Ancient History MA
Athenian Democracy: Model or Mob-rule? (Greek) GREEK4026
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Humanities
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
- Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course offers the opportunity to study, through a variety of primary sources, the earliest form of democracy in the Western world as well as ancient and modern attitudes to it. A selection of the set texts will be read in the original Greek, giving the students familiarity with the style and idiom of Classical Athenian Greek.
Timetable
20 * 1 hour seminars as scheduled in MyCampus. This is one of the honours options in Greek and may not run every year. The options that are running this year are available on MyCampus.
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ Essay (2000 words) -40%
■ Exam (2-hour duration) - 60%
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There are no alternatives to the assessments, but flexible deadlines/ extra time can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions).
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor. 
Main Assessment In: April/May
Course Aims
This course aims to:
■ Study in the original some of the most important literary and epigraphic sources relating to Athenian democracy
■ Enhance knowledge of Greek language, vocabulary, and prose style
■ Explore in detail the history of the earliest form of democracy in the Western World as well as ancient and modern attitudes to it
■ Become familiar with important secondary literature on the subject
■ Discuss ancient and modern theories and opinions about democracy
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
■ translate fluently and accurately from the prescribed texts into clear, appropriate English and comment intelligently on notable matters of form, style, and content;
■ Describe the historical context of the Classical Athenian democracy and its functioning;
■ Analyse and evaluate a range of ancient texts as historical sources for Athenian democracy and ancient attitudes to it;
■ Summarize and evaluate modern theories about the Athenian democracy;
■ Formulate your own interpretations of the sources with due regard for recent scholarship.
■ Formulate lucid arguments which demonstrate engagement with primary sources and secondary literature