Classics Course Descriptions

An introductory course emphasizing the basic forms and syntax of the Latin language.

An introduction to Greek and Roman civilization. Through lecture and discussion students will engage with ancient textual sources (in translation) on such topics as ancient politics, philosophy, military history, poetry, theatre, social history, oratory, and art history. Students will learn about the variety of methodologies and sources of evidence used by Classicists to understand the ancient world.

A continuation from CLAS 100 with emphasis on the more advanced syntactic structures of the Latin language. PREREQUISITES: CLAS 100 or two years of high school Latin

This introductory class examines the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, spanning from the Minoans on Crete to the Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum. Students will learn about the progression of styles, functions, and historical meanings of these objects as they are introduced to basic art historical methods.

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

A continuation from CLAS 110 with emphasis on developing experience with reading and translating connected passages of Latin prose and poetry. Successful completion of CLAS 220 fulfills the foreign language general education requirement for the B.A. PREREQUISITES: CLAS 110 or three years of high school Latin.

A study of ancient Greek history from the Bronze Age to 146 B.C.E. Emphasis on the rise and fall of the Greek city-state as a political, societal, and cultural model. Readings include the historians Herodotus and Thucydides. All texts in English.

A study of the history of Rome from its origins through the Republic and Empire to the reign of Constantine. Emphasis on political and cultural developments and the acquisition and maintenance of empire. Readings may include Livy, Tacitus, Suetonius, and the Historia Augusta. All texts in English.

A study of classical mythology through examination of the literary mythical narratives of Greece and Rome. We will consider the form, content, and themes of these stories in order to explore the cultural significance of myth and the various ways in which myths can be interpreted. All texts in English.

A study of specific texts selected from the corpus of Greek and Latin prose and poetry, read in English translation. Each iteration of the course will focus on a particular genre or theme in classical literature. Possible topics include: the ancient novel, death and the underworld, and Greek and Roman love poetry.

A study of the practice of warfare in classical antiquity from Homeric Greece to the Roman Empire. Topics to be considered include: Homer's Iliad and the warrior ideal, the political implications of hoplite and trireme warfare, the Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, the campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar, the organization and tactics of the Roman legion, and Roman frontier policy. Emphasis on the close interaction of military, political, and cultural developments in Greek and Roman history. All texts in English.

A study of the history of Athens from the end of the Persian Wars to the execution of Socrates (479 to 399 B.C.E.). A wide range of material and topics will be considered: social and political developments, warfare, empire, diplomacy, intellectual and cultural life. Emphasis on the revolution in ideas and visions of humanity that defined the golden age of classical Greece. All texts in English. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor

Close reading and study of texts selected from the corpus of Latin literature. The course will focus on a different genre, author, or theme in Latin poetry or prose each year it is offered. Possible topics include Roman satire, Roman comedy and tragedy, love elegy, and epistolary writing. Meets concurrently with CLAS 401. Not open to students who have received credit for the current topic under CLAS 401 or who need to receive credit for CLAS 401. May be repeated when the topic is different.

Close reading and study of Ovid’s poetry in Latin, as represented by a book of the Metamorphoses or selections from the Amores and Ars Amatoria. Discussion will be supplemented with additional primary readings in English translation and secondary scholarship. Meets concurrently with CLAS 402. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 402 or CLAS 410, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 402. PREREQUISITES: CLAS 220 or three years of high school Latin.

Careful reading and concentrated study of selected poems by Catullus and Horace in Latin. Discussion will be supplemented with additional readings in English translation and secondary scholarship. Meets concurrently with CLAS 403. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 403 or CLAS 425, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 403. PREREQUISITES: CLAS 220 or three years of high school Latin

Close reading of extended selections from Virgil in Latin, primarily drawn from the Aeneid, supplemented with additional readings in English translation and secondary scholarship. Emphasis on Virgil’s poetic technique as well as the political and cultural significance of his poetry. Meets concurrently with CLAS 404. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 404 or CLAS 440, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 404. PREREQUISITES: CLAS 220 or three years of high school Latin

A study of the final decades of the Roman Republic from the sixth consulship of Marius to the assassination of Caesar (100 to 44 B.C.E.), focusing on political, social, and cultural changes during this tumultuous period. Topics include: Roman politics, social class and identity, and Republican art, literature, and thought. All texts in English. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor

Close reading and study of selected passages in Latin from the Satyricon of Petronius and the Metamorphoses (also known as The Golden Ass) of Apuleius, the two surviving examples of the ancient Roman novel. Meets concurrently with CLAS 406. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 406 or who need to receive credit for CLAS 406. PREREQUISITES: CLAS 220 or three years of high school Latin

Close reading of a selection from the works of Cicero in Latin, supplemented with additional readings in English translation and secondary scholarship. Texts may include the Pro Caelio, the Pro Archia, and the Catilinarian Orations. Meets concurrently with CLAS 407. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 407 or CLAS 435, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 407. PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: CLAS 220 or three years of high school Latin

A study of selections from several Roman historians in Latin, chosen to emphasize specific historical events and persons depicted on Roman coins from the university’s Ottilia Buerger Collection. Meets concurrently with CLAS 408. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 408 or CLAS 415, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 408. PREREQUISITES: CLAS 220 or three years of high school Latin

An introduction to ancient Rome and Roman civilization, focusing on the Age of Augustus in all its aspects: art, literature, politics, empire, law, entertainment, and society. Emphasis on the political and cultural changes that took place during this revolutionary period. All texts in English. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor

In this course we analyze ancient plays both as great works of literature and as artifacts of a particular artistic, cultural, and political context. Students will read excerpts and complete plays in English from a variety of ancient authors, including (from Classical Athens) Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander, and (from late Republican and early Imperial Rome) Plautus, Terence, and Seneca. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor

An examination of ancient epic literature through the study of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, all read in English translation. Emphasis on the important features and themes of the epic genre, ancient conceptions of the hero, and the literary, cultural, and political resonance of these texts in classical antiquity. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor

Study of topics in Greek and Latin literature, ancient history, ancient philosophy, classical civilization, and/or linguistics, arranged and carried out in cooperation with an instructor. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Independent research on topics in Greek and Latin literature, ancient history, ancient philosophy, classical civilization, and/or linguistics, arranged in consultation with the department. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Close reading and study of texts selected from the corpus of Latin literature. Meets concurrently with CLAS 301. Students taking this course at the 400-level will be held to a higher standard of reading, translation, and performance in class and on exams, and will be assigned an additional research paper. Not open to students who have received credit for the current topic under CLAS 301 or who need to receive credit for CLAS 301. May be repeated when the topic is different.

A study of Ovid’s poetry, as represented by selections from the Metamorphoses or the Amores and Ars Amatoria (in Latin). Meets concurrently with CLAS 302. Students taking this course at the 400-level will be held to a higher standard of reading, translation, and performance in class and on exams, and will be assigned an additional research paper. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 302 or CLAS 410, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 302. PREREQUISITES: One 300-level course in Latin or four years of high school Latin

Careful reading and concentrated study of selected poems by Catullus and Horace (in Latin). Meets concurrently with CLAS 403. Students taking this course at the 400-level will be held to a higher standard of reading, translation, and performance in class and on exams, and will be assigned an additional research paper. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 303 or CLAS 425, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 303