Prof. Maryanne Horowitz

Ancient Athens & Renaissance Florence
History 220, Fall 2012 

Hist 220    Ancient Athens and Renaissance Florence1:30-2:55 p.m., Weingart 210, Tues, Thurs, Fall  2012

Ancient Athens and Renaissance Florence  Europe & Pre-1800. Eligible for History & Classical Studies.  1:30-2:55 p.m.  This course provides an opportunity to vicariously "live" in historical cities considered to be creators of democratic or representative forms of government as well as of great literature and art. Historian Thucydides, comic Aristophanes, and philosopher Plato draw us into Athenian politics and culture; likewise, Lorenzo de' Medici and Machiavelli inform us of Florentine politics and culture. Monumental architecture and sculpture continue to serve to decorate and sustain the individuality of each city. By examining documents of daily life (including court cases) and the luxury products of the diverse crafts, we increase our knowledge of the controversial behavior and productivity of a wide spectrum of women and men. By focusing on two cities in their "golden age," the class will emphasize the shared positive, as well as negative, characteristics of ages historians have designated as "golden." Students may petition for 300-level credit for this class with the completion of additional work arranged with the instructor. (May be taken as History 397, by writing a research paper in place of one class paper.) 
CORE REQUIREMENTS MET: EUROPE ● PRE-1800


Instructor
Books
Requirements
Schedule
 

Instructor
Prof. Maryanne Horowitz
Class Meets: Tues and Thurs., 1:30-2:55 p.m., Weingart 210,  Fall  2012
Office: Swan 314   323-259-2583 (x2583 on campus)
Office Hours: Tues 12-12:55, Thursday 3:10-5:00 p.m. and by appt. especially early morning.
Due to scheduled department or faculty meetings, on the following Tuesdays, office hours will be  8:00- 8:55 a.m. instead of 12-12:55 p.m.:  Tuesdays Oct. 23, Nov. 6,  Nov. 13, Dec 4. 
Horowitz homepage  
 
Campus mail to Horowitz mailbox, 
Hist. Dept., S. Swan 
      e-mail horowitz@oxy.edu


Books  (Available in the bookstore)

Textbooks:

Sarah Pomeroy, et al, A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture, 2nd ed. (Oxford UP, 2009)

Gene Brucker, Florence the Golden Age 1138-1737 

Choice for paper 1

Thomas C. Brickhouse and Nicholas D. Smith, ed., The Trial and Execution of Socrates: Sources and Controversies

or Mary Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fant,  Women's Life in Greece & Rome:  A Source Book in Translation, 3rd ed. in bookstore, early in library

Choice for paper 2:

Gene Brucker, The Society of Renaissance Florence: A Documentary Study

or The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance: a Sourcebook

RESERVE READING and ELECTRONIC RESERVE READING, HIST. 220 (Optional 4 books there among others)  On-line classical texts at: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html  (This website is a resource for any ancient Greek or Latin texts translated into English. The library has Loeb Classical Library on 3rd floor outside Special Collections: green books from Greece and red books from Rome.

Hope students visit  the 1)Getty Villa (especially second floor sections on Greek women and Greek warriors respectively and two temples on main floor) and 2) Getty Center (especially manuscript room, medieval to 17th century sculpture and paintings) OR Norton Simon Museum (main floor, medieval to 17th century art) 3) Occidental College Hillside Theater---good location for reading outloud Aristophanes or Sophocles



Requirements    (Go to top)
 

If you have specific physical or learning differences that require accommodations, you will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Coordinator of Academic support Services, who can be reached at (323) 259-2969. The Coordinator will then send accommodation information to me. You must work with the Coordinator early in the semester so that your needs may be appropriately met.  It is your responsibility to give the Coordinator plenty of time to secure appropriate accommodations for you.

College Policy on Academic Honesty: Current policy at http://www.oxy.edu/student-handbook/academic-ethics/academic-ethics.   This class helps prevent plagiarism by teaching you how to endnote either quoted or summarized material in Univ. of Chicago format.

Computers are encouraged in classroom for reference to e-book or for notetaking (not email, not browsing).

