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Undergraduate Courses 2001-2002
The University of Chicago follows
the quarter system: the regular academic year consists
of three terms, each comprising ten weeks of classes
and one week of examinations. Undergraduate courses
observe a reading period on the last two days of tenth
week (classes are normally not held or, if they are
held, are used for review).
Classical Civilization
(Classes offered under the rubric "Classical Civilization"
do not presume a knowledge of Latin and Greek)
203. Ancient and Medieval Political Thought
(=Class 303, AncSt 202, PoliSci 251/316). This course
will provide an upper level survey of political thought
from Homer to Augustine, with central emphasis falling
on the sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, and
Augustine. We will investigate, among other topics,
these thinkers' accounts of the origins, nature, and
problems of human sociality, their diverse theories
of justice, their varying efforts to draw connections
between ethical and political reasoning or between morality
and law (whether mortal or divine), as well as their
different stresses on utopian and realist approaches
to political thought. D. Allen. Winter.
205. Ancient Empires & Imperialism (=Hist 200/300,
AncSt 205,). The Near Eastern and Mediterranean
empires of antiquity were the earliest large-scale complex
state formations in world history. This comparative
analysis of a series of case studies from Mesopotamia
and Iran to Greece and Rome focuses on key questions:
Why and how did empires begin, how were they maintained,
how and why did they end? What ideology drove the rulers
to expand, and what was the role of religion? How did
rulers and the ruled collaborate or clash, how did subjects
respond to imperial control? Drawing on recent sociological
theories of empire, we will review diverse primary sources
from textual testimony of imperial ideology to archaeological
remains and discuss modern scholarship. No prior knowledge
of ancient history is required. W. Scheidel. Spring.
206. Ancient Slavery (=Hist 207, AncSt 206). Ancient
Greece and Rome were two of the few genuine 'slave societies'
in world history. From labor and gender to law and literature,
the institution of slavery permeated and shaped every
facet of classical civilization. Following a cross-cultural
survey designed to situate and define ancient slavery
within the wider context of world slavery, we will concentrate
on three key aspects: exploitation (the economy of slavery);
accommodation, resistance and rebellion (the ways in
which slaves and owners lived and dealt with bondage);
and ideology (the intellectual engagement with the values
and contradictions of slavery, from Aristotle's notorious
doctrine of 'natural slavery' up to early Christian
teachings). We will discuss ancient sources (in translation)
in conjunction with samples of the most influential
modern scholarship. Throughout the course, comparative
material from the modern Americas and other historical
slave systems will be used to highlight similarities
and differences between ancient and later forms of slavery.
Some prior knowledge of the history of ancient civilization
(at the level of Western Civ 1) is desirable. No knowledge
of ancient languages is required. W. Scheidel. Spring.
207-208. Ancient Mediterranean World I, II.
This sequence meets the general education requirement
in civilization studies. Not offered 2001-2002; will
be offered 2002-2003.
211. Greek Tragedy and its Influences (=Class 311,
AncSt 211). An introduction to Greek Tragedy.
This course will examine the evolution of tragic drama
from the fifth century B.C. in Athens to the first century
A.D. in Rome. Attention will be given to the production
of plays and to theories of tragedy, including that
of Aristotle, as well as to the influence of Attic tragedy
on the development of comic drama. Selected works
of Renaissance and Neo- Classical Tragedy along with
plays by Ibsen, Arthur Miller and Beckett will
be studied as interpretations of the forms of ancient
tragedy. D.N. Rudall. Winter.
212. History and Theory of Drama I (=AncSt 212/312,
Class 312, ComLit 205/305, Eng 138/310, GS Hum 242/342).
May be taken in sequence with Eng 139/311 or individually.
This course is a survey of major trends and theatrical
accomplishments in Western drama from the ancient Greeks
through the Renaissance: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides,
Aristophanes, medieval religious drama, Marlowe, Shakespeare,
and Jonson, along with some consideration of dramatic
theory by Aristotle, Horace, Sir Philip Sidney, and
Dryden. The course features optional but highly recommended
end-of-week workshops in which individual scenes are
read aloud dramatically and discussed. The goal is not
to develop acting skill but, rather, to discover what
is at work in the scene, and to write up that process
in a somewhat informal report. Students have the option
of writing essays or putting on short scenes in cooperation
with some other members of the class. D. Bevington,
D. N. Rudall. Autumn.
217. Archaeology for Ancient Historians. (=Hist
209/398, CAMW 217, AncSt 217, Class 317). This course
is intended to act not as an introduction to Classical
Archaeology but as a methods course illuminating the
potential contribution of material cultural evidence
to ancient historians while at the same time alerting
them to the possible misapplications. Theoretical reflections
on the relationship between history and archaeology
will be interspersed with specific case-studies from
the Graeco-Roman world.J. Hall. Autumn.
