Through a reading of the three earliest works of historiography in Western culture (Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon) this course investigates the motivations, preoccupations, ambitions, and techniques driving the invention of History, as discipline and as narrative form.

Two hours per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in Classics and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

None

The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Examination (90 minutes duration) - 40% 

■ Essay (2000 words) - 40% 

■ Oral presentation - 20% 

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 Examination, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

■ There are no alternatives to the Essay, but flexible deadlines/ extra time can be offered as reasonable adjustment. 

■ Recorded Presentation or Written script of equivalent length or Power point with substantial notes as alternative to oral presentation.

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course will provide the opportunity to:

■ Study in depth the three Classical Greek authors who invented the discipline of History and the genre of historiography: Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon.

■ Become familiar with the main scholarship on these three authors and on Classical Greek historiography generally.

■ Engage with different concepts of history and the recording of the past, ancient and modern.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Relate the texts to their historical and intellectual context.

■ Summarize and engage critically with the main scholarly debates about the three texts and about Classical Greek historiography more generally.

■ Summarize and engage critically with selected ancient and modern theories of history and the recording of the past.

■ Interpret each of the three works both on its own and as part of a tradition.

■ Formulate your own analysis of each of the three texts and argue it coherently and persuasively both orally and in writing.