Percentages in Grade

20 Class participation, including attendance, presentations on recommended readings, progress on papers (including oral presentations), comments on other students' ideas and historical arguments.

20  Paper 1. Due Thurs. Oct. 4, 2012. 4 pages plus endnotes.  1) Argue your interpretation of the reasons Athenians tried Socrates or the reasons why the jury found him guilty of the accusations against him.  Consider the historical interpretations and the evidence. Cite sources  of Part l and consider at least 2 articles in Part II, section 7. OR 2) Ask a historical gender studies, women's studies, or sexualilty studies question about ancient Athens and use primary source evidence to make your response. You may choose to compare the situation in Athens to another location in ancient Greece, or you may choose to consider ideas about and attitudes toward women (for which you might include a work by an ancient author).  In any case, your paper is a  focus on analysis of primary sources. If you need additional readings beyond class books and discussion, you may include up to 2 endnoted articles and 2 books.

20 Paper 2. Due Thurs. Nov. 15, 2012. See preparatory assignment due dates on syllabus.  4 pages plus endnotes. Narrow your focus to your specific concern or question in social history or intellectual history. You may cite class books and up to 2 endnoted articles and 2 books. Include a xerox of at least 1 image (maximum 4 images) with a list of figures.  1) Social history paper focused on Society of Renaissance Florence: Ask a historical question which might be answered by primary sources in mainly 2 of Brucker's 8 parts.  Be subtle and open-minded to possible interpretations of sources, and use my guide for contextualized and analyzing sources. Closely analyze 8-10 documents  in The Society of Renaissance Florence to support your argument about the social conditions in Renaissance Florence.  2) Intellectual history paper focused on 5-8 sources in Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. Closely analyze documents  to support your argument about the development of ideas or cultural movements  in Renaissance Florence.  

20  Essay Exam 1 Thurs Oct. 25, typing on PCs in Brown Laboratory, mainfloor library.

20  Final Essay Exam  typing on PC in Brown Laboratory, mainfloor library. Note evening time, food allowed: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thurs. Dec. 13,

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL PAPERS
These papers teach skills in evaluating historical interpretations and in analyzing primary sources. Apply form for document or image analysis to enhance your critical analysis. Pass in two typed copies 12 point, Times New Roman, at beginning of class.  Prepare papers on a wordprocessing program  for easy revision. Regularly backup your disk. Keep a  hardcopy and the disk at least until final  grades are received. Endnotes and Bibliography for historians accord with Chicago Manual of Style.  Hacker discusses The Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition, 2010) on pp. 510-537:  follow no. 4 for citing work by multiple authors and follow no. 13 for citing work in an anthology as for a specific document Women's Life in Greece & Rome. While a bibliography is alphabetized by last name, an endnote should always begin with the first name and then the last name of the author of the sentences quoted or paraphrased. You may cite a student or faculty comment with approximate date (such as from a student report showing student's interpretation with which you agree or disagree).  The first name that appears in an endnote is the author you are citing: examples include an author of an article in an edited book (as in Trial and Execution of Socrates), or an author of a primary source quoted by a secondary source, or a student who expressed an interesting viewpoint in Hist 220, Occidental College, on a specific date in fall 2012.

Paper 2 should have at least 1 image xeroxed (maximum 4) with List of Figures.

Center for Academic Excellence sponsors Peer Writing Advisors including 2 history majors Alexis Holmes and Sabrina Ajeep. They invite you to bring an early draft of your paper with the assignment instructions above.

  • Phone: (323) 259-2545
  • Office: Academic Commons, Ground Floor
  • Additonal work for hist. 397 students: Students enrolling as Hist. 397 are required to do either paper assignment at the first paper due date and to replace the other assignment by a research paper of 15 pages including endnotes, bibliography divided into primary and secondary sources.  At the time of the 2nd paper due date, 7 pages including endnotes and bibliography and a sentence outline of research paper are due The entire paper is due Thurs. Nov. 29.  For Hist. 397, class participation will count 10% and the research paper will count 30%.

