HIS 111
Unit 4: Classical Mediterranean
If you wondered why
I have a photo of a bunch of people standing around on a field of dirt,
I would note that this is not just any field of dirt. This is the
site of the ancient olympics (Olympia, GreeCE), and the line of stones
across the dirt was the official starting line for the running
events. You can just barely make out the outlines of the seating
on the hill in the background. See some additional photos.
What you must do in this unit
- Read chapter 7 in the textbook.
- Read Pericles' Funeral
Oration.
- Read my notes on Ancient Greece and Rome.
- Watch the short, not great but ok, video on the Classical Mediterranean. Watch my short video on Rome.
- Check out Professor Campbell's video Was The Fall Of Rome B.S.?
- Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the unit.
- Think about your Digital Project assignment (150 points). Please check your course schedule for the exact due date and for the deadline for instructor approval of your project, and please read the details about the assignment now so that you are prepared as the due date approaches. Please submit your topic and type of project to your instructor for approval.
- Post (or respond) with your thoughts/ideas/comments in the discussion forum: What were some of the main features of Athenian democracy (5 points)?
What you can do in this unit
Some videos that you can watch for this unit
Extra Credit Options
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, read Cicero's essay
"On Duties" (De officiis), sometimes called "On Moral Duties" (link 1 or link 2) and write a one-page
paper: What would you conclude was Cicero's world view or
philosophy of life?
- For up to 20 points of extra credit, submit the Ancient paragraph.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read Plato's Allegory of the Cave and write a one-page paper. In your own words explain the
allegory and indicate why it is important.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the documents
associated with the Trial of Socrates,
including Plato's Apology. In a one-page
paper (maybe two pages), note and explain the main points of Socrates' defense.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, you may choose to do an extra credit assignment
on the Melian Dialogue (also a summary). In the "Dialogue," the Ancient Greek historian
Thucydides reconstructed the negotiations that took place between the
Athenians, who wanted to annex the island city-state of Melos, and the
Melians, who wished to remain neutral and not get involved in the
war between Athens and Sparta. In 416 BCE, after discussions failed to
reach an agreement, the Athenians
invaded Melos and enslaved the inhabitants of the island. The representatives of
Melos argued for neutrality; Athens asserted that neutrality was just not good enough and
that Athens had a right, and duty, to assert its power. Sound familiar? The
"Melian Dialogue" remains a stunning example of how stronger
nations/countries/societies manipulate ideas of
justice and natural rights to achieve their own political ends. In
a one-page paper, assess the relevance of some of the issues touched on in
the "Dialogue" to recent (last 25 years) international politics.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, you may also choose to do an extra credit assignment
on Thucydides.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read some of Aristotle's comments on democracy (from his Politics), and
summarize his views on democracy and the polis in a long paragraph.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read excerpts from the Meditations of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and write a paragraph: What were some
of the principles of the Roman philosophy of stoicism reflected in
these Meditations?
- For extra credit, please suggest a
relevant website for this unit of the course. Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.
Unit Learning Objectives
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) explain the development of Athenian democracy, (2) summarize the key features of Ancient Greece and Rome and (3) establish a timeline of key dates in classical Western history.
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