This course will engage with the politics and culture of classical Athens to pose questions about democracy and its contests in other times, places, and disciplines. Reading narratives that represent or embody aspects of the evolution of Athenian democracy, including Herodotus’ Histories, Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian Wars, comedies, tragedies, and Plato’s philosophy, we will explore themes that facilitated the rise and fall of Athenian democracy with attention to the problems that plagued it, such as educational innovation, economic factors, immigration and gender, class, and the threat of tyranny. Together we will develop questions about the capacity and limitations of democracy that we will pose to outside scholars, including Wellesley professors whose research is relevant as well as marquis visiting lecturers asking them to elaborate how these themes and conflicts play out in other contexts.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 40

Prerequisites: None.

Distribution Requirements: HS - Historical Studies; LL - Language and Literature

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Not Offered; Spring