The history of women in many of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean and Middle East. The social, religious, and political roles played by women of different classes within the patriarchal framework of these societies. Emphasis will be placed on the reading and discussion of primary sources.
Athena Title
Women in the Ancient World
Prerequisite
Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the life of women in the ancient world by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of women in the ancient world has shaped social and cultural identities and attitudes, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
Women in archaic and classical Greece: art--drama--forensic oratory and law--medicine
Women in Jewish society: Leviticus--Ruth--Babatha
Women in the Roman world: history and legend--marriage, family, and property--women and society in Roman Egypt
Women in the early Christian world: Gospels--Pauline letters--hagiography