    COURSE OBJECTIVES:

    To gain familiarity with major events, people, and movements in the history of pre-modern Western Civilization 

    To learn basic methods of historical investigation, particularly analysis of textual and visual sources.

    To experience the process of interpreting major movements in ancient and Renaissance history (including Renaissance interpretation of antiquity)

    To develop skills in historical argument, writing, and oral presentation.

      Schedule (to be updated on-line to adapt to student interests)

    ANCIENT ATHENS IN GREEK CONTEXT

    Week 1  Read Pomeroy, Introduction pp. 3-14. Use Timeline and Map.  In chs. 2 & 3, only pp. 70-77, 93-94, 96-100.

    Thurs. Aug. 30  Introduction. On learning to analyze primary sources.  Viewing Ancient Athens.

    Week 2  Pomeroy, ch. 5 Growth of Athens and the Persian Wars and ch. 4 Sparta

    Tues. Sept. 4 Lecture:  "Private vs. Public Realms" & "Political Science Analysis of Government of 5th century. BCE Athens"   Politics/Society lecture outline

    Thurs. Sept. 6  . Bring Pomeroy for discussion of reading. Some students reporting on Fleming, or Janson's, or electronic reserve by Roy Willis.

    Week 3  Pomeroy,  ch. 6 Rivalries and ch. 7 Greek Life 5th Century  Email horowitz@oxy.edu the primary source(s) you have chosen for reports on Thurs. Sept. 13 or Thurs. Sept. 20. First come, first serve; others will

    be assigned Tuesday. Documents written in antiquity would be the primary sources.

    Tues. Sept. 11 "Historical Context of the Trial and Execution of Socrates"

    Thurs. Sept. 13 Reports on primary sources The Trial   Handout 2 pp. of "Melian Dialogue"  of Thucydides (for those not in class pick up xerox in basket outside my office Swan 314).  Use the document analysis form to critically evaluate the document. Pass in 1-2 typed pages on Tues. Sept. 18, to be graded in form of check plus, check, or check minus.

    Week 4 ch. 8 Peloponnesian War and ch. 9 The Fourth Century

    Tues. Sept. 18  Pass in 1 typed page of document analysis of "Melian Dialogue" (See Sept. 13). Signups for Sept. 25 and 27.  Historical issues concerning women in ancient Athens.   Visuals from ancient Athens: development of monumental architecture and emergence of sculptures of human form.

    Thurs. Sept. 20 Reports on primary sources Women's Life         

    Week 5  ch. 10 Philip II only 410-421 (pages corrected) and ch. 11 Alexander the Great

    Tues Sept. 25 Arguments on The Trial.  Write down a type of art object on ancient Athens and/or Renaissance Florence which you would like to collect in ArtSTOR workshop next Tuesday (Fine to browse in images in Pomeroy and in Brucker's large textbook.).

    Thurs. Sept. 27 Arguments on Women's Life     Exercise for you to master Univ. of Chicago endnotes. Follow class format for paper. Pass in 1 typed page  with a separate page of at least 5 Univ. of Chicago endnotes  (at least 2 to primary sources, at least 2 to secondary sources assigned or on reserve). The paragraphs may be intended for any section of your paper.  As long as you have 5 endnotes, your writing may be very short.     I shall return marked pages Tues Oct. 2. Goal is for you to endnote properly in your paper due Oct. 4.  You may come to office hours Thurs. Sept. 27 for me to go over your paragraph(s) with you right away. Fine for this assignment to come to me in class ahead, that is on Sept. 25.

    Week 6  Pomeroy, ch. 12 only pp. 462-top 466, 486-495 (corrected) and Epilogue (pp. 505-510).  Brucker, Florence: The Golden Age, pp. 7-64  (Use chronology pp. 243-259 when needed)

    Tues Oct. 2 Meet in Brown Lab, main floor of libary for creating your own collection of art objects (from Athens or Florence) on ArtSTOR. Guest: Ryan Brubacher.   Bring either Pomeroy or large Brucker history...to look up some specific images we are already studying on Athens or Florence. It's find to write down ahead some specific images you would like to collect (even beyond range of this particular course).

