Classics

 

Professor:  Moorton; Assistant Professor:  Adler; Professor Held, chair

 

Associated Faculty in Medieval Studies:

Professors:  Bleeth (English), Paxton (History); Associate Professor:  Alchermes (Art History and Architectural Studies)

 

The Major in Classics

 

Classics majors must select one of the following three concentrations:

 

Classical Languages.  Students must complete a total of nine courses in Greek, in Latin, or in a combination of both languages, at least two of which must be at the advanced level.  Students may, in consultation with the department, substitute two classics courses taught in English.

 

Classical Studies.  Students must complete eleven courses from the following set of requirements, six of which must be at the 200 level or higher:

 

1.        Classics 101 and 102.

2.        Either Classics 104 or Art History 121.

3.        Two of the following:  Classics 200, 203, 204, 210, 211, 222, 234.  In place of one of these courses, students may substitute a freshman seminar taught by a faculty member in Classics.

4.        Four courses in Greek, in Latin, or in a combination of both languages.

5.        Two of the following:  Classics 300, 314, 315, 316, 391, 392.  Students may also satisfy this requirement by completing Classics 497-498.

 

Classical and Medieval Studies.  Students must complete eleven courses from the following set of requirements, six of which must be at the 200 level or higher:

 

1.        One course in Arabic, Greek, or Latin at the intermediate or advanced level.

2.        Four of the following:  Art History 121; Classics 101, 102; History 231; Religious Studies 158.

3.        Four of the following:  Art History 222, 238, 248, 260, 305; Classics 230, 314; Government 211; Hispanic Studies 301; History 232, 249; Music 247; Philosophy 241; Religious Studies 113, 114, 203, 207; Slavic Studies 248.

4.        One of the following:  Art History 493C/494C, 493Q/494Q; English 333, 334; History 443; Italian 302; Medieval Studies 493L/494L; Religious Studies 493L/494L.  In addition, students must complete either a second course from the preceding list or one of the following:  Medieval Studies 491, 492; Classics 497-498.

 

Advisers:  E. Adler, D. Held, R. Moorton (Classical Languages and Classical Studies); J. Alchermes, K. Bleeth, F. Paxton (Classical and Medieval Studies)

 

The Minor in Classics

 

Classics minors must select one of the following four concentrations:

 

Latin.  Students must complete five courses in Latin, including either Latin 301 or 302.

 

Greek.  Students must complete five courses in Greek, including either Greek 301 or 302.

 

Classical Studies.  Students must complete the following requirements:

 

1.        Two of the following:  Classics 101, 102, 104.

2.        Two of the following:  Classics 200, 203, 204, 210, 222.

3.        One of the following:  Classics 300, 314, 315, 316, 391, 392.

 

Classical and Medieval Studies.  Students must complete the following requirements:

 

1.        Classics 102.

2.        One of the following:  Art History 248, 260; Slavic Studies 248.

3.        History 231 and 232.

4.        One of the following:  English 333, 334; Italian 302; Religious Studies 114, 203; Medieval Studies 491, 492.

 

Courses

 

In Greek

 

GREEK  101, 102  ELEMENTARY GREEK  A beginner's course in Greek, designed to develop rapidly the student's ability in reading 5th- and 4th-century Attic Greek, Homer, and Herodotus.  Grammar and vocabulary are integrated into texts which acquaint the student directly with characteristics of Greek culture.

                Open only to students with fewer than two years of Greek at entrance.  Enrollment limited to 20 students.  D. Held

 

GREEK  201  PLATO AND ATTIC PROSE  A continuation of the integrated approach designed to facilitate rapid reading in Greek prose writers.

                Prerequisite:  Greek 102 or two or three years of Greek at entrance.  Enrollment limited to 20 students.  D. Held

 

GREEK  202  HOMER  Selections from The Iliad and The Odyssey.  Study of Homeric poems as oral literature.

                Prerequisite:  Greek 201 or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 20 students. 

R. Moorton

 

GREEK  301, 302  SELECTED GREEK AUTHORS  Designed to fit the needs and interests of advanced students in Greek literature.  Readings in such representative authors and fields as Plato, Greek tragedy and comedy, lyric and elegiac poetry, Herodotus, Thucydides, and biblical Greek.

                Prerequisite:  Three or four years of Greek at entrance; or Greek 201 or 202; or permission of the instructor.  The course may be repeated for credit with the contents changed.  Enrollment limited to 20 students.  Staff

 

GREEK  391, 392  INDIVIDUAL STUDY  Advanced study on a subject to be chosen by the student in consultation with the department.

