Study of the Athenian achievement in literature, politics and philosophy from the Persian wars to the trial and death of Socrates, based largely on primary sources; discussion of religion and politics in the context of the polis, and of the Athenian use of myth in the form of tragedy. Special attention will be given to the nature of divine and human justice, and the dynamics of power among genders and social classes. (B. Mulligan)
Study of the earliest Roman Principes who presided over a long period of moral decay and high literary achievement, as reflected in biased ancient sources. Modern revisionist interpretations will be analyzed in order to help establish accurate appraisals of imperial careers and impact.
Selected tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, with close attention to individual plays and to the nature, range, and development of the genre in 5th century Athens. Consideration of certain influential approaches to tragedy (Aristotle’s Poetics, Nietzsche’s Birth of Tragedy) and of later examples of the genre (plays by Racine, Shakespeare, O’Neill, Brecht). (D. Roberts)
An introduction to the primary characters and stories of Greek and Roman mythology--including cosmic creation, Olympian and other deities, and heroes--both as they appear in Greek and Roman literature and art and as they are later represented in modern art, music, and film. (B. Mulligan)
This course explores the development, definition, and influence of the epic genre from classical times to the present. Readings include the ancient epic fragments of Gilgamesh; Homer, Iliad and Odyssey; Vergil, Aeneid; Milton, Paradise Lost; Derek Walcott, Omeros. (D. Roberts)
An exploration of the uses of Greek and Latin literature in later writers, with attention to particularly influential ancient authors (Homer, Vergil, Ovid, and others), to a range of modern authors, and to the varieties of literary influence and intertextuality. (D. Roberts)
This course is concerned with tragedy as a kind of drama, with the idea of the tragic as explored and manifested in a variety of cultural contexts and forms, and with critiques of tragedy. The first third of the course focuses on tragedy and the tragic in ancient Greece, the genre's place of origin; we turn subsequently to plays, narratives, essays and films from other times and places. (D. Roberts)
In this course we will seek to understand the myth of the Trojan War and its role in the history of western literature and culture. While our focus will be on a (mostly) chronological survey of the fundamental texts of the Troy-myth, some time will be spent investigating the myth’s influence on art, music, and film. (B. Mulligan)
The difficulties, dangers and pleasures of travel in the ancient world inspired a wide variety of literary responses. In this course, we will examine accounts of journeys as imagined by tourists, pilgrims, conquerors and refugees. Through looking at such texts as the Odyssey, Aeschylus' Oresteia, Petronius' Satyricon and the Acts of the Apostles, we will examine such issues as journeys as a metaphor for the self, the use of travel narratives for political or social critique, and the interplay between physical and spiritual journeys. (A. Fenton)
An historical survey of literary theory in the West, from the Greeks to early 19th century Europe, with attention to key critical terms and concepts. Not open to first-year students. (D. Roberts)
An exploration at the advanced level of a particular topic (to be determined) in classical culture, with close reading of ancient texts (and in some instances attention to the visual arts and material culture) and consideration of theoretical and methodological issues.
|
A survey of the ways in which the ancient Greeks and Romans perceived and constructed their physical and social world. The evidence of ancient texts and monuments will form the basis for exploring such subjects as cosmology, geography, travel and commerce, ancient ethnography and anthropology, the idea of natural and artificial wonders, and the self-definition of the classical cultures in the context of the oikoumene , the "inhabited world." (Donohue, Division III)
A study of marginal figures in Athenian literature, religion and politics, emphasizing the context, causes and effects of the profanation of the Eleusinian mysteries in 415 B.C.E. and the trials for impiety of Androcles and Socrates in 400 and 399 B.C.E., and including a survey of the dramatic literature of the period. Topics include the "holy man," once polluted, now powerful; impiety trials; ostracism; beggars and exiles; pollution; sycophants and the court system. Authors include Andocides, Aristophanes, Euripides, Lysias, Sophocles, Thucydides and Xenophon. (Hamilton, Division III).
(Scott , Division III)
An introduction to Greek mythology comparing the literary and visual representations of the major gods and heroes in terms of content, context, function and syntax. (Hamilton, Division III) .
