Courses

This list is a sampling of the kinds of courses offered through the Classics department curriculum. Not all courses shown here will be offered every semester. For a complete list of currently available courses, students may log into their account on Student Center.

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Jump to level: 100 • 200 • 300 • 400

A period of upheaval and chaos succeeded Alexander’s death, but it gave way to an era of unprecedented political and cultural interaction around the Mediterranean. As Alexander’s successors struggled to maintain their hold on the vast empire that the great general had conquered, they soon discovered that it was impossible to impose their rule on an established nation, or nations, without assimilating and respecting that nation’s culture, at least to some degree.
Exploration of great works of ancient Greek and Latin literature, including epic, lyric poetry, drama, philosophical dialogue, and literary criticism. Through analysis of these texts in discussion and writing, we consider what it means to be human, the shape of justice and morality, the power of rhetoric, social and political dynamics of gender, race, and class, and strategies of representation. Authors read may include Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, Lucretius, Seneca, and others.
This course introduces students to the rhetorical theory and practice of Ancient Greece and Rome, while at the same time asking them to apply this knowledge to analysis of contemporary political discourse. It is meant to run concurrently with a major national election, preferably a presidential campaign. We alternate readings from ancient sources with discussions of material from the campaign as it unfolds, using concepts from classical rhetoric as our interpretive framework.

Introductory survey of the art and architecture of Ancient Greece and Rome, beginning with the Bronze Age in the Aegean to the reign of emperor Constantine. The course covers the history, culture and social context of major works produced by these civilizations and analyzes developments in style, taste and use of materials. Recommended ARTH 125. Offered once a year. ARTH 201 and CLA 201 are cross-listed.
Investigation of the impact that the Roman Empire had on the indigenous Celts and other peoples of Western Europe. The course takes a critical look at the idea that the spread of Roman "civilization" was ultimately beneficial to the supposed "barbarians" brought under imperial rule. The course also compares Roman colonialism with modern empires and imperial projects, and analyzes how examples of modern colonialism used the Roman Empire as a model and ideological justification for European colonial expansion and domination. ANTH 210 and CLA 210 are cross-listed.
Survey of the ancient peoples of Europe during the first millennium B.C. and their relation to the seven modern Celtic nations of the Atlantic fringe. Through an examination of archaeology, ancient history, mythology, and anthropology, this course investigates the relation between ancient and modern Celtic cultures, and the ways in which the archaeology of the ancient Celts has been used to construct modern Celtic identities. Prerequisite: ANTH 103 or ANTH 106
What determines our sex and gender? What sorts of romantic and sexual relationships are acceptable, and why? Who and what define the binaries of male and female, gay and straight, and can individuals move fluidly between them? How do people’s gender and/or sexuality relate to their social and economic positions? This course investigates ancient Greece as a case-study for the way that gender and sexuality works, providing new perspective on our own world. WGS 240 and CLA 240 are cross-listed.
This course aims to explore how Jews in the ancient Mediterranean world, both those in Judaea and in the Diaspora interacted with and participated in a world dominated politically by pagans, first Greeks, then Romans. Major historical events, from the Babylonian exile, through the Maccabean revolt, and subjugation of Judaea by Rome will form the basic structure for the course. Within this framework, we will explore issues of religious expression (What form did the practice of Judaism take within different pagan societies?), religious tolerance , imperialism and subjugation , and forms of religion-centered protest . CLA 253 and HIST 253 are cross-listed.
A chronological and thematical overview of the literature of the ancient Roman world, Latin and Greek, in English translation. Both major and minor works of Roman literature are considered against the historical background: who was writing what, when, for whom, and why? Selections from representative authors of drama, history, poetry, rhetoric, philosophy, biography, and the distinctly Roman genre of satire are read, from the beginnings in late 3rd/early 2nd century BC to the Christian and pagan polemics of Late Antiquity.
In this course, we will study a selection of Ancient Greek tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and Roman tragedies by Seneca. We will consider the following questions: what defines tragedy as a genre, how and in what context were ancient tragedies performed, what do tragedies tell us about Greek and Roman values and beliefs, what were the social and political functions of tragedy in the ancient world, and what meanings and uses can re-performance of these tragedies have in diverse contexts in the modern world? Course activities may include performance and/or adaptation of ancient tragedy, and attending a live production of a tragedy.
Study of Ancient Greek and Roman plays, both tragic and comic, by way of reading, writing about, discussing, and performing 10-12 plays. Unlike other ancient drama courses offered in this department, this course permits juxtaposition and comparison of tragic and comic plays. By being less constrained by a narrow (though valuable and ancient) notion of genre, the approach offers richer opportunities for thematic interpretation. Normally offered once every three years.
This course explores the ways in which people in the Classical world constructed race and ethnicity. Using sources ranging from Minoan frescoes, to the Bible, and Roman love poetry, we examine questions such as: What criteria did people in the Classical world use to create constructions of race and ethnicity? How was self-definition developed as a contrast/comparison to an “Other". In what ways do ancient views of race and ethnicity differ from our own? CLA 280 and HIST 280 are cross-listed.

