Undergraduate Courses 2000-2001
Undergraduate Courses 2001-2002
Undergraduate Courses 2002-2003
Undergraduate Courses 2003-2004
Undergraduate Courses 2004-2005

Undergraduate Courses 2005-2006

• Classical Civilization
• Greek
• Latin

Courses designated "Classical Civilization" do not require knowledge of Greek or Latin.

Classical Civilization (clcv)

20400. Who Were the Greeks? (=##Hist 20701/30701, CLAS 30400, ANST 20400). If the current resurgence of interest in ethnic studies is a direct reflection of a contemporary upsurge in ethnic conflict throughout the world, it remains the case that notions of peoplehood and belonging have been of periodic importance throughout history. This course will study the various expressions of Greek identity within shifting political, social and cultural contexts from prehistory to the present day, though with a strong emphasis on classical antiquity. Particular attention will be given to theoretical issues such as anthropological definitions of ethnicity, the difference between ethnic and cultural identities, methods for studying ethnicity in historical societies, and the intersection of ethnicity with politics. J. Hall. Autumn, 2005

20700-20800-20900. Ancient Mediterranean World I, II, III. (=ANST 20700-20800-20900, HIST 16700-16800-16900/30700-30800-30900)This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. For course description, see History. Staff. Autumn; R. Saller, Winter; W. Kaegi, Spring.

21200. History and Theory of Drama I. (=ANST 21200, CLAS 31200, CMLT 20500/30500, ENGL 13800/31000, ISHU 24200/34200) May be taken in sequence with ENGL 13900/31100 or individually. For course description, see English Language and Literature. D. Bevington, D. N. Rudall. Autumn.

21800. “Get Thee to a Nunnery. “ (=CLAS 31800) Female religious community from Rhea Silvia to Edith Stein.  We shall examine the place and function of female religious enclosure in the Latin Western tradition.  Topics will include the specific contributions of women religious to literature, music, and scholarship, as well as historical examination of the "social logic" of enclosure at various historical moments. M. Allen. Spring.

22800. Greek Poetics and the Gendered Voice,In this course we will study the representation of gender in early Greek poetry and drama with particular attention to the ways in which poets and speakers manipulate voice and mark gender roles through speech. In addition to studying what makes poetic speech male or female, topics include men speaking like women (and vice-versa), female speech types such as lament and choral singing, and ancient poetic techniques of voicing in general. Texts include lyric and choral poetry (e.g. Sappho), brief selections from Homer and Hesiod, and plays of Aristophanes, Euripides, and Sophocles. A. Romano, Winter.

23000. Rituals and Religion in Greek Tragedy. Violence, Ritual, and Religion in Ancient Greece This course will study the intersecting roles played by violence and religion in ancient Greek literature of the archaic and classical periods. Topics include the representation of ritual violence and of ritual in general (including sacrifice and scapegoating), battle and divine violence, theories for the origin of drama, and the role of violence and religion in modern conceptions of theater. The first two weeks of the course will focus primarily on epic poetry and then the remainder of the course will be devoted to tragedy. In addition to tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, we will read a range of modern adaptations of ancient drama and secondary works on both theater and ritual (e.g. Artaud, Brecht, Burkert, and Girard). A. Romano. Autumn.

24300. Greek Drama in Translation. (=CLAS 34300) We examine the cultural, historical, religious, and performance contexts of Classical Greek drama. We read selections from the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes, probably including The Oresteia, The Oedipus Plays, Medea, The Trojan Women, The Iphigenia Plays, and Lysistrata. Texts in English. D. N. Rudall. Winter.

24700. Longus and Rousseau. (=CLAS 34700,Fund 24201, CMLT 23600) Longus' Daphnis and Chloe, and Rousseau's Emile. Daphnis and Chloe is an ancient Greek novel that was immensely popular in early modern Europe. It shows how two young innocents, growing up in the country, attained sexual maturity, love, and marriage. Rousseau inserts himself as narrator and educator into a similar story line, developing the themes of natural goodness, natural religion, sexual desire, compassion, love, and marriage. Using Longus' novel as a backdrop, the class will focus on how Rousseau proposes to preserve a child from corruption by society and fashion a being who is fully human. E. Asmis. Autumn.

24800. Plato's Republic.   (=##PHIL 25704, HIPS 20101, FNDL 24701)  We will read the entirety of Plato's Republic, as well as a little secondary literature.  The goal is to follow the argument of the Republic in a sustained way, from the opening disputes about the definition of justice, through the foundation of a city in speech and the nature of philosophy, to the criticism of poetry and the concluding myth.  Throughout, we will attempt to see how Socrates appeals to his interlocutors (and, by extension, to us) on the basis of reasons; that is, we will consider whether he gives us good reasons for the views he espouses.  Please note: the course presupposes only that one is interested in reading the Republic; it is suitable for students who have already read the Republic (in whole or in part), as well as for students who have never read any of it.  J. Beere.  Winter.

