Andrew Wolpert
Associate Professor of Classics
Office: 125B Dauer Hall
Tel: 352-273-3702
Fax: 352-846-0297
wolpert@ufl.edu
Mailing Address
125 Dauer Hall
Department of Classics
University of Florida
Post Office Box 117435
Gainesville, FL 32611-7435
Fall Office Hours
M W F Period 6
CLA 3433
THE DEMOCRACY OF
ANCIENT ATHENS
M W F Period 5
CSE E119
FALL 2009
Course
Description
Participatory democracies first
appeared in Greece some 2,500 years ago, flourishing for centuries,
until they were replaced by monarchies and empires. Although
democracy was reinvented in the modern period, direct democracy was
considered too radical and too impractical to implement. It was
an interesting experiment, but better left in the trash can of history.
This course offers students the opportunity to reconsider our
assumptions about participatory democracy. Through a study of the
political, social, and cultural institutions of the democracy of
ancient Athens, we will consider the strengths and weaknesses of this
unique form of government.
Topics include the origin and development of the Athenian democracy;
political organizations and social and economic structures; war and
imperialism; freedom of speech and intellectual dissent; gender,
sexuality, and citizenship; democratic discourse and ideology; and
democracy and the arts.
We will try to answer the problems at the root of Greek democracy:
• What caused restrictive forms of government to yield to popular pressure and become democratic in spite of elite opposition?
• How was it possible for ordinary Athenian citizens to be actively involved in setting political policy?
• What impact did democracy have on art and literature?
• Was ancient democracy based on slave labor, the exclusion of resident aliens, and the restrictions imposed on Athenian women?
Required Texts (available at local and online bookstores)
- Aeschylus, The Oresteia,
tr.
by
R. Lattimore (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969). [You
may substitute this edition with any other translation of the Oresteia.]
- Adkins, Arthur W.H., and White, Peter, eds., The Greek Polis: University of Chicago Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986).
- Hansen, Mogens H., The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes: Structures, Principles, and Ideology (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999).
Additional Readings
- Required books are on reserve in Library West.
- Articles are online on Ares (the "Course Reserves" weblink from Smathers Libraries).
- Web links to library resources are accessible off-campus only if you use the UF VPN or the Remote Login. For more information on how to connect to the library from off-campus, click here.
- If you still have difficulty accessing Ares off campus, try Dr. Wolpert's incredibly simple and easy to use instructions (here) or contact Course Reserves: (352) 273-2520 or eres@uflib.ufl.edu
- Warning to Mac users:
Safari is not always
compatible with
Ares. To read PDFs availble on Ares, Mac users may need to use
SeaMonkey or Firefox.
e-Learning
- Lecture notes and grades are availble on e-Learning.
- All other materials pertaining to the course are availble
either on the course's home page (i.e., the webpage you are presently
viewing) or course reserves (Ares).
Course Requirements
- Six Quizzes (20 points each; 100 points total): At the
start of class on September
14, October 7, October 23, November 6, November 23, and December
7. Students may drop the lowest quiz.
- Use a number 2
pencil for all quizzes.
- Students with an acceptable explanation will be allowed
to make up missed quizzes on December 9 (see Policies).
- Three Exams: Exam 1 (250 points), Exam 2 (300
points),
and Exam 3 (350 points): October 9, November 9, and December
17.
- This course has no pre-requisites and is intended for
students interested in classics, history, political science, or
political philosophy.
- Study aids are not permitted during quizzes and exams.
Policies
- Students are expected to complete all requirements on the
specified dates and will not be granted an alternate date unless they
have an acceptable reason for their absence as specified in the
undergraduate catalog, fulfill the
conditions described therein, and provide timely notification (see Attendance
Policies).
- For illnesses
related to the H1N1 virus, please click here.
- Use of mobile phones and computers are prohibitted during
lectures. Refusal to comply will result in immediate dismissal
from the classroom. All powerpoint slides from lectures are
availble on e-Learning.
- Students are required to be honest in their coursework. Any act of academic dishonesty will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs, and may result in failure of the assignment in question and/or the course. See Honor Code.
- Students seeking special accommodations, need to submit such requests to the Disability Resource Center prior to the deadline of the scheduled requirement, and preferably as early in the Semester as possible. For further information, see the Disability Resource Center.
- Students facing difficulties completing the course or who
are in need of counseling or urgent help may call the on-campus
counseling center: 352-392-1575, or the student mental health center:
352-392-1171.