225. The Economy of Ancient Rome (= Hist 210, Class
325, AncSt 220). The course begins with a brief
introduction to Roman Imperial history, and then considers
the following topics: agrarian production, the
economic consequences of urbanization, the types of
labor including slaves, the consequences of urbanization,
the legal institutions for business and investment,
and the economic consequences of the demographic structure.
Class format will include lecture and discussion of
ancient texts. R. Saller. Winter.
237. Problems in Roman Religion. (=Class
337) Study of Ovid's Fasti and Cicero's
On the Nature of the Gods; supplementary readings
in Religions of Rome by Beard, North and Price;
emphasis on pivotal moments in the evolution of Roman
religious thought and practice. W.R. Johnson.
Winter.
239. The Book in the Ancient World (=Class 339,
AncSt 221). This course traces the adaptation by
people living under the Roman empire to the ever-widening
use of books. Topics covered include the way ancient
books were made and the influence that the book format
exerted on literary forms such as poetry collections,
anthologies, and acrostics. Problems such as circulation
and storage, plagiarism, and censorship are also considered.
P. White. Spring.
252. Seneca's Letters to Lucilius: (=Fndl 266 )
What makes a "self," what belongs to it, and what
does the self have to do with society, virtue, prosperity,
pleasure and friendship? With subtlety, humanity,
warmth and variety, Lucius Annaeus Seneca explores these
and similar practical ethical questions in a series
of 124 letters to a young friend who is eager to make
progress in philosophy while maintaining a career in
public life. The course will consist in a close
reading of all the letters. (No knowledge of Latin
or training in philosophy required.) D. Wray.
Autumn.
271. Ancient Studies Seminar: (=AncSt 271). The
topic for the seminar is "Religion and Science in Ancient
Civilizations." Focusing on the interplay between religion
(including magic and divination) and "scientific knowledge"
in several ancient civilizations, the seminar explores
the nature of ancient scientific knowledge and addresses
issues in modern research on ancient religion and science.
D. Harper. Spring
275. War and Violence in the Epic Tradition.
War has been at the heart of western literature
from its foundations in Homerâs Iliad. In
this course, we will trace the role of warfare and violence
in the tradition of epic poetry from classical antiquity
to the Enlightenment and onward, taking aesthetic, ethical,
and political perspectives to ask just what and how
such scenes signify. Two guiding questions will
be why warfare and violence are central to epic, and
how representations of warfare serve to convey or resist
the imperialist ideologies with which the genre is often
associated. In addition to Homer, we will read
poems by Vergil, Lucan, Ariosto, Camões, and
Milton, and bring our discussions home to the present
with two contemporary films at the end of the quarter.
N. Coffee. Spring.
Dreams and Dream Interpretation
in the Ancient Mediterranean World. In this
course we will examine beliefs about dreams and their
interpretation, beginning with the ancient Mesopotamians,
Egyptian and Jews and then moving onto the Greeks and
Romans. We will read in translation a wide variety
of literary texts (e.g. Homer, Plato, and Vergil), philosophical
and technical works on dreams and their interpretation
(e.g. Aristotle, Cicero and Artemidorus) and we will
examine sculptures and inscriptions connected with religious
sites used for dream divination and healing. C. Faraone.
Spring.
278. Aristotle's Politics (=Class 378, Fndl 24000,
AncSt 278). A close reading of Aristotle's Politics,
with special attention to the relationship of the individual
to the community. Among the questions that will be considered
are: What does morality have to do with politics? What
is the relationship of the family to the state? What
is the best state? How much inequality is tolerable?
What is wrong with slavery? Is empire ever justified?
What is the best system of education? E. Asmis.
Spring.
