University of Alabama at Birmingham
Department of History
Ancient Greece and Rome
HY290-5N
Spring 2007
(UW 130, Tues. 2:00 p.m.-4:40p.m.)
Dr. Lesnick
Syllabus
Texts (Available at UAB Bookstore & Snoozy's Bookstore. Also, overstock.com, ecampus.com, amazon.com, and other Internet book merchants are worth checking; they often have good prices and quick delivery; also check addall.com to compare book prices.)
Sarah B. Pomeroy, A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 0195156811.
Mary T. Boatwright, A Brief History of the Romans, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 0195187156.
Office Hours (402H Ullman Bldg.; tel. 934-5634; dlesnick@uab.edu)
Tuesday & Thursday: 10:45-11:45 a.m. & 1:30-2:00 p.m. And by appointment.
Withdrawing from This Course
You may withdraw from a course and receive a grade of “W” up to and including
March 7, 2006. After that date you may not withdraw. (See the most recent
Undergraduate Catalogue for the full text of this policy.)
Grading in this course will be based on two essay exams, a midterm exam in class on February 27 (40% of your grade) and a final exam on Tuesday, May 1, 1:30-4:00 p.m. (60% of your grade).
Make-Up Policy: Missed tests may be made up only with the professor’s permission and only for the most serious of reasons (such as incapacitating illness of the student or the student’s child or the death of an immediate family member). In such instances the student must notify the professor at the earliest possible moment and present a valid written excuse, such as a fully explanatory doctor’s letter, a funeral director’s letter, or a newspaper obituary. Excused missed tests will be made up on Thursday, April 26, at 11:00 a.m. in a place to be announced by the professor.
Class Attendance and Participation
Regular class attendance and participation are integral parts of this course and are required. More than three unexcused absences from class will result in a grade of F for the course. Absences may be excused by the professor according to the same rules that apply (above) for making up missed exams – i.e., only for the most serious of reasons, (such as incapacitating illness of the student or the student’s child or the death of an immediate family member). As already stated, in such instances the student must notify the professor at the earliest possible moment and present a valid written excuse, such as a fully explanatory doctor’s excuse, a funeral director’s letter, or a newspaper obituary.
Cell phones must be turned off before class begins in order to avoid disruptions.
If you must arrive late to class, enter quietly and unobtrusively.
Do not leave class once it has begun. It is very distracting to other students and the professor. There are men’s and women’s rest rooms in Ullman Building, and it is suggested that you learn to use them before or after class rather than during class. Leaving class to answer personal cell phone calls is not acceptable. If you have a medical condition or personal situation that may necessitate your leaving class while it is in session, let the professor know before class that this may happen.
Do not interupt other people when they are speaking. Let each person finish speaking before you begin to speak.
Readings and Written Assignments (All readings and written assignments must be completed before the class for which they are assigned.)
Jan. 9 Introduction: Why Study Ancient Greece and Rome?
Jan. 16 Greece from the Stone Age to c. 1150 B.C.
Pomeroy, “Introduction” & Ch. I
Jan. 23 Greece from the “Dark Age” & Eighth-Century “Renaissance to the Archaic Age, c. 1100 - 500 B.C.
Pomeroy, Chs. II & III
Jan. 30 Sparta, Athens, & the Persian Wars, to the Early Fifth Century B.C.
Pomeroy, Chs. IV & V
Feb. 6 Rivalries Among the Greek City-States, Growth of Athenian Democracy, & the Peloponnesian War, Mid-
Late Fifth Century B.C.
Pomeroy, Chs. VI, VII, & VIII
Feb. 13 The Crisis of the Greek Polis & the Rise of Macedonia, Fourth Century B.C.
Pomeroy, Chs. IX & X
Feb. 20 Alexander & His Legacy, Mid-Fourth – First Centuries B.C.
Pomeroy, Chs. XI & XII
Feb. 27 Midterm Exam (Bring large bluebooks and pen or pencil.)
Mar. 6 Early Italy & Rome’s First Centuries, Fourth Millennium B.C. - Fifth Century B.C.
Boatwright, Chs. 1 & 2
Mar. 13 Spring Break – No Class
Mar. 20 The Rome from City-State to Domination of Italy and the Mediterranean, Fourth - Second Centuries
B.C.
Boatwright, Chs. 3 & 4
Mar. 27 Crisis in the Late Roman Republic, Second – Mid-First Centuries B.C.
Boatwright, Chs. 5 & 6
Ap. 3 Dictatorship and the End of the Republic, 82 - 44 B.C.
Boatwright, Chs. 7 & 8
Ap. 10 Augustus, Transformation of the Roman World, & Life in the Early Empire, 44 B.C. - A.D. 69
Boatwright, Chs. 9 & 10
Ap. 17 Imperial Rome & Its Provinces 69 - 235
Boatwright, Chs. 11 & 12
Ap. 24 Change & Continuity, Mid-Third – Fourth Centuries
Boatwright, Ch. 13
May 1 (1:30 p.m.) Final Exam (Bring large bluebooks and pen or pencil.)