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Courses in Classical Studies Not Requiring Greek or Latin at Haverford
CSTS H119 CULTURE AND CRISIS IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF ATHENS (1.0 Credit)
Ava Shirazi, Matthew Farmer
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World
In this course, through the poetry, sculpture, history, architecture, painting, philosophy, and oratory produced by the inhabitants of fifth-century Athens, we will examine the daily workings of Athenian democracy, economy, love, art, science, education, and religion. As we conduct our inquiry into Athens' "Golden Age," we willl seek to discover ourselves in these ancient voices, and to illuminate the contrasts inherent between Athens and modernity. Restless, wary, elegant, vulgar, pious, and brutal, the Athenians left a legacy that continues to define and influence human achievement (and travails) to this day. In the last third of the class, students will embark on a multi-week simulation to rebuild Athens in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian Wars. Crosslisted: Classical Studies, PJHR
CSTS H121 ROMAN REVOLUTIONS (1.0 Credit)
Bret Mulligan
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World
An introduction to what it meant to be a Roman by exploration what made the Romans revolutionary (in politics, military, philosophy, literature, art, and more) in their time and of lasting influence thereafter. The course culminates in a three-week role playing game, in which you will embody a particular Roman persona during a particular socio-political flashpoint in 63 BCE. All readings will be in English
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CSTS H209 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY (1.0 Credit)
Matthew Farmer
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
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. Crosslisted: Classical Studies, Comparative Literature, Religion
CSTS H211 WHAT DOES ANCIENT ROME TASTE LIKE? (1.0 Credit)
Robert Santucci
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World
We will seek to understand why Roman eating was, and still is, important for our understanding an ancient culture and humanity's relationship with its food. Emphasis will be placed on the interpretation of Roman literature in English translation as well as the use of primary and secondary sources to craft an academic argument. Grading will be based on class participation, reaction journals, two short papers, and a final paper or creative project. Lottery Preference: Classics Majors & Minors
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CSTS H212 REFASHIONING THE CLASSICS: VOICING MYTH (1.0 Credit)
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This course interrogates the relationships between classical myths and their revoicings. We explore various strands of reception theory in order to discuss the dynamics between different versions of myths, placing emphasis on myths that take voice as a central theme. Crosslisted: Classical Studies, Comparative Literature
CSTS H274 THE PROBLEM OF EVIL: ANCIENT ANSWERS TO A DIFFICULT QUESTION (1.0 Credit)
Charles Kuper
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
What is evil, and where does it come from? The difficulty of answering these questions is only matched by their importance to our lived human experience. Together we will study a wide range of texts from Archaic Greece through the early Middle Ages, and throughout the course, students will be encouraged to consider and reconsider their own understanding of these urgent issues. No previous experience in Classics or the ancient world is required. Crosslisted: COML,RELG. Pre-requisite(s): None Lottery Preference: Ten slots reserved for first years, preference to Classics majors and minors
CSTS H398 SENIOR SEMINAR (1.0 Credit)
Matthew Farmer
Division: Humanities
A bi-college seminar focused on refining the ability to read, discuss, and analyze classical culture and the scholarship of various sub-fields of Classical Studies (e.g. literature, religion, philosophy, law, social history), leading towards the completion of a prospectus for the senior thesis.
CSTS H399 SENIOR SEMINAR (1.0 Credit)
Matthew Farmer
Division: Humanities
Independent work on the senior thesis and meetings with the thesis advisor.
CSTS H460 TEACHING ASSISTANT (0.5 Credit)
Bret Mulligan
Division: Humanities
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CSTS H480 INDEPENDENT STUDY (0.5 Credit)
Bret Mulligan
Division: Humanities
Courses in Classical Studies Not Requiring Greek or Latin at Bryn Mawr
CSTS B108 ROMAN AFRICA (1.0 Credit)
Catherine Conybeare
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
In 146 BCE, Rome conquered and destroyed the North African city of Carthage, which had been its arch-enemy for generations, and occupied many of the Carthaginian settlements in North Africa. But by the second and third centuries CE, North Africa was one of the most prosperous and cultured areas of the Roman Empire, and Carthage (near modern Tunis) was one of the busiest ports in the Mediterranean. This course will trace the relations between Rome and Carthage, looking at the history of their mutual enmity, the extraordinary rise to prosperity of Roman North Africa, and the continued importance of the region even after the Vandal invasions of the fifth century.
