Time Schedule:
Carol G Thomas
HIST 494
Seattle Campus
Advanced seminar examining central issues in historiography. Emphasizes reading, discussion, and writing.
Class description
Herodotus of the Greek state Halicarnassos has won the title"Father of History" for his account of the conflict between Greece and Persia. He was not the first person to write an account of something but he used the tool of writing for a new purpose. He statemed that he hoped to do two things: to preserve the memory of the past by putting on record the astonishing achievement both of our own and of the Asiatic peoples and to show how the two races came into conflict. The purpose of this seminar is to discover how Herdotus came to be the "Father of history" through an examination of his intent, methods, tools, context of his life, and achievements.
Student learning goals
Gaining an appreciation for the beginning of the writing of historical accounts;
understanding the nature of our primary sources of historical writing;
building a compelling case for the significance of one particular aspect of influence on Herodotus;
cooperating collectively with others in the seminar;
enhanced facility in your own writing on historical subjects;
building greater understanding of this exciting period of Greek history.
General method of instruction
Collective discussion of assigned reading. All students are expected to participate actively in the seminar.
Recommended preparation
494 seminars are required of history majors. Thus at the senior level, participants will have considerable background in history courses.
Class assignments and grading
20% of final grade reflects active participation in the seminar; 40% of the final grade is based on eight short weekly papers; 40% of the final grade is associated with each students special research, presentation in class and research paper.
timeliness, fulfilling the assignment, quality of presentation.l