 

In Latin

 

LATIN  101, 102  ELEMENTARY LATIN  An introduction to the fundamentals of the Latin language with reading of easy passages from the Roman authors.  Stress will be laid on developing a facility in reading classical Latin.

                Three hours weekly.  Open only to students with fewer than two years of Latin at entrance.  Enrollment limited to 20 students.  E. Adler

 

LATIN  201, 202  INTERMEDIATE LATIN PROSE AND POETRY  First semester:  A review of grammar and syntax providing a transition from learning grammar to reading Latin texts by a variety of authors.  Second semester:  Selected books of Virgil's Aeneid.

                Prerequisite:  Latin 201 or permission of the instructor is a prerequisite for Latin 202.  Enrollment limited to 20 students.  D. Held, Staff

 

LATIN  301, 302  READINGS IN LATIN AUTHORS  Topics are designed to fit the needs and interests of students with advanced standing in Latin.  The course may be repeated for credit with the contents changed.

                Prerequisite:  Four credits of Latin at entrance or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 20 students.  Staff

 

First semester:

 

LATIN  301A  CATULLUS AND CICERO

LATIN  301B  COMEDY:  PLAUTUS AND TERENCE

LATIN  301C  SALLUST AND LUCRETIUS

 

Second semester:

 

LATIN  302D  HORACE AND OVID

LATIN  302E  LIVY AND TACITUS

LATIN  302F  PETRONIUS AND APULEIUS

 

LATIN  391, 392  INDIVIDUAL STUDY  Advanced study on a subject to be chosen by the student in consultation with the department.

 

In English

 

CLASSICS  101  GREECE  The history and archaeology of Greece from the Bronze Age to the time of Alexander the Great, with special attention to the history of the Athenian democracy.

Enrollment limited to 40 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 7.  D. Held

 

CLASSICS  102  THE ROMAN WORLD  This course examines Roman civilization from its inception to the fall of the Roman Empire.  It focuses on the major achievements in the history, literature, art, philosophy, and religion of the Romans.

Enrollment limited to 40 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 7.  E. Adler

 

CLASSICS  104  CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY  A study through reading, illustrated lectures, and discussion of the more important myths of Greece and Rome and of their relation to literature, art, and religion.  Some consideration will be given to comparative mythology and to the structural analysis of myth.

                Enrollment limited to 40 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 6.  R. Moorton

 

CLASSICS  200  DIONYSUS:  CULTURE AND THE IRRATIONAL  A comparative study of classical and modern significations of the irrational.  Emphasis on the classical background to modern versions of eros, transcendence, and madness.

                Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  Enrollment limited to 30 students.  D. Held

 

CLASSICS  203  CLASSICAL EPIC  A study of ancient epic with special emphasis on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and Virgil's Aeneid.  Other examples of epic literature will be included.  Attention will be given to the development of oral and written forms of epic and to epic's influence on later literature

Enrollment limited to 30 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 4.  R. Moorton

 

CLASSICS  204  GREEK TRAGEDY  A reading of the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides with emphasis on their cultural, political, and social values.  Study of Aristotle's Poetics and classical theory of literary criticism.  Consideration will be given to the origin and development of Greek drama, the ancient Greek stage, and the influence of classical tragedy on later literature.

Enrollment limited to 30 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 4.  R. Moorton

 

CLASSICS  210  GREEK AND ROMAN ETHICS  Greek ethical thought from the Sophists, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to Epicurus and the Stoics with attention to the Roman development of these views.  Topics include pleasure, the nature of goodness, happiness, love, and friendship in relation to the political and social background of ancient society.  This is the same course as Philosophy 230.

Enrollment limited to 30 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 6.  D. Held

 

CLASSICS  211  ANCIENT GREEK RELIGIONS  This is the same course as Religious Studies 211.  Refer to the Religious Studies listing for a course description.

 

CLASSICS  219  SEXUALITY AND EROS IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY  An examination of sexuality, gender, and the characterization of the erotic in ancient Greece and Rome as reflected in literature, philosophy, and material culture.

                Enrollment limited to 30 students.  D. Held

 

CLASSICS  222  Ancient COMEDY  In this course we will read the ancient comedies of Aristophanes, Plautus, and Terence.  We will analyze the comic forms and themes of the plays, and what the works reveal of the societies that produced them.

