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College Home / Department of Classics / Academics / Culture Courses

You do not have to learn Greek or Latin to study Classics! Each semester we offer a battery of courses that are taught through translations. [See the current offerings of the Classics Department.]

Courses Offered Annually

Many of our courses are taught on an annual cycle, some taught every Fall and some taught every Spring.

ANCIENT GREEK CIVILIZATION (CLAS 101)

• An introduction to the world of Classical Greece, focusing on the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. We will read multiple primary sources (Greek poets, philosophers, playwrights, etc.) as we survey the remarkable achievements of the ancient Greeks.

ROMAN CIVILIZATION (CLAS 102)

• A survey of Roman literature, art, society, and history, from the Etruscan period to the era of Constantine, with an emphasis on the Augustan age.

CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY (CLAS 103)

• Gods, Goddesses, and Monsters—this course examines the myths and heroic legends of ancient Greece and Rome, as found in both literature and art. Come solve the riddle of the Sphinx and escape with the witch Medea!

INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY (CLAS 104)

• An introduction to the archaeology of the Classical world, emphasizing the development of archaeology as a discipline and issues such as the recording and interpretation of evidence, the relationship between historical and archaeological events, and the use and misuse of ancient texts.

HISTORY OF THE CLASSICAL WORLD (CLAS 105)

• A survey of major developments in the history of Ancient Greece and Rome. Proceeding in chronological order, the course covers more than 2,000 years of history, from the development of Bronze Age civilizations and continuing through the fall of the Roman Empire. Drawing upon diverse primary sources, class sessions will explore developments in political, social, economic, cultural and intellectual history.

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY IN GREEK & LATIN (CLAS 111) ONLINE

• A study of the technical vocabulary of the medical professions through an analysis of Latin and Greek elements in English words and the underlying etymological principles.

CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH ON THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD (CLAS 200)

• This course explores the nature of research in the Mediterranean World, which is grounded in the study of Greco-Roman civilization. Students develop skills necessary for developing and crafting persuasive arguments: analyzing ancient evidence; evaluating scholarly arguments; writing in a process that includes invention, drafting, and revision: and documenting evidence appropriately.

HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE (HIST 231)

• Greek civilization from its beginnings to Alexander the Great. Emphasis on political, economic, social and intellectual movements.

ANCIENT ROME (HIST 232.01)

• The city of Rome grew from a tiny settlement on the Palatine Hill to a mighty empire stretching from Britain to Babylon. This course examines Rome's history from its foundation in 753 BCE to the death of Rome's first Christian emperor in 337 CE. We will explore not just the history of Rome, but also the evidence: how do we know what we think we know about Rome?

RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP IN CLASSICS (CLAS 420.01)

• Students work collaboratively with instructor to catalogue, draw, identify, and contextualize fragments of Roman glass excavated in Carthage. Activities include describing and classifying individual fragments, creating profile drawings and digital photographs for archaeological publication, data curation, and researching glass manufacture and use in the Roman and Byzantine periods.

CLASSICS CAPSTONE (CLAS 401.01)

• A topical seminar focused around a central theme, figure or issue in ancient Greek or Roman civilization. A major research paper is required. Specific topic will be listed with the course title when offered.

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More Specialized Courses

Our more specialized courses are taught on a less frequent basis. The faculty of Classics are always coming up with new courses, but here is a list of courses taught in the last few years:

RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD (FYSE 110 – First Year Experience Course)

• This class introduces the concept of race, ethnicity, and identity in the ancient Mediterranean world. The major focus will be understanding how people from these societies conceived of differences that existed between them and other cultures. In addition, time will be spent discussing modem constructs of race, ethnicity, and identity, and how we have historically approached the study race, ethnicity, and identity in the ancient world.

SLAVERY AND RACISM THROUGHOUT HISTORY (CLAS 203 – Special Topics Course)

• This course studies the institution of slavery in Classical Greece and Rome within its own contexts and as it has impacted the modern world. While the study will mainly be historical and cultural, we will also examine the literary and philosophical discussions of slavery from the ancient world.

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF LATE ANTIQUITY (CLAS 203 – Special Topics Course)

• This class explores continuity and change in the Roman world from the 3rd to the 8th centuries CE. How and why did Rome become Byzantium? This class will draw on primary archaeological and literary sources to investigate political change, economic developments, religious transition, and daily life in the Mediterranean world.

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ROME (CLAS 226)

• This course explores the development of Rome as a major city and archaeological site from its Iron Age beginnings to its height as an imperial capital. Detailed study of the archaeological remains demonstrates how cities change over time and how social and political trends shape the urban landscape.

ROMAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE (ARTH 215.01)

• This course surveys the art of ancient Rome, from the Iron Age through the Late Antique period. The lectures and readings present major works in their historical, political, and cultural contexts--both ancient and modern. This approach will help students understand how ancient Romans viewed and used these artworks.

