Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - HUM 302W B100

Athenian Democracy (4)

Class Number: 6805

Delivery Method: Blended

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Topics include rhetoric, law, and a democratic ideology that championed freedom, equality, and slavery, examined through a range of texts that include tragedy, comedy, philosophy, historiography, and oratory. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

(Relief depicting a female representation of democracy crowning an enthroned male personification of ‘the people’)
More than 2,500 years ago, Athenians rose up violently to thwart a coup d’etat by one of their own, a would-be tyrant supported by a foreign military force. Once the interlopers had been dealt with, the Athenians responded by establishing one of the world’s first democracies, coming from the Greek words for “the people” (dēmos) and “power” (kratos). What had started as a riot became a revolution.

But this incredible moment of popular rule emerged from a broader historical context, and would continue to develop and change for centuries to come. Athenians did not invent “democracy” on the spot, but instead played a pivotal role in a grand experiment that had been tinkered and fussed with for centuries. This democratic experiment stretches even to today; its Greek genetics baked into the very language we use to discuss it. To understand democracy, one must understand its Greek roots.

We live in a moment when this seems critical. Every week, articles and opinion pieces lament democracy under assault, eroded, undermined, or collapsing. Challenges are not just political, they come from new technologies, media landscapes, legal theories, economic realities, and popular cultural pressures. Our notions of democracy and its challenges emerged from a broader historical context too. Our experiences with democracy and the ancient Athenians’ are not the same, but a better grasp of democracy, and Athenians’ struggles and triumphs with it, might just offer new avenues of exploration and inspire fresh ideas from old solutions for new problems. 

This course will examine the origins and developments of democracy in the Greek world, from its antecedents in the Archaic period, through its developments at Athens in the Classical period, to its interactions with Macedonian monarchs early in the Hellenistic period. By examining histories, curse tablets, plays, drinking songs, philosophical treatises, mythologies, vase-painting, court cases, and architecture, we will trace democratic theories and ideologies, how democracies like Athens actually functioned, and the Athenians’ own experiences living in their democracy. We will also look at critiques of the Athenian democracy, and most critically, what led to its downfalls and how it was revived.

Major topics will include equality and justice, citizenship and immigration, slavery and freedom, political participation and decision-making, taxation, individualism and collectivism, wealth accumulation and poverty, and international relations and empire.

We will meet for three hours once a week.  Class time will be spent primarily on weekly writing assignments and discussing the assigned readings, with occasional lecturing.  Students will sit a midterm and final exam, and will write and revise a paper for submission.

Grading

  • In-Class Participation 20%
  • In-Class Writing Assignments 20%
  • In-Person Midterm Exam 10%
  • Paper 30%
  • In-Person Final Exam 20%

NOTES:

This course fulfills the Global Humanities requirements for the

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Students will need to acquire a copy of The Athenian Constitution (Athenaion Politeia), written in the School of Aristotle.  I recommend the Penguin edition for its quality (and price!):

  • 1984. The Athenian Constitution. Edited by P. J. Rhodes. The Penguin Classics. Penguin Publishers. (ISBN: 0140444319, 9780140444315)
    • Note: Other editions of this text may work, but must be cleared with me in advance.

All other required reading for this course will either be accessible online via the library website or uploaded on Canvas.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.