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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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.
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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.
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Survey of history, literature, art, architecture, etc. of Greece from the 8th century BCE through the death of Alexander the Great, with emphases on material culture and selected literary texts. Normally offered every year. Seniors need permission of instructor.
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Survey of history, literature, art, architecture, etc. of Rome from its founding to the Council of Nicaea, with emphasis on the material culture of an empire encompassing the whole Mediterranean world. Normally offered every year. Seniors need permission of instructor.
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Survey of various sites and material cultures of the Mediterranean world, from c. 1500 BCE through 500 CE, including some discussion of the goals, methods, and cultural/ legal issues involved in archaeological research. Normally offered every other year.
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Survey of classical mythology, with attention to the process of myth-making, the development of religion and various critical approaches to mythology.
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Study of the history, literature, and religion of the Hebrews, from the time of Abraham to about 500 B.C.E. History and culture of Israel are related to those of surrounding nations, with special emphasis on the relevancy of archeological data.
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Introduction to writings of the New Testament as they originated in their Greco-Roman milieu. Emphasis is on the distinctive purposes and main content of each writing. Use of source, form, and redaction criticism as tools for the academic study of the New Testament is demonstrated.
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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.
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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
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Survey of classical mythology, with attention to the process of myth-making and the development of religion.
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Exploration of a special topic in Classics chosen by a faculty member or visiting faculty member. Topic varies with the interest and expertise of the instructor. Recent offerings included the Greco Roman City, Women in the Classical World, and Ancient Technology. Offered occasionally.
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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.
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Survey of Hellenic civilization from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period. CLA 251 and HIST 251 are cross-listed. Offered every other year.
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History of the Republic and Empire. Offered every other year. CLA 252 and HIST 252 are cross-listed.
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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.
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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.
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Survey of the history and archaeology of the Ancient Near East, c. 3000-300 BCE, including Anatolia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, with emphasis on international affairs during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE) and the subsequent rise of Israel and Judah in the Levant. Normally offered every other year.
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Reading and analysis of a selection of epic poems and tales from the ancient Mediterranean world, in translation. Works examined may include the epic of Gilgamesh, the Ba’al Cycle, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the biblical books of Joshua and Judges, the Argonautica, the Aeneid, the Pharsalia, the Posthomerica, the Daredevils of Sassoun, and/or others.
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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.
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Study of Aristophanes, Plautus, and Terence. Class culminates in a public performance of a comic play. Normally offered once every three years.
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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.
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Examination of the origins, development, and diversity of military strategies, tactics, technologies, and ideologies in the Mediterranean world, c. 1500-150 BCE, with emphasis on the role of warfare in shaping societies. Primarily seminar in format, the course design involves in-class discussion of select ancient texts in translation, together with some of the recent scholarship regarding these sources.
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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.
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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
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Study of major examples of public and private architecture in the Roman and Early Byzantine Empire between the first and sixth centuries CE. Attention will be given to the basic forms and techniques of Roman buildings, to differences between architecture in the Hellenistic, urbanized eastern empire and in the less developed western part, and to the transformations from the buildings of the Early Empire to that of Diocletian and Constantine and finally to the Late Antique world with Christian churches.
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Examination of ancient myth in written and visual media, with special attention to mythic traditions, the development of religion, contexts for the creation and performance of myth, and various critical approaches to mythology.
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In-depth exploration of a unifying topic in Classics, using appropriate historical, literary, or other analytical frameworks. Topics vary with the interest and expertise of the instructor. Examples of topics: Religions of the Mediterranean World, Warfare in the Ancient Mediterranean World. Prerequisite: One 100 or 200 level Classical Studies course or permission of the instructor.
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Study of both the attitudes toward death and the practices of disposal of the body, from the end of the Greek Bronze Age through the classical Greek and Roman periods to the end of antiquity. The approach is primarily archaeological and historical, but includes relevant classical literature on the afterlife and on burial customs as well as a look at tomb inscriptions. Prerequisite: One 100 or 200 level Classics course or permission of the instructor.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Survey of the history and archaeology of the Ancient Near East, c. 3000-300 BCE, including Anatolia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, with emphasis on international affairs during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE) and the subsequent rise of Israel and Judah in the Levant. Normally offered every other year.
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Examination of the origins, development, and diversity of military strategies, tactics, technologies, and ideologies in the Mediterranean world, c. 1500-150 BCE, with emphasis on the role of warfare in shaping societies. Primarily seminar in format, the course design involves in-class discussion of select ancient texts in translation, together with some of the recent scholarship regarding these sources.