25000. Ovid's Metamorphoses. (=FNDL 21402) This course examines in depth Ovid's interlocking tales of transformation. We discuss the structure of the work, as well as aspects of narrative, myth, and philosophy. The course also considers the nachleben of The Metamorphoses and its influence on art and literature. Students choose an outside text/art work in which the theme of transformation is key. Reading books 1 through 3 before the first session is helpful. Texts in English. L. Behnke. Spring.

25600. Athenian Vase Painting Metamorphoses. From roughly 1100 to 400 BCE, the city of Athens produced figure-decorated pottery of extraordinary quality. This course will examine Athenian vase-painting from a variety of critical perspectives. Topics will include: iconography and the consolidation of civic identity; the politics of upper-class display; mortuary practice; the articulation of gender; the development of democratic ideology; re-thinking the development of naturalism and the history of style; discourses of slavery, “barbarity,” and alterity; the connection between poetry, sophism, and painting; authorship and portraiture. R. Neer.  Autumn.

26100. The Idea of Rome in the Age of Revolution. (=HUMA 22208) This course will concentrate on the influence of Roman Repulican political ideology during the English, French and American Revolutions. We will be reading 17th and 18th century texts, including the Federalist Papers, Montesquieu, and Rousseau alongside classical authors like Polybius, Livy and Tacitus in order to gain a better understanding of the ways in which these ancient sources were adapted and appropriated by Early Modern political thinkers.  S. Deeley, Winter.

26800. The Visual Culture of Rome and her Empire (ANST 26800, ARTH 26805) This general survey of Roman material culture will use the archaeological evidence complementary to literary sources in order to delineate the development of Roman society from the Early Republic down to the first sacking of Rome in 410 CE. Urban planning, public monuments, political imagery, and the visual world of Roman cities, houses and tombs will be discussed in relationship to the political and social processes that shaped their formal development. E. Mayer. Winter.

26900. Homer’s Iliad.(=FNDL 21412). A close reading of the text will examine such issues as human excellence, the role of Troy, ritual and memory, as the rhetorical structure of the work as a whole. Undergraduate seminar, limited to 15 students. L. Behnke. Winter.

27100. Ancient Studies Seminar. (=ANST 27100)The content of this annual seminar changes but its focus is the interdisciplinary exploration of general themes across ancient societies. Its aim is to teach students how to combine historical, literary, and material evidence in their study of the ancient world. Spring.

28300. Eprhon Course:  Roman and Late Antique Egypt. This course deals with the late antique period in Egypt (roughly the 4th-7th centuries CE), where many introductory surveys of Egyptian and Classical history leave off.  This was a time of extensive cultural experimentation and literary production, as the Egyptian Christian church was exploring the possibilities of its new-found dominance, coming to terms with its classical past, and beginning to forge an identity for the future.  These processes culminated in thecreation of a literary and cultural milieu drawing on but not limited to the Greek, Roman, and native Egyptian traditions.  This course will examine the history and culture of Egypt in the late antique period through a critical analysis of selected primary sources, both literary and documentary, in translation. Topics for discussion include Egyptian monasticism, Christian responses to the continuity of pagan culture, as well as questions of social history, historiography, and forms of religious practice. P. Venticinque, J. Westerfeld. Spring.

28800. Roma Aeterna. (=CLAS 38800, ANCM 38800, ARTH 2/38805) The rich and complex archaeological, epigraphic, and literary evidence from Rome has spawned several narratives of the rise and fall of the eternal city. This course attempts to provide an introduction into the fabric of the largest and most cosmopolitan ancient city. We will discuss how Rome was constructed, fed, entertained, ruled, and used as a political stage. All these aspects of Roman life are subject to considerable debate, which often reflects diametrically opposed concepts of Roman history and material culture.  E. Mayer, Autumn.

29100. Ancient Myth: Functions and Meanings. This course will examine the social, political, cultural and religious functions of ancient myth as well as the various theoretical interpretations of myth that have been proposed in a variety of fields in order to investigate what myth can tell us about the ancient Greeks and Romans as well as those who regard themselves as the inheritors of classical culture. Staff. Spring.

29700. Reading Course.PQ: Consent of faculty sponsor and director of undergraduate studies.Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.Autumn, Winter, Spring.

29800. B.A. Paper Seminar. This seminar is designed to teach students research and writing skills necessary for writing their B.A. paper. Students register for one quarter. Participation is required in both quarters. 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 who are writing papers, as well as to take account of comments from their faculty readers. The grade for the B.A. Paper Seminar is identical to the grade for the B.A. paper and, therefore, is not reported until the B.A. paper has been submitted in Spring Quarter. The grade for the B.A. paper depends on participation in the seminar as well as on the quality of the paper. Autumn, Winter.

