Courses

From Homer to Vergil, the Parthenon to the Colosseum, Classical Studies majors and minors study the greatest works of literature and art from the ancient Greek and Roman Worlds. Courses in Classical Studies approach the Greco-Roman world from a variety of humanistic disciplines and analytical methods, including Greek and Latin language and literature, history, philosophy, and art and archaeology. Students learn to critically evaluate literature and material culture, grapple with fundamental questions of human civilization, and appreciate the relevance of the Greco-Roman tradition in the 21st century. In Greek and Latin language courses, students develop logical and creative thought, and explore some of the greatest works of western literature in the original language.

Majors and minors in Classical Studies often participate in Winter Term trips to Italy and Greece (or elsewhere in the Mediterranean) and in semester abroad programs such as the College Year in Athens or the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. Students interested in Classical Archaeology are also encouraged to participate in summer fieldwork in the Mediterranean World.

Classical Studies provides a good foundation for a wide variety of careers. As they sharpen their skills in linguistic and textual analysis, logical thinking, observation, and argumentation, Classics majors equip themselves with the essential skills for a wide variety of careers, including journalism, medicine, teaching, museum curation, law, theater and the arts, and academia.

Students considering teaching Latin should take as much Latin as possible and consult with the chair of Classical Studies about teaching certification and job opportunities. Students planning to attend graduate school in classics should either double major in Greek and Latin or major in one language and minor in the other. Students planning to attend graduate school in classical archaeology should try to major in one language and minor in Classical Archaeology.

For more information about opportunities in Classical Studies, please see the department web pages.

Course Catalog

Requirements for a major

Classical Civilization

Greek

Latin

Requirements for a minor

Classical Archaeology

Classical Civilization

Greek

Latin

Courses in the Classics in English

Greek and Roman Mythology

The principal myths and legends of the ancient world, with consideration of the nature of myth, the social origin and evolution of myths, their relation to religion and philosophy and their use in literature and art.

The Ancient Mediterranean World

The Mediterranean world from the beginning of civilization to the end of the Roman Empire: Ancient Near East, Classical Greece, Hellenistic Age, Roman Republic, Roman Empire and the Emergence of Christianity. May count towards European Studies minor.

Ancient Greek World

This course provides a broad survey of Greek history, society, and literature from the mythological origins until the Age of Alexander the Great. Students read widely from Greek primary sources such as Homer, Plato, Herodotus, and Thucydides. Not open to students with credit in CLST 253.

Ancient Roman World

This course provides a broad survey of Roman history, society, and literature from its foundation until the fall of the Roman Empire. Students read widely from Roman primary sources such as Cicero, Vergil, and Tacitus. Not open to students with credit in CLST 254.

Introduction to Mediterranean Archaeology

This courses introduces students to the history, theory, and practice of Mediterranean archaeology. The course covers three areas: the rediscovery of Classical antiquity and its effect on European cultural and intellectual development; the basics of field methodology, including the use of technology; and the ethical role of the archaeologists in the interpretation and preservation of cultural remains. Offered in alternate fall semesters. Priority given to first-year students and sophomores.

Off-Campus Extended Studies Course

Winter or May Term off-campus study project on a theme related to classical studies.

First-Year Seminar

A seminar focused on a theme related to the study of classical studies. Open only to first-year students.

Topics in Classical Studies

Study of a specific topic in Mediterranean civilizations or literature. May be repeated for credit with different topics.

The Impact of Empire: Augustus to Constantine

This course will explore the following interconnected questions: How did Rome govern the enormous empire? How did Rome change the cultural and political map of the Ancient Mediterranean World? To what extent and how did the presence of the Roman rule transform the local and regional cultures? How did the expansion of the Empire have a reverse impact on the 'Roman Culture'? How were the 'barbarians' viewed at Rome?

Greek and Roman Law

This course explores the legal systems and procedures of Athens and Rome, exploring how legal sources expand our understanding of the lives of ordinary residents of the Ancient World. We will explore the forensic speeches of the Athenian lawcourts, which were famous both for the volume of their activity and the rhetoric employed there, and the writings of the Roman legal scholars -- the jurists, which form the core of the Roman legal system which is still influential in the modern world. Topics may include: ancient rhetoric and standards of proof, citizenship and rights of non-citizens, intersections of religion and law, property and inheritance, and legal thinking and categorization.

Archaeology of Greek Cities and Sanctuaries

This course examines the monuments of the ancient Mediterranean from the early Iron Age to the death of Alexander the Great (ca. 900-323 BC). This period saw the rise of city-states across the Mediterranean, an expanded network of trade between Greeks, Persians, and Etruscans, and the consequent formation of cultural identities expressed through art and other material remains. Topics include: urban planning, colonization of new territories, the growth of pan-Hellenic sanctuaries, and cross-cultural influences in the Mediterranean. The course also critiques the use of Greek archaeology in the 18-20th centuries to construct European identity.

