Thucydides

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

In this course we will read portions of the text of Thucydides, starting with the opening 23 chapters of Book I. We will pay close attention to his syntax and methods of argument, as well as to his idiosyncratic approach to historiography. Thucydides has a reputation for writing quite difficult Greek, but in fact his narrative passages are generally clear and straightforward. We will start with them, then work up to some of his speeches, which are more complex and rhetorically sophisticated. We will not concentrate solely on translating and analyzing the Greek; we will talk about how Thucydides produces historical meaning, both explicit and implicit. We will have a lot of intellectual fun in this class.