CSTS B156 ROMAN LAW IN ACTION (1.0 Credit)
Division: Humanities
This course provides an introduction to the study of Roman law and legal history by focusing on the law of the family. The family is a basic building block for society, and the aim of this course is to learn more about Roman society by examining how it developed legal rules for family organization. We will also explore the historical context behind the development of Roman legal institutions, in order to gain an appreciation for Roman law's influence on the modern civil law and common law systems.
CSTS B175 FEMINISM IN CLASSICS (1.0 Credit)
This course will illustrate the ways in which feminism has had an impact on classics, as well as the ways in which feminists think with classical texts. It will have four thematic divisions: feminism and the classical canon; feminism, women, and rethinking classical history; feminist readings of classical texts; and feminists and the classics - e.g. Cixous' Medusa and Butler's Antigone.
CSTS B205 GREEK HISTORY (1.0 Credit)
Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World
This course traces the rise of the city-state (polis) in the Greek-speaking world beginning in the seventh-century BC down to its full blossoming in classical Athens and Sparta. Students should gain an understanding of the formation and development of Greek identity, from the Panhellenic trends in archaic epic and religion through its crystallization during the heroic defense against two Persian invasions and its subsequent disintegration during the Peloponnesian war. The class will also explore the ways in which the evolution of political, philosophical, religious, and artistic institutions reflect the changing socio-political circumstances of Greece. The latter part of the course will focus on Athens in particular: its rise to imperial power under Pericles, its tragic decline from the Peloponnesian War and its important role as a center for the teaching of rhetoric and philosophy. Since the study of history involves the analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of the sources available for the culture studied, students will concentrate upon the primary sources available for Greek history, exploring the strengths and weakness of these sources and the ways in which their evidence can be used to create an understanding of ancient Greece. Students should learn how to analyze and evaluate the evidence from primary texts and to synthesize the information from multiple sources in a critical way.
CSTS B206 COSMOS: MYTH, MEDICINE, & LAW IN ANCIENT GREECE (1.0 Credit)
Radcliffe Edmonds
Division: Humanities
The ancient Greek word ‘cosmos’ means ‘order’ or ‘system’; it also means ‘beauty’ or ‘adornment’. The Greeks thought of the world around them as an orderly system, adorned with beauty, but their imaginings of that order took many different forms, from the most fantastic of myths to elaborate mathematical and physiological models. This course explores the systems of order that the Greeks imagined for the universe – the macrocosm, for the human body – the microcosm, and for society – the the system of laws that brings order to humans in the world. Throughout the course, we examine the ways ideas of generation, justice, and gender inflect the cosmic systems, beginning with early Greek epic and moving through the philosophical texts (especially Plato’s Timaeus), Hippocratic medical treatises, and lawcourt speeches. We will explore the discourses of myth, science, and law in the ancient Greek context and their relation to contemporary discourses. Students will gain familiarity with the conceptual schemas of ancient Greek thought that have been fundamental for cosmology, medicine, and law in the Western tradition and will learn to analyze the ways in which these models have shaped ideas of generation, justice, and gender throughout the ages. Students will also improve their skills of critical reading and analytic writing through their work with the readings and writing assignments in the course, and they will hone their skills of reasoned discussion in the class.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CSTS B207 EARLY ROME AND THE ROMAN REPUBLIC (1.0 Credit)
Staff
Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World
This course surveys the history of Rome from its origins to the end of the Republic, with special emphasis on the rise of Rome in Italy and the evolution of the Roman state. The course also examines the Hellenistic world in which the rise of Rome takes place. The methods of historical investigation using the ancient sources, both literary and archaeological, are emphasized.
CSTS B208 THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1.0 Credit)
Imperial history from the principate of Augustus to the House of Constantine with focus on the evolution of Roman culture and society as presented in the surviving ancient evidence, both literary and archaeological.