Hellenistic and Roman Art and Archaeology

This course examines the artistic and architectural monuments of the Hellenistic kingdoms and the Roman world from the death of Alexander the Great through the end of the western Roman Empire (323 BC-AD 476). Issues may include: the archaeology of the economy and trade, the question of romanization (the archaeology of imperialism), iconography of political power, the material experience of everyday life, and the art of engineering. Offered in alternate spring semesters.

Troy and Aegean Archaeology

This course explores the rise and fall of cultures and kingdoms during the Mediterranean Bronze Age (ca. 3200-1000 BC) through artistic and architectural remains. Special attention is given to the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hittites, and Trojans, their relationship to one another, as well as to other regions of the Mediterranean (e.g., Egypt). Topics include: trade in raw materials and elite goods, the development of ceramics and sculpture, expressions of kingship, the Trojan War in myth and reality, and geo-environmental studies, such as the volcanic eruption of Thera. Attention is given to factors that contributed to widespread social and political collapse at the end of the Bronze Age.

Archaeology of Ancient Egypt

This course surveys the art, architecture, and material culture of ancient Egypt from the prehistoric cultures of the Nile Valley to the end of the New Kingdom (ca. 4000-1000 BC). Topics include: the development of monumental architecture (e.g., pyramids), expressions of kingship, the construction of gender identity in art, and Egypt's role as a conduit for trade between the Mediterranean, western Asia, and Africa. This course also considers the legacy of European imperialism in the construction of ancient Egypt, particularly in regard to race and ethnicity.

Archaeology of Mesopotamia

This course surveys the art and material culture of ancient Mesopotamia and its surrounding regions, including modern Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The periods range from the Neolithic to the end of the Bronze Age (ca. 5000-1000 BC). Topics include: environmental and material evidence for the development of agriculture and the first settled communities, the rise of kingship and palace administration in relation to the control and redistribution of resources, complex religious beliefs as expressed through art and architecture, and the origins of writing. The role of European imperialism in the history of Mesopotamian archaeology is also examined.

Why? The Quest for Meaning

"Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question," wrote Albert Camus, the Nobel Prize winning Algerian author. In this course Ancient Greek and Roman writers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Lucretius launch the exploration of that fundamental question. That exploration, the quest for meaning, hinges upon the inescapable questions that these artists and philosophers pose again and again: What is a good life? What is happiness? What is the relationship between life's worth and the meaning of life?

Backroads, Witchcraft, Romance: The Ancient Novel

Ancient popular literature offers a portrait of the Mediterranean world that depicts figures underrepresented in other ancient literature, such as women, slaves, bandits, witches, merchants, and practitioners of mystery religions. Works include Greek authors of popular literature such as Lucian and Longus, The Life of Aesop and Aesop's fables, the Roman novels Petronius' Satyricon and Apuleius' Metamorphoses (or The Golden Ass). No prior knowledge of ancient Greek and Roman literature and culture is required for this course.

Airs, Waters, Places: Classics and the Environment (formerly CLST 351)

This course repurposes the title of "Airs, Waters, Places," a Hippocratic treatise on the influence of place upon human health. In line with the Hippocratic investigation into the relationship between environment and human health, this course explores how ancient Greek and Roman thinkers and artists conceive of the environment and its role in shaping human culture and how the environment, in turn, informs the ideas and art of ancient Greek and Roman writers. Topics may include ancient conceptions and representations of the cosmos (ecology), wilderness, farming, and pastoral poetry.

Classica Africana

Explores the ways in which modern literature of peoples of African descent engages with ancient Hellenic and Roman literature. This course may concentrate on African American literature, women writers, or literature of the African Diaspora. Example topics include how the art of Derek Walcott's Omeros, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Toni Morrison's Beloved, and Rita Dove's Mother Love riffs on such works of classical literature as Homer's Odyssey, Euripides' Medea and The Homeric Hymn to Demeter.

Topics

The advanced study of a specific topic in Mediterranean civilizations or literature. Recent courses have treated such topics as Plato on Love and Pleasure, Gender in the Greek and Roman World, Damnation and Salvation, Socrates--The Mind and the Myth, Great Archaeological Discoveries, Greek and Roman Law, and Ancient History and Film. May be repeated for credit with topic changes. Information on upcoming topics courses can be found on the departmental Web page.

Topics in Mediterranean Archaeology

A study of a specific topic in Mediterranean archaeology. Recent courses have treated such topics as Pompeii, the Archaeology of North Africa, and the Archaeology of Israel. May be repeated for credit with topic changes. Information on upcoming topics courses can be found on the department web page.

Senior Seminar

A seminar on a specific topic in the field of classical studies. Students will complete a major paper or project in conjunction with the course. Open only to majors.