281. Concepts of the Self from Antiquity to the
Present. This seminar will explore the evolution
of ideas about the nature and formation of selfhood
from classical antiquity to the present. Along
the way, we will be looking at Greek tragedy, Stoic
philosophy, early Christian texts, and the conceptual
models of selfhood and self-understanding behinddDescartes,
Kant, Freud, Foucault, and others. Students should
be prepareddto extensively with scholarship on self,
ethics, and community across the fields of philosophy,
anthropology, psychology, and social history. S.
Bartsch, J. Goldstein. Spring.
289. Greek Revolution Revisited: Rethinking
Naturalism (=ArtH 202/302, Class 289, AncSt 225).
R. Neer. Winter.
297. Reading Course. PQ: Consent of faculty
sponsor and director of undergraduate studies. Students
are required to submit the College Reading and Research
Course Form. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
298. B.A. Seminar. This seminar is designed
to teach students research and writing skills necessary
for writing their B.A. paper. Lectures cover classical
bibliography, research tools, and electronic databases.
Students discuss research problems and compose preliminary
drafts of their B.A. papers. They are expected to exchange
criticism and ideas in regular seminar meetings with
the preceptor and with other students writing papers,
as well as to take account of comments from their faculty
readers. The grade for the B.A. Seminar is identical
with the grade for the bachelor's paper and, therefore,
is not reported until the bachelor's paper has been
submitted in the spring quarter. The grade for the bachelor's
paper depends on participation in the seminar as well
as on the quality of the paper. D. Cromley. Autumn,
Winter.
Greek Language
and Literature
101-102-103. Introduction to Attic Greek I, II,
III. This sequence covers the introductory Greek
grammar in twenty-two weeks and is intended for students
who have more complex schedules or believe that the
slower pace allows them to better assimilate the material.
Like Greek 111-112-113, this sequence prepares students
to move into the second-year sequence (Greek 204-205-206).
101. Introduction to Attic Greek I. PQ: Knowledge
of Greek not required. This course introduces students
to the basic rules of ancient Greek. Class time is spent
on the explanation of grammar, translation from Greek
to English and from English to Greek, and discussion
of student work. Knowledge of Greek not required.
H. Dik. Autumn.
102. Introduction to Attic Greek II: Prose. PQ: Greek
101. Most remaining chapters of the introductory
Greek textbook are covered. Students start to apply
their understanding of Greek through reading brief passages
from classical prose authors, including Plato and Xenophon.
H.Dik. Winter.
103. Introduction to Attic Greek III: Prose. PQ:
Greek 102. Students finish the textbook and apply
the grammatical skills taught in Greek 101-102 by reading
a continuous prose text by a classical author such as
Lysias, Xenophon, or Plato. The aim is familiarity with
Greek idiom and sentence structure. Kendall Sharp.
Spring.
111-112-113. Accelerated Introduction to Attic Greek
I, II, III. This sequence covers the introductory
Greek grammar in twenty weeks. Like Greek 101-102-103,
this sequence prepares students to move into the second-year
sequence (Greek 204-205-206).
111. Accelerated Introduction to Attic Greek I. PQ:
Knowledge of Greek not required. This course introduces
students to the basic rules of ancient Greek. Class
time is spent on the explanation of grammar, translation
from Greek to English and from English to Greek, and
discussion of student work. Staff. Autumn.
112. Accelerated Introduction to Attic Greek II.
PQ: Greek 111. The remaining chapters of the introductory
textbook are covered. Students start to apply
and improve their knowledge of Greek as they read selections
from Xenophon. J. Redfield. Winter.
113. Accelerated Introduction to Attic Greek III.
PQ: Greek 112. Students apply the grammatical skills
taught in Greek 111-112 by reading a continuous prose
text by a classical author such as Lysias, Xenophon,
or Plato. The aim is familiarity with Greek idiom and
sentence structure. Staff. Spring.
204. Plato: Apology. PQ: Greek 103 or equivalent.
The text is read in Greek with careful attention to
syntax and vocabulary, and the setting of the work.
D. N. Rudall. Autumn.
205. Sophocles: Antigone.PQ: Greek 103 or equivalent.
This course includes analysis and translation of the
Greek text, discussion of Sophoclean language and dramatic
technique, and relevant trends in fifth-century Athenian
intellectual history. D. Martinez. Winter.