CSTS B210 THE ARTS OF PERSUASION (1.0 Credit)
Carman Romano
In this course, we will read ancient Greek and Latin material not as passive vehicles but as agents. Indeed, we will assume that the authors of what we now call “literature” and the characters embedded within it aimed to convince, persuade, and cajole their ancient audience members and that they retain the power to convince us, too. Although this course focuses on primary sources in translation, secondary readings will support our understanding of their cultural context. We will engage with a broad constellation of ancient material, from explicitly argumentative forensic speeches and philosophy to subtly discursive scenes of seduction. Throughout the semester, we will keep in mind not only the goal of an author or character’s persuasive speech, but analyze how he or she modulates her rhetoric to convince a peer, a superior, a group, or even a god!
CSTS B211 MASKS, MADNESS, AND MYSTERIES: INTRODUCTION TO GREEK TRAGEDY (1.0 Credit)
Asya Sigelman
Division: Humanities
This course will introduce the student to the world of Greek Tragedy as it flourished in Athens in 5th century BC. We will read the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, & Euripides and discuss the playwrights' treatment of myth, the role of the chorus, the relation between text and performance, and the relevance of Greek tragedy for subsequent centuries, down to the present day. Special attention will be given to modern performances of these ancient plays in theater and in film as well as to the themes of choral voice, disability, euthanasia, slavery; the impact of war on women & children; and the relation between mortals and immortals. Please Note: NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANCIENT GREEK IS REQUIRED. ALL TEXTS WILL BE READ IN ENGLISH!
CSTS B218 READING CHANGES: REFLECTING ON OVID'S METAMORPHOSES (1.0 Credit)
This course will look at scenes of (mis)communication in Ovid’s Metamorphoses and consider modern (re)interpretations of the Metamorphoses—and explore why these things matter, in classics and beyond! We will look at myths such as Narcissus and Echo, Procne and Philomela, and Proserpina (aka Persephone) to think about the ways we interact with other people, whether we’re reading about them or communicating with them in person. We’ll define “reception;” use modern feminist, queer, and political lenses to read this ancient text (and think about how these lenses– which include Judith Butler, Bonnie Honig, and bell hooks– might apply to any text, ancient or modern); listen to some “Hadestown;” and think about ethics in ways that are just as relevant in our lives today as they are in this work written 2000 years ago. No prior classics experience required, and all readings will be in English translation.
CSTS B219 POETIC DESIRES, QUEER LONGINGS (1.0 Credit)
Staff
This course places poetry that considers love and desire from Greco-Roman antiquity in conversation with modern poetry and critical theory (queer, feminist, and literary). How are the roles of lover and beloved constructed through gender? How does queer desire and sexuality manifest in different cultural contexts? How have poets sought to express desire through language, and in what ways does language fail to capture that desire? Students in this course will face the difficulties of articulating desire head-on through both traditional literary analysis papers and a creative writing project. Texts will include love poetry by Sappho and Ovid, Trista Mateer’s Aphrodite Made Me Do It, Anne Carson’s Eros the Bittersweet, and Audre Lorde’s “The Uses of the Erotic.”
CSTS B232 RELATING (TO) THE GODS (1.0 Credit)
Carman Romano
How did ancient Greeks and Romans imagine their gods? How did they communicate with them? And what, exactly, happened when the gods talked back? In this course, we will grapple with questions of why and how ancient people interacted with what anthropologists call “Invisible Others”: those not always perceptible beings with whom human beings nonetheless engage. To do so, we will be guided by a broad range of Greek and Latin material in translation, including but not limited to magical texts, prayers, hymns, philosophical discourse, and mythic narratives that depict and/or invite the often disastrous, sometimes miraculous, and always fascinating interaction between mortal and deity.
CSTS B240 (RE)PRODUCTIONS FROM ANTIQUITY TO MODERNITY (1.0 Credit)
Staff
How might Ancient Greek and Roman values regarding leisure time, labor, poetic production, and reproduction intersect with those of modern capitalism? Why are texts considered the children of ancient (male) authors, and where do women fit into this textual reproductive activity? What does a queer (i.e. non-essentialist, non-binary) reproduction look like? What makes art art, and does the reproduction of art, such as Roman copies of Greek statues, entail the loss of some special uncapturable quality? This course considers the above questions, investigating ancient and modern cultural attitudes towards (re)production through intersectional feminist and queer theory. Students will explore modern textual and filmic representations of pregnancy, abortion, creation, domestic labor, and artistic labor to enrich their readings of ancient texts. Texts will include Ancient Greek tragedies such as Euripides’ Medea and Sophocles’ Antigone, Latin poetry such as Horace’s Ars Poetica and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, novels such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts, films such as My Fair Lady, and modern poetry by Johanna Hedva and Dionne Brand.
