Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Classical Greece (Face-to-Face)

HIST 4410-01

Course: HIST 4410-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: HSOC
CRN: 32348

Course Description

From the SUU Catalog: A history of the Greek world from earliest times, through the Bronze Age, the Dark and Archaic Periods, and Classical Greece down to the end of the Peloponnesian War. [Graded (Standard Letter)] 

This survey of ancient Greek history and culture (ca. 3000 – 400 BCE) begins with a brief look at the Bronze Age palace-states of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, examines the emergence of Archaic-period Greek city-states, notably Athens and Sparta, and traces their transformation through conflicts with the Persian empire, the achievements (and shortcomings) of Classical Athens, and the widespread destruction of the Peloponnesian War that ended in 404 BCE.
The course examines the relationship(s) of legend, myth, poetry, and archaeology to history, and surveys the beginnings of historical writing among the ancient Greeks.  A central theme will be the emergence of democracy at Athens during the 6th and 5th centuries as a backdrop to the creation of an Athenian empire and its struggles against the Spartan-led alliance of oligarchies.

Required Texts

  • Morkot, Robert.  The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece.  London: Penguin, 1996. ISBN: 978-0140513356
  • Burstein, Stanley M., editor.  The Essential Greek Historians.  Indianapolis: Hackett, 2022. ISBN: 9781647920401
  • Plutarch.  The Rise and Fall of Athens.  Translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert and John Marincola.  London: Penguin Books, 2024. ISBN 9780140449051.
  • Aristophanes, Clouds.  Trans. Jeffrey Henderson.  Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992. ISBN: 9780941051248.

Assorted articles and ancient texts, as noted on syllabus, available through CANVAS. These are listed below:
  • Hopper, "Crete and the Greeks"
  • Thomas & Conant, "Mycenae"
  • Homer, Iliad (selections)
  • Hesiod, Works & Days
  • Orthagoras of Sicyon (from the Oxyrhynchus Papyri)
  • Archaic Lyric Poetry: Sappho
  • Hale et al., "Questioning the Delphic Oracle" (from Scientific American)
  • Tyrtaeus (selections)
  • Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus
  • Mabel Lang, The Athenian Citizen
  • Thucydides, The Pentecontaetia
  • Thucydides, The Spartan Embassies

Learning Outcomes

  1. Understand and Explain major themes in Ancient Greek History. 
  2. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. 
  3. Construct well-organized historical arguments that utilize historic data in support of a thesis. 
  4. Assess and Analyze primary, ancient, and secondary Sources 
  5. Trace the development of history & historical writing. 

Course Requirements

The final course grade will be based on:

5%       Map Quiz (in-class)
15%     10 Quizzes administered via CANVAS
15%     Two Discussion Papers
15%     Ancient Source Analysis (Aristophanes, Clouds)
25%     A Midterm Exam. 
25%     A Final Exam.

  • The Map Quiz will take place in class, and should last about 15 minutes. To fully understand the history of ancient Greece, students should gain a firm understanding of the geography of the ancient Mediterranean. There is a page on CANVAS with a list of important cities, regions, and islands to know. The quiz will require students to match the name of a place with a letter/number on a map. Since one of our primary texts (Morkot) is a historical atlas, students should be able to locate these places in their preparations for the quiz. In addition, there are blank maps available on CANVAS to help with study. 

  • The Quizzes will focus on readings and class material from the week, and should be completed (on CANVAS) before class begins on Fridays.

  • For the two Discussion Sessions, the student will be expected to write a 1-2 page (typed) essay on the announced subject (included below in the weekly outlines), and to participate in the class-time discussion. The student must be present for class, and must turn in the discussion paper (via CANVAS) before class begins to receive full credit for the session. Additional information on the discussion assignments will be provided under separate cover. Since it is impossible to replicate the discussion format outside of class, students who turn in a paper but miss the discussion will not receive full credit. Late papers will not be accepted. Extreme cases will be addressed on an individual basis.

  • The Midterm and Final Exams will consist of identifications, essay questions, and questions about historiography.

  • The Ancient Source Analysis assignment involves the critical examination of written document, in this case the Clouds of Aristophanes. Critical analysis involves examining the document with reference to its own cultural context.  More information about this assignment will be provided under separate cover.

