Classical Studies
Courses
HON courses are open to students in The College
Honors Program and to others by permission of
instructor.
Any Special Topics course, or other course, offered
in the field of classical civilization in any department
or program may be counted toward the Classical Studies
minor subject to the approval of the Classical Studies
coordinator(s). Where no course exists, it may be
possible to arrange independent study for credit.
Language Offerings: Classical languages are
approved as satisfying the Liberal Learning language
requirement for students in the Schools of Art, Media,
and Music; Culture and Society; and Science.
GRE 101 and 102, though open to all students, count
toward College Honors for students in the Honors
Program.
Please note that until Fall 2002 the Greek language
courses, now prefixed GRE, were prefixed CLAS. CLAS 101,
102, 201, 298, and 499 are thus equivalent to the
new
GRE 101, 102, 201, 370, and 391, respectively.
To see a list of courses
offered during the Fall 2008 semester, click
here.
To see a list of courses
offered during the Spring 2008 semester, click
here.
Language Courses
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GRE 101/Classical Greek I |
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(annually)
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This course is the first part of a
two-semester introduction to the elements of
classical Greek, and aims at allowing
students to read classical Greek texts as
quickly as possible. The focus of the course
is the vocabulary and grammar of ancient
Greece, but linguistic and cultural history
will also be treated. (Replaces GREK
101.) |
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GRE 102/Classical Greek II |
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(annually)
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Prerequisite: GRE 101 or equivalent
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A continuation of Classical Greek I,
completing the study of the elements of the
language. Students will read selections from
the works of great authors of the classical
period. (Replaces GREK 102.) |
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GRE 201/Intermediate Greek |
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(annually)
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Prerequisite: GRE 102 or equivalent
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Concentration on translation, appreciation,
and interpretation of great works of the
ancient Greek world. (Replaces GREK 201.) |
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GRE 310/Greek Tragedy |
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(occasionally) |
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Prerequisite: GRE 201 or equivalent |
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In this course students
read in the original language a selected
work of ancient Greek tragedy, such as
Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus or
Euripides’ Bacchae. The study of
philology, history and culture will provide
the methodological grounding for the course
as they confront both the difficulties of
poetic language in ancient Greek and the
cultural significance of tragic drama at the
height of 5th Century Athenian
power and imperialism.
The goal will be to challenge students’
existing knowledge of grammar, but also to
introduce them to elements of style and
historical context in the literature of this
period.
Typically students will read one moderate to
long play or two shorter ones. Since it is
expected that this is students’ first
encounter with poetry in the original
language, some time will need to be devoted
in the first weeks to problems with syntax
and style. |
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GRE 350/Homer’s Odyssey |
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(occasionally)
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Prerequisite: GRE 201 or equivalent
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An advanced level course in classical Greek.
In this course students will draw on their
knowledge of ancient Greek vocabulary,
grammar and syntax as they read selections
from Homer’s Odyssey in the original and the
entire poem in translation. They will come
to read the Homeric dialect easily and
experience the text with an appreciation of
its imagination and artistry. |
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GRE 370/Special Topics in Classical Greek |
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(annually)
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Prerequisite: GRE 201 or equivalent
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300-level translation, analysis, and
appreciation of one or more authors, texts,
and/or topics not studied in depth in a
regular course. May be repeated for credit
with permission of program coordinator.
(Replaces GREK 298 and GREK 398.) |
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GRE 391/Independent Study |
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An independent study project involving the
ancient Greek language, designed and carried
out in consultation with a faculty
supervisor. (Replaces GREK 499.) |
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LAT 101/Latin I |
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(annually)
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This course is the first part of a
two-semester introduction to the elements of
classical Latin, and aims at allowing
students to read classical Latin texts as
quickly as possible. The focus of the course
is the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of
classical Latin, but linguistic and cultural
history will also be treated.
(Replaces LATN 101.) |
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LAT 102/Latin II |
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(annually)
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Prerequisite: LAT 101 or equivalent
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A continuation of Latin I, completing the
study of the elements of the language.