206. Homer: PQ: Greek 103 or equivalent. An
introduction to the Homeric dialect and to the convention
of oral epic through a study of the Iliad. J. Redfield.
Spring.
Elegiac Poetry : PQ: Greek 206
or equivalent. Poems composed over a number of centuries
in the elegiac meter are studied, beginning with some
of the works of Archilochus and Callinus and continuing
through a selection of the poems in M.L. West's Iambi
et Elegi Graeci ante Alexandrum Cantati to poems drawn
from the Greek Anthology. C. Faraone. Winter.
Plato: Master of Style. PQ:
Greek 206 or equivalent. Plato's styles range from
conversational, to lyrical, to rhetorical, to... - the
list is endless. He is a master of characterization
and parody, and brings a deep appreciation of poetry
to his prose. Or so we think. How can we actually identify
Plato's 'style' or 'styles'? This question has been
much debated, and between purple passages, we will consider
the literature on style and authenticity in the Platonic
corpus. H. Dik. Autumn.
213. Aeschylus: Prometheus. PQ: Greek 206
or equivalent. This is an introduction
to Aeschylean drama in general, seen through the special
problems posed by the play. Lectures and discussions
are concerned with the authenticity of Prometheus Bound,
its dating, and the chronology of Aeschylus's extant
works; the reconstruction of the hypothetical Promethia
and the development and early form of Attic drama; and
philosophical material (in the original languages) and
modern Aeschylean scholars are also read and discussed.
J. Redfield. Spring.
260. History of the Greek Language (=Cl 360).
The documented history of the Greek language spans well
over three millennia, starting from Mycenaean tablets
of the second millennium BCE and going on to the present
day. In this class we will trace the history of the
language, reading texts from all these periods (inventory
tablets from Pylos, children's letters from Egypt,
medieval ballads, etc.) and studying developments in
all aspects of the language, from its sounds to its
syntax. H. Dik. Not offered in 2001-2002.
Papyrology and Early Christian
Backgrounds. PQ. At least 2 years of Greek or permission
of instructor. This course comprises
an introduction to the field of papyrology with a view
to its contributions to biblical and early Christian
studies. We will read and discuss examples of different
genres of documentary papyrus texts, including private
letters, wills (diathekai), marriage contracts, and
adoption agreements. We will also examine some liturgical
and hymnic fragments from various early Christian communities
in Egypt. In addition we will address topics such as
the important contribution of papyrology to the language
and text of the NT, the form of papyrus letters compared
with the NT "epistle," and the contribution of historical,
social, and religious insights gleaned from the papyri
to the early Christian context. D.Martinez. Winter.
297. Reading Course. PQ: Students are required to
submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.
Staff. Autumn, Winter.
344. Greek Prose Composition. PQ: Consent of instructor.
Intensive study of the structures of the Greek language
and the usage of the canonical Greek prose, including
compositional exercises. D. Martinez. Autumn.
Latin Language
and Literature
There are now three options for introductory Latin:
The regular introductory course Latin 101-103; the accelerated
introductory course: 111-112; and a refresher course for
students who have already taken Latin (subject to placement
test and interview: see below): Latin 121. 101-102-103.
Introduction to Classical Latin I, II, III.
This sequence covers the introductory Latin grammar
in twenty-two weeks and is intended for students who
have more complex schedules or believe that the slower
pace allows them to better assimilate the material.
Like Latin 111-112, this sequence prepares students
to move into the second-year sequence (Latin 204-205-206).
101. Introduction to Classical Latin I. PQ: Knowledge
of Latin not required. This course introduces students
to the basic rules of ancient Latin. Class time is spent
on the explanation of grammar, translation from Latin
to English and from English to Latin, and discussion
of student work. L. Behnke. Autumn.
102. Introduction to Classical Latin II. PQ: Latin
101. This course begins with the completion of the
basic text begun in Latin 101 and concludes with readings
in Latin from Cicero, Caesar, or other prose. L.
Behnke. Winter.
103. Introduction to Classical Latin III: Cicero.
PQ: Latin 102. After finishing the text, the course
involves reading up to 500 lines of Ovid's Metamorphoses
during which reading the students consolidate the grammar
and vocabulary taught in Latin 101 and 102. Students
are also prepared for poetic figures and scansion. L.
Behnke. Spring.
