ARAS 310 - Domination: Strategies of and Responses to Imperialism in the Ancient World

CR: 3
Prerequisites: CORE 120 and one course in ARAS, ARCH, or CLAS. Imperialism exerts a strong presence and elicits a strong reaction, past or present, What is imperialsm? How many forms exist? How does one society effectively dominate another? Was it accidental, deliberate, or destined? Empire-making requires a complex set of components and interactions: state resources and strategy, a mythology of expansion, the justification of aggressive, imperialist actions, the conditions for compliance, the negotiation of subject communities, and the acceptance of or responses to imperial agents and actions. Numerous past societies engaged in or experienced different facets of imperialism. In this course, students will study the imperial strategies and experiences of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Aztec, and Inca. Students will explore the history, techniques, and responses to varying modes of imperialism through an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating the fields of literature, history, historiography, archaeology, and art. Offered alternate years. III.W, V.4