The Threshold of Democracy -- Athens in 403 BCE

Catalog description

In this course we will investigate the roots of democratic principles of government and justice through students re-enactment of the citizen debates in the assembly and law courts of late 5th-century Athens. As preparation, students will read and discuss primary texts by contemporary scholars will provide additional perspectives on the historical significance and subsequent evolution of democracy. One alternate perspective we will examine closely is the antidemocratic tradition in Western thought and literature. Students will work in groups to determine strategies and to produce position papers.