GREEK HISTORY (LM)
cod. 1008608

Academic year 2018/19
1° year of course - Second semester
Professor
Academic discipline
Storia greca (L-ANT/02)
Field
A scelta dello studente
Type of training activity
Student's choice
30 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub: PARMA
course unit
in ITALIAN

Learning objectives

Knowledge and understanding. With this course, students will gain in-depth knowledge of one of the major figures of Greek history and the relevant historical context and will be able to understand the appropriate methodologies of source criticism. Applying knowledge and understanding. Thanks to the paradigmatic value of the texts proposed, students will be able to apply knowledge and understanding to the study of other historical and historiographical issues, both ancient and modern. Making judgments. Thanks to the content of the course and the teaching methods, students can develop their autonomy of judgment in the study of primary sources and secondary literature. Communication skills. By studying a particular subject, students will refine their communication skills in presenting the results of their individual research to the instructor and classmates. Learning skills. The experience gained in the course will enable students to develop those learning skills that are necessary to continue studying autonomously or to successfully integrate into working life, such as teaching in secondary schools or business and professional working environments.

Prerequisites

A good preparation on the political history of classical Greece and an adequate level of knowledge of the ancient Greek language.

Course unit content

The course is a single Unit (6 CFU = 30 hours) titled “Pericles’ figure between historiography and biography”. The Unit will offer a close analysis of the life and figure of Pericles in the context of the Athenian democracy of the fifth century. The Unit aims not only at reconstructing some of the real aspects of Pericles’ life and figure but also at clarifying in what ways sources of different genre and goals contributed to outline the portrait of one of the leading figures of Athenian politics during the classical age.

Full programme

- - -

Bibliography

1. Primary sources Tucidide, “La guerra del Peloponneso”, books I-II, BUR (in particular: I, 139-145; II, 13-22, 34-46, 55-65). Plutarco, “Vite Parallele. Pericle e Fabio Massimo”, BUR (only the life of Pericles). Recommended commentaries: U. Fantasia, “Tucidide. La guerra del Peloponneso. Libro II. Testo, traduzione e commento”, ETS. Ph. A. Stadter, “A commentary on Plutarch’s Pericles”, University of North Carolina Press. 2. Bibliography V. Azoulay, “Pericle. La democrazia ateniese alla prova di un grand’uomo”. Einaudi. Further specific bibliography will be indicated at the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

Lectures will be integrated with seminars, during which students will present in-depth analyses of specific topics of Pericles’ life and figure with the aid of reference works and additional bibliography.

Assessment methods and criteria

Learning assessment will consist of the participation to a seminar and an oral examination. The minimum requirement to pass the exam (18-23/30) entails students being able to understand at a basic level the texts proposed by the instructor during the exam, demonstrate an adequate mastery of the topics dealt with in the lectures, express them with a minimum of correctness, and develop at an adequate level their research topic. Middle-range scores (24-27/30) are assigned to students who perform at a more than adequate or good level in the indicators listed above. Higher scores (28/30 to 30/30 cum laude) are awarded to students who demonstrate a full mastery of the content of the course, a complete autonomy of judgment in dealing with sources and the interpretation of historical events, a thorough competence in dealing with research tools and methodology, the ability to solve problems related to information retrieval and the decoding of complex texts, and the ability to use an adequate specialized vocabulary. A fail is determined by the lack of understanding of the content of the course and the texts proposed during the exam, the inability to express themselves adequately and to produce an autonomous reflection on the research topic agreed upon with the instructor.

Other information

- - -