| Unit name | The Ancient City and Modern Politics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLAS20010 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Martin |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
How does the state accommodate the conflicting interests of citizens with unequal shares of wealth and influence? Is the power of a single ruler ever justified? When is civil disobedience acceptable? How should one state behave towards another, weaker state? These questions of justice, authority and power are as relevant today as they were for the ancient cities of Athens and Rome. In this unit we will discover how writers and thinkers throughout the ages have looked back to the events of ancient history, and have used them as models for thinking about what is happening in their own time, as well as formulating general principles of politics. The unit will involve close examination of one case study from either Greece or Rome, and will trace the discussion and analysis of this case study by later political writers, and in relation to later political events. Sample case studies include The Melian Dialogue, the secession of the plebs and institution of plebeian tribunes, and the career and assassination of Julius Caesar.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a good knowledge of a range of key sources for this theme in antiquity, and the legacy of ancient ideas in the modern world
2. Analyse and make critical connections between these sources, and to situate them within their wider historical context.
3. Identify, assess and apply a range of different methodological approaches to the material
4. Use the knowledge acquired in lectures and through group discussion and their own researches to construct coherent, relevant and persuasive arguments on different aspects of the subject.
3 hours per week of lectures and group work
Creative writing exercise 1,500 words (30%) [assessing ILOs 2 and 4]
2-hour exam (70%) [assessing ILOs 1,3]
Joy Connolly. 2014. The Life of Roman Republicanism. Princeton
Dean Hammer. 2008. Roman Political Thought and the Modern Theoretical Imagination. University of Oklahoma
Daniel Kapust. 2011. Republicanism, Rhetoric, and Roman Political Thought. Cambridge University Press
Kostas Vlassopoulos. 2010. Politics: Antiquity and its Legacy. I.B. Tauris
