Histories of - and in - Greece

Catalog description

What did the Greeks contribute to human history? Is it their philosophy, cultural heritage, or mythology? The Greeks pioneered the concepts of democracy, citizenship, ethics, philosophical inquiry, mythology, drama & literature, and the ‘philosopher king’. This course examines the lasting contributions of Ancient Greece to history, philosophy, politics, and cultural heritage. Students will study key texts such as Plato’s Republic and concepts including the Socratic method, the Allegory of the Cave, and the Theory of Forms, exploring their impact on ethics, politics, metaphysics, and science. Field visits to sites such as the Parthenon, theaters, and museums will ground discussion of Greece’s political, cultural, and religious institutions, as well as its interactions with neighboring civilizations. The course also addresses how societies remember the past, asking why certain narratives are promoted while others are marginalized. The course studies how Greece’s legacies continue to shape democracy, governance, and identity today. This course includes travel to Greece. This course will be offered in January-Term. For the January-Term offering the course will be open for enrollment to NYU Abu Dhabi AEP students only.