Andrew Wolpert

Time and Location

TR 7, 7-8, Florida Gym 270

Course Description

Participatory democracies first appeared in Greece some 2,500 years ago, flourishing for centuries, until they were replaced by monarchies and empires.  Although democracy was reinvented in the modern period, direct democracy was considered too radical and too impractical to implement.  It was an interesting experiment, but better left in the trash can of history.

This course offers students the opportunity to reconsider our assumptions about participatory democracy.  Through a study of the political, social, and cultural institutions of the democracy of ancient Athens, we will consider the strengths and weaknesses of this unique form of government.

Topics include the origin and development of the Athenian democracy; political organizations and social and economic structures; war and imperialism; freedom of speech and intellectual dissent; gender, sexuality, and citizenship; democratic discourse and ideology; and democracy and the arts.

We will try to answer the problems at the root of Greek democracy:

• What caused restrictive forms of government to yield to popular pressure and become democratic in spite of elite opposition?
• How was it possible for ordinary Athenian citizens to be actively involved in setting political policy?
• What impact did democracy have on art and literature?
• Was ancient democracy based on slave labor, the exclusion of resident aliens, and the restrictions imposed on Athenian women?

Required Texts

• Aeschylus, The Oresteia, tr. by R. Lattimore (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969). [You may substitute this edition with any other translation of the Oresteia.]
• Adkins, Arthur W.H., and White, Peter, eds., The Greek Polis: University of Chicago Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986).
• Carey, Christopher, tr., Aeschines (Austin: University of Texas Press 2000).
• Carey, Christopher, ed., Trials from Classical Athens (London and New York: Routledge, 1997).
• Carey, Christopher, Democracy in Classical Athens (London: Duckworth 2001).

Additional Readings

• Required books are on reserve in Library West.
• Articles are online on Ares (the “Course Reserves” weblink from Smathers Libraries)
• Web links to library resources are accessible off-campus only if you use the UF VPN or the Library Proxy.
• If you still have difficulty accessing Ares off campus,  contact Course Reserves: (352) 273-2520 or eres@uflib.ufl.edu

Course Requirements

• Three Exams:  September 25 (30%), November 6 (35%), and December 15 (35%).  All exams are “closed book.”  No study aids may be used during exams.
• This course has no pre-requisites and is intended for students interested in classics, history, political science, or political philosophy.

Grading Scale

A = 90-100%
B+= 87-89.9%
B = 80-86.9%
C+ = 77-79.9%
C = 70-76.9%
D+ = 67-69.9%
D = 60-66.9%
E < 59.9%

Schedule

Part 1: History of the Athenian Democracy

August 26: Introduction

August 28: Lay of the Land

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 1-11
• Hedrick, Charles, “Chronology,” in Ancient History Monuments and Documents (Oxford 2006) 48-65 (available on Ares).
• Handout, “Spelling” (available on Ares)
• Optional: Hansen, Mogens, “Evidence,” in The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes (Oxford 1991) 4-26 (available on Ares)

September 2: From Cylon to Pisistratus

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 12-17
• Aristotle, Constitution of Athens 1-19 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis #16, pp. 228-43)

September 4: Cleisthenes

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 18-19
• Aristotle, Constitution of Athens 20-21 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis #16, pp. 243-45)
• Herodotus 6.69-73 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis #7, pp. 42-43)

September 9: Fifth- and Fourth-Century Developments

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 19-29
• Aristotle, Constitution of Athens 22-41 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis#16, pp. 245-59)

September 11: Origins of the Democracy

• Ober, Josiah, “Athenian Revolution of 508/7 B.C.: Violence, Authority, and the Origins of Democracy,” in Cultural Poetics in Archaic Greece, edited by Carol Dougherty and Leslie Kurke (Oxford 1993) 215-32 (available on Ares)
• Raaflaub, Kurt, “Power in the Hands of the People: Foundations of Athenian Democracy,” in Democracy 2500?, edited by Ian Morris and Kurt Raaflaub (Dubuque, IA 1997) 33-62  (available on Ares)

Part II: Politics

September 16: The Council

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 43-47
• Ober, Josiah, “Classical Athenian Democracy and Democracy Today,” in The Promotion of Knowledge: Lectures to Mark the Centenary of the British Academy 1902-2002 (available on Ares)