    Oct. 2, 7 p.m. Mosher 1, History Dept. Event.  Speaker Angelica Salas,  Alumna of '93, Executive Director of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). Recommended.

    Thurs. Oct. 4  FIRST PAPER DUE.      "Hellenistic Philosophical Schools"  (supplements Pomeroy, pp. 277-285 and pp. 3 42-355)  Student to choose among topics for study of Pomeroy for Oct. 25 (see below)  "Introduction to Renaissance Florence and the Medici family"   4 review topics for Oct. 25 exam passed out; on Moodle.

    RENAISSANCE FLORENCE: MEDIEVAL TO RENAISSANCE

    Week 7The Golden Age, pp. 65-156  (Economy, Self-Government)  Bartlett,  section l on Classical Heritage (Introductions, Quintilian and Cicero) , pp. 1-11, and Lorenzo de' Medici p. 238-9. Good tips on analyzing a document, pp. xix-xx,

    Tues. Oct. 9.  Go directly to 3rd floor of Library to Special Collections which faces the chapel and baseball field.  Papers returned (2nd copy with no comments placed on reserve); see writing assignment on your paper group on Moodle, 2 copies 1-page  due Oct. 18

    Hands-on Workshop with authentic 16th & 17th century books.

     Thurs Oct. 11Visiting Florence in 1330s, in 1377-78, and in 1439"   First commitment to choice of  paper 2, mainly using social documents (Brucker's reader) or mainly using cultural documents (Bartlett's reader). Both books are on reserve for your use of l you didn't buy.

    Week 8The Golden Age, pp. 157-229 (Formation of Florentine Dominion) Bartlett, section III on Petrarch, Intro, "Letter to Posterity," "Letter to Shade of Cicero"    Consider reading useful overview in Willis (electronic reserve) or in Fleming, Arts and Ideas (on reserve)

    Fall Break

    Thurs. Oct. 18 Bring Bartlett to analyze texts. "Stages of Humanism: From Early Humanism of Petrarch to Civic Humanism of Leonardo Bruni"  Students reporting on Quintillian's "Citizen-Orator," Cicero "The Orator, "  Petrarch's "..to Posterity" "..to..Cicero"  

    Week 9The Golden Age, 229-240 ( (Florence under Principio) and note resources at end.  Bartlett, section V "Humanism"  Intro, Vespasiano, Isotta Nogarola and Bruni to Battista Malatesta, sect. IX, pp. 186-188.  (Recommended: Battista's oration is in King, Her Immaculate Hand)

    Tues. Oct. 23 Student reports Vespasiano's Lives: Poggio, Niccolo Niccoli, Isotta Nogorola. Discuss changes in governments: Democracy and Imperialism in Athens and From Medici as first citizen in representative government to Medici Princedom.  2 students work together on presentation on Guelf vs. Ghibelline and impact on Dante: Golden Age, pp. 31-39. 2 students work together to analyze Cosimo de Medici's rise vs. the Strozzi and other families.  (Golden Age pp. 44-48 and p. 253)

    ****Thurs. Oct. 25 Hour and Half 2 Essays Exam--go directly to Library Brown Laboratory, main floor, right of Circulation Desk and start up a PC. Possible Topics for Essay Questions on  mainly Pomeroy and classwork. 2 student suggestions incorporated into first and third topics.  One will be able to study ahead for chosen topics for which a specific question will appear on exam. Some students might want to continue a theme in topic of Florentine paper.

    More detailed study sheet handed out and on Moodle course under number 1.

    The issue of factions (political issues, economic divides) in ancient Athenian history.  There are factions also in  Florentine history. Topic of interest to American Founding Fathers wanting to avoid factions.