Greek (grek)

10100-10200-10300. 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 GREK 11100-11200-11300, this sequence prepares students to move into the second-year sequence (GREK 20100-20200-20300).

10100. Introduction to Attic Greek I.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. H. Dik. Autumn.

10200. Introduction to Attic Greek II: Prose.PQ: GREK 10100. The remaining chapters of the introductory Greek textbook are covered. Students apply and improve their understanding of Greek through reading brief passages from classical prose authors, including Plato and Xenophon. D. Martinez. Winter.

10300. Introduction to Attic Greek III: Prose. PQ: GREK 10200. Students apply the grammatical skills taught in GREK 10100-10200 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.

11100-11200-11300. Accelerated Introduction to Attic Greek I, II, III. This sequence covers the introductory Greek grammar in fifteen weeks. Like GREK 10100-10200-10300, this sequence prepares students to move into the second-year sequence (GREK 20100-20200-20300).

11100. Accelerated Introduction to Attic Greek I. This course introduces students to the rudiments 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. M. Payne. Autumn.

11200. Accelerated Introduction to Attic Greek II.PQ: GREK 11100. The remaining chapters of the introductory textbook are covered. Students then apply and improve their knowledge of Greek as they read selections from Xenophon. E. Asmis. Winter.

11300. Accelerated Introduction to Attic Greek III. PQ: GREK 11200. Students apply the grammatical skills taught in GREK 11100-11200 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.

19000. Accelerated Elementary Modern Greek I. (GREK 39000, LGLN 11100). This course is designed to help students acquire communicative competence in Modern Greek and a basic understanding of its structures. Through a variety of exercises, the students develop all skill sets. Staff, Autumn.

19100. Accelerated Elementary Modern Greek II. (GREK 39100, LGLN 11200). This course is designed to help students acquire communicative competence in Modern Greek and a basic understanding of its structures. Through a variety of exercises, the students develop all skill sets. Staff. Winter.

19200. Modern Greek in Athens (LGLN 15001).Staff. Spring.

20100. Intermediate Greek I: Phaedo. PQ: GREK 10300 or equivalent . This course focuses on a careful reading of the Phaedo with a view to reviewing grammatical constructions and appreciating the subtleties of Greek prose style. We also give attention to the rhetorical structures and philosophic ideas of this important work. D. Wray. Autumn.

20200. Intermediate Greek II: Sophocles. PQ: GREK 10300 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. J. Redfield. Winter.

20300. Intermediate Greek III: Homer. PQ: GREK 10300 or equivalent. About three books of the Iliad are read in Greek and the entirety in English. Discussions, lectures, and secondary readings enlarge on the peculiarities of Homeric Greek, oral epic, and the imaginative world projected in the poem. P. White. Spring.

21400/31400. Aristophanes. PQ: GREK 203000 or equivalent. We will read Aristophanes' Acharnians, his first extant play, and do forays into Aristophanes' relationship to Euripides in other plays. The course will examine the close relationship between Tragedy and Comedy in the last years of the Athenian Empire. D.N. Rudall. Winter.

21500/31500. Herodotos.PQ: GREK 20300 or equivalent. Book I is read in Greek; the rest of the Histories are read in translation. With readings from secondary literature, historical and literary approaches to the Histories are discussed, and the status of the Histories as a historical and literary text. J. Redfield. Autumn.

25700/35700. The Apostolic Fathers. (= NTEC 47500) PQ: At least two years of Greek. An intensive reading of the Greek text of Barnabas, I Clement, and all the Ignatian Epistles. The course will focus on the Greek style of each author, their historical, and social context, and the sources and nature of their thought. We will also seek to understand the position of these early Christian thinkers within the important continuum between the canonical New Testament writings (of which some of their works were a part in certain mss. traditions) and the doctrinal controversies of the fourth century. D. Martinez. Winter.

26300. Plutarch, Iris and Osiris. (= CLAS 36300, NTEC 26300/ 36300, BIBL 36300) In Isis and Osiris Plutarch (c. AD 46-120) gives us one of the most important Greek texts on the history of religions during the early imperial period. For that reason it is often excerpted; it is, however, rarely read from cover to cover in the original (or even in translation). This course focuses on the reading and analysis of the Greek text of the treatise. We will also consider topics such as Isis and her cult in Greece and Rome, Plutarch's philosophic and theological perspectives, allegorical interpretation, and the interpretatio Graeca of Egyptian religion. Prereq: at least two years of Greek. D. Martinez. Spring.

29700. Reading Course.PQ: Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter.

34400. Greek Prose Composition. PQ: Consent of instructor. This course focuses on intensive study of the structures of the Greek language and the usage of the canonical Greek prose, including compositional exercises. Autumn.

