| Program Detail |
: This class will study the history of the Greek speaking peoples from the origins of Greek civilization during the Bronze Age to the dispersion of Greek culture during the Hellenistic era (through the conquests of Alexander the Great). This survey will emphasize the political, social, cultural, and economic institutions and values that Hellas created to revolutionize the Ancient Mediterranean history. The object of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the history of Greek civilization. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the nature of democracy, and the relationships among politics, art, literature, and the ideals of civic virtue. Of importance to students of modern history and especially the history of the United States, the Greeks developed democracy and experimented with many forms of government. Therefore, the history of Greece played an important role in the education of citizens of European and North American nations during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The study of Athenian democracy, because it is one of the few true democracies with a lengthy history, still offers a critical perspective from which to understand democratic ideas in our own time. |