CSTS B242 MAGIC IN THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD (1.0 Credit)
Carman Romano
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World
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. In this course students will gain an understanding of the magicians of the ancient world and the techniques and devices they used to serve their clientele, as well as the cultural contexts in which these ideas of magic arose. 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.
CSTS B247 THE BEAST WITHIN: ANIMALITY AND HUMANITY IN ANTIQUITY (1.0 Credit)
Staff
How are humans conceptualized as different from animals, and vice versa? How have characterizations of humans as bestial been mobilized to uphold gender, class, ability, and racial hierarchies? Why were there so many depictions in antiquity of humans transforming into animals? This course will consider the above questions by interpreting ancient literary depictions of the human and the animal through the lenses of queer, gender, and critical race theory. Readings will include Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Euripides’ Hippolytus, and Vergil’s Eclogues and Georgics, as well as theoretical selections such as Mel Chen’s Animacies, Bénédicte Boisseron’s Afro-Dog, and Claire Jean Kim’s Dangerous Crossings.
CSTS B310 FORMING THE CLASSICS: FROM PAPYRUS TO PRINT (1.0 Credit)
Catherine Conybeare
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
17This course will trace the constitution of Classics as a discipline in both its intellectual and its material aspects, and will examine how the works of classical antiquity were read, interpreted, and preserved from the late Roman empire to the early modern period. Topics will include the material production and dissemination of texts, the conceptual organization of codices (e.g. punctuation, rubrication, indexing), and audiences and readers (including annotation, marginalia, and commentary). Students will also learn practical techniques for approaching these texts, such as palaeography and the expansion of abbreviations. The course will culminate in student research projects using manuscripts and early printed books from Bryn Mawr's exceptional collections. Prerequisite: a 200 level course in Greek, Latin, or Classical Studies.
CSTS B365 BYZANTIUM AND THE CLASSICS: THE BYZANTINE LITERARY TRADITION (1.0 Credit)
Charles Kuper
This seminar approaches Byzantine literature both as a continuation of the Classical tradition and as a rich corpus that should be studied for its own sake. Each week we will survey one genre of Byzantine literature and focus on two or three texts that will be tailored to the participants' research interests as much as possible. Greek literature will provide the core of our readings, but we will occasionally turn our attention to texts composed in other languages, especially Latin and Syriac. The Byzantine Empire was a multilingual society. For 600-level students, three workshops will be offered on the following three topics: the grammar of Byzantine Greek, paleography, and textual criticism.
CSTS B375 INTERPRETING MYTHOLOGY (1.0 Credit)
Radcliffe Edmonds
Division: Humanities
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. Preference to upperclassmen, previous coursework in myth required.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CSTS B398 SENIOR SEMINAR (1.0 Credit)
Catherine Conybeare
Division: Humanities
This is a bi-college seminar devoted to readings in and discussion of selected topics in the various sub-fields of Classics (e.g. literature, religion, philosophy, law, social history) and of how to apply contemporary critical approaches to the primary sources. Students will also begin developing a topic for their senior thesis, composing a prospectus and giving a preliminary presentation of their findings.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CSTS B399 SENIOR SEMINAR (1.0 Credit)
Division: Humanities
This is the continuation of CSTS B398. Working with individual advisors from the bi-college classics departments, students will continue to develop the topic sketched out in the fall semester. By the end of the course, they will have completed at least one draft and a full, polished version of the senior thesis, of which they will give a final oral presentation.
