CLAS 219 Democracy and Politics in Classical Athens
This course will study Athenian democracy from a variety of different perspectives, ranging from the historical to the institutional to the theoretical. Beginning from the evolution of oligarchy and tyranny as the dominant forms of government in archaic Greece (in response to increasing socioeconomic stratification), it will consider the relationship between tyranny and populism before examining the 'Athenian Revolution,' when the Athenian citizenry collaborated to bring an end to tyrannical government and submitted themselves to the institution of democracy. Further topics to be treated include: the nature, structure, and evolution of the Athenian constitution, with an emphasis on its elaborate checks against individual power; the relationship between democracy and imperial aspirations in classical Athens; the commemoration and celebration of Athenian democracy through civic ritual and the arts; and the intense intellectual reflections upon the prospects for 'good' democratic decision-making in the fourth century BC.
Cross Listed Courses
POL 319