Students will also read abbreviated
selections from the works of great authors
of the Roman period. (Replaces LATN
102.) |
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LAT 201/Intermediate Latin |
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(annually)
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Prerequisite: LAT 102 or equivalent
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Concentration on translation, appreciation,
and interpretation of great authors of the
Roman world. (Replaces LATN 201.) |
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LAT 310/The Age of
Augustus |
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(occasionally) |
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Prerequisite: LAT 201 or equivalent |
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An advanced level course in classical Latin
designed to explore Augustan literature in
the original language. The goal will be to
challenge students’ existing knowledge of
grammar, but also to introduce elements of
style and historical context in the
literature of this period. We will look at
the so-called “Golden Age of Latin
Literature” from an historical perspective
in order to provide an intensive examination
of the cultural contexts in which the
influential texts of this era were first
produced. Readings will emphasize the
diversity of responses among individual
authors to the profound structural changes
that Roman society was undergoing at this
time. Particular attention will be devoted
to the reorganization of society and the
self through textuality, the changing
dimensions of the public and the private,
the roles of class and gender, and the
relationship between art and pleasure.
Readings will cover a wide variety of
literary genres. |
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LAT 315/Vergil and the Impact of Empire |
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(occasionally) |
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Prerequisite: LAT 201 or equivalent |
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An advanced level language course designed
to explore Vergil’s poetry in the original
language, and to examine through the lens of
this major poet the ramifications of
Augustus’ gradual arrogation of sole power.
The course challenges students’ existing
knowledge of grammar, but also introduces
them to elements of style and historical
context in this canonical Latin author.
Students do close reading of roughly six
books of the Aeneid in Latin (with
the goal of improving each student’s ability
to read Latin quickly and with accuracy),
and of the whole poem in English. By looking
critically at the poem in its historical and
literary context, the course tries to
determine what suggestions Vergil is making
about war, heroism, the recent civil wars
and accession to power of Augustus, and the
strengths and weaknesses of the Roman state
and people, introducing students to the
critical social and political changes that
occurred with the rise of Augustus. |
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LAT 350/Roman
Philosophy and Science |
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(occasionally) |
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Prerequisite: LAT 201 or equivalent |
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An advanced level course in classical Latin.
In this course students will draw on their
knowledge of Latin grammar and syntax as
they read important texts in Roman
philosophy and science, and come to
appreciate critically the contribution of
these texts in their contemporary context as
well in subsequent ages. |
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LAT 370/Special Topics in Latin |
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(occasionally)
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Prerequisite: LAT 201 or equivalent
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300-level translation, analysis, and
appreciation of one or more authors, texts,
and/or topics not studied in depth in a
regular course. May be repeated for credit
with permission of program coordinator.
(Replaces LATN 298 and LATN 398.) |
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LAT 391/Independent Study |
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An independent study project involving the
Latin language, designed and carried out in
consultation with a faculty supervisor.
(Replaces LATN 499.) |
Non-Language Courses
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AAH 302 /The Art of Rome |
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(occasionally) |
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The course will deal with major monuments of
Roman architecture, painting, sculpture, and
minor arts. The emphasis will be on
developments in Rome, Pompeii, and central
Italy. Monuments of art and architecture of
the European, Eastern, and African provinces
of the empire will also be included. Major
themes will include the development of Rome
from a primitive village to a world capital;
the revolution in architectural form made
possible by the Roman use of concrete and of
arch and vault construction; Pompeiian and
Roman wall painting; Roman portrait and
historical relief sculpture; and the
political and social roles of Roman Art. |
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CLS 250/Introduction to Greek Mythology |
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(every semester)
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An introduction to ancient Greek mythology
through primary texts in English translation
such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey,
Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Sophocles’
Ajax,
etc. We shall focus on the Trojan War cycle
of myths and its greatest heroes in order to
understand how the ancient Greeks explored
important aspects of their society through
literature that ostensibly presents
mythological events and characters.
Attention is also given to visual
representations of myth in sculpture and on
vases and to differentiating the ancient
Greek concept of “myth” from our own.
