AP/HIST 3355 6.00

Modern Greece: From Independence to the Present

This course explores the history of Greece from its struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire (achieved in 1821) to the present with a focus on social, cultural and political developments.

Expanded Course Description:

This course explores the history of Greece since the eighteenth century, the period of Ottoman and Venetian rule; from the 1821 Revolution and How did Greece emerge as a state and how has it progressed in the last 200 years? This course explores the history of Greece since the period of Ottoman and Venetian rule in the eighteenth century and from the 1821 Revolution and independence to the present state of the country as a member of the European Union. Topics to be examined include: the condition of Greeks under Ottoman rule; the 1821 Revolution; political, social, cultural, and economic developments during the nineteenth and the twentieth century; emigration and the Greek Diaspora; the impact of World War I and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey; the problems of the interwar period; occupation, collaboration, and resistance during World War II; the Civil War (1946-1949); and Greece's role in Europe during the Cold War and after; immigration since the 1990s and the economic crisis of the 2010s.

Course Director: Prof. A. Gekas - agekas@yorku.ca

*TENTATIVE* Required Course Text/Readings:

• Clogg, Richard. A Concise History of Greece. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021(available online through York Library).
• Gallant, Thomas W. The Edinburgh History of the Greeks, 1768 to 1913 : The Long Nineteenth Century. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univ Press, 2015 (to be purchased).

*TENTATIVE* Weighting of Course:

Participation and reading posts in Discussion Forum: 20%

Primary Source Analysis: 10%

Analysis of an Article or Book Chapter: 10%

First Essay (Fall Term): 20%

Second Essay, Brief Presentation and Bibliography: 10%

Second essay (Winter Term): 30%

Organization of the Course:

The course is organized in 24 modules (Topics). Each week, you’ll have some brief introductory material, learning objectives, content, readings and learning activities and additional resources. You must start working with the material as early as possible before your next class.

The introductory materials will provide you with a brief introduction to the week’s content, and may also remind you of links to previous weeks’ concepts that you might wish to refer to or review prior to starting on the new module.

The learning objectives are provided as a tool to ensure you have adequately worked though the content of the week and have a good understanding of the concepts and material. Use the objectives as your own indicator of whether you’ve sufficiently met the learning goals for that week.

The module (topic) readings are an important part of your learning each week. Some weeks have more reading than others, so make sure you set aside time each week to go through the readings and try to understand the concepts and discussions that the authors are presenting. Most of the module content will help you to “unpack” the concepts and material you’ll read, so doing the readings alongside going through the module content is always a good idea.

The assignments section will describe which assignments you are required to do each week to complete the module (sometimes with clear deadlines). Most weeks, assignments will include discussion questions to which you are expected to contribute, either as an individual or in a small group, in the online discussion forum.

Course Learning Objectives:

You will develop your historical skills through the analysis of primary and secondary sources, critical thinking, and clear and concise writing, as well as train in giving a presentation on your final project.

The course uses the history of Modern Greece in the period since 1800 to introduce students to various approaches and fields such as economic, social, political, and cultural history.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

Describe the origins, causes and outcome of the formation of Greek state and society, including the formation of Greek communities in the diaspora since the 1800s.

Understand the causes and consequences of interaction of Greece with other peoples of European Empires and the Ottoman Empire and the Unites States in the twentieth century and the European Union in the post-1945 period.

Interpret and contextualize the emergence of Greece within broader social, political, and cultural contexts and in particular the formation of states in the Mediterranean and Europe in the last two centuries.

Analyze primary and especially secondary sources in English and other languages (depending on the linguistic capacities of students).

Synthesize the methods and arguments of different scholars in the field of Modern Greek and European History.