Students

AHIS100 – Ancient Greece Tyranny and Democracy 800-399BC

2017 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Gil Davis
Contact via 0439817299
Every day except Wednesdays
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit presents a survey of ancient Greek history and culture in the Archaic and Classical periods. It examines colonisation and the emergence of Greek city-states, notably Athens and Sparta, tracing their transformation through conflicts with the Persian empire and one another, down to the rise of Phillip II of Macedon. During these years Greeks were ruled by kings, aristocrats, oligarchs, tyrants, and (some of them) by themselves, in the world's first democratic systems. It examines how literary, archaeological, and epigraphic sources are used to reconstruct the past.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

General Assessment Information

SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE UNIT

To complete the unit successfully you need a minimum mark of 50% overall. You must attempt every piece of assessment or marks may be deducted (see 'Extensions and Penalties' below).

 

GRADES:

F: 0-49% P: 50-64% CR: 65-74% D: 75-84% HD: 85-100%

Grade descriptors may be found in a separate document on the unit’s website.

 

BLOGS

You are required to post five blog entries each of 150 words (+/- 10%) commenting on one significant aspect of the set reading(s) which will be discussed in the relevant tutorials by Saturday, 11 pm of weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11. Each blog entry must include a topic sentence, evidence and argument, and be fully referenced. Each blog is worth 10% of the total mark with only the best four counting, making a total of 40% of your assessment for the unit. You must make a decent effort at all five blogs; a defective blog may not count. Please note that the mark for one blog post will drop irrespective of how many you turn in.

 

ONLINE QUIZZES

There are short online quizzes in weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, and one major online quiz in week 13. The minor quizzes will test you on material covered in the lectures and tutorials of the current and preceding week. (Tip: you will easily be able to answer the questions if you have listened to the lectures and read the set readings for each tutorial - they are not designed to trick you). Access to each quiz is through the unit’s website. You may take the quizzes at any time during the relevant week but you may take each quiz only once. All answers will be either right or wrong. Each minor quiz consists of 8 questions and is worth 4% of your mark making a total of 20% for all four. The major quiz will comprise 20 questions and will test you on material covered in the whole unit - it is worth 10%.

 

MAJOR ESSAY

The MAJOR ESSAY is due by 5pm Friday 5 November, 2017. It MUST be submitted through Turnitin. It is worth 30% of your total mark for the unit.

A choice of essay questions will be provided by the mid-semester break. Tutorial 5 is devoted to discussing the requirements for a good essay. Draft answers (on a non-assessed question) will be provided demonstrating the level required to reach each grade.

Your answer to the essay question should demonstrate extensive use of primary and secondary sources. Bibliographies provided give you a starting point for developing a reading list of secondary literature relevant to the essay topic. In order to locate further material on particular issues you should consult the footnotes and indices of modern works.

Your essay should be based on an analysis and discussion of primary (ancient) sources. Secondary literature should be used to aid you in your analysis and interpretation of the ancient sources and to place your interpretation within the context of previous scholarship. All opinions included in the essay, whether quoted directly or paraphrased, MUST be referenced according to the guidelines, Assignment Presentation Style Guide   https://www.mq.edu.au/public/download/?id=292059.  Do not footnote lectures or include anything in footnotes except citations, and remember to include every reference you have actually used in your bibliography. You must include a word count. Anything beyond the prescribed word limit will not be marked.

Marking criteria:

1. Argument and critical evaluation of evidence - 30% weighting

2. Structure and organisation - 20% weighting

3. Use of primary sources - 15% weighting

4. Use of secondary sources - 15% weighting

5. Grammar, style and spelling - 10% weighting

6. Referencing and bibliography - 10% weighting

 

RETURN OF WORK

Blogs: I plan to mark the blogs with feedback within a week of submission.

Quizzes: Results will be available as soon as the quiz closes. 

Essay: I will mark this on-line through Turnitin and release it when all marking is completed. 

 

EXTENSIONS AND PENALTIES

All due dates are firm. Permission to submit a late piece of work will only be granted in case of illness or other exceptional cases. Special approval for such late submissions must be sought in advance (where circumstances permit it). Late work will otherwise incur a penalty of 2% per day (including weekends). Failure to make a decent attempt on any of the blogs may result in it not being counted and another blog  being deducted from the aggregate mark for the blogs, unless there are 'special circumstances' (normally illness or serious misadventure) and an extension of time is granted by the Unit Convenor or the Head of Department. Quizzes cannot be taken after their close-off time. If special circumstances (see above) result in a quiz being missed, an average of marks for the other quizzes will be awarded.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
On-line quizzes 30% No Week 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13
Blog Posts 40% No Week 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
Major essay 30% No Week 12

On-line quizzes

Due: Week 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13
Weighting: 30%

Do five minor quizzes and one major quiz spaced throughout the semester based on information provided in the lectures and tutorials in the preceding weeks. The minor quizzes will consist of eight multiple-choice or right/wrong questions and will each be worth four percent of the total assessment. The major quiz at the end of the semester will comprise 20 questions and be worth ten percent of the total assessment.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC

Blog Posts

Due: Week 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
Weighting: 40%

You are required to post five blog entries each of 150 words (+/- 10%) commenting on one significant aspect of the set reading(s) which will be discussed in the relevant tutorials by Saturday, 11 pm of weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11. Each blog entry must include a topic sentence, evidence and argument, and be fully referenced. Each blog is worth 10% of the total mark with only the best four counting, making a total of 40% of your assessment for the unit. You must make a decent attempt at all five blogs. Please note that the mark for one blog post will drop irrespective of how many you turn in.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Major essay

Due: Week 12
Weighting: 30%

Write a full-length essay (2,000 words +/- 10% excluding footnotes and bibliography ) and submit it through Turnitin. Topics will be provided before the mid-semester break.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Delivery and Resources