EPIC (CLAS 253)

• Epic poetry is one of the oldest genres of human literature, its roots stretching back to pre-literate societies, when traveling bards spun lengthy tales about heroes, gods, and the tragedy of human life. This course introduces students to the classical foundations of this tradition, the grand poems of Homer and Vergil. We will also read Hesiod, Apollonius, Ovid, and Lucan, before moving on to an Italian renaissance epic, Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tasso, which appropriates the classical epic tradition to tell the story of the First Crusade.

TRAGEDY (CLAS 254)

• A survey of Greek and Roman tragedy as represented by the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca.

COMEDY (CLAS 255)

• A survey of Greek and Roman comedy as represented by the works of Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus and Terence.

MYTH AND WAR IN CONTEXT (HONS 281.01 – Honors College Course)

• This course examines the use and appropriation of Greco-Roman mythology in diverse times and places from antiquity to the present, focusing especially on the Trojan War. The assigned readings will focus on the topic of war and suffering in literature, evaluating how the primary sources adapt the myth of the Trojan War to their changing contexts.

SATIRE (CLAS 256)

• The beginnings and development of satirical literature at Rome and the later adaption of the genre. Concentration on the works of Horace, Juvenal, Martial, and Lucian.

SLAVERY IN GREECE AND ROME (CLAS 303 – Special Topics Course)

• This course studies the institution of slavery in Classical Greece and Rome within its own contexts and as it has impacted the modern world. While the study will mainly be historical and cultural, we will also examine the literary and philosophical discussions of slavery from the ancient world.

HORROR (CLAS 303.01– Special Topics Course)

• Horror is a Latin word. How, then, did the ancient Greeks and Romans attempt to generate fear and feeling in their audiences? How does a writer, a playwright, an epic poet attempt to scare audiences while adhering to the generic constraints of their chosen medium? Can we trace a direct line from antiquity to modern film?

STATE FORMATION IN THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD (CLAS 320.01)

• This course is a discussion of how complex states developed within the Greco-Roman World. These centuries of transformation, often seen as a precursor to the classical world, are a means to understand better the resultant polis-system of socio-political organization, and also a means to understand the processes by which complex societies form.

MEDITERRANEAN LANDSCAPES (CLAS 322.01)

• This course explores the history, theories, and methods of landscape archaeology, and the ways in which it is used to interpret the social, economic, and political structures of the Mediterranean world.

MAKING, MOVEMENTS, & MARKETS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD (CLAS 324)

• This course explores the economic systems of the Mediterranean world. Students will learn theoretical models used to explain past economic transactions, useful for cross-cultural economic comparisons. Case studies drawn from the ancient Mediterranean will illustrate the approaches used to conceptualize the ancient economy and the types of evidence available.

ANCIENT HOUSES AND HOUSEHOLDS (CLAS 325)

• Home is where the heart is—so the study of ancient houses is a great way to explore the nature of Greek and Roman society. This class will consider archaeological remains, artistic representations, and literary portrayals of ancient houses and the people who occupied them. Cross-cultural theories about domestic space will inform our discussion as we investigate the meaning and form of home, house, and family in the Mediterranean.

DEMOCRACY IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF GREECE (HIST 370 – Special Topics Course)

• Democracy is a Greek/Athenian creation. This course explores the birth, history, and influence of democracy in Greece and on the wider Mediterranean world. The course will include discussion of the challenges facing democracy and its varied applications throughout history and in our modern world.

ANCIENT ALEXANDRIA: PHARAOHS, PHYSICISTS, & FEMME FATALES (CLAS 303 / HIST 370 – Special Topics Course)

• While its founder, Alexander the Great, subdued the world through violent conquest, ancient Alexandria rose to prominence as an intellectual and economic superpower, and “conquered” the Mediterranean world by means of science, literature, and trade. This course explores the political, cultural, and intellectual history of Hellenistic and Roman Alexandria.

THE ROMAN REVOLUTION (HIST 370 – Special Topics Course)

• The fifteen years between the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE and the establishment of the Augustan principate were marked by rapid, often violent political change as well as social and cultural upheavals as Rome sought to redefine itself against a backdrop of civil war. This course explores the dissolution of the Roman Republic and the creation of the Roman Empire.

COMPOSING THE PAST: GREEK & ROMAN HISTORIOGRAPHY (HONS 381 – Honors College Course)

• Greek and Roman historians used the past as a lens to explore current events, national origins and identity, and human nature. We will explore how these writers composed the past to suit their own literary, political, or philosophical agendas and how these narratives have shaped our understanding of the classical world.

LEGENDARY EXAMPLES & LIVED EXPERIENCES: LIVES OF ANCIENT WOMEN (HONS 381 – Honors College Course)

• This course explores the lived experiences of women in the ancient Mediterranean, especially Greece and Rome. To do this, we will investigate the mythical and legendary role models for ancient women and examine how women responded to these role models in their everyday lives. By exploring women’s agency, we will develop nuanced understanding of the complex workings of gender and other social markers in complex human societies.

[See the current offerings of the Classics Department.]