CLASS 1576

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  • Schedule of Classes - October 16, 2017 11:09AM EDT
  • Course Catalog - June 14, 2017 7:15PM EDT

CLASS 1576
FWS: War, Politics and Human Nature: The History of Thucydides

Course information provided by the 2016-2017 Catalog.

The war between Athens and Sparta (431-404 BC) as written by Thucydides is recognized as a paradigm for international relations, military strategy and the challenges of political leadership under a democracy. Its admirers range from Colin Powell to Bob Dylan. But Thucydides is also a compelling storyteller, portraying advocates of idealistic patriotism or aggressive brutality, relating episodes of tragic miscalculation or murderous political hysteria. We will study him as a model for observing and understanding the range of actions that humans can take against each other. We will also note what he edits out, but his contemporaries did not: women and the family (Lysistrata), religion (Antigone and Oedipus), and transcendent moral values (Plato's accounts of Socrates). Requirements include regular participation, presentations on assigned topics, and six essays.


Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

When Offered Spring.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17788 CLASS 1576   SEM 101

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  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.