Greek Courses at Haverford
GREK H001 ELEMENTARY GREEK (1.0 Credit)
Matthew Farmer
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This two-semester course provides an introduction to the ancient Greek language and to the reading of ancient Greek literature; from the beginning we will be reading not only sentences designed to give students practice but actual excerpts from ancient prose and poetry. We should be able to finish the basics by about the middle of the spring semester, and will spend the rest of the year reading and discussing Plato’s Crito, in which Socrates defends his decision not to escape from prison and a death sentence, and Lysias’ first oration, a speech for the defense in a trial that sheds interesting light on Athenian domestic life.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
GREK H002 ELEMENTARY GREEK (1.0 Credit)
Matthew Farmer
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Completion of the basics of ancient Greek, followed by readings in Lysias and Plato. This is the second semester of a year-long course.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
GREK H101 INTRODUCTION TO GREEK LITERATURE: WORLDS OF WONDER (1.0 Credit)
Matthew Farmer
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This intermediate ancient Greek course offers students a chance to develop their skills in reading literary, historical, and philosophical prose. Students will continue to build grammar, vocabulary, and facility with different Greek dialects through the reading of extensive passages from authors including Herodotus, Plato, Plutarch, Lucian, Palaephatus, and others. Readings will be thematically organized around the concepts of wonder, marvel, world-building, travel, ethnography, and cultural identity. Prerequisite(s): GREK 002 or equivalent, or instructor consent
(Offered: Fall 2023)
GREK H102 INTRODUCTION TO GREEK POETRY: HOMER (1.0 Credit)
Ava Shirazi
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This course serves both as an intermediate language class (aimed at developing reading fluency in Homeric Greek) and as an introduction to Greek poetry through the work of Homer; we will read selections from the Iliad in Greek (and the poem as a whole in English). Class time will include both translation and discussion, with attention to such topics as narrative structure, the voice of the singer/narrator, the figure of the hero, Homeric society and its values, the treatment of battle and war, and the relationship between gods and humans. We will also consider the “Homeric question,” oral composition and its implications, Homeric language, and special features of Homeric style: type scene, ring composition, formula, and simile. We will look at different translations of the Iliad, and at the ways in which the poem has been read (and rewritten) at different times; we will also practice reading aloud in the dactylic hexameter meter of the Iliad. Prerequisite(s): GREK 101 or equivalent, or instructor consent
(Offered: Spring 2024)
GREK H202 ADVANCED GREEK: TRAGEDY (1.0 Credit)
Ava Shirazi
Division: Humanities
In this course we read two of the surviving works of fifth century Greek tragedy, with selected critical essays and background reading in other plays. Class time will be divided between translation and discussion, with attention not only to themes specific to each tragedy but also to such common topics as: the playwright’s treatment of the inherited myth; the way in which the drama tells its story; the role and nature of the chorus; characterization and the connections between characters; the relationship of divine and human; the role of prophecy; choice, justice and retribution; political resonances and the role of gender; performance issues; and the language of dialogue and of choral ode. Class will also include practice reading aloud in the meter of dialogue and in some of the simpler choral meters and discussion of different translations of selected passages. Prerequisite(s): Two Greek courses at the 100 level or above, or instructor consent.
GREK H350 SEMINAR IN GREEK LITERATURE: POETICS AND POIESIS: PHILOSOPHY, PERFORMANCE, AND THE CRAFTS (1.0 Credit)
Ava Shirazi
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
An advanced seminar in Greek language and literature, with special emphasis on the interpretation and discussion of texts in Greek and the reading of relevant scholarship. Topic to be determined by faculty. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: GREK 201 or 202 or consent.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
GREK H460 TEACHING ASSISTANT (1.0 Credit)
Staff
GREK H480 INDEPENDENT STUDY (0.5 Credit)
Ava Shirazi
Greek Courses at Bryn Mawr
GREK B010 TRADITIONAL AND NEW TESTAMENT GREEK (1.0 Credit)
Carman Romano
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is the first half of a year-long introductory course to ancient Greek. It is designed to familiarize students with the basic elements of classical Greek grammar and syntax as well as to provide them with experience in reading short sentences and passages in both Greek prose and poetry.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
GREK B011 TRADITIONAL AND NEW TESTAMENT GREEK (1.0 Credit)
Staff
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is the second half of a year-long introductory course to ancient Greek. It is designed to familiarize students with the basic elements of classical Greek grammar and syntax. Once the grammar has been fully introduced, students will develop facility by reading parts of the New Testament and a dialogue of Plato. Prerequisite: GREK B010.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
GREK B101 HERODOTUS (1.0 Credit)
Carman Romano
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Greek 101 introduces the student to one of the greatest prose authors of ancient Greece, the historian, Herodotus. The "Father of History," as Herodotus is sometimes called, wrote one of the earliest lengthy prose texts extant in Greek literature, in the Ionian dialect of Greek. The "Father of Lies," as he is also sometimes known, wove into his history a number of fabulous and entertaining anecdotes and tales. His 'historie' or inquiry into the events surrounding the invasions by the Persian empire against the Greek city-states set the precedent for all subsequent historical writings. This course meets three times a week with a required fourth hour to be arranged. Prerequisite: GREK B010 and B011 or equivalent.
