GOVT 392 Spring 2011
GOVT 392
Topics in Political Theory: Athenian Democracy
Spring 2011
Instructor: Professor Lombardini
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-2082
Office Hours: MW 10-11am, Morton 26
Section 3: TR 12:30-1:50pm, Morton 40
Section 4: TR 3:30-4:50pm, Morton 40
Course Overview
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the main tenets of ancient Greek political thought
through an exploration Athenian democracy in its historical and theoretical contexts. Rather than focusing
on the philosophical theories of Plato and Aristotle, this course is designed as an investigation into the
principles that gave rise to, and contributed to the flourishing of, Athenian democracy in the 5th and 4th
centuries BCE. As a means towards this end, our investigation will be organized thematically and
historically, focusing on key issues and problems in the development and practice of Athenian democracy
through readings of Greek poetry, history, oratory, and philosophy. We will begin by discussing the
nature of Greek political thought before the rise of Athenian democracy, focusing on the Archaic poetry
of Homer and Hesiod as well as Solon’s political reforms and the historical development of Greek
political regimes. Next, we will turn to an examination of the historical origins, principles, institutions,
and practices of Athenian democracy through readings of key historical sources, including Herodotus,
Thucydides, Democritus, Aristophanes, Euripides, and Demosthenes. In the final section of the course,
we will consider the political and philosophical critiques of democracy advanced by the Old Oligarch,
Plato, Isocrates, and Aristotle within their historical and theoretical contexts. We will conclude the class
by discussing the legacy of Athenian democracy for contemporary political thought.
While this course is historically focused, our goal will be to understand the value of democracy as an
enduring site of contestation, how democracy has been justified and criticized through the ages, and how
such an investigation can illuminate our own discourse about democracy in the 21st century.
This course is designed to complement GOVT 303 (Survey of Political Theory: The Ancient Tradition),
which focuses on the political thought of Plato and Aristotle. At the same time, the course is designed to
be accessible to those who have not taken GOVT 303 and/or have no prior experience with political
theory.
This course fulfills the College’s GER 7 requirement, as well as the Government Department’s Political
Theory Requirement.
Overview of Assignments
There will be one midterm report, one essay (of 8-10 pages), and a final examination. Students are also
required to keep a journal of responses to the readings for each class. Details of these assignments can be
found in the “Assignments” section at the end of this syllabus.
Books for Purchase
Students are expected to purchase the following books:
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
Aeschylus, The Oresteia (Penguin)
Aristophanes, The Birds and Other Plays (Penguin)
Aristotle, The Athenian Constitution (Penguin)
Gagarin and Woodruff, (eds.), Early Greek Political Thought from Homer to the Sophists (Cambridge)
M.H. Hansen, The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes (Oklahoma)
Plato, Gorgias (Hackett)
Wolpert and Kapparis, (eds.), Legal Speeches of Democratic Athens (Hackett)
Important Dates
Thurs, Jan 20: First Day of Class
Thurs, Mar 3: Midterm Report Due in Class
Thurs, Apr 14: Essay Due in Class
Thurs, May 5: Final Examination, 9:00am-12:00pm, Section 3 (TR 12:30-1:50pm)
Tues, May 10: Final Examination, 12:00pm-3:00om, Section 4 (TR 3:30-4:50pm)
Course Policies
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to adhere to the Honor System of the College of William & Mary in all aspects of
this course. The complete statement of the Honor System can be found at:
http://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentconduct/documents/studenthandbook.pdf
Attendance
The following is the College’s attendance policy, which can be found on page 42 of the 2010-11
Undergraduate Course Catalog: http://www.wm.edu/offices/registrar/documents/catalog/UGCatalog.pdf
“An education system centered upon classroom instruction is obviously predicated on the concept of
regular class attendance. In support of this concept, the following principles are to be observed:
1. Except for reasonable cause, students are expected to be present at all regularly scheduled class
meetings, including their last scheduled class in each of their courses preceding and their first scheduled
class in each of their courses following the fall break, Thanksgiving, semester break, and spring holidays.
2. Students whose attendance becomes unsatisfactory to the extent that their course performance is
affected adversely should be so informed by their instructor and reported to the Dean of Students.
3. Each student is responsible for notifying professors of absences, and faculty may call the Office of the
Dean of Students to ask for verification of student illness. In view of the Honor Code, a student’s
explanation of class absence should be sufficient in most instances. If required by a professor,
documentation of medical absence may be obtained from the Student Health Center.
