Histories of - and in - Greece: Ancient Greece

(3 Credits)

The Greek brand is associated with quintessential images promoted to entice tourists: olive groves, the Parthenon, and white-washed buildings on sun-drenched islands. Beneath this pleasantly reductive picture lies a rich, contentious past inscribed in the country’s architecture, monuments, art, dance, music, poetry and cuisine. What did the Greeks contribute to human history? How do Greek concepts and practices of democracy, citizenship, ethics, philosophy, mythology, drama, and literature shape society today? Through tours, lectures, and experiential learning at the Parthenon, theaters, and museums, students will study Ancient Greece’s lasting contributions to history and culture and the often-suppressed Byzantine, Ottoman, Jewish, Romá, communist, migrant and refugee pasts. Students will examine how debates about commemoration, secularism, cultural preservation, textbooks, and national identity reflect ongoing contests over Greek history. The course addresses how societies remember the past and how they decide whose pasts are worth remembering.