Lecture Topics and Reading Assignments

NOTE: the reading assignments under each week's reading are to be done for that week, i.e. you need to read them BEFORE the week's lectures and discussion section. Note that the course packet readings will be more difficult (and therefore take more time) than the textbook reading. Don't be fooled by the often-small amount of reading; it will take more time than you think, since you will need to read it carefully, and more than once.

 

WEEK 1 (W Aug. 31): Introduction

Winks, Mattern-Parkes, pp. 1-15 (WMP from now on)

PART I: Civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean (ca. 3000-600 B.C.)

 

WEEK 2 (W Sept. 7): Mesopotamia and Western Asia

WMP, pp. 15-26, 34-36

Get started reading The Epic of Gilgamesh (for discussion wk 3)

WEEK 3 (M W Sept. 12-14): Egypt

WMP, pp. 26-34

Epic of Gilgamesh, entire

WEEK 4 (M W Sept. 19-21): Minoans and Myceneans; The Eastern Mediterranean and the Rise of Greek Civilization in the Archaic Period

WMP, pp. 36-53

Course packet, #1

PART II: The Archaic and Classical Ages of the Greek World (800-336 B.C.)

 

WEEK 5 (M W Sept. 26-28): The Archaic Polis; Religion and Rationalism

WMP, pp. 54-69

Course packet, #2

WEEK 6 (M W Oct. 3-5): Greece and Persia; Classical Greek Culture

WMP, pp. 72-77

Course packet, #3-4

WEEK 7 (M Oct. 10-12): Sparta, Athens, Empire and War

WMP, pp. 77-79

Course packet, #5

WEEK 8 (M W Oct. 17-19): MIDTERM; the Greek World in the Fourth Century B.C.

WMP, pp. 79-92, 94-101

Course packet, #6-7

PART III: Alexander and the Hellenistic World (323-31 B.C.)

 

WEEK 9 (M W Oct. 24-26): Philip II and Alexander the Great of Macedon

WMP, pp. 101-106

Course packet, #8

WEEK 10 (M W Oct. 31-Nov. 2): The Hellenistic Kingdoms; Society, Culture and Religion in the Hellenistic World

WMP, pp. 107-117

Course packet, #9-10

PART IV: Rome and the Mediterranean World (ca. 800 B.C.-A.D. 500)

 

 WEEK 11 (M W Nov. 7-9): The Entry of Rome into the Hellenistic World: Roman Expansion in Italy and the Mediterranean

WMP, pp. 118-119, 127-131

Course packet, #11 (begin)

WEEK 12 (M W Nov. 14-16): Rome and Greek Culture; Family, Society and State in Republican Rome

WMP, pp. 123-126, 132-133

Course packet, #11 (finish)

WEEK 13 (M W Nov. 21-23): The Roman Revolution

WMP, pp. 133-145

Course packet, #12-14

WEEK 14 (M W Nov. 28-30): The Empire during the Pax Romana; Religions of the Empire

WMP, pp. 145-153, 163-172, 184-199

Course packet, #15

WEEK 15 (M W Dec. 6-8): Crisis and Continuity; Rome, Byzantium and Islam

WMP, pp. 177-183