Survey of the ancient peoples of Europe during the first millennium B.C. and their relation to the seven modern Celtic nations of the Atlantic fringe. Through an examination of archaeology, ancient history, mythology, and anthropology, this course investigates the relation between ancient and modern Celtic cultures, and the ways in which the archaeology of the ancient Celts has been used to construct modern Celtic identities. Prerequisite: ANTH 103 or ANTH 106
What determines our sex and gender? What sorts of romantic and sexual relationships are acceptable, and why? Who and what define the binaries of male and female, gay and straight, and can individuals move fluidly between them? How do people’s gender and/or sexuality relate to their social and economic positions? This course investigates ancient Greece as a case-study for the way that gender and sexuality works, providing new perspective on our own world.
Study of plans and monuments of Greek and Roman cities as well as writings of classical authors about cities and urban life. A combined archaeological, historical, and literary approach is used, with an emphasis on how the growth of cities depended on the development of technology for the construction of fortifications, large buildings, aqueducts, and other urban necessities. The course begins with the Mycenaean period in Greece and concludes with Roman cities of the 6th century AD. Prerequisite: One 100 or 200 level Classics course or permission of the instructor.
Study from both a theoretical and methodological level of the various forms of social inequality that emerged in the ancient world, as well as the forms of egalitarianism that have persisted throughout the world to the present day. The course emphasizes in particular a critical understanding of the ways in which ancient forms of inequality compare and contrast to what we see today in the modern world. ANTH 345 and CLA 345 are cross-listed.
A chronological and thematical overview of the literature of the ancient Roman world, Latin and Greek, in English translation. Both major and minor works of Roman literature are considered against the historical background: who was writing what, when, for whom, and why? Selections from representative authors of drama, history, poetry, rhetoric, philosophy, biography, and the distinctly Roman genre of satire are read, from the beginnings in late 3rd/early 2nd century BC to the Christian and pagan polemics of Late Antiquity.

Study of plans and monuments of Greek and Roman cities as well as writings of classical authors about cities and urban life. A combined archaeological, historical, and literary approach is used, with an emphasis on how the growth of cities depended on the development of technology for the construction of fortifications, large buildings, aqueducts, and other urban necessities. The course begins with the Mycenaean period in Greece and concludes with Roman cities of the 6th century AD. Prerequisite: One 100 or 200 level Classics course or permission of the instructor.

Jump to level: 100 • 200 • 300 • 400

Jump to level: 100 • 300 • 400

The purposes of this course are to develop students’ Latin reading skills and to familiarize them with the distinguishing features of various genres and authors of Latin prose. In addition to developing students’ command of Latin grammar and vocabulary acquired in prior study, the course will focus on central questions involved in the interpretation of Latin prose and the significance of particular authors and their works in the broader context of Roman literary history and culture. Authors and texts studied will vary from semester to semester. With departmental permission, students may repeat the course. Students who enroll in this course at the 303 level will have additional/special assignments as set by the instructor. Pre-requisite: At least one Latin course at the 200 or above, or by departmental permission or placement
The purposes of this course are to develop students’ ability to read Latin verse, familiarizing them with various meters, genres, and authors of Latin poetry. In addition to developing students’ command of Latin grammar and vocabulary acquired in prior study, the course will focus on central questions involved in the interpretation of Latin poetry and the significance of particular poets and their works in the broader context of Roman literary history and culture. Poets and texts studied will vary from semester to semester. With departmental permission, students may repeat the course. Students who enroll in this course at the 304 level will have additional/special assignments as set by the instructor. Pre-requisite: At least one Latin course at the 200-level or above, or by departmental permission or placement.
Readings in Latin in various works of the Augustan poet Ovid, with an emphasis on elegy and epic. The course focuses on technical matters such as grammar, syntax, scansion, rhetorical figures, oral recitation, and on interpretation. Typically, interpretation needs to be distinctly secondary in order to convey the degree to which sophisticated interpretation depends on technical precision as well as on exegetical finesse. Prerequisite: Latin 202 or placement.