Thucydides' Peloponnesian War

Catalog description

This course offers an intensive study of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, one of the foundational texts of political realism and historical analysis. Students will engage with Thucydides’ narrative of the conflict between Athens and Sparta (431–404 BCE) as both a historical record and a philosophical inquiry into power, justice, and human nature. Through close reading and seminar discussion, the course examines Thucydides’ method, his conception of political leadership, the interplay between democracy and empire, and his lasting influence on political thought from Machiavelli to modern international relations theory. Supplementary readings will include select ancient and modern interpreters to illuminate Thucydides’ approach to history, rhetoric, and political ethics.