Test 1
Answer five of the essay questions below based on class materials, which you may have open with you. You can get straight to the point (no need for formal introductions and conclusions, just get into the material) and do them in roughly 250 words. This word count is neither a hard cap, nor a requirement. If you need to write more in order to thoroughly answer the question, do it, and if you can thoroughly answer the question with fewer words, that is fine, too. This is about quality, not quantity. We are only using class materials, so citations will be simple. You must put words that are not yours in quotation marks, so, when you want to quote a source verbatim, whether it’s me (don’t do this too much, though), Paul Cooper, or a primary source, mention the author in your sentence to give context, then put the words that belong to that author in quotation marks. That is all you have to do for this particular assignment. Please do not use outside sources, as this would defeat the purpose of assessing you based on course materials. If you use outside sources, you will likely include information we didn’t cover. I will likely recognize that, and you will lose a lot of points. If you use an outside source, copy it verbatim, and don’t cite it, I may give you a 0% on this test. Please do not copy each other in any way. I may give you a 0% if I notice that. Each question is worth ten points. Note that you are only required to do five; there is no extra credit for doing more. If you do more than five, I am going to read and grade only your first five.
What, according to Paul Cooper, were the main reasons for the collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations in the eastern Mediterranean in the 1,100s BCE? He highlights a few core theories, so demonstrate that you watched the documentary by concisely summarizing them.
What is the “Thucydides Trap,” according to Graham Allison? How does this concept serve as a big picture explanation for the outbreak of the great Peloponnesian War (431 BCE-404 BCE)? Does Allison worry about a similar scenario playing out today? If so, explain. Include at least one well developed quote from Allison to highlight your points.
Define hubris based on the book and the audio lectures. Next, identify three separate examples of someone displaying hubris in Homer’s Iliad. It is ok if you use the same person more than once (the main character shows hubris on multiple occasions), just make sure it is three separate incidents. Include at least one well developed quote from Homer to highlight your points.
Define noblesse oblige using Sarpedon from Homer’s Iliad as your main source. Were Sarpedon and Glaucus privileged? If so, why did they deserve it? Why did those who were not privileged tolerate them? Include at least one well developed quote from Homer to highlight your points.
How were tragic heroes usually punished for their arrogance in Greek literature? How did this work with Achilles in Homer’s Iliad? How was Achilles able to learn from what happened to him? Include at least one well developed quote from Homer to highlight your points.
Describe the role of fate in Homer’s Iliad. How did it determine what happened to a person? Could a person escape it? Were the immortal gods bound by it? Give three examples of the importance of fate in the Iliad, and include at least one well developed quote from Homer to highlight your points.
Who were the people Aristotle was writing about in the sections of Metaphysics that we looked at? What trend did these people represent? Describe at least two of the men Aristotle mentions in those excerpts and explain how each was representative of this trend. Include at least one well developed quote from Aristotle to highlight your points.
How did Hippocrates represent the trend mentioned in #6? What, in On the Sacred Disease, was he trying to get across? What was he frustrated about? What did he think the solution was? Include at least one well developed quote from Hippocrates to highlight your points.
Why did Thucydides think it was so important to create a fact-based account of the Peloponnesian War? What was wrong with most historical accounts, in his opinion? How was he going to be different? How do his methods make him an example of the broad trend mentioned in #6 and #7? Include at least one well developed quote from Thucydides to highlight your points.
Test 2
Answer five of the essay questions below based on class materials, which you may have open with you. Follow the same basic length guidelines from Test 1. We are only using class materials, so citations will be simple. You must put words that are not yours in quotation marks, so, when you want to quote a source verbatim, whether it’s me (don’t do this too much, though) or a primary source, mention the author in your sentence to give context, then put the words that belong to that author in quotation marks. That is all you have to do for this particular assignment. Please do not use outside sources. If you do, you will probably include information I didn’t cover; I will likely recognize that, and you will lose a lot of points. If you use an outside source, copy it verbatim, and don’t cite it, I may give you a 0% on this test. Please do not copy each other in any way. Each question is worth ten points.
Think about Athens and Sparta in 431 BCE, the year the Peloponnesian War began. What were the strengths and weaknesses of each city? How did they try to attack each other? What was the result of the first decade (431 to 421) of the war? This one is a reading comprehension question, entirely based on my summary of the Peloponnesian War.
Who was Pericles? What, according to the sections of his funeral oration (written by Thucydides) that appear in the audio lecture, did he think made Athens so special? In particular, how did Athenians explain the inequality that might exist in their society? Contrast this with what Sarpedon said about noblesse oblige in Homer’s Iliad. Include at least one well developed quote from the funeral oration to highlight your points.
Why did Pericles (explain who he was if you do not also do #2) think his people were so superior to the Spartans (Lacedaemonians)? How did he contrast the two cultures? Include at least one direct quote from Thucydides’ version of the funeral oration to highlight your points.
What happened in Corcyra in 427 BCE? What, according to Thucydides, did this demonstrate about human nature? Include at least one direct quote from Thucydides’ account of the Corcyraean Revolution to highlight your points. You only need to focus on the sections from the audio lecture.
Why, according to Thucydides’ “Melian Dialogue,” did the Athenians believe they were justified in attacking Melos in 416 BCE? Why did they think it would hurt them to treat
Melos nicely? Include at least one direct quote from Thucydides’ “Melian Dialogue” to highlight your points. You only need to focus on the sections from the audio lecture.
How did the Melians, according to Thucydides, attempt to convince the Athenians to leave them alone? Include at least one direct quote from Thucydides’ “Melian Dialogue” to highlight your points. You only need to focus on the sections from the audio lecture.
According to Niccolò Machiavelli, what is the happy balance between fear, love, and hate for a leader (prince)? Why? Include at least one direct quote from The Prince, Chapter 17 to highlight your points.
How did Euripides use the mythical characters in his two plays, Medea (431 BCE), and The Trojan Women (415 BCE) to criticize his society? Include at least two direct quotes (one from each play) to highlight your points.
here is the link for some lectures:
https://we.tl/t-2Km2pHrNYl
https://we.tl/t-6iwtsxDX00