GREK B104 HOMER (1.0 Credit)
Staff
Division: Humanities
Greek 104 is designed to introduce the student to the epic poetry attributed to Homer, the greatest poet of ancient Greece, through selections from the Odyssey. Since Homer's poetic form is so important to the shape and texture of the Odyssey, we will examine the mechanics of Homeric poetry, both the intricacies of dactylic hexameter and the patterns of oral formulaic composition. We will also spend time discussing the characters and ideas that animate this text, since the value of Homer lies not merely in his incomparable mastery of his poetic form, but in the values and patterns of behavior in his story, patterns which remained remarkably influential in the Greek world for centuries. Prerequisite: One year of college level Greek or equivalent.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
GREK B201 PLATO AND THUCYDIDES (1.0 Credit)
Carman Romano
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This course is designed to introduce the student to two of the greatest prose authors of ancient Greece, the philosopher, Plato, and the historian, Thucydides. These two writers set the terms in the disciplines of philosophy and history for millennia, and philosophers and historians today continue to grapple with their ideas and influence. The brilliant and controversial statesman Alcibiades provides a link between the two texts in this course (Plato’s Symposium and Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War), and we examine the ways in which both authors handle the figure of Alcibiades as a point of entry into the comparison of the varying styles and modes of thought of these two great writers. Suggested Prerequisites: At least 2 years of college Greek or the equivalent.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
GREK B202 THE FORM OF TRAGEDY (1.0 Credit)
Asya Sigelman
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This course will introduce the student to two of the three great Athenian tragedians—Sophocles and Euripides. Their dramas, composed two-and-a-half millenia ago, continue to be performed regularly on modern stages around the world and exert a profound influence on current day theatre. We will read Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannos and Euripides' Bacchae in full, focusing on language, poetics, meter, and performance studies.
Latin Courses at Haverford
LATN H001 ELEMENTARY LATIN (1.0 Credit)
Bret Mulligan
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Introduction to the Latin language. Our main focus will be on learning to read classical Latin texts, studying the vocabulary and grammar necessary to read the great works of ancient Latin poetry and prose, as well as familiarizing ourselves with the mythology, history, and culture of the Romans. We’ll also spend some time learning to converse and write in Latin, joining a history of conversation that stretches from the early Latin speakers of southern Europe and northern Africa, to the learned humanists of the Renaissance, and down to the present day. This is the first semester of a year-long course.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
LATN H002 ELEMENTARY LATIN (1.0 Credit)
Bret Mulligan
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Completion of the introduction to the Latin language, with readings in prose and poetry.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
LATN H102 INTERMEDIATE LATIN: ROMAN IDENTITIES (1.0 Credit)
Robert Santucci
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Our focus in this intermediate language course will be on reading and analyzing selections from two Latin texts, Catullus’ Carmina (Poems) and The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity. Through this exercise, we will review various aspects of Latin grammar and develop sound reading strategies as we continue our study of Latin together. Doing so will help us appreciate the cultural, literary, and historical issues that these two texts speak to, particularly those concerning identity (cultural, gender, or religious) and Roman social mores. Prerequisite(s): LATN 002 or placement into LATN 102.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
LATN H104 INTRODUCTION TO LATIN LITERATURE: FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF ROME (1.0 Credit)
Charles Kuper
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is both an intermediate Latin course and an introduction to the study of Latin literature and culture. Readings will span a range of works in prose and poetry, including inscriptions and other material evidence for Roman culture. The focus of inquiry will be on understanding Roman identity—their hopes, fears, achievements, and follies—by studying how they described friendship and their friends, and those enemies who resisted the Roman order, from the founding of the city, through its near destruction by Hannibal, and its cannibalization during the Civil Wars. The course will conclude with a brief historical simulation in which you will debate the fate of Rome as a Roman senator. Prerequisite(s): LATN 102 or equivalent, or instructor consent
(Offered: Spring 2024)
LATN H201 ADVANCED LATIN LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)
Staff
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Prerequisite(s): Two semesters of 100-level Latin, or instructor consent
(Offered: Fall 2023)