Modern Greek (mogk)

11100. Accelerated Elementary Modern Greek I. (MOGK 30100, LGLN 11100). This course is designed to help students acquire communicative competence in Modern Greek and a basic understanding of its structures. Through a variety of exercises, the students develop all skill sets. L. Pittos. Staff, Autumn.

11200. Accelerated Elementary Modern Greek II. (MOGK 30200, LGLN 11200). This course is designed to help students acquire communicative competence in Modern Greek and a basic understanding of its structures. Through a variety of exercises, the students develop all skill sets. Staff. Winter.

11300. Modern Greek in Athens (LGLN 15001).Staff. Spring.

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Latin (latn)

10100-10200-10300. 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 LATN 11100-11200-11300, this sequence prepares students to move into the second-year sequence (LATN 20100-20200-20300).

10100. Introduction to Classical Latin I. This course introduces students to the rudiments 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. Staff. Autumn.

10200. Introduction to Classical Latin II. PQ: LATN 10100. This course begins with the completion of the basic text begun in LATN 10100 and concludes with readings from Cicero, Caesar, or other prose. Texts in Latin. L. Behnke. Winter.

10300. Introduction to Classical Latin III: Cicero. PQ: LATN 10200. After finishing the text, the course involves reading in Latin prose and poetry, during which reading the students consolidate the grammar and vocabulary taught in LATN 10100 and 10200. L. Behnke. Spring.

11100-11200-11300. Accelerated Introduction to Classical Latin I, II, III. This sequence covers the introductory Latin grammar in fifteen weeks and is appropriate both as an accelerated introduction and also as a systematic grammar review for students who have previously studied Latin. Like LATN 10100-10200-10300, this sequence prepares students to move into the second-year sequence (LATN 20100-20200-20300).

11100. Accelerated Introduction to Classical Latin I. 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. M. Allen.Autumn.

11200. Accelerated Introduction to Classical Latin II. PQ: LATN 11100. This course begins with the completion of the basic text begun in LATN 11100 and concludes with readings from Cicero, Caesar, or other prose texts in Latin. A. Syson. Winter.

11300. Accelerated Introduction to Classical Latin III. PQ: LATN 11200. Students apply the grammatical skills taught in LATN 11100-11200 by reading a continuous prose text such as a complete speech of Cicero. The aim is familiarity with Latin idiom and sentence structure. Staff.Spring.

20200. Intermediate Latin II: Seneca.PQ: LATN 20100 or equivalent. Readings consist of Seneca’s tragedy Phaedra and selections from his prose letters and essays. Secondary readings on Rome in the Age of Nero, Hellenistic philosophy, and other related topics may also assigned. D. Wray. Winter.

22100/32100. Lucretius' De Rerum Natura PQ: LATN 20300 or equivalent. We will read selections of Lucretius' magisterial account of a universe composed of atoms. The focus of our inquiry will be: how did Lucretius convert a seemingly dry philosophical doctrine about the physical composition of the universe into a gripping message of personal salvation? The selections will include Lucretius' vision of an infinite universe, of heaven, and of the hell that humans have created for themselves on earth. E. Asmis. Autumn.

22200/32200. Roman Satire. PQ: LATN 20300 or equivalent. The course will examine libertas and the construction of rhetorical authority in both verse and prose satire.  Does satire (a medley of genres) claim the ability to speak out what it means to be Roman?  Readings in Latin will include Horace Satires 1.1, 1.4, 1.6, and 2.1; Persius 5; Juvenal 1, 2, 3, and 10; and Seneca's Apocolocyntosis.  In English we shall read more Horace, Persius, and Juvenal, and some secondary criticism, as well as works of English satire that have been strongly influenced by Roman authors. A. Syson. Winter

22300/32300. Roman Oratory. PQ: LATN 20300 or equivalent . Two of Cicero's speeches for the defense in the criminal courts of Rome receive a close reading in Latin and in English. The speeches are in turn considered in relation to Cicero's rhetorical theory as set out in the De Oratore and in relation to the role of the criminal courts in Late Republican Rome. P. White.Spring.

22400. Augustine, De Doctrina. (=LATN 32400.) De DoctrinaChristiana lays out Augustine's program for adapting methods of classical education to the education of Christians. Substantial selections from the four books are read in Latin and the entirety in English. Passages from Augustine's homilies are read concurrently as illustrations of his practice. P. White. Winter.

26500. Medieval Literature. (=Latin 36500) The course traces developments and continuities in Latin literature from the late-fourth century to the tenth. We examine new Christian literary idioms, such as hymnody, hagiography, and the theological essay, as well as reinterpretations of classical forms of poetry, epistle, biography, and historical writing. We consider the peculiarities of medieval Latin. Attention will be paid to how and where literature was cultivated. M. Allen. Spring .

29700. Reading Course. PQ: Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

34400. 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. Staff. Autumn, 2006.

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