Alexander the Great



Overview

Alexander III 'the Great' changed the course of world history. The course will concentrate on personality of Alexander and the events of his life, both in their own terms and in terms of their wider influence.

Examining and assessing the ancient sources for his life, we will trace his career from his birth at Pella in Macedonia (356 BCE) to his death at Babylon (323 BCE). As we travel with him on his victorious journey to what was, from the Greek perspective, the limits of the known inhabited world, we will also explore Alexander's motivation and the reactions to him in literature, religion, mythology, and art.

A variety of fascinating issues will be confronted on the way: how reliable is the historical tradition about Alexander? What did he set out to achieve? What did he actually achieve? How did he achieve it? Did he believe in his own divinity? Why is his legend so enduring?

The course will be richly illustrated with visual material and handouts of ancient historical material in translation, and will include a visit to the British Museum.

Programme details

Courses starts: 24 Jan 2024

Week 1: Source material & Alexander’s early years 

Week 2: The succession of Alexander III of Macedon

Week 3: The initial campaigns in Persian territory

Week 4: Alexander in Egypt

Week 5: The conquest of Persia's north-east provinces

Week 6: The invasion of India

Week 7: Alexander at Babylon

Week 8: Alexander’s death

Week 9: British Museum visit (Saturday 23 March, 2024)

Week 10: Alexander’s afterlife

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Steve Kershaw

Classicist Steve Kershaw has taught for OUDCE since 1998. He is 'is one of those rare creatures who combine expertise in the classical world with narrative flair. Beyond his skill in historical research, Mr. Kershaw brings a gift for poetic accent very much in the ancient Greek style' (The Wall Street Journal)

Course aims

The course is designed as an introduction to various aspects of the life and times of Alexander III 'the Great'.

Course objectives: 

  • To analyse one of the most iconic historical figures, and one of the defining periods, of world history. Many aspects of the Greek and Persian experience and ideas will be examined, including literature, politics, religion, philosophy, military history, and the impact of Greek culture on the non-Greek world.
  • The course will also develop skills of observation and analysis with further applications in study, work and leisure, and provide an interesting, enjoyable and relevant course of study. 

Teaching methods

Sessions will combine lectures, slides and video presentations with class and group discussions involving handouts of original source material in translation.

Students will be asked to:

  • recall, select and deploy relevant knowledge specified for the course in a clear, concise and logical way. This may be done either orally or in writing, individually or in groups;
  • abstract, understand evaluate and use a range of evidence from ancient source material, and set the material in its literary, social and historical contexts;
  • understand and analyse the values and assumptions of a civilisation very different from that of the modern world.

A visit to the British Museum will be included to explore the Hellenistic and Persian collections.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • have acquired knowledge of a general outline of the history and culture of the world of Alexander the Great gained through a variety of types of literary and archaeological evidence;
  • have an awareness of the nature of historical evidence and the problems of historical interpretation;
  • recall the general outline of the career of Alexander the Great, and of its influence on later cultures.

Assessment methods

A portfolio of three tutor-set exercises based on maps, plans, inscriptions, texts in translation which will assess knowledge as well as provide practice for subject based skills, totalling 1500 words (Option A).

Some students may wish to undertake a single more substantial piece of (Option B, single 1500-word written piece). This may take the form of:

  • one of a number of essay titles
  • a book review
  • a case study or piece of personal research on some particular aspect of the course
  • a piece of creative writing inspired by the material studied on the course.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support