If you’re interested in . . .
• ancient history and politics
• ancient and modern governments
• political theory
• citizenship
• law and litigation
• public speaking and leadership
• democratic and republican values in antiquity & today
. . . then consider taking CLAS 470 (Democracies Ancient and Modern). It’s a challenging, in‑depth examination of the Athenian democracy and Roman Republic: their histories, institutions, policies and procedures, citizenship and leadership, and legal systems.
We use primary sources (history, political theory, oratory, biography) to recreate the revolutions, debates, conflicts, elections, trials, and ideologies of these two remarkable political systems.
We also use up‑to‑date scholarship on these governments to guide us through the major issues that are most important to contemporary democracies.
Class format will use case study discussion and debate on key documents—no lectures. You will participate every time we meet in evaluating what the Athenians and Romans achieved.
Attached you’ll find a detailed syllabus with every topic, case study, key document, and reading assignment. We meet Tu and Th from 3:30 – 4:50.
Vincent Farenga - farenga@usc.edu
Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature
University of Southern California
(213) 740 0106