Delivery modes

Internal (Day) and External

Lectures and tutorials 

  • Lectures: There are two lectures per week on Mondays 3-4 pm in E7B T5 Theatre, and Thursdays 3-4 pm in E7B T3 Theatre
  • Tutorials: There is one tutorial per week for Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. See the website for a list of tutorials all of which are on Mondays and Thursdays for one hour in the afternoon after the lectures.
  • For current updates, times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetables website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au.
  • Lectures will be recorded and available via Echo 360.
  • One tutorial a week will be recorded and available via Echo 360. This is mostly intended for External students, though everyone is free to listen to it. Please note that the tutorial is given in an ordinary classroom and because of the limitations of the recording equipment it may be difficult to hear when students talk, though it should be possible to hear what the tutor says.
  • Attendance at tutorials is required for day students. If you are unable to go to your scheduled tutorial, go to one at a different time (no special permission is needed for this). External students must listen to the recorded tutorial. Tip: If you do not go to, or listen to the lectures and tutorials, you will find it difficult to answer the quizzes and successfully write the blogs.

UNIT WEBPAGE AND ONLINE TEACHING 

  • This unit has an online presence. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/
  • For student quick guides on the use of iLearn go to: http://mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/guides.htm
  • You are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.
  • For technical support go to: http://mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/informatics/help
  • Information about accessing and using  the Online Teaching Facility can be found at: https://online.mq.edu.au/index.html. Please direct any questions about passwords, access and WebCT to the IT helpdesk. You can:
    • email them via the Just Askform at http://www.library.mq.edu.au/justask/
    • access their help via http://www.library.mq.edu.au/help/ithelp/
    • phone (02) 9850 HELP, (02) 9850 4357 (in Sydney) or 1 800 063 191 (outside Sydney).

READING LIST

The required course textbook is Terry Buckley’s Aspects of Greek History: A Source-Based Approach, 2nd edition, (London 2010), copies available in the university bookshop (some also available in the library).

You are also required to become familiar with the ancient literary source material which will be the basis of much of what we discuss. The most necessary are conveniently found in the following reasonably-priced editions:

  • Herodotus: The Histories (Penguin ed., London 1972)
  • Thucydides: History of the Peloponnesian War (Penguin ed., London 1972)

Better versions with indices and explanatory appendices are the Landmark editions of both Herodotus and Thucydides edited by Robert B. Strassler:

  • The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories (Pantheon Books, New York, 2007)
  • The Landmark Thucydides: a Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War (Touchstone, New York, 1998)

Versions of Herodotus and Thucydides are also freely available on-line.

Unit Schedule

Week no. /dates

Lecture no.

Lecture title

Tutorial no.

Tutorial title/Assessment

1

31 Jul-6 Aug

1

Introduction: why study Greek history

1

Understanding history

2

Mycenaean and ‘Dark Age’ antecedents

2

7-13 Aug

3

Homer, Hesiod, and the rise of the polis

2

Using sources – old & new

On-line quiz

 

4

Colonies across the seas

3

14-20 Aug

5

Greek tyrants

3

The Spartan mirage

Blog

 

6

The expansion of Sparta, and the Spartan way of life

4

21-27 Aug

7

Athens: Theseus to Solon

4

Kleisthenes – father of democracy?

On-line quiz

8

Athens: Peisistratos to Kleisthenes

5

28 Aug-3 Sept

9

Warfare by land and sea

5

How to write a good essay

Blog

 

10

From Persian imperialism to the Battle of Marathon

6

4-10 Sept

11

Dating Early Attic coins from literary, numismatic & scientific evidence

6

Barbarians?

On-line quiz

 

12

Xerxes and the grand invasion of Greece

7

11-17 Sept

13

After the Persian Wars – Spartan politics & the Delian League

7

Great men – Themistokles

Blog

 

14

Allies become enemies, amid power struggles at Athens

Session break

Week no. /dates

Lecture no.

Lecture title

Tutorial no.

Tutorial title

8

2-8 Oct

15

Thucydides – the man & his writings; the pentekontaetia

8

How far can we rely on Thucydides?

On-line quiz

 

16

The first phase of the Peloponnesian War

9

9-15 Oct

17

Change of strategy – Perikles and his successors

9

The Sicilian expedition

Blog

 

18

Syracuse & the Sicilian expedition

10

16-22 Oct

19

The Ionian War, and political turmoil at Athens

10

Understanding epigraphic material

On-line quiz

20

The bitter end for Athens

11

23-29 Oct

21

Post-war Athens: general amnesty, trial of Socrates

 

Blog

 

22

Law and judicial process

12

30 Oct-5 Nov

23

Spartan hegemony 1

 

Major essay due

 

24

Spartan hegemony 2, Theban hegemony  

13

6-12 Nov

25

Athens resurrected/2nd Naval Confederacy to 359; rise of Macedonia

 

Major quiz

26

Unit review for major quiz

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • On-line quizzes
  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • On-line quizzes
  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • On-line quizzes
  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • On-line quizzes
  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • On-line quizzes
  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • On-line quizzes
  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and use primary literary sources (in English translation) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Read and evaluate modern academic studies (written in English) of Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Research and write tightly focussed, analytical, and argumentative studies on topics relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Present written work to a high standard, with relevant footnoting and accurate bibliographies
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • On-line quizzes
  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Study and interpret evidence of material culture (archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic) relating to ancient Greece in the 8th-4th centuries BC
  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • On-line quizzes
  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Relate ancient Greek historiography to broader issues in ancient and modern history

Assessment tasks

  • Blog Posts
  • Major essay

Changes from Previous Offering

The time period covered in this unit has been extended into the 4th century down to the rise of Phillip II of Macedon.