4. Students who will miss classes due to personal difficulties or family emergencies should contact the
Dean of Students Office as soon as possible.”
In addition, students who miss class repeatedly can expect to have their participation grade lowered.
E-mail
I check my email regularly throughout the semester, and will be happy to answer any questions that you
have via email. You can expect that I will respond to your emails within 24 hours.
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
Essay Format
Writing assignments must be word-processed. Please follow the guidelines listed below:
• Use only Times New Roman 12.
• Set all your margins at 1” and don’t “justify” your right-hand margin.
• Use your word-processing program’s automatic pagination function to number your pages.
• Proofread your writing for typographical, grammatical, and punctuation errors. If you consistently
make these kinds of errors, your grade will drop.
• Double-space your papers.
Failure to follow these guidelines will result in a lower grade.
Extensions and Late Papers
All deadlines in this class are firm. Except in the case of medical or family emergency or religious
observance, I give no individual extensions. If, due to such an emergency, you cannot meet a deadline,
please contact me as soon as possible so that we may work out an alternative schedule of due dates and
times. In the event of a medical emergency, you must produce a note from the University Health Service.
In the event of a family emergency, please ask a Dean or your Academic Advisor to contact me by e-mail
or telephone.
All late papers that are not late for any of these reasons, or are not accompanied by the required
documentation listed above, will be marked down 1/3 of a letter grade for each day they are late.
Final Grades
The grade breakdown is as follows:
25%
30%
30%
10%
5%
Mid-Term Report
Essay
Final Examination
Attendance and Participation
Journal Responses
Grading Standards for Essay Assignments
When grading your essay assignments, I evaluate the words on the page before me and don’t factor in
“improvement” or “effort” or use other mushy criteria. The effort you put into an assignment will most
certainly be evident in the paper you produce. Below are the standards to which papers will be held in
this class. Pluses and minuses represent shades of difference.
A paper in the A-range displays exceptional grace and demonstrates a high degree of mastery
over the fundamentals of academic writing: it establishes and advances a clear thesis; employs a
logical and progressive structure; analyzes evidence insightfully and in depth; draws from wellchosen sources; and is written in a clear, sophisticated style.
A B-range paper resembles an A-range paper in some ways, but may exhibit a vague or
inconsistently argued thesis; employ a generally logical but somewhat disorganized or
undeveloped structure; include well-chosen but sometimes unanalyzed and undigested evidence;
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
use sources in a correct but limited fashion; or be written in an unsophisticated or grammatically
problematic style.
A C-range paper resembles a B-range paper in some ways, but may also feature a confusing,
simple, or descriptive thesis; lack a coherent structure; fail to present enough evidence, or present
evidence that is insufficiently analyzed; drop in sources without properly contextualizing or citing
them; and be written in a generally unclear, simplistic, or technically flawed style.
A D paper (there is no D+ or D- at Columbia) resembles a C-range paper but may include a
purely descriptive or obvious thesis; display an unfocused, confusing, or rambling structure; and
draw on little analyzed evidence and sources. A D paper has trouble engaging with the
assignment and may not show awareness of the conventions of academic discourse and style. It
does, however, show signs of attempting to engage with the issues, topics, and sources of the
assignment.
An F paper is similar to a D paper but is significantly shorter than the assigned length and
addresses the assignment superficially.
A 0 paper is less than half the assigned length and does not fulfill the basic expectations of the
assignment.
Laptop Use
While laptops can be useful note-taking devices, they are also the cause of many distractions in the
classroom. Though I would prefer that students refrain from using their laptops in class, laptop use is
permitted under the condition that all network connections are shut down. If you connect to the internet
wirelessly, this means that you must turn your wireless adapter off. In addition, only windows that are
directly relevant to the class (such as word documents for note-taking) should be open on your desktop.
Office Hours
My office hours will be held MW, 10-11am in Morton 26. If you would like to meet with me, but
have a conflict with this time, please let me know either after class or via email, and I would be more
than happy to work out an alternate time to meet. It is also required that students attend office hours
at least once during the semester.
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
Course Schedule
(Readings marked with an asterisk* are posted on Blackboard)
I. Introduction
Thurs, Jan 20
Lecture: Introduction to Course; Overview of Assignments; Why Study Athenian Democracy?