A broad survey, ranging from the pre-history of comedy in such phenomena as monkey laughs and ritual abuse to the ancient comedies of Greece and Rome and their modern descendants, from the Marx Brothers and Monty Python to the Honeymooners and Seinfeld. (Hamilton, Division III)
A study of Greece down to the end of the Peloponnesian War (404 B.C.E.), with a focus on constitutional changes from monarchy through aristocracy and tyranny to democracy in various parts of the Greek world. Emphasis on learning to interpret ancient sources, including historians (especially Herodotus and Thucydides), inscriptions, and archaeological and numismatic materials. Particular attention is paid to Greek contacts with the Near East; constitutional developments in various Greek-speaking states; Athenian and Spartan foreign policies; and the "unwritten history" of non-elites. (Edmonds, Division I or III; cross-listed as History 205)
An introduction to the social context of Greek history in the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Topics include the Greek household, occupations, slavery, literacy and education, sexuality, ancient medical practices, and the working of law in the polis. Ancient sources are emphasized, including orators, technical writers, inscriptions, and papyri. (Chiekova, Division III; cross listed as History 206)
The history of Rome from its origins to the end of the Republic with special emphasis on the rise of Rome in Italy, the Hellenistic world and the evolution of the Roman state. Ancient sources, literary and archaeological, are emphasized. (Scott, Division III; cross-listed as History 207).
Imperial history from the principate of Augustus to the House of Constantine with focus on the evolution of Roman culture as presented in the surviving ancient evidence, both literary and archaeological. (Scott, Division I or III; cross-listed as History 208).
This course explores the ancient Greeks' ideas of love, from the interpersonal loves between people of the same or different genders to the cosmogonic Eros that creates and holds together the entire world. The course examines how the idea of eros is expressed in poetry, philosophy, history and the romances. (Edmonds)
A review of ancient evidence, both literary and archaeological, pertaining to the cults of Demeter and Dionysus practiced in ancient Greece, followed by an examination of various modern theories that have been proposed to illuminate the significance of the rites. (Hamilton)
Bindings and curses, love charms and healing potions, amulets and talismans -- from the simple spells designed to meet the needs of the poor and desperate to the complex theurgies of the philosophers, the people of the Greco-Roman world made use of magic to try to influence the world around them. This course will examine the magicians of the ancient world and the techniques and devices they used. We shall consider ancient tablets and spell books as well as literary descriptions of magic in the light of theories relating to the religious, political and social contexts in which magic was used. (Edmonds, Division III).
What leads people to write about their lives? Do women and men present themselves differently? Do they think different issues are important? How do they claim authority for their thoughts and experiences? Readings will include Abelard and Heloise's Letters , Augustine's Confessions , Guibert de Nogent's A Monk's Confession, Patrick's Confession , Perpetua's Passion , Radegund's Fall of Thuringia , and a collection, Medieval Writings on Female Spirituality . (Conybeare, Division III; cross-listed as Comparative Literature 220).
A survey of the Greek and Roman prose fiction commonly referred to as the ancient novel. Reading these works in translation we will examine issues surrounding the rise of the genre and its cultural context, compare methods of characterization and narrative structure, investigate the relationship between historicity and fictionality, and consider connections between the ancient novel and its successors. Authors include: Chariton, Longus, Achilles Tatius, Heliodorus, Petronius and Apuleius. (Walker, Division III; cross-listed as Comparative Literature 236)
An examination of the model and evolution of classical heroism and the different types of heroism available to men and women. Among the issues considered are: epic, tragic, and modern forms of heroism; the relationships of heroes and heroines to their communitiesand families; the dangers heroes and heroines may pose to themselves, their communities, and families; the personal costs of heroism and who pays those costs; why women are so rarely allowed to be heroic. Readings include: Gilgamesh, the Iliad and Odyssey; Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Antigone; Euripides' Alcestis and Medea; and Vergil's Aeneid. Readings are complemented by various films, including: Kagamusha, Blade Runner, Terminator 2, Aliens, High Noon, and Unforgiven. (Gaisser, Division III; cross-listed as Comparative Literature 270).
The myths of the Greeks have provoked outrage and fascination, interpretation and retelling, censorship and elaboration, beginning with the Greeks themselves. We will see how some of these stories have been read and understood, recounted and revised, in various cultures and eras, from ancient tellings to modern movies. We will also explore some of the interpretive theories by which these tales have been understood, from ancient allegory to modern structural and semiotic theories.
The student should gain a more profound understanding of the meaning of these myths to the Greeks themselves, of the cultural context in which they were formulated. At the same time, this course should provide the student with some familiarity with the range of interpretations and strategies of understanding that people of various cultures and times have applied to the Greek myths during the more than two millennia in which they have been preserved. (Edmonds, Division III; cross-listed as Comparative Literature 275) Not offered in 2005-06.
(Scott, Division III; cross-listed as Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology 324, Growth and Structure of Cities 324 and History of Art 324).