(Replaces CLAS 250.) |
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CLS 325/Sex and Gender in Greco-Roman
Antiquity |
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(occasionally) |
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As familiar and
contemporary as many aspects of ancient
Greece and Rome seem to us today, a
significant difference with our own culture
marks their respective attitudes toward sex
and gender. Ancient constructions of sexual
categories, and the social and political
implications of these categories, provide
both an important window onto social history
and an opportunity to investigate critically
the ways in which we construct these
categories today. This course examines the
topic of ancient sexuality both for its own
sake, as historical knowledge, and as it
relates to our own attitudes, values, and
practices, as a sort of “dialogue” between
past and present. Students will be
introduced to both the literary texts and
material culture that offer a window on this
topic, and will study as well as interrogate
current methodologies for interpreting the
various categories of evidence. Topics to
be covered include the concept of sex and
gender as social and political constructs;
myths of matriarchy and patriarchy; the
legal and political status of both sexes;
medical, “scientific” notions of the body;
the gendering of space; and attitudes toward
family and social networks. The course will
also emphasize the Greeks’ and Romans’
different concepts of sex and gender and the
ideological implications of these
differences. |
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CLS 370/Special Topics in Classical Studies |
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(occasionally)
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Focuses on a different topic related to
classical culture for each version of the
course. Texts are read in translation
rather than in the original language.
May be repeated for credit with permission
of program coordinator. |
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CMP 230/Classical Traditions |
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(occasionally) |
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(same as LIT 230) |
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HIS 301/Classical Greek Civilization
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(periodically) |
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Investigation into the development of
Classical Greek Civilization, beginning with
Homer and going through the Peloponnesian
Wars. |
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HIS 302/Hellenistic World |
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(periodically) |
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Investigation into the disintegration of the
Classical Greek world and the emergence of
successor civilizations in the Hellenistic
Era. |
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HIS 303/History of the Roman Republic |
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(periodically) |
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Development of Rome from one of the ancient
Italian city states to a position of mastery
over Italy and the Mediterranean World. |
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HIS 304/History of the Roman Empire |
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(periodically) |
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The Roman imperial system at its height and
its ultimate decline and/or transformation
after the third century C.E. |
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HIS 305/Christianity from Jesus to
Charlemagne |
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(periodically) |
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The first of a two-course sequence.
HIS 305 examines the origins and expansion
of Christianity from the first through the
end of the eighth century C.E. Topics
include the historical Jesus; the
Christianizing of the Roman Empire; the cult
of saints; artistic developments;
Christianity in India and East Asia;
Christian relations with non-Christian
populations; and Christianity’s impact on
marginal groups such as the poor, women,
children, Jews, and homosexuals. The
successor course is HIS 313, Medieval
Christianity. |
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HIS 308/Late Antiquity |
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(periodically) |
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Tracing the breakdown of Mediterranean unity
and the emergence of the
multicultural-religious world of the fifth
to tenth centuries as the European,
West Asian, and North African hinterlands
interact. |
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HIS 311/Rome and the Barbarians in the Early
Middle Ages |
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(periodically) |
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The first in a two-course sequence.
HIS 311 examines western Eurasia and the
Mediterranean from the third to the ninth
century C.E. Topics include the “fall”
of Rome; the impact of contacts between
“Roman” and “barbarian” populations (Huns,
Vandals, Goths, etc. etc.); barbarian
society and culture; artistic developments;
relations among Christians, Jews, Muslims,
and pagans. Attention is drawn to
marginal social groups (e.g. the poor and
women) as well as the dominant male elites. |
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HON 349/Cities and Sanctuaries of the
Ancient World |
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(alternate years) |
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An exploration of the major cities and
sanctuaries of the Greek world from their
foundations through the end of Roman rule.
The course will examine various
topographical, political, and religious
aspects that shaped the foundation, growth,
and development of these important ancient
places. Various media, particularly
architecture and decorative sculptural
programs, will be examined in context with
regard to their cultural, historical,
religious, political, and/or artistic value. |
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LIT 230/Classical Traditions |
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(annually) |
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(same as CMP 230) |
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Introduces students to a literary tradition
that originates in the classical period.
The course will put readings into literary
and historical context by focusing on a
pivotal literary moment or text. The course
will explore literary and historical
relations – the textual “ancestors” and
“progeny” that make up the particular
classical tradition under consideration, as
well as the surrounding philological,
social, and political contexts of the
selected pivotal moment in that tradition.
The course will also draw upon at least two
distinct cultures, at least one of which
must be classical. (Replaces ENGL 217.) |
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PHL 301/History of Ancient Philosophy |
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(annually) |
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Prerequisite: One course in
philosophy or permission of instructor |
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Traces the development of philosophy in the
West from its beginnings in sixth century
B.C. Greece through the thought of Plato and
Aristotle, especially on questions
concerning reality, knowledge, human nature,
and the good life. Attention is also
given to the influence of the Greek
philosophers on the Western tradition to the
present day. |
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