    The contrast of Athens and Sparta, especially governance and social structure including citizen women's lives,  from 6th to 4th c. BCE and reasons for admiration of Sparta for Plato and Xenophon in 4th c. BCE.  Consider impact of ancient city-state histories on diversity of city-states in the Renaissance. Consider impact of Latin translations of Xenophon (on Alberti and Barbaro) and Plato (on Ficino and Pico della Mirandola)

    Stages of Culture in Athens from Hellenic to Hellenistic (art, ideas, texts, multiple deities and religious ritual, popular genres).   Florentines sought out ancient art objects and culture; not until the 18th century was there accurate dating and awareness of the changes from Hellenic to Hellenistic art.  Early Renaissance artists admire ancient art; by time of Michelangelo, some critics believe Renaissance art has equaled or surpassed the ancients.

    Role of leagues in international relations and war, Greek areas 6th to 4th c. BCE.  In particular, Persian Wars according to Herodotus and Peloponnesian Wars according to Thucydides. Such secular history writing is revived in Florentine Renaissance in accounts of the city of Florence--Villani, Boccaccio,  Bruni, Guicciardini, Machiavelli. Renaissance city-states created leagues for war and for preventing war; they also invented resident ambassadors (Mattingly, Renaissance Diplomacy)
     

    Week 10  Great Families as Patrons. The Golden Age, pp. 7-64 (Uniqueness of Florence, Great Families)   Bartlett, sect VIII, pp 157-162 and Alberti, pp. 166-176,  125-132 

    Tues Oct. 30 "Florentine urban palaces" Student reports on architecture: Sarah: Brunelleschi & Tacola, Angelica: Alberti "On Painting and Sculpture," Julian: Alberti "On Architecture,"  Jack: Alberti "The Family on Renaissance Florence"; Emily: Report on Women's Dowries and Life Style, Golden Age, pp.48-54, Jessica, in Brucker's document book  some marriage negotations (pp.  133-139),Pass in a sheet with your chosen pages in Brucker, Golden Age to discuss Thursday for mastering historical method.  Thinking ahead to you paper topic,  sign-up on 2 sections of Brucker document book or 2 authors (or 2 sections) in Bartlett document book that interest you the most.

    Th. Nov. 1 Bring Brucker, The Golden Age.  Each student has picked a few pages (5-10) where you explain orally with pointing to images how Brucker the historian effectively combined information from documents with information from images: reports in this order pp.  27-34, 34-44, 74-84, 94-92, 90-96, 96-103, 106-107, 118-128, 139-149, 192-201, 206, 210-212, 313-220, 220-224.

    Week 11  Italian Renaissance Women    Bartlett, pp. 125-156, 186-198.

    Tues. Nov. 6  Bring 2 typed copies of a thesis statement for next paper with your Primary Source Bibliography and List of Figures (at least 1, maximum 4 in final paper: artist, title, year, location of your copy as in a specific book with page or ArtSTOR). Bring either Bartlett or Brucker document book for small group workshop. Immediate return of proposal only if 2 typed copies brought to class; bibliography will remain passed  in; paper on Nov. 15 will have endnotes containing  full bibliographical references. Alice analyses of  selection of Machiavelli's  "Letter to Vettori," pp. 236-8 Sarah analyzes documents by Laura Cereta, pp. 196-198. Tyler analyzes documents in Bartlett on prostitution pp. 146-148, Jessica analyzes pp. 149-151, Harry analyzes document on slave girl and on a "witch," 152-155.

    Thurs. Nov. 8 Video on Michelangelo's life as artist.

    Week 12  Brucker, The Society of Renaissance Florence, "Public Mores" sect 6 pp. 179-212

    Tues. Nov. 13 Bring a typed draft of your paper or a typed detailed sentence outline of your paper, your final typed bibliography, and  xeroxes of images you will include.  Bring Brucker or Bartlett for student workshops on analyzing documents in more depth and  improving papers.

     Philosophy in Neo-Platonic Mode Lecture Outlin

    Th. Nov. 15 Paper 2 due in 2 typed copies at beginning of class. (hard copies necessary) As enough student brought 2 copies, each student picked 1 paper from  another student. That 2nd copy (not marked by reader) will be put on reserve with student reader's commentary on Nov. 29. Consideration of changing historical viewpoints: Lecture on Jews in Medici neo-Platonic circle. & Analysis of Petrarch's 3 poems placed on Index. Added assignment for those who never read The Prince: Be familiar with Machiavelli's break from prince advice books on subject of  "morality " of prince:  chs. 15-19. (an on-line version fine such www.constitution.org/mac/prince15.htm) (for Nov. 20 if possible, or by Nov. 27)  Assignment for Nov. 29--Look up the documents (includes images) on the student paper you are considering. Might you suggest further analysis of those documents? Might the student have made the argument more effective? Do the documents suggest another argument altogether? Overall, consider how the paper might more effectively consider the implications of the documents chosen, and feel free to suggest other documents or images that would strengthen the paper further.

