CLASS 1576

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CLASS 1576
FWS: War, Politics and Human Nature: The History of Thucydides

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

The war between Athens and Sparta (431-404 BC) as written by Thucydides is recognized as a paradigm for international relations, military strategy and the challenges of political leadership under a democracy. Its admirers range from Colin Powell to Bob Dylan. But Thucydides is also a compelling storyteller, portraying advocates of idealistic patriotism or aggressive brutality, relating episodes of tragic miscalculation or murderous political hysteria. We will study him as a model for observing and understanding the range of actions that humans can take against each other. We will also note what he edits out, but his contemporaries did not: women and the family (Lysistrata), religion (Antigone and Oedipus), and transcendent moral values (Plato's accounts of Socrates). Requirements include regular participation, presentations on assigned topics, and six essays.

When Offered Spring.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17788 CLASS 1576   SEM 101

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  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.