LATN H211 ADVANCED LATIN LITERATURE: SLAVERY AND FREEDOM IN ROMAN COMEDY (1.0 Credit)
Matthew Farmer
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
In this course, we will read a selection of comedies by Plautus and Terence. These fast-paced stage plays range from urbanely witty to raucously hilarious - and are much funnier in the original Latin we will be reading than they are in translation. In addition to their humor, however, these plays also give us access to parts of Roman life sometimes missing from the great works of Latin literature: they show us immigrants and the enslaved, sex workers and poor soldiers, young people falling in love, parents worrying about their children, siblings and friends negotiating difficult relationships. Plautus, moreover, is the earliest Roman author whose works survive intact; Terence is Latin's earliest African author, and one of the few enslaved Roman authors whose writings we can read today. Prerequisite(s): Two semesters of 100-level Latin, or instructor consent
(Offered: Spring 2024)
LATN H460 TEACHING ASSISTANT (0.5 Credit)
Bret Mulligan
Latin Courses at Bryn Mawr
LATN B001 ELEMENTARY LATIN (1.0 Credit)
Miriam Kamil
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Latin 001 is the first part of a year-long course that introduces the student to the language and literature of ancient Rome. The first semester focuses upon the grammar of Latin, developing the student’s knowledge of the forms of the language and the basic constructions used. Exercises in translation and composition aid in the student’s learning of the language, while readings in prose and poetry from the ancient authors provide the student with a deeper appreciation of the culture which used this language.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
LATN B002 ELEMENTARY LATIN (1.0 Credit)
Miriam Kamil
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Latin 002 is the second part of a year-long course that introduces the student to the language and literature of ancient Rome. The second semester completes the course of study of the grammar of Latin, improving the student’s knowledge of the forms of the language and forms of expression. Exercises in translation and composition aid in the student’s learning of the language, while readings in prose and poetry from the ancient authors provide the student with a deeper appreciation of the culture which used this language. Prerequisite: LATN B001.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
LATN B110 INTERMEDIATE LATIN (1.0 Credit)
Miriam Kamil
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Intensive review of grammar, reading in classical prose and poetry. For students who have had the equivalent of several years of high school Latin or are not adequately prepared to take LATN 101. This course meets three times a week with a required fourth hour to be arranged. Prerequisite: One year of college level Latin or equivalent.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
LATN B112 LATIN LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)
Carman Romano
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
In the second semester of the intermediate Latin sequence, readings in prose and poetry are frequently drawn from a period, such as the age of Augustus, that illustrate in different ways the leading political and cultural concerns of the time. The Latin readings and discussion are supplemented by readings in the secondary literature. This course meets three times a week with a required fourth hour to be arranged. Prerequisite: LATN 101 or 110 or placement by the department.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
LATN B201 TOPICS: ADVANCED LATIN LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is a topics course, course content varies. In this course typically a variety of Latin prose and poetry of the high and later Roman empire (first to fourth centuries CE) is read. Single or multiple authors may be featured in a given semester. Suggested Preparation: two years of college Latin or equivalent.
LATN B202 TOPICS: ADVANCED LATIN LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)
Staff
Division: Humanities
In this course typically a variety of Latin prose and poetry of the high and later Roman empire (first to fourth centuries CE) is read. Single or multiple authors may be featured in a given semester. This is a topics course, course content varies. Prerequisite: At least one 200-level Latin course or equivalent.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
LATN B320 MARTYRS, MOTHERS, MEMOIRS: MEDIEVAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES (1.0 Credit)
Catherine Conybeare
Division: Humanities
The writing of autobiography flourished in the middle ages, but there have been very few studies of the genre for the period. This course presents a range of autobiographies from the Latin West and encourages students to think about them theoretically and historically: what does it mean to write the self? what is at stake in the presentation of these stories? what notions are privileged? and how do we situate autobiographies in the wider literary landscape?
LATN B350 TOPICS IN LATIN LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)
Bret Mulligan
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is a topics course. Course content varies.
(Offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2024)