Nota Bene: This course requires students to speak to classmates in small groups and to participate in classroom-wide discussions.  While all documented disabilities will be accommodated in accordance with the law and with SUU policy, students should expect to be challenged publicly and to be held accountable for their thoughts, ideas, and opinions (respectfully, of course, in a spirit of collegial inquiry and collaboration).  After all, ancient Greece and Rome were, as E.R. Dodds phrased it in 1951, examples of “shame culture” where public esteem mattered more than an individual’s quiet comfort.

Grading
A  =     100 – 94.0
A- =     93.9 – 90.0
B+ =    89.9 – 87.5
B  =     87.4 – 82.5
B- =     82.4 – 80.0
C+ =    79.9 – 77.5
C  =     77.4 – 70.0
D  =     69.9 – 60.0
F  =      59.9 – 0.0
The conventional rules of number-rounding will apply.

Course Outline

Week 1: Meet the Class; Meet the Greeks
  • Lecture: Why the Greeks?
  • Lecture: Minoan Crete

Week 2: The Bronze Age
  • Lecture: Mycenaean Greece
  • Lecture: The End of the Bronze Age

Week 3: Mythic Greece
  • Lecture: Homer & the Trojan War
  • The Aristocratic Ideal
  • The World of Hesiod

Week 4: Archaic Greece
  • Lecture: Archaic Greek Tyranny
  • Lecture: Hoplite Warfare, Colonization, & Written Law
  • Lecture: Archaic Greek Culture (Art, Architecture, Poetry)

Week 5: The Spartan State
  • Lecture: The Spartan Constitution
  • Lecture: The Spartan State (Plutarch & Tyrtaeus)
  • Discussion #1: What was the Aristocratic Ideal, and did the Spartan State achieve it? Why or why not?

Week 6: Archaic Athens
  • Lecture: The Reforms of Solon
  • Lecture: The Tyranny of Peisistratus
  • Lecture: Athenian Democracy

Week 7: Midterm Exam
  • Lecture: The Persian Empire
  • Midterm Exam
  • Adventures in Historiography: Solon's Council of 400 (?)

Week 8: Persia & Greece
  • Lecture: Herodotus & the Ionian Revolt
  • Lecture: The Battle of Marathon

Week 9: The Persian Wars
  • Lecture: Thermopylae & Salamis
  • Lecture: The Delian League
  • Lecture: The Athenian Empire
 
Week 10: Classical Athens
  • Lecture: The Golden Age of Athens
  • Lecture: Athenian Society
  • Adventures in Historiography: The Peace of Callias

Week 11: The Pentecontaetia
  • Lecture: Introduction to Thucydides
  • Lecture: The Pentecontaetia
  • Discussion #2: Athens, Sparta, and their respective allies fought the Peloponnesian War from 431-404 BCE. Judging from the events leading up to the outbreak of the war, Which side was more to blame for the war? Which side was more justified in deciding to fight? Why?

Week 12: The Peloponnesian War
  • Lecture: The Archidamian War
  • Lecture: Athenian Drama - Comedy & Tragedy
  • Lecture: Athenian Drama - Comedy & Tragedy (& discuss Clouds)

Week 13: The Peloponnesian War II
  • Lecture: Sphacteria & the Peace of Nicias
  • Lecture: Alcibiades & the Melian Dialogue
  • Lecture: The Sicilian Expedition

Week 14: the End of the War & the End of our Class
  • Lecture: The Decelean War
  • Lecture: Arginousae & Aegospotami
  • Lecture: The Parian Marble & Conclusions

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

  • Late Discussion Papers will not be accepted.
  • CANVAS quizzes cannot be made up. 
  • Any student who misses an exam must notify the instructor in advance; otherwise no makeup exams will be offered. Makeup exams must be completed within one week of the missed day.
  • Late submission of the Clouds essay will be penalized 20% per day, beginning on the due date.

  • Extreme cases will be addressed on an individual basis.

Attendance Policy

  • Attendance is encouraged, but not required. The class uses a variety of sources, but has no dedicated textbook. The readings alone are insufficient for keeping abreast of the course's content.

Artificial Intelligence Statement

Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models, and the like are part of our modern world. However, they are not really going to be part of our class. 
Any use of Artificial Intelligence, LLMs, and the like needs to be disclosed. 
In addition, use of such technology is not allowed on any component of this course’s graded work. 

Any violation of this class policy will be subject to SUU’s Academic Misconduct Policy 6.33.
See here for more information about SUU’s Guiding Principles for A.I: https://www.suu.edu/provost/ai-principles.html

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.