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