111-112. Accelerated Introduction to Classical Latin
I, II. This sequence covers the introductory Latin grammar
in fifteen weeks. Like Latin 101-102-103, this sequence
prepares students to move into the second-year sequence
(Latin 204-205-206).
111. Accelerated Introduction to Classical Latin
I. PQ: Knowledge of Latin not required. This course
covers the first half of the introductory Latin textbook
(Wheelock). Classes are devoted to the presentation
of grammar, discussion of problems in learning Latin,
and written exercises. Staff. Winter.
112. Accelerated Introduction to Classical Latin
II. PQ: Latin 111. This course begins with the completion
of the basic text begun in Latin 111 and concludes with
readings in Latin from Cicero, Caesar, or other prose.
Staff. Spring.
204. Latin Prose and Review of Grammar.
PQ: Latin 10300 or equivalent. The purpose
of this course is to provide experience in reading connected
passages of unsimplified Latin prose and at the same
time to consolidate the understanding of Latin grammar
acquired during the preceding year. Course work
includes written homeworks and weekly quizzes as well
as a mid-term and a final examination; there is an extra
mandatory discussion/lecture session every week.
P. White. Autumn
205. Seneca. PQ: Latin 10300 or equivalent.
The reading for this course consists of a tragedy of
Seneca interspersed with selections from his prose essays.
The purpose of reading them together is to consider
the feverish violence of Senecan tragedy in relation
to the philosophical project to which he devoted most
of his life. I. Moyer. Winter.
206. Vergil: Aeneid PQ:
Latin 10300 or equivalent. A reading
of selections from the first six books of the Aeneid,
with emphasis on Vergil's language, versification, and
literary art. Students are also required to read
the whole of the epic in an English translation.
L. Behnke. Spring.
211. Roman Elegy. PQ: Latin 206 or equivalent.
This course examines the development of the Latin
elegy from Catullus to Ovid. The major themes
of the course are the use of motifs and topics and their
relationship to the problem of poetic persona. D.
Wray. Autumn.
212. Roman Novel. PQ: Latin 206 or equivalent. This
course will focus on Petronius' Satyricon and Apuleius'
Metamorphoses. We will be reading these two works with
particular attention to the problems of genre, program,
sociocultural context, realism, religiosity, and authorial
voice: who and what is the narrating "I"? We will also
consider the changing history of reception of the novels,
with New Critical, narratological, and historico-biographical
frameworks in the foreground. Participants will
be expected to do a significant amount of reading in
Latin as well as read both works in translation.
S. Bartsch. Winter.
213. Vergil. PQ: Latin 206 or equivalent.
In this course we will read selections from the
Georgics and the Aeneid in Latin and the poems in their
entirety in English. In addition to learning to
read Vergil's Latin fluidly, we will consider a range
of critical responses to the central issues of the poem;
Vergil's relationship to Augustan ideology; and Vergil's
use of his Greek models. M.Masterson. Spring.
Cicero De Republica.
PQ: Latin 206 or equivalent. Cicero's
dialog De Republica, partly rediscovered in the
nineteenth century, is one of few ancient treatises
on the state composed by a practising statesman.
Selections from books 1, 2, and 6 are read in Latin
and the rest in English. Topics considered include the
setting of the dialog in a distant past, the relationship
between Cicero's experience and his theory, and the
relationship of the De Republica to its Platonic model.
P. White. Autumn.
260. Latin Paleography I. Most knowledge
of ancient life and literature depends on hand-written
artifacts. The graphic peculiarities of the various
Latin scripts mirror the development
of written culture and mediate what survives from successive
ages. This course traces developments in Latin writing
from its origins to the generalization of the reformed
Carolingian script (ca. 950). We consider the pitfalls,
consequences, and contributions of various types
of writing, with emphasis on the early bookhands important
for classical literary transmission. Weekly transcription
exercises also include samples of later medieval bookhands.M.
Allen. Spring.
297. Reading Course. PQ: Students are required to
submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.
Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
344. Latin Prose Composition. PQ: Consent of instructor.
This is a practical introduction to the styles of
classical Latin prose. After a brief and systematic
review of Latin syntax, the course combines regular
exercises in composition with readings from a variety
of prose stylists. The course is intended to increase
the students' awareness both of the classical artists'
skill and their own command of Latin idiom and sentence
structure. Not offered 2001-2002 but will be offered
2002-2003.
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