Courses for Spring 2023

  • The Meaning of History in the Ancient World

    What is history for? Why do we study the history of the distant past, and what did the people living in the distant past think about their own history? This course investigates the way the histories of ancient Greece and Rome have been told, from ancient times to today, inspiring both contemporary methods of writing academic history and racialized constructions of ‘Western Civilization’. We will read works of famous historians like Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, Livy, Sallust, and Tacitus, and examine what purposes they pursued in writing history; how later generations have used these narratives, and for what purposes; and how we can or should use them today. All readings in English. For first year students only.
    CLAS 0210F S01
    Primary Instructor
    Russell

  • The Odyssey in Literature and Film (COLT 0710Q)

    CLAS 0330 S01

  • Roman Mythology

    Introduction to Ancient Roman mythological traditions. Far from simply assimilating Greek myths and changing the names of divinities and heroes, the Romans were highly creative in their adaptation of myths from various other cultures. They had a rich store of myths and legends of their own, including dual foundation stories for Rome itself (Aeneas and the Trojans; Romulus and Remus) as well as mytho-historic tales of exemplary heroes and heroines (e.g. Horatius and Lucretia) whose exploits provided models for future Roman generations. Even obviously flesh-and-blood persons (e.g. Regulus, Hannibal, Caesar, Cleopatra) take on mythical status. We'll focus on the ancient material - literature, art, architecture, religious rituals, etc. - with a look as well at the rich reception of Roman mythology in later literature and art. We'll consider also the way the Romans themselves understood – and manipulated – their myths.
    CLAS 0920 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Debrohun

  • India’s Classical Performing Arts

    South Asia is home to rich classical traditions in the performing arts – drama, dance, music – which continue into the present. These performative traditions are accompanied by theoretical analyses going back to the Nātyaśāstra attributed to the sage Bharata, (2nd c. BCE-6th c. CE). This course introduces students to these traditions and theories to allow for an informed appreciation of South Asia's classical arts. This course will include reading classical texts in translation and experiencing, analyzing, and discussing recorded performances. The final portion of the course will examine the influence of the classical arts on Bollywood film.
    CLAS 0995 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Buchta

  • Slavery in the Ancient World

    Examines the institution of slavery in the ancient world, from Mesopotamia and the Near East to the great slave societies of classical Greece and (especially) imperial Rome; comparison of ancient and modern slave systems; modern views of ancient slavery from Adam Smith to Hume to Marx to M.I. Finley. Readings in English.
    CLAS 1120E S01
    Primary Instructor
    Bodel

  • Encountering Monsters in Comparative Literature (COLT 1815U)

    CLAS 1181 S01

  • Foundations Classical Heritage (HIST 1202)

    CLAS 1202 S01

  • Mediterranean Culture Wars: Archaic Greek History, c. 1200 to 479 BC

    From the end of the Bronze Age to the end of the Persian Wars is a period of considerable change in the Mediterranean and beyond. The Greek polis challenges the powers of the ancient Near East. Over seven centuries we meet Greek writing, Homeric epic, and the first historian (Herodotus). But the Greek world lay on the edges of the Ancient Near East and this course tries to offer a more balanced approach than the typically Hellenocentric perspective of the standard textbooks. CLAS 1210 addresses cultural, political, social, and economic histories. Literary, epigraphical and archaeological cultures provide the evidence. There are no written exams for this course. No previous knowledge of the ancient world is required.
    CLAS 1210 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Oliver

  • Outside Philosophy (HMAN 1975W)

    CLAS 1750W S01

  • Ancient Law, Society and Jurisprudence

    After a brief survey of modern legal systems (USA, common and civil law systems), we return to Athens and Rome. Topics: sources of law, its evolution, (e.g., feuding societies); procedural law (e.g., how to bring cases); legal reasoning; rhetoric; substantive law (e.g., regarding marriage, religion, homicide). Different approaches are used: historical, comparativist, anthropological, case-law study.
    CLAS 1770 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Scafuro

  • Women Writing Epic

    This course will introduce students to English translations and adaptations of Greek and Roman epic poetry to consider the politics of representing and publishing women in the modern (mostly) North American literary marketplace. Ancient Greek and Roman epic can be quite androcentric: a genre dominated by men about men talking with or fighting each other, all in the hopes of reproducing “great” men. Often, the women function as backgrounded appendages of the foregrounded men or, if significant, effect something catastrophic. We will revisit these dynamics in the ancient texts and read contemporary works that address them. We will thus explore how literary genre genders authors and readers in relation to war, citizenship, race, class, sexuality and/or celebrity. How does epic reify, reflect, and otherwise negotiate social identities or formations? What needs to happen for women to write epic? What happens when women write epic? Which kind of women does the publishing industry want/allow to write epic now?
    CLAS 1930F S01
    Primary Instructor
    Eccleston

  • Special Topics

    Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    CLAS 1970 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Buchta
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Amanatidou
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Reed
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Cherry
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Debrohun
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Bodel
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S07
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S08
    Primary Instructor
    Nieto Hernandez
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Gill
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Fitzgerald
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S11
    Primary Instructor
    Haynes
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S12
    Primary Instructor
    Scafuro
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S13
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S14
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1970 S15
    Primary Instructor
    Pucci
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Conference: Especially for Honors Students

    Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    CLAS 1990 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Amanatidou
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Reed
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Gill
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Debrohun
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Laird
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Kidd
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Hanink
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S08
    Primary Instructor
    Oliver
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Nieto Hernandez
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Pucci
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S11
    Primary Instructor
    Hamilakis
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S12
    Primary Instructor
    Russell
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S13
    Primary Instructor
    Scafuro
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S14
    Primary Instructor
    Bodel
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S15
    Primary Instructor
    Haynes
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S16
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 1990 S17
    Primary Instructor
    Buchta
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Roman Topography

    That actions occur in place is obvious, but how does place define action, and how do actions define place? How does the accretion of meanings assigned to a place through repeated use provide significance to the current actions, affect reinterpretations of past events, and effect future uses? Topography explores not only the history of monuments but also the constellation of meanings shaped by the interaction of monuments with each other in the cultural landscape. Topographical relationships serve as an imprint of a particular community's social, political, economic, and religious behavior within and across space and time. Ancient Roman case studies.
    CLAS 2010B S01
    Primary Instructor
    Russell

  • Alexandrian Poetry

    We will read extensive selections in the original languages from Hellenistic Greek poetry and Latin poetry with Hellenistic influence, with an eye to their historical and cultural context and to their intertextual dimension.
    CLAS 2930A S01
    Primary Instructor
    Reed

  • Preliminary Examination Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.
    CLAS 2970 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Graduate Thesis Prep

  • Reading and Research

    Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course. Instructor permission required.
    CLAS 2980 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Oliver
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Bodel
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Cherry
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Reed
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S05
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Pucci
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Fitzgerald
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S08
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Debrohun
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Nieto Hernandez
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S11
    Primary Instructor
    Haynes
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    CLAS 2980 S12
    Primary Instructor
    Scafuro
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Thesis Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.
    CLAS 2990 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Graduate Thesis Prep