    Meanwhile, most of the class will be here Tuesday before Thanksgiving and we shall feast our eyes on Raphael's "School of Athens" while analyzing neo-Platonic documents in Barlett.

    Week 13  Remembrance of Athens in the Renaissance.  Raphael "School of Athens"  in Julius II's Study in Vatican. (image in chapter on Roman Renaissance Style in Fleming and on-line, details in ArtSTOR) Bartlett, ch. VI  Be prepared to discuss Neo-Platonism pp. 97-110.   Read Fleming, Arts & Ideas, chapter  "Florentine Renaissance Style" (reserve, other copies in stacks), and review chapter on "The Hellenic Style." Consider the historical context which produced such a high level of crafts and art objects in ancient Athens and Renaissance Florence

    Tues. Nov. 20 Raphael "School of Athens"  Bring Bartlett for discussion of neo-Platonic texts pp. 97-110 and notes on Machiavelli, chs. 14-19..  Machiavelli and re-emergence of secular history and statecraft.  While scholars in circle of the Medici sought paths of souls to ascend, realistic statecraft was pursued in Florence and in princely courts.

    Thanksgiving

    Week 14 Bartlett,  Guicciardini pp. 240-43, 258-263; Brucker, The Society of Renaissance Florence, "Aberrants and Outgroups,"  pp. 240-275   Jews, Heretics, Sorcerers

    Tues. Nov. 27 Student analyses of Brucker documents on Jews, Heretics, Sorcerers: 117 Sarah, 118 Clare119 Zelda, 120, Tyler, 121 Matt, 122 Tian, 123 Harry, 124 Jessica, 125 Emily, 126, Jack, 127 Angelica.. Open discussion of nos.128-132.." Revival of history of man-made events: Thucydides, historian of Athens; Machiavelli and Guicciardini, historians of Florence"

    Thurs. Nov. 29 Revival of ancient ideas about virtue.   Assignment on analysis of student papers due in 2 copies. Also bring back paper you reviewed for reserve. (See description under Nov. 15.)

     Early Modern Culture: Debate on Nobility by Birth or Character,

    Recommended History Dept. Conference, Morrison Lounge, 9-5, schedule.  "Naming the Enemy: Anti-Communism in Transnational Perspective, 1930s-1950s"       (extra credit for attending at least 1 session and passing in a paragraph Tues. Dec. 4 commenting on arguments of speakers in that session.)              

    Week 15 Brucker, The Society of Renaissance Florence, "Crime and Punishment" pp. 139-179   For review of images shown in class on a few occasions, see images from Florence in ch. 15 & ch. 16, Janson's History of Art.

    Tues. Dec. 4 Last Class-last date for those papers encouraged for re-submission (with marked original). Short hand-outs on 15th c. Italian Renaissance women (Tomas, Medici Women on Lucrezia Tuornoboni, Latin orations of Battista Malatesta and Laura Quirini)

    Return to "Revival of history of man-made events: Thucydides, historian of Athens; Machiavelli and Guicciardini, historians of Florence"

    The Renaissance "studiolo," home study:  Piero de' Medici's studiolo (inherited by son Lorenzo) and Isabella d'Este's suites. Remember our class in Special Collections.

    This Thurs. office hours for any questions.

    Final  as scheduled 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thurs. Dec. 13, Brown Lab in Academic Commons, with PCs provided. No books, notes, or downloads allowed at exam.  See  Final Study Guidelines on Moodle:  Study for 2 Essay Questions (choice indicated). Questions on humanism require knowledge of assigned readings in Bartlett.