HISTORY 201 - Alexander the Great and the Problem of Empire

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

Classical Studies Alexander the Great changed the world more completely than any other human being, but did he change it for the better? How should his project of extending Western power into Asia be regarded, especially in light of recent attempts by the United States to project power into the same regions once conquered by the Macedonians? And how should Alexander himself be understood- as a tyrant of Hitlerian proportions, as a philosopher-king seeking to save the Greek world from self-destruction, or as a deluded madman? Such questions remain very much unresolved among modern historians. This course undertakes a thorough reading in the ancient sources concerning Alexander and examines as much primary evidence as can be gathered. It offers insight not only into a cataclysmic period of history, but into the moral and ideological complexities that surround the issue of empire.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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