Grading Scale
A = 900-1000
A- = 870-899
B+ = 840-869
B = 800-839
B- = 770-799
C+ = 740-769
C = 700-739
C- = 670-699*
D+ = 640-669
D = 600-639
D- = 570-599
E < 570
*A C- grade is not a satisfactory
grade and will not count for major, minor or Gen Ed/Gordon Rule credit.
For UF's Grading Policy, click here
Weekly Schedule
Lecture
notes
are
availble online through e-Learning
Part 1: Introduction
Monday, August 24: Introduction
Wednesday, August 26: Lay of the Land
- Handout, "Spelling" (available on Ares)
- Hedrick, Charles, "Chronology," in Ancient History Monuments and Documents (Oxford 2006) 48-65 (available on Ares). For instructions on how to access Course Reserves off campus, click here.
- Foxhall, Lin, "Environments," optional (available on Ares)
Friday, August 28: Evidence and Historical Analysis
- Hansen, chapter 2
Part 2: History of the Athenian Democracy
Monday, August 31: From Cylon to Pisistratus
- Hansen, pages 27-33, 43-46
- Aristotle, Constitution of Athens 1-19 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis #16, pages 228-43
Wednesday, September 2: Cleisthenes
- Hansen, pages 33-36, 46-49
- Aristotle, Constitution of Athens 20-21 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis #16, pp. 243-45)
- Herodotus 6.69-73 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis #7, pp. 42-43)
Friday, September 4: Fifth- and Fourth-Century Developments
- Hasen, pages 36-43
Monday, September 7: Labor Day (No Class)
Wednesday, September 9: Origins of the Democracy
- Ober, Josiah, "Athenian Revolution of 508/7 B.C.: Violence, Authority, and the Origins of Democracy," in Cultural Poetics in Archaic Greece, edited by Carol Dougherty and Leslie Kurke (Oxford 1993) 215-32 (available on Ares)
- Raaflaub, Kurt, "Power in the Hands of the People: Foundations of Athenian Democracy," in Democracy 2500?, edited by Ian Morris and Kurt Raaflaub (Dubuque, IA 1997) 33-62 (available on Ares)
Friday, September 11: Origins of the Democracy (continued)
- Greg Anderson, Athenian Experiment: Building an Imagined Political Community in Ancient Attica, 76-84 (available on Ares)
Part 3: Politics
Monday, September 14: Demography; Quiz 1
- Hansen, chapter 5
- Quiz 1 (multiple-choice questions based on keywords in lectures from August 26 through September 11)
- Be sure to use a
number 2 pencil
Wednesday, September 16: Assembly
- Hansen, chapter 6
Friday, September 18: Political Leaders
- Hansen, chapter 11
- Finley, M.I, "Athenian Demagogues" Past and Present 21(1962) 3–24 (available on Ares)
Monday, September 21: Council
- Hansen, chapter 10
- Ober, Josiah, "Classical Athenian Democracy and Democracy Today," in The Promotion of Knowledge: Lectures to Mark the Centenary of the British Academy 1902-2002 (available on Ares)
Wednesday, September 23: Courts
- Hansen, chapter 8
Friday, September 25: Finish up discussion of Athenian
Political Institutions with brief discussion on the Nomothetai and Athenian
Magistrates;
Model Assembly
- Hansen, chapters 7 and 9 (optional)
Monday, September 28: Locus
of
Power
- Hansen, Mogens, "The Political Powers of the People's Court
in Fourth-Century Athens," in The
Greek City from Homer to Alexander,
edited by O. Murray and S. Price (Oxford 1990) 215–43 (available on Ares)
Wednesday, September 30: Political Office
- Handout: Lysias 16 (available on Ares)
Friday, October 2: Political Rights
- Hansen, pages 73-85
- Ober, Josiah, "Quasi-Rights: Participatory Citizenship and Negative Liberties in Democratic Athens," Social Philosophy and Policy 17 (2000) 27-61 (available on Ares)
Monday, October 5: Imperialism
- Finley, M.I. 1978, "The Fifth-Century Athenian Empire: A
Balance Sheet," in Imperialism in
the Ancient World, edited by P.D.A. Garnsey, and C.R. Whittaker
(Cambridge 1978) 103–26 (available on Ares)
- Millett, Paul 1989, "Patronage and Its Avoidance in Classical Athens," in Patronage in Ancient Society, edited by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill (London 1989) 15-47 (available on Ares)
Wednesday, October 7: Quiz 2;
Review
for
Exam 1
