History Writing in Antiquity: Herodotus and Thucydides
PostgraduateMAQ-AHIX82102026
Course information for 2026 intake View information for 2025 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 19 July 2026
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $3,195
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
History Writing in Antiquity: Herodotus and Thucydides
About this subject
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of principal historiographical approaches to the texts of key ancient historians.
- Identify, critically assess and evaluate approaches to the writing of ancient history.
- Research and interpret texts, using appropriate historiographical approaches to analysis.
- Communicate effectively with teaching staff and peers, demonstrating an informed respect for professional (academic) and ethical principles and values.
- What is History?
- The Question of Sources
- History: general or particular. The Portrayal of Women in Herodotus
- Understanding Causation in History
- Understanding the historian’s political consciousness
- The historian’s discourse
- Unitarian or Analyst’s approach to composition
- Speeches in historical narrative
- Treatment of individuals
- Narratology: study of how narrative works in history
- Themes, structure and historical composition
- What is history? Changes in interpretation.
Herodotus and Thucydides are seen as the founding fathers of the discipline of history. Their work has had a profound influence on later historians. This unit examines their different approaches to writing history as well as examining a range of modern historiographical approaches to the reading of these two influential historians. This unit will give students a thorough understanding of the major works by Herodotus and Thucydides, along with a comprehensive overview of the history of the study of these authors. At the same time, it will introduce some of the major historiographical techniques used in the study of these authors, and give the students the opportunity to analyse a range of critical responses to the writing of history. It will teach students to read these authors within their historical and historiographical context, to understand the characteristics of their particular type or genre and to evaluate the historical information gathered from them.
NCCW (Pre-2020 units) HIST803, AHPG823
- Reflective Writing (25%)
- Case Study/Analysis (25%)
- essay (50%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted into a degree.
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
MAQ-AHIX823 (Not currently available)
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
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