Assessment 2: Essay – Major Essay
Marking Criteria
You will be assessed on your capacity to research the topic, to bring together relevant information to construct an argument, to construct the argument in a rigorous fashion and to present that argument in a clear and well structured fashion. Emphasis will be placed on your capacity to support your argument with primary sources. Generally, it will be difficult to achieve a high mark in an essay if primary sources are not cited.
Length 2000 words
Weighting 45%
Assessment Due
Final submission time: 11:30pm
Type of Collaboration Individual assessment
Sty le and format This is an essay and will be in essay format. You will be expected to reference your material and to make use of primary’ sources.
Assessment submission Online via Moodlc
This assessment has been set up to be checked by Tumitin. a tool which helps you check w hether you have referenced correctly. You can submit your assessment task to Tumitin prior to the due date and Tumitin will give you an originality report. You may then make any changes that may be required and resubmit your final version by the due date.
Assessment return
Detailed information Topics:
1. ‘Ancient Greek history is just a chronicle of one war after another/ Is this a just assessment of the history of ancient Greece? Why did Thucydides or Herodotus or Xenophon concentrate their respective histories on war?
2. Josiah Ober and Loren Samons present quite different evaluations of Athenian democracy. Was Athenian democracy a ‘success*? Why? (Note both of these works are available electronically)
3. How important a player was Persia in the politics of the Greek states after the Persian wars?
4. Consider the image that we have of Sparta. Do you think that it is a historically accurate picture of the Spartans? (You should consider at least one major ancient writer who discusses Sparta)
5. Consider a play of Sophocles or Aeschylus or Euripides or Aristophanes. Evaluate the play as a piece of historical evidence for understanding ancient Athens.
6. Why did Athens fight on to the bitter end and defeat in the Peloponnesian War?
7. How difficult is it for an historian to gain a proper appreciation of the experience of w omen in either ancient Sparta or ancient Athens? Why?
8. ‘Every great human achievement is also an act of barbarism*. Is this a fair judgement of the achievements of Athens during the second part of the fifth century?
9. Consider either Pericles or Alcibiades. What docs this individual’s career tell you about the nature of Athenian democracy?
10. Would you describe the ancient Greeks as a ‘religious’ people? To what extent did their religion shape their lives?