Tues, Jan 25
Lecture: Introduction to the Polis; The Origins of Political Thought in Ancient Greece
Required Readings:
Hesiod, selections in Early Greek Political Thought from Homer to the Sophists
(hereafter EGPT)
Homer, selections from Iliad*
Recommended Readings:
Kurt Raaflaub, “Homer and the Beginning of Political Thought in Greece”*
Ian Morris, “The Strong Principle of Equality and the Archaic Origins of Greek
Democracy”*
M.H. Hansen, Polis: An Introduction to the Ancient Greek City-State
Discussion Question: Compare Homer’s portrayal of Zeus’ leadership to that of Agamemnon.
II. Solon & Lycurgus
Thurs, Jan 27
Lecture: History of Archaic Athens; Biography of Solon; Solon’s Poetry; Solon’s Reforms
Readings:
Solon, selections in EGPT
Plutarch, Life of Solon*
Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians 1-12 (hereafter CA)
Discussion Question: What does Solon identify as the cause of civil strife in Athens and how does
he think his reforms will eliminate the problem?
Tues, Feb 1
Lecture: Principles of Solon’s Reforms; Eunomia and Dusnomia; Justice; Lycurgus’ Reforms and
the Spartan Constitution; Reforms Elsewhere in Greece
Readings:
Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus*
Tyrtaeus, selections in EGPT
Gregory Vlastos, “Solonian Justice”*
Recommended Reading:
Robert W. Wallace, “Revolutions and a New Order in Solonian Athens and Archaic
Greece”*
Discussion Question: Compare Lycurgus’ reforms in Sparta to those of Solon in Athens.
III. Cleisthenes, Ephialtes, and the Origins of Athenian Democracy
Thurs, Feb 3
Lecture: Peisistratid Tyranny; The Tyrannicides; Cleisthenes and the Athenian Revolution
Readings:
Aristotle, CA 13-22
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
Herodotus, Histories V.62-78*; Story of Deioces (pp. 80-81 in EGPT)
Josiah Ober, “’I Besieged that Man’: Democracy’s Revolutionary Start”*
Recommended Reading:
Timur Kuran: “Now Out of Never”*
Discussion Question: Given your reading of Herodotus, do you agree with Ober that the Athenian
Revolution was leaderless?
Tues, Feb 8
Lecture: Isonomia; Cleisthenes’ Reforms; New Tribal Organization; Council of 500
Readings:
Harmodius and Aristogeiton Song*
Herodotus, “Constitutional Debate” (pp. 82-85 in EGPT)
Josiah Ober, Democracy and Knowledge (selections)*
Vidal-Naquet and Leveque, Cleisthenes the Athenian (selections)*
Discussion Question: On what grounds does Otanes (in Herodotus’ “Constitutional Debate”)
prefer democracy over oligarchy and monarchy?
Thurs, Feb 10
Lecture: Areopagus Council; Ephialtes’ Reforms; When Did Athenian Democracy Begin?
Readings:
Aristotle, CA 23-25
M.H. Hansen, Athenian Democracy, ch. 12
Kurt Raaflaub, “The Breakthrough of Dēmokratia in Mid-Fifth-Century Athens”*
Recommended Reading:
J. Ober, “The Original Meaning of Democracy”*
Discussion Question: Was Athens a democracy before Ephialtes’ reforms? If so, why? If not,
why not?
IV. Principles, Institutions, and Evolution of Athenian Democracy
Tues, Feb 15
Lecture: Assembly; Magistrates; Ostracism
Readings:
Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians 42-62
M.H. Hansen, Athenian Democracy, chs. 6 & 9
Recommended Reading:
S. Forsdyke, Exile, Ostracism, and Democracy
Discussion Question: Describe the operation of the Athenian Assembly.
Thurs, Feb 17
Lecture: Courts; Jury-Selection
Readings:
Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians 63-69
M.H. Hansen, Athenian Democracy, ch. 8
Lysias, On the Murder of Eratosthenes*
Discussion Question: What was the function of the court-system within Athenian democracy?
Tues, Feb 22
Lecture: Persian Wars; Context of Aeschylus’ Persians; Freedom
Readings:
Aeschylus, Persians*
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
Aristotle, Politics 1317a40-b16*
M.H. Hansen, “The Ancient Athenian and the Modern Liberal View of Liberty as a
Democratic Ideal”*
Recommended:
Kurt Raaflaub, The Discovery of Freedom in Ancient Greece
Discussion Question: Choose a passage from Persians and offer a close analysis of its political
ideology.