Enrollment limited to 30 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 4.  R. Moorton

 

Classics  229  Propaganda and Truth in the Age of Augustus  An examination of the program and politics of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, including modern interpretations of him as either benevolent or cunningly manipulative.  Emphasis on the historical, literary, artistic, and cultural aspects of his rule, particularly on the use of propaganda to solidify political power.  This is the same course as History 229.

                Enrollment limited to 30 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 7.  E. Adler

 

CLASSICS  230  ROMAN IMPERIALISM AND ITS CRITICS  An examination of Roman imperialism, with particular emphasis on the differing views of modern scholars.  The class will also focus on the general nature of imperialism, and the influence of contemporary political views regarding modern imperialism on assessments of the Roman world.  This is the same course as History 230.

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors; and to freshmen with permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 30 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 7.  E. Adler

 

CLASSICS  234  THE TRANSFORMATION OF WESTERN CULTURE  A study of the profound kinship and contradictions between classical antiquity and Western modernity through a series of parallel readings of thematically linked ancient and modern texts:  Homer's Odyssey and Nikos Kazantzakis' The Odyssey:  A Modern Sequel; Sophocles' Philoctetes and Defoe's Robinson Crusoe; Tacitus' Agricola and Camus' The Stranger; and Cicero's Dream of Scipio and John Varley's Steel Beach.

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors; and to freshmen with permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 30 students.  R. Moorton

 

Classics  241  Athletics in Greece and Rome  An exploration of the significance of sports in classical culture, from the Olympic games to Rome's gladiatorial games.  Topics include the athletic events themselves; the archaeology and art of ancient athletics; presentations of athletics in literature and philosophy; and the relation of such cultural values as excellence, fame, and physical-mental harmony to athleticism.

                Enrollment limited to 30 students.  D. Held

 

CLASSICS  300  SELECTED TOPICS IN CLASSICS  Topics to be chosen in accordance with student interest.

                Prerequisite:  Two courses at the 200 level.

 

Classics  314  Greco-Roman Historiography  An examination of the ways in which the ancient Greeks and Romans wrote history.  The course focuses on a variety of ancient authors and includes examinations of historical subgenres, such as biography, world history, monographs, and annals.  Student will read secondary scholarship on ancient historians embodying different perspectives on Greco-Roman historiography.  This class will also discuss modern historiography and its influence on our perceptions of Greek and Roman historians.  This is the same course as History 314.

                Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  Enrollment limited to 16 students.  E. Adler

 

CLASSICS  315  PLATO  An intensive study of Plato's philosophy with emphasis on his metaphysics, epistemology, and cosmology.  This is the same course as Philosophy 330A.

                Open to classics and philosophy majors and minors, and to others with permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 16 students.  D. Held

 

CLASSICS  316  THE EMOTIONS IN CLASSICAL LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY  The course examines the experience and expression of emotion in Greek and Roman literature; and the philosophical analysis of  the role of emotion in human life and action by such figures as Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, and Seneca.

                Prerequisite:  A course in classics or philosophy, or permission of the instructor.  Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  Enrollment limited to 16 students.  D. Held

 

CLASSICS  317  EARLY GREECE AND WESTERN CIVILIZATION:  A DISPUTED LEGACY  An examination of the foundations of ancient Greek civilization.  Through an analysis of the historical, archaeological, and linguistic evidence, the course will shed light on the so-called Black Athena Controversy, which raised doubts about the ancient Greek contribution to Western culture.  The course also focuses on the impact of modern politics on scholarly discussions of antiquity and the ways in which the Culture Wars of the 1980s and 1990s have influenced analyses of the ancient Greek world.  This is the same course as History 317.

                Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  Enrollment limited to 30 students.  E. Adler

 

CLASSICS  391, 392  INDIVIDUAL STUDY  Advanced study on a subject to be chosen by the student in consultation with the department.

 

MEDIEVAL STUDIES  493L, 494L  TO HELL AND BACK:  PAGAN, CHRISTIAN, AND MODERN VISIONS OF HUMANITY  This is the same course as Religious Studies 493L, 494L.  Refer to the Religious Studies listing for a course description.

 

MEDIEVAL STUDIES  491, 492  INDIVIDUAL STUDY  Advanced study on a subject to be chosen by the student in consultation with the department.

 

CLASSICS  497-498  HONORS STUDY