A full year course for senior majors in Greek, Latin, Classical Languages, and Classical Studies. The first term is devoted to various fields of Classics (e.g., religion, philosophy, law, social history, literary history), while in the second term students write a long research paper and then present their findings to the group. (Scott, staff)
An investigation of the historical and philosophical ideas of the classical, with particular attention to the Italian Renaissance and the continuance of its formulations throughout the Westernized world. (Cast, Division III)
A historical survey of the archaeology and art of Greece, Etruria and Rome. Three hours of class, one hour of special topics each week. (Miller-Collett, Division III)
The art and archaeology of Greece and its Mediterranean neighbors between the end of the Bronze Age and the Persian invasion (ca. 1100 - 480 B.C.E.), the period which saw the rise of the city-state, the introduction of democracy, and the spread of Greek civilization by colonization and trade. The architecture, painting, sculpture and minor arts will be studied with attention to their historical and cultural contexts. (Donohue, Division III)
The art and archaeology of Greece and its Mediterranean neighbors between the Persian invasion of 480 B.C.E. and the rise of Macedonia in the mid-fourth century B.C.E., the period which saw the rise of Athens, the achievements of the Periclean democracy and the dissolution of Athenian power in the wake of the Peloponnesian War. The architecture, painting, sculpture and minor arts will be studied with attention to their historical and cultural contexts. (Donohue, Division III)
The art and archaeology of peninsular Italy from the Iron Age down to the period of the Early Republic of Rome, with special focus on the culture of the Etruscans and their interaction with the Greeks and Romans.
An examination of the material culture of the extended Mediterranean region, with special attention to the role of the figural arts in the political and cultural transformation of the classical world. (Donohue, Division III)
The Greek architectural tradition and its historical development.t. (Wright; cross-listed as Growth and Structure of Cities 302)
An examination of the conceptions of the human body evidenced in Greek and Roman art and literature, with emphasis on issues that have persisted in the Western tradition. Topics include the fashioning of male and female concepts and standards of beauty and their implications; conventions of visual representation; the nude; clothing and its symbolism; the athletic ideal; physiognomy; medical theory and practice; the visible expression of character and emotions; and the formulation of the "classical ideal" in antiquity and later times. (Donohue, Division III)
An exploration of Etruscan culture from its origins in the Late Bronze Age to its gradual demise under Roman domination, with emphasis on its impact on the art and literature of Roman, Medieval and Renaissance Italy and the modern world. The archaeology of this non-Indo-European ethnic group includes DNA analysis of modern populations, new appreciation of the modes of urbanization (earlier in Italy than in many areas), and the studies of funerary practices, commerce, language and technology. Intensive studies of Etruscan art and architecture include pottery, tomb painting and terracotta manufacture. (Turfa)
Detailed analysis of the monuments, archaeology and art of ancient Athens Ñ the home of such persons as Pericles, Sophocles and Plato. The course considers the art and monuments of ancient Athens against the historical background of the city and is a case study in understanding the role of archaeology in reconstructing the life and culture of the Athenians. (Miller-Collett; cross-listed as Growth and Structure of Cities 305)
Described as Late Antiquity or the Early Middle Ages, the period from Constantine to Charlemagne (roughly 300 to 800 AD) represents an age of dynamic cultural transition sometimes viewed as a crucible for the blending of Roman, barbarian and Christian. This course will examine key categories of cultural change including urban and rural landscapes, court society and elites, the movement of migrant peoples, education and literary practices, art, diverse religious practices and Church authority.
The cities of antiquity and medieval Europe localized and intensified cultural changes that periodically culminated in outbreaks of political dissent and intense violence. Such flashpoints have a range of causes—demographic shifts, political opportunism, social injustice, and religious rivalry. This course will examine a series of case studies for urban violence including religious riots in late-antique Rome and Alexandria, circus riots in Constantinople, factional violence between families in medieval Tours, Jewish pogroms during the Crusades and student uprisings in medieval Paris.
What is the fundamental nature of the world? Can we have knowledge about the world and ourselves, and if so, how? What is the good life? In this course, we explore answers to these sorts of metaphysical, epistemological and ethical questions by examining the works of the Presocratics and of the two central Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle. (Koggel, Richman, Division III)
A consideration of major works by Thucydides, Plato and Aristotle, along with readings from the current debate over the relevance of Greek philosophy to philosophy and politics today. (Salkever; cross-listed as Political Science 320)
An exploration of interpretations of being and the role of good in the thought of Plato and Aristotle. (staff, Division III)
An introduction to the fundamental problems of political philosophy, especially the relationship between political life and the human good or goods. Readings from Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes and Rousseau. (staff, Division III; cross-listed as Philosophy 228)
A consideration of two cases of the emergence of critical and self-reflective public discourse and of the subsequent problem of the relationship between philosophy and political life. Readings from Confucius, Mencius, Chuang tzu, Hsun tzu, the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides. (Salkever; cross-listed as East Asian Studies 306 and Philosophy 306)
A consideration of major works by Thucydides, Plato and Aristotle, along with readings from the current debate over the relevance of Greek philosophy to philosophy and politics today. (Salkever; cross-listed as Philosophy 321)
|
Last Updated September 8, 2007 11:45 AM [top]