Thurs, Feb 24
Lecture: Equality; Frank Speech (parrēsia) v. Free Speech; Isēgoria; Oligarchic Revolutions;
Restoration of Athenian Democracy; Law and Democracy
Readings:
Euripides, selections from The Suppliant Maidens and Phoenician Women in EGPT
Martin Ostwald, “Shares and Rights: ‘Citizenship’ Greek Style and American Style”*
Paul Cartledge, “Comparatively Equal”*
Recommended Reading:
Kurt Raaflaub, “Equalities and Inequalities in Athenian Democracy”*
Discussion Question: Do you agree with Ostwald’s argument that modern democracies
emphasize rights while Athenian democracy emphasized citizen ‘shares’?
V. Democratic Leadership
Tues, Mar 1
Lecture: The Peloponnesian War; Pericles; Public v. Private; Citizenship
Readings:
Thucydides (in EGPT, pp. 93-102)
Plutarch, Life of Pericles*
Aristotle, CA 26-28
Recommended Readings:
S. Sara Monoson, “Citizen as Erastēs”*
Discussion Question: What makes democracy such a praiseworthy form of government for
Pericles?
Thurs, Mar 3
Lecture: Politicians and Oratory; Demosthenes; Hubris; Participatory Democracy
Readings:
Demosthenes, Against Meidias (selections)
Recommended Readings:
Josiah Ober, “Power and Oratory in Democratic Athens”*
P.J. Rhodes, “Who Ran Democratic Athens?”*
Discussion Question: Why, for Demosthenes, is Meidias’ crime not only an insult to him, but a
threat to the entire democracy?
***Spring Break***
VI. Athenian Imperialism
Tues, Mar 15
Lecture: Origins of Athens’ Empire; Empire and Democracy; The Ideology of Empire in 5th
century Athens
Readings:
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
Aristophanes, Birds
Thucydides (in EGPT, pp. 89-92; 108-127)
Recommended Readings:
Barry Strauss, “The Athenian Trireme, School of Democracy”*
Kurt Raaflaub, “Democracy, Power, and Imperialism in Fifth-Century Democracy”*
Kurt Raaflaub, “Learning From the Enemy: Athenian and Persian ‘Instruments of
Empire’*
Discussion Question: Compare Thucydides’ analysis of Athenian imperialism to that of
Aristophanes in Birds.
VII. Tragedy and Athenian Democracy
Thurs, Mar 17
Lecture: Political Background of the Oresteia; Agamemnon; Eumenides
Reading:
Aeschylus, The Oresteia
Discussion Question: Is there a political message in the court scene in the Eumenides? If so, what
is it? (It might be helpful here to think back to Ephialtes’ reforms.)
Tues, Mar 22
Lecture: Overview of the Institution of the Theater; Debate about Democratic Nature of Greek
Drama
Readings:
Simon Goldhill, “Civic Ideology and the Problem of Difference: The Politics of
Aeschylean Tragedy, Once again”*
P.J. Rhodes, “Nothing to Do with Democracy: Athenian Drama and the Polis”*
Discussion Question: Was Greek Drama democratic? In other words, do you agree with Goldhill
or Rhodes? Why?
VIII. Women, Metics, and Slaves
Thurs, Mar 24
Lecture: Aristophanes on Women; Analysis of Assemblywomen
Readings:
Aristophanes, Assemblywomen
Recommended Reading:
Sue Blundell, Women in Ancient Greece (selections)*
Froma Zeitlin, “The Performance of Utopia in Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen”*
Plato, Republic 5*
Discussion Question: How does Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen poke fun at some of the core
principles of Athenian democracy? Is it a critique of the subordination of women in
Athenian society, or an attempt to use humor to question their traditional place in
Athenian society?
IX. Theorizing Democracy
Tues, Mar 29
Lecture: Introduction to the Sophists
Readings:
Protagoras, selections in EGPT
Democritus, selections in EGPT
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
Recommended Readings:
Cynthia Farrar, “Protagoras: Measuring Man”*
J.F. Procopé, “Democritus on Politics and the Care of the Soul”*
Discussion Question: What are the two key qualities that Zeus distributes to human beings in
Protagoras’ ‘Great Myth’ and how do they contribute to the flourishing of human
society?
