ESS Biography



JOSHUA HOFFMAN, Brandeis Sophomore, Aspiring History Major




Major: History

College/Employer: Brandeis

Year of Graduation: 2021

Picture of Joshua Hoffman

Brief Biographical Sketch:

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Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

H307: The Persian War in Splash Fall 2020 (Nov. 14, 2020)
This lecture based course will be on the legendary David vs Goliath conflict between a coalition of Greek City-States lead by Athens and Sparta against the largest empire the world had ever seen.


H308: Athens VS Sparta. The Greek World Wars. 431-404. in Splash Fall 2020 (Nov. 14, 2020)
This class will cover the great war between the city-states of Athens and Sparta. Essentially the Greek World Wars, this Peloponnese War lasts over 30 years and has lasting impact on the future of Greece. In this conflict both Athens and Sparta control half of Greece, and the winner has the opportunity to become the first ruler over a united Greece.


H309: The Second Carthaginian War: Rome and Hannibal in Splash Fall 2020 (Nov. 14, 2020)
This course is a lecture covering the famous Second Carthaginian War (and a quick summary of the first), the famous conflict between Rome and the Carthaginians.


H310: The Greco-Roman Wars in Splash Fall 2020 (Nov. 14, 2020)
The Romans, fresh after fighting Carthage, clash in the East with the successors of Alexander the Great. The West collides with the East in a series of wars that will shape the Greek world for centuries to come, the winner of which will become the undisputed ruler over the entire Mediterranean, from Portugal to Palestine.


H276: 276: Rise of Sparta and Athens in Splash Fall 2019 (Nov. 16, 2019)
Almost everyone knows about Athens and Sparta yet they learn it from heavily dramatized and often fictionalized adaptations in movies and tv shows. This course will tell the story of the true and exciting rise of these incredibly famous nations. The story of Athens will begin with it's inclusion in the Illiad, through being one of the only city-states to survive the bronze age collapse, to suffering under extreme political corruption and tyranny, to the prosperous and only "democratic" Greek city we know of today. The story of Sparta will begin in the Illiad under its last mythical king Menelaus the husband of Helen, through its invasion by the Dorians and extreme reform to become the legendary warrior/slave state we learn about today.


H278: David vs. Goliath, The Greek-Persian War. in Splash Fall 2019 (Nov. 16, 2019)
This class is the story of one of the greatest "underdog" wars in history. A scattered collection of a handful of Greek City-States, Athens and Sparta their leaders, fight off an invasion by the Persian Empire, over 100 times the size of Greece, the largest empire the world had ever seen.


H280: Athens VS Sparta. The Greek World Wars. 431-404. in Splash Fall 2019 (Nov. 16, 2019)
This course is the story of the famous war between Athens and Sparta and all of their allies, which together make up more than half of the greek world. The original Grand Alliance of Greeks that had fought to fend off the huge Persian Empire has split in half. Sparta, with an their league of the most of the surrounding city-states(The Peloponnesian League), wants to keep the status quo but is forced by their allies to check the power of arrogant Athens, who has turned the remaining allies in the "defensive anti-Persian alliance" into their own Athenian Empire. Sparta had the strongest army in Greece unmatched on land, but Athens controlled the seas with one of the most powerful fleets in the entire world. What follows is perhaps one of the best-recorded evenly matched war of the entire ancient world, studied by historians, politicians, and diplomats. Long-standing traditions in war are shattered, hegemonies shift and break, and both sides have to resort to extreme political change unimaginable just decades earlier. If you want to hear the story of the war which caused the greatest upheaval of Ancient Greece in seven hundred years than this is the class for you.


H285: The Fall of Ancient Greece. 70 Years of War in Splash Fall 2019 (Nov. 16, 2019)
This course is the last chapter to the great story of Ancient Greece, the final wars of Over lordship where one city, be it Sparta, Athens, Thebes, and more, contend for ruler ship over it all. This course will tell the story of the not-so-famous aftermath of the famous 30 years war between Athens and Sparta. This aftermath has completely destroyed the power of one of the city-states, but the other finds itself surrounded only be enemies. Even former allies are their most bitter enemies. The result is another seventy years of warfare, with the total upheaval of the status quo in ancient Greece. The to become Overlord over Greece continues and finally ends. Such ambitious city-states include the old former empires of Athens and Sparta, both now hated by the Greek world, and newcomers such as Thebes. With the Greek World in turmoil through infighting, Macedon, a small formerly unimportant kingdom in the north, takes notice.


H217: First Carthaginian War in Splash Spring 2019 (Feb. 02, 2019)
This is a crash-course lecture in the First Carthaginian War, the beginning of a series of conflicts between the Roman Republic and the Republic of Carthage, the two giants of the western Mediterranean.


H218: Second Carthaginian War in Splash Spring 2019 (Feb. 02, 2019)
The most famous of the 3 wars between The Roman Republic and Carthage. We shall go through the war, how it started, how it lasted, and what the consequences were, as it was a major turning point in history.


H219: The Greco-Roman Wars in Splash Spring 2019 (Feb. 02, 2019)
This class is a crash course lecture in Roman Affairs in the East regarding the Greek City States and the Powerful Empires that resided there.


H178: A Crash Course to Creative Writing in Splash Fall 2017 (Nov. 11, 2017)
This course is dedicated to setting writers of the future on a good track of originality and creativity. We will cover - Common mistakes for new writers - Plot armour - Proper villains - Writing original works - Learning to utilize and avoid other tropes such as freudian excuse, stupid evil, chronic backstabbing disorder, and more. This is only for those genuinely interested in Creative Writing.


H179: The Fun Parts of History in Splash Fall 2017 (Nov. 11, 2017)
History is a vibrant and rich topic...sometimes. The agricutural revolution for instance is very important but not that exciting to learn about...this class is a crash course in all the funner bits of history. We will be covering a wide range of topics such as Hersey in Ancient Egypt, the Early Colonization of the Americas and the most spectacular failures of European, Armies, The Loose Unholy German Confederation of microscopic states known as the Holy Roman Empire and many many more!!


A180: The History of Westeros, Essos, and Beyond, 8000BC-298AC in Splash Fall 2017 (Nov. 11, 2017)
In this class we will delve into the rich and fantastical history of A Song of Ice and Fire, better known as Game of Thrones. The world in which the well known books and TV show takes place in has been expanded and fleshed out into a complete history which rivals that of J RR Tolkien's Silmarillion. Some of the topics will be covering, among other things are The ancient children of the Forest and Giants, The migration of the First Men to Westeros, The Long Night and the Othersand many more.