Independent Senior Thesis

Outstanding students in Classical Civilization, Latin, or Greek may choose to complete an intensive independent research project in their senior year. The project culminates in a written thesis (approx. 30-40 pages) and a public presentation of their research. The thesis is directed by a faculty member in the Department of Classical Studies. Thesis proposals must be approved by the Department of Classical Studies before a student can register for CLST 455.

Courses in Greek

Introduction to Ancient Greek I

This course prepares students to read such ancient Greek texts as Homer's Iliad, Sappho's poetry, Plato's Symposium, Herodotus' Histories, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, and the New Testament in the original language. Introduction to the essentials of ancient Greek vocabulary and grammar with emphasis on development of proficiency in reading ancient Greek literature. First semester of a two-semester sequence of introductory ancient Greek language courses. Applies toward the Distribution Area requirement in Language. Applies toward Major or Minor in Greek or Classical Civilization. Prerequisite for GRK 102. Offered every Fall Semester.

Introduction to Ancient Greek II

Building upon GRK 101, this course prepares students to read such ancient Greek texts as Homer's Iliad, Sappho's poetry, Plato's Symposium, Herodotus' Histories, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, and the New Testament in the original language. Introduction to the essentials of ancient Greek vocabulary and grammar with emphasis on development of proficiency in reading ancient Greek literature. Second semester of a two-semester sequence of introductory ancient Greek language courses. Applies toward the Distribution Area requirement in Language. Applies toward Major or Minor in Greek or Classical Civilization. Prerequisite for GRK 205. Offered every Spring Semester.

Greek Prose and Poetry

Review of grammar and reading from representative Greek authors, usually including Homer or Plato. Prerequisite: GRK 101-102. May be repeated for credit.

New Testament Greek

Readings from the New Testament and from contemporary Christian, Jewish and pagan religious literature; the style and vocabulary of Hellenistic Greek. Prerequisite: GRK 101-102 or permission of instructor.

Greek Reading

Reading selected according to the interests and abilities of the students. One topic offered each semester, usually chosen from Homer (Iliad or Odyssey), lyric poetry, Greek tragedy, Herodotus, Thucydides or Plato. Exercises in prose composition may be included. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit.

Greek Reading

A continuation of GRK 451.

Courses in Latin

Elementary Latin I

An introduction to classical Latin that emphasizes reading. The course provides a solid foundational knowledge of the Latin sentence structure and a thorough training in English grammar. Includes discussions of Roman life and culture.

Elementary Latin II

A continuation of Latin 123, this course broadens and deepens students' understanding of Latin and English grammar to incorporate more complex sentence patterns. Students will read more extended passages of original Latin and continue explorations into Roman life and culture through literature. Prerequisite: Latin 123 or placement

Intermediate Latin

Combines a thorough review of elementary Latin and an introduction to continuous Latin texts from foundational authors such as Cicero, Caesar, Sallust, and Vergil. Teaches strategies for analyzing complex sentences and continuous passages. Includes some prose composition. Prerequisite: LAT 124 or two years of high school Latin (entering students should take the Latin placement exam during orientation) or permission of instructor.

Introduction to Latin Poetry

An introduction to Latin poetics, combined with continued review of Latin syntax and morphology. Translation and analysis of selected texts from authors such as Catullus, Ovid, Martial, or Vergil. Prerequisite: LAT 124 or two years of high school Latin (entering students should take the Latin placement exam during orientation) or permission of instructor.

Readings in Latin Prose

Advanced reading in Latin prose authors. Sample topics might include philosophical texts, the works of Cicero, or the Roman Novel. The course may include exercises in prose composition. May be repeated for credit if the topic changes. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Normally follows Latin 224 or four years of high school Latin.

Readings in Latin Poetry

An advanced seminar on one of the following topics: (A) Latin Lyric poetry, with readings from Horace and Catullus; (B) Roman Satire, a history of the only uniquely Roman literary genre, with readings from Lucilius, Horace, and Juvenal; (C) Roman Elegy, with readings from Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid. May be repeated for credit if the topic changes. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Normally follows Latin 224 or four years of high school Latin.

Roman Drama

Selected plays by Terence, Plautus, and Seneca in both the original Latin and in translation. Study of the history and development of Roman drama and its relationship with Greek drama. May be repeated for credit if the topic changes. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Normally follows LAT 224 or four years of high school Latin.

Roman Historians

Selections from Livy, Sallust, Tacitus, or Suetonius in Latin and in translation, either concentrating upon an individual author or presenting a survey of roman Historiography. Examination of the process of evidence-gathering and writing history in ancient Rome. May include prose composition. May be repeated for credit if the topic changes.

Vergil

An examination not only of Vergil's great masterpiece, The Aeneid, but also his lesser works, the Ecologues and Georgics. Discussion of the pastoral and didactic traditions, as well as the history of Roman Epic poetry. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Normally follows LAT 224 or four years of high school Latin.