X. Criticizing Democracy
Thurs, Mar 31
Lecture: Dissent from Within
Readings:
Aristophanes, Knights
Discussion Question: Discuss the political allegory that frames the plot of Knights.
Tues, Apr 5
Lecture: Plato’s Epic Critique
Readings:
Plato, Gorgias (pp. 1-50)
Discussion Question: How does Plato’s Gorgias incorporate elements of Aristophanes’ critique
of rhetoric and Athenian democracy in Knights?
Thurs, Apr 7
Lecture: Democracy and Disorder; Greed and Democracy
Readings:
Plato, Gorgias (pp. 51-113)
Plato, Republic VIII*
Discussion Question: Compare Callicles’ opening speech to Jocasta’s speech in the Phoenician
Women.
Tues, Apr 12
Lecture: Two Types of Equality
Readings:
Aristotle, Politics VI; Nicomachean Ethics V*
Ps.-Xenophon, Constitution of the Athenians (in EGPT)
Discussion Question: Compare Aristotle’s critique of democracy to that of Plato.
Thurs, Apr 14
Lecture: Isocrates’ Conservative Political Program
Readings:
Isocrates’ Areopagiticus ; Panathenaicus*
Recommended Readings:
Josiah Ober, “Eloquence, Leadership, and Memory”*
M.H. Hansen, “Solonian Democracy in Fourth-Century Athens”*
Discussion Question: Discuss the relationship between Isocrates’ political program and Solon’s
reforms.
XI. Legacies of Athenian Democracy
Tues, Apr 19
Lecture: Sparta or Athens?; The Dangers of Antiquity
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GOVT 392 Readings:
Rousseau, The Social Contract (selections)*
Constant, “The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns”*
Jennifer Tolbert Roberts, Athens on Trial (selections)*
Thurs, Apr 21
Lecture: Republic or Democracy? Greeks in America
Readings:
The Federalist Papers (selections)*
Richard, The Golden Age of Classics in America (selections)*
Tues, Apr 26
Lecture: The Primacy of Politics
Readings:
Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition (selections)*
Thurs, Apr 28
Lecture: Athenian Democracy Today
Readings:
Josiah Ober, Democracy and Knowledge (selections)*
Sheldon Wolin, “Transgression, Equality, Voice”*
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Spring 2011
GOVT 392 Spring 2011
Assignments
Journal Responses
Students are required to keep a journal of their responses to the reading assignments for each class. These
journal responses will be collected randomly, 10 times during the course of the semester at the beginning
of class. They will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis, and collectively will constitute 5% of your final grade.
In the “Course Schedule” section of the syllabus, there is a ‘Discussion Question’ listed for each class
section (with the exception of the first class and the last 4 classes). Your journal entries should respond to
these questions. For the final four classes, you may respond to anything you choose from the readings.
Journal responses must be one, single-spaced page in length, and written in 12-pt. Times New Roman
font. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in loss of credit for the assignment.
The goal of these responses is to encourage students to keep up with, and come to class ready to discuss,
the readings for the course.
Midterm Reports
For the midterm assignment, students will be requirement to write a short report on a particular institution
or institutional practice of Athenian democracy. The reports should be 4-5 pages in length, and follow the
general formatting guidelines listed in the “Essay Format” section of the syllabus (pg. 3).
Content: The report should answer the following set of questions:
1. When did the institution originate?
2. How did the institution function?
3. Did the functioning of the institution change over time? In what way?
3. What is the demographic information for those participating in the institution?
4. What was the relationship between the institution and the overall functioning of the democracy?
5. What principle, if any, is implicit in the functioning of this institution?
List of Suggested Institutions:
Assembly
Jury-Courts
Council of Areopagus
Council of 500
A particular magistracy (like the Archon Basileus)
Nomothetai
Euthynai
Dokimasia
Eisangelia
Your report should include between 3 and 5 secondary sources other than those used in class. Hansen’s
Athenian Democracy should serve as an invaluable starting point for any topic you choose.
Essay
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GOVT 392 Spring 2011
There will be one analytic essay (8-10 pages in length). The essay questions will be distributed 2 weeks
in advance of the essay’s due date along with general guidelines and expectations.
Final Examination
The final examination will be a 3-hour long blue book examination, which will take place during the
examination period designated by the College. It will contain 3 components: 1) Short Identification
Questions (1-2 sentences); 2) Short Answer Questions (short paragraph); 3) Essay Question. The essay
question will be distributed one week in advance of the exam.
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