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The Senior Seminar is offered periodically and meets the Capstone requirement for the major. Using appropriate analytical frameworks, students explore a topic selected by the instructor in a collaborative seminar format.
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Study of major examples of public and private architecture in the Roman and Early Byzantine Empire between the first and sixth centuries CE. Attention will be given to the basic forms and techniques of Roman buildings, to differences between architecture in the Hellenistic, urbanized eastern empire and in the less developed western part, and to the transformations from the buildings of the Early Empire to that of Diocletian and Constantine and finally to the Late Antique world with Christian churches.
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In-depth exploration of a unifying topic in Classics, using appropriate historical, literary, or other analytical frameworks. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. With departmental permission this course can be used for the Capstone requirement for the Classics major.
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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.
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Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Survey of the history and archaeology of the Ancient Near East, c. 3000-300 BCE, including Anatolia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, with emphasis on international affairs during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE) and the subsequent rise of Israel and Judah in the Levant. Normally offered every other year.
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Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor graded S/U
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Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Summer Internship graded A-F, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office.
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Summer Internship graded S/U, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office
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Introduction to ancient Greek in preparation for reading Attic and New Testament texts, with emphasis on vocabulary, pronunciation, morphology, and syntax.
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Continuation of Greek I, introduction to ancient Greek in preparation for reading Attic and New Testament texts, with emphasis on vocabulary, pronunciation, morphology, and syntax. Offered every spring. Prerequisite: Greek 101 or placement.
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Designed to increase the student's skill in reading texts. Selections chosen at the discretion of the instructor. Offered every fall. Prerequisite: Greek 102 or placement.
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Designed to increase the student's skill in reading texts. Selections chosen at the discretion of the instructor. Prerequisite: Greek 102
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Select dialogues by Plato, chosen at the discretion of the instructor. Prerequisite: Greek 202 or placement.
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Selections from the Iliad and/or the Odyssey, with attention to Homeric syntax, meter, style, and composition. Prerequisite: Greek 202 or placement.
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Selections from the histories of Herodotus, Thucydides, or other ancient historians. Prerequisite: Greek 202 or placement.
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Select plays from Aristophanes and/or Menander, with attention to meter and style. Prerequisite: Greek 202 or placement.
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Select plays from Aeschylus, Sophocles, and/or Euripides, with attention to meter and style. Prerequisite: Greek 202 or placement.
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Reading and analysis of selected speeches of Aeschines, Demosthenes, Isocrates, Lysias, and/or other Athenian orators. Not offered every year. Prerequisite: Greek 202 or placement.
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Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U.
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Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F.
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Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U.
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Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F.
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Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U.
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Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F.
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Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor graded S/U.
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Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F.
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Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U.
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Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F.
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Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U.
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Summer Internship graded A-F, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office.
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Summer Internship graded S/U, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office.
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Introduction to reading and pronunciation of Latin, with emphasis on vocabulary, morphology, syntax. Juniors and Seniors need permission of Department Chair.
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Continuation of Latin I, introduction to reading and pronunciation of Latin, with emphasis on vocabulary, morphology, syntax.
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Designed to increase skill in reading texts. Selections from Latin prose and poetry are read, with continuing grammatical review and analysis. Offered every fall. Prerequisite: Latin 102 or placement.
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Designed to increase skill in reading texts. Selections from Latin prose and poetry are read, with continuing grammatical review and analysis. Prerequisite: Latin 201 or placement.
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Exploration of historical, literary, or philosophical topics with special attention to the careful reading of select Latin texts. Prerequisite: Latin 202 or placement.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Selections from Confessions, with attention to the differences between Late Latin and Classical Latin. Not offered every year. Prerequisite: Latin 202 or placement.
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Selections from Horace, Martial, and Juvenal, with attention to the changes in language and style from the Classical to the Post Classical period. Not offered every year. Prerequisite: Latin 202 or placement.
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Selections from Livy and Tacitus, with attention to their peculiarities of language and style. Not offered every year. Latin 202 or placement.
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Extensive reading in On the Nature Of Things, with attention to Lucretius' metrical forms, science, and philosophy. Not offered every year. Prerequisite: Latin 202 or placement.
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In-depth exploration of a unifying topic in Classics, using original Latin texts and appropriate historical, literary, philosophical or other analytical frameworks. Topics vary with the interest and expertise of the instructor. Prerequisite: 300-level course in Latin or permission of the instructor.
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Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor graded S/U
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Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
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Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
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Summer Internship graded A-F, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office.
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Summer Internship graded S/U, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office