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GRW 6386: The Greek Historians

imagesTime and Location

Tuesday Period 9-11, 104 Ustler Hall

Office Hours

Thursday Periods 4-5, 138 Dauer Hall

Course Description

Reading selections of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon’s Hellenika to help students increase their understanding of classical Greek historical prose. Particular attentional will be given to the history of the Persian and Peloponnesian wars and the main trends in Greek historical scholarship.

Required Texts

  • H. D. Cameron, ed., Thucydides Book I: A Student’s Grammatical Commentary (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 2003).
  • Theodore Horn, ed., Xenophon: The Fall of Athens (London: Bristol Classical Press, 1978).
  • J. S. Rusten, ed., Thucydides: The Peloponnesian War II (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989).
  • George A Sheets, ed. Herodotus Book I (Bryn Mawr: Bryn Mawr Commentaries, 1993).

Additional Readings and Resources

Course Requirements

  • Class Participation (10%) based on attendance, participation in discussions and translation of weekly assignments.
  • Three Presentations (5% each) on February 2, March 15, and April 19.
  • Three Hourly Examinations (25% each) on February 2, March 15, and April 19.

Grading Scale

A = 92.5-100
A- = 89.5-92.4
B+ = 86.5-89.4
B = 82.5-86.4
B- = 78.5-82.4
C+ = 74.5-78.4
C = 71.5-74.4
C- = 68.5-71.4
D+ = 65.5-68.4
D = 61.5-65.4
D- = 60.0-61.4
E < 60.0

Course Policies

  • Students are expected to complete all requirements on the specified dates and will not be granted an alternate date unless they have an acceptable reason for their absence as specified in the graduate catalog, fulfill the conditions described therein, and provide timely notification (see Attendance Policies).
  • Students are required to be honest in their coursework. Any act of academic dishonesty will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs, and may result in failure of the assignement in question and/or the course.  See Honor Code.
  • Students seeking special accommodations, need to submit such requests to the Disability Resource Center prior to the deadline of the scheduled requirement, and preferably as early in the Semester as possible.  For further information, see the Disability Resource Center.
  • Students facing difficulties completing the course or who are in need of counseling or urgent help may call the UF Counseling and Wellness Center (352-392-1575), or U Matter We Care (352-294-care).

Weekly Schedule

Part 1: Xenophon

  • January 5: Introduction
  • January 12: Horn, 1-10
  • January 19: Horn, 10-22
  • January 26: Horn, 23-31
  • February 2: Exam and Presentations on Xenophon

Part 2: Herodotus

  • February 9: Herodotus 1.1-10
  • February 16: Herodotus 1.11-24
  • February 23: Herodotus 1.25-35
  • March 8: Herodotus 1.36-49
  • March 15 Exam and Presentations on Herodotus

Part 3: Thucydides

  • March 22: Thucydides 1.1-10
  • March 29: Thucydides 1.11-19
  • April 5: Thucydides 1.20-23; 2.34-37
  • April 12: Thucydides 2.38-46
  • April 19: Exam and Presentations on Thucydides