History 333

HIST 333
Ancient Greece and the Hellenistic World (EU) (WI)

1. Catalog Entry

HIST 333
Ancient Greece and the Hellenistic World (EU) (WI)

Credit hours (3)
Prerequisite: Three hours of HIST at 100 level

A study of the political, socio-economic, and cultural development of ancient Greece and the development of Hellenistic civilization from their archaic roots to 31 BC that places the Hellenic world in the larger context of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean world.

Note(s): Humanistic or Artistic Expression designated course.  Students who have already received credit for HIST 308 cannot also receive credit for HIST 333.


2. Detailed Description of Course

    1) Introduction: The Significance of Greek and Hellenistic Civilization
    2) Geography of the Ancient Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea Region
    3) Early Aegean World
        a. Minoan Civilization
        b. Mycenaean Civilization
        c. Dark Age Transformation
    4) Archaic Age Greece
        a. Rise of the Polis
        b. Colonization
        c. Athens and Sparta
    5) Persia
        a. Ancient Iran and Iranian Religion
        b. Creation of the Persian Empire
        c. The Persian State
        d. Persian Wars with the Greeks and Herodotus
    6) Classical Greek Civilization
        a. Society and Economy
        b. Religion and Culture
        c. Athenian Empire and Democratic Politics
        d. Peloponnesian War and Thucydides
        e. Greece in the Fourth Century BC: Political, Social, Economic, Cultural Aspects
    7) Hellenistic World
        a. Macedonian Hegemony and Alexander the Great
        b. Hellenistic States in the Aegean and the Near East
        c. Society and Economy
        d. Culture and Religion
    8) The Rise of Rome in the Eastern Mediterranean

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

The class meets three hours per week.  The course is taught primarily using a lecture format and includes time dedicated to the discussion of sources and further elaboration of themes introduced in lectures and readings.  Students are required to read extensively from textbooks and material distributed in class. Class discussion of assigned material is an important element of the course.

4. Goals and Objectives of the Course

Having successfully completed this course, students will be able to:
    1) Students will practice thinking critically and analytically about historical issues, acquire a broader knowledge and deeper understanding of
       pertinent historical events and processes, and cultivate a familiarity with the concepts of historical argument and interpretation.  
    2) Students will develop disciplinary research skills by designing strategies to locate and analyze primary and secondary source evidence,
       processing and organizing the resultant data, and composing proper citation and bibliographical entries.
    3) Students will apply their critical thinking, research, and compositional skills to the creation and presentation of thesis driven essays that discuss,
       for example, historical social, economic, political, and/or cultural developments and that address issues such as the causes and consequences of
       historical change and continuity.
    4) Students will study the civilization of ancient Greece and the Hellenistic kingdoms in order to develop an awareness of the complexity of historical
       development and change over historical time.  In particular, students will demonstrate an understanding of the multicultural nature of the ancient
       Mediterranean and Near Eastern world that nourished Hellenistic civilization and that civilization’s legacy.

5. Assessment Measures

Knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this course will be measured using an array of assessment tools that may include, among other things, class attendance and participation, written examinations, formal writing assignments of various types, and informal writing assignments. All exercises are designed to expand the student's ability to evaluate historical events and to develop his or her ability to compose persuasive arguments.

6. Other Course Information

None.

Review and Approval

April 23, 2014

March 01, 2021