is
great. I used it as an undergrad. But after talking to some friends,
and having used Hatzfeld when I was a T.A. at Wisconsin, I decided
on it. It is straightforward and the students *read* it and seem to
like it. Primary Sources: Herodotus and Thucydides (Modern Library
editions) R. Lattimore *Greek Lyrics* Plutarch. *The Rise and Fall
of Athens* and *The Age of Alexander* (Penguin editions) Sophocles.
*The Theban Plays* (Penguin edition) Antigone and Oedipus Rex I
cover the following subject area (or try to): Early Greece: Minoan
and Mycenaean. Greece in the Dark Ages. The Age of Colonization.
Early Sparta. The Rise of Tyrants. The Rise of Athens. Greek Culture
and Civilization. The Persian War. Periclean Athens and the Athenian
Empire. The Periclean Age. The Peloponnesian War. Greece in the
Fourth Century. Religion and Culture in the Fourth Century. Rise of
Macedon. Alexander the Great. The Successor Kingdoms and the
Hellenistic Period. I give three essay exams during the semester.
And one research paper of moderate length (12-15 pages...we have a
relatively poor library here in the hills). I don't always finish
the syllabus. The students get interested in various things, and I
try to adapt to that interest. For instance, we usually spend one
lecture each on Antigone and O.Rex. I have them read them in the
order written, so that they get the development of the thought of
Sophocles. They usually get really interested in Minoan civilization
or in Pericles and Athens. I would rather that they understood the
fundamental character of the culture and the mechanisms that made it
work than get to the end of the syllabus every time. If they
understand a little about those things...they can finish the book
later. I know that this will probably seem like a lot of reading to
some people. However, I am determined that they at least read some
of these things, since they are so important for the development of
Western culture and literature. I test them on both the reading and
the lectures...and most seem to read. They do have marked
preferences. There is is tendency to like Herodotus more than
Thucydides, at least until they warm up to T. And they like the
plays more than some of the lyric age poetry...although Sappho seems
to ring a bell with them. Until recently, we required this course of
all History majors, so a certain number of students take it because
they have to do so. But last semester, when I taught Roman history,
30 was the cap on the course. I had over forty requests to cut into
the course, which I eventually ran up to about forty-five. The same
was more or less true of the Greek history course last year. I
expect that then enrollment will drop some, now that it is no longer
an absolute requirement. On the other hand, there seems to be a real
fascination among our students (at least) for all things ancient. My
senior-graduate level class on Egypt and Mesopotamia this Fall had
about 33 students. It is a non-required course and I was expecting
10 or 12. The same thing with the Ancient Religions course I taught
last summer.
Date:
Sat, 8 Jan 1994
From:
Tim Parkin
Subject:
Re: greek history survey course
I teach an introductory Greek history course, over a 12-week period,
to about 120 students every year. I enjoy it, and judging by student
reactions and results, so do they, though the reading for it is
heavy. The course covers Homer to Alexander, with a very brief
intro. on the Bronze Age. Various topics (e.g. Periclean Athens) are
covered in some depth, others (e.g. early 4th century) are rapidly
skimmed through. The focus is on political and social history,
rather than military, and rather than plain narrative, emphasis is
placed on the investigation of specific questions and on
interpretation of primary sources. The students are expected to read
(in Penguin translations) Herodotus, Thucydides, and most of the 2
Penguin vols. of Plutarch's Greek Lives. Plus they get a 100-page
book of other documents, literary and epigraphical, in translation,
that we produce here ourselves. As a modern text I've set - for lack
of anything else readily available and relatively cheap in this part
of the world - Fine's *The Ancient Greeks*, though many of them find
it a little on the dull side. But I plan to go back to O. Murray's
*Early Greece* and J.K. Davies' *Democracy and Classical Greece*,
now that Fontana have brought out second editions. The course leads
on to second and third year courses on more specific areas of Greek
history - Bronze Age Aegean, and Greek Social History. However, we
plan to get a *real* Greek historian here this year, so after 5
years of teaching this course, I'll be happy enough to devote myself
more to Roman history henceforth!
Date:
Mon, 10 Jan 1994
From:
Tony Keen
Subject: Re: greek history survey course
My
recommendations to my students were usually the following: As a
basic cultural survey, one of the plethora of Penguins on the
Greeks: either Kitto, Andrewes, Burn or Finley (of course, these are
rather dated now, but nothing's yet replaced them - I haven't read
Cartledge's new book yet). As a more detail historical summary,
either Bury-Meiggs (also now dated) or Hammond (less dated, but
contains some strange ideas - the real problem is that Hammond never
signals when he's being controversial). For more detailed narrative,
the Fontana History of the Ancient World volumes (Murray on the
Archaic period, Davies on the Classical and Walbank on the
Hellenistic) are as good as anything. An alternative for the Archaic
period is Finley, and Hornblower and Powell are alternatives for the
Classical period; there is no other modern book on the Hellenistic
period that's any good (Tarn & Griffith being a bit dated now).
For primary material, I'd recommend Herodotos, Thucydides and
Xenophon, and a good source collection (Crawford & Whitehead on
the Archaic and Classical periods & Austin on the Hellenistic
period), and getting the students to read passages of other ancient
works as relevant to particular topics. Of course, the above is only
my opinion (and should be read in the context of teaching to History
students rather than Classicists).
Date:
Tue, 11 Jan 1994
From:
Stephen R Bell
Subject: Re: greek history survey course
Frankly, I think that including Mycenaean and Hellenistic eras into
a survey course is a fantastic idea. As unundergrad, and then as a
grad, it always bugged me when I could not connect two important
eras. For instance, how can one really appreciate the hellenic
influence on rome without understanding hellenistic culture. And how
can one understand so much of th4 ancient past w/o understanding
homer and his World. I'd encourage you to go for it. I missed out on
those eras in my undergrad education, and i wish I had not. As far
as book go, Rostovtzeff is still good reading (for lecture material
at any rate, (for the hellenistic age)), M I Finley has a good book
on the Mycenean age, but its kinda getting old, The Oxford volumes
of the classical age are good (one on greece and one on Rome) I am
sure you'll have others responding who are more knowledgeable yet,
but do teach the course. |
| Culled
from
classics.log9401a
and
classics.log9401b. |
|