HIST 1104

FWS: Empire and Democracy: Ancient to Modern

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

Classical Athens and the Roman Republic were governed by democratic institutions which were unprecedented in scale and exceptional in the demands placed on their citizens. Democracy also went hand in hand with war: under forms of democratic governance, both Athens and Rome formed empires and pursued policies that brought their citizens into a war of some kind almost every year. This course will focus on the connections between democracy and imperialism based on primary sources, including Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristotle, Polybius, Cicero, and Livy. By engaging directly with the ancient sources, writing assignments will explore theories of imperialism, the nature of Athenian and Roman political institutions, interactions with subject peoples, and the strains of war on society. We will conclude the course with comparisons to American democracy.

When Offered Spring.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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