September 18: The Assembly and the Demagogue

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 47-54, 59-70
• Finley, M.I, “Athenian Demagogues,” Past and Present 21(1962) 3–24 (available on Ares)

September 23: The Lawcourts & the demes

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 54-58, 76-77

September 25: Exam 1

• Part 1: Key Words / dates
• Part 2: Historic Passage
• Part 3: Essay Question

September 30: Locus of Power

• Hansen, Mogens, “The Political Powers of the People’s Court in Fourth-Century Athens,” in The Greek City from Homer to Alexander, edited by O. Murray and S. Price (Oxford 1990) 215–43 (available on Ares)

October 2: Political Office

•    Handout: Lysias 16 (available on Ares)

October 7: Political Rights

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 32-42
• Ober, Josiah, “Quasi-Rights: Participatory Citizenship and Negative Liberties in Democratic Athens,” Social Philosophy and Policy 17 (2000) 27-61 (available on Ares)

October 9: Imperialism

• Finley, M.I. 1978, “The Fifth-Century Athenian Empire: A Balance Sheet,” in Imperialism in the Ancient World, edited by P.D.A. Garnsey, and C.R. Whittaker (Cambridge 1978) 103–26 (available on Ares)

• Millett, Paul 1989, “Patronage and Its Avoidance in Classical Athens,” in Patronage in Ancient Society, edited by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill (London 1989) 15-47 (available on Ares)

Part III:  Society

October 14: Free and Slave

• Osborne, Robin, “The Economics and Politics of Slavery at Athens,” in The Greek World, edited by Anton Powell (London 1995) 27-43 (available onAres)
• Gagarin, Michael, “The Torture of Slaves in Athenian Law,” Classical Philology 91 (1996) 1–18 (available on Ares)

October 16: The Young and Restless

• Carey, Trials from Classical Athens, Demosthenes 54 (Against Conon), pp. 84-97

October 21: Athenian Wives

• Carey, Trials from Classical Athens, Lysias 1, pp. 26-36
• Cohen, David, “Seclusion, Separation, and the Status of Women in Classical Athens,” Greece and Rome 36 (1989) 3–15 (available on Ares)
• Wolpert, Andrew, “Lysias 1 and the Politics of the Oikos,” Classical Journal 96 (2001) 416–24 (available on Ares)

October 23: Mistresses and Prostitutes

• Carey, Trials from Classical Athens, [Demosthenes] 59, pp. 180-212

October 28: Masculinty

• Carey, Aeschines, Against Timarchus, introduction and sections 1-100

October 30: Sexual Deviancy

• Carey, Aeschines, Against Timarchus, sections 101-end

November 4: Review

November 6: Exam 2

• Part 1: Key Words / dates
• Part 2: Historic Passage
• Part 3: Essay Question

Part IV: Culture

November 11: Veterans Day (no class)

November 13: Democratic Ideology

• Herodotus 3.80-84 (in Adkins & White, Greek Polis #7, pp. 44-46)
• Plato, Protagoras (Greek Polis #14, pp. 217-224)

November 18: Elite Opposition

• Carey, Democracy in Classical Athens, 92-99
• The Old Oligarch (Greek Polis #8, pp. 48-56)
• Plato, Apology, Crito, Republic (Greek Polis #12, #13, #15, pp. 183-217, 224-227)

November 20: Tragedy

• Aeschylus, Oresteia (start)

November 25: Tragedy (continued)

• Aeschylus, Oresteia (finish)

November 27: Thanksgiving (no class)

December 2: Comedy

• Aristophanes, Wasps (Greek Polis #9, pp. 57-103)

December 4: Comedy (continued)

• Aristophanes, Wasps (Greek Polis #9, pp. 103-157)

December 9: Review

December 15: Exam Group 15C (12:30-2:00 PM)

• Part 1: Key Words / dates
• Part 2: Historic Passage
• Part 3: Essay Question

[Please bring an empty bluebook to the final exam]

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 undergraduate catalog, fulfill the conditions described therein, and provide timely notification (see Attendance Policies in Undergraduate Catalog).
• Use of mobile phones and computers are prohibited during lectures.  Refusal to comply will result in immediate dismissal from the classroom.  All powerpoint slides from lectures are available on e-Learning.
• 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 assignment 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 on-campus counseling center: 352-392-1575, or the student mental health center: 352-392-1171.