- Quiz 2 (multiple-choice questions based on keywords in lectures from September 14 through October 5)
- Be sure to use a number 2 pencil
Friday, October 9: Exam 1
- Part 1: Historic Passage (25 minutes)
- Part 2: Essay Question (25 minutes)
- Be sure to bring a
blank bluebook with 8 leaves (6 pages) to the exam
Part 4: Society
Monday, October 12: Free and Slave
- Osborne, Robin, "The Economics and Politics of Slavery at Athens," in The Greek World, edited by Anton Powell (London 1995) 27-43 (available on Ares)
Wednesday, October 14: Free and Slave (continued)
- Gagarin, Michael, "The Torture of Slaves in Athenian Law," Classical Philology 91 (1996) 1–18 (available on Ares)
Friday, October 16: Homecoming (No Class)
Monday, October 19: Social Conflict
- Handout: Demosthenes 21(available on Ares): Start
Wednesday, October 21: Social Conflict (Continued)
- Handout: Demosthenes 21(available on Ares): Continue
Friday, October 23: Social Conflict (Finished); Quiz 3
- Handout: Demosthenes 21(available on Ares): Finish
- Quiz 3 (multiple-choice questions based on keywords in lectures from October 12 through October 21)
Monday, October 26: The Young and the Restless
- Handout: Demosthenes 54: Against Conon (available on Ares)
Wednesday, October 28: Athenian Wives
- Handout: Lysias 1 (available on Ares)
- Cohen, David, "Seclusion, Separation, and the Status of Women in Classical Athens," Greece and Rome 36 (1989) 3–15 (available on Ares)
- Wolpert, Andrew, "Lysias 1 and the Politics of the Oikos," Classical Journal 96 (2001) 416–24 (available on Ares)
Friday, October 30: Mistresses and Prostitutes
- Demosthenes 59: Against Neaera (available on Ares)
Monday, November 2: Masculinity
- Handout: Aeschines 1 (available on Ares): Start
Wednesday, November 4: Sexual Deviancy
- Handout: Aeschines 1 (available on Ares): Finish
Friday, November 6: Quiz 4;
Review
for
Exam 2
- Quiz 4 (multiple-choice questions based on keywords in lectures from October 26 through November 4)
Monday, November 9: Exam 2
- Part 1: Historic Passage (25 minutes)
- Part 2: Essay Question (25 minutes)
Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day (No Class)
Part 5: Culture
Friday, November 13: Democratic Ideology (start)
- Herodotus 3.80-84 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis #7, pp. 44-46)
- Plato, Protagoras (Greek Polis #14, pp. 217-224)
Monday, November 16: Democratic ideology (finish)
- Logos Epitaphios
(Funeral Oration): Thucydides 2.34-46 (click
here
for online text)
Wednesday, November 18: Art and Democracy
- No Homework
Friday, November 20: Elite Opposition (start)
- The Old Oligarch (Greek Polis #8, pp. 48-56)
- Plato, Apology (Greek
Polis #12)
Monday, November 23: Ellite Opposition (finish); Quiz 5
- Plato, Crito, Republic (Greek Polis #13, #15, pp. 224-227)
- Quiz 5 (multiple-choice questions based on keywords in lectures from November 9 through November 20)
Wednesday, November 25: Tragedy (start)
- Aeschylus, Oresteia (start)
Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving Break (No Class)
Monday, November 30: Tragedy (continued)
- Aeschylus, Oresteia (finish)
Wednesday, December 2: Comedy
- Aristophanes, Wasps (Greek Polis #9, pp. 57-103)
Friday, December 4: Comedy (continued)
- Aristophanes, Wasps (Greek Polis #9, pp. 103-157)
Monday, December 7: Quiz 6;
Review
for
Final Exam
- Quiz 6 (multiple-choice questions based on keywords in lectures from November 23 through December 4)
Wednesday, December 9: Makeup Quizzes
- This day has been set aside to allow students the opportunity to make up a missed quiz.
- Students who 1) have a reasonable explanation for a missed quiz (as specified in the undergraduate catalog) and 2) have provided Dr. Wolpert with timely notification of the absence and any and all required documentation for the absence will be permitted to make up a missed quiz.
Thursday, December 17: Final
Exam (3-5 PM)
- Part 1: Historic Passage (30 minutes)
- Part 2: Essay Question (30 minutes)
Links to online articles and books
are accessible off-campus
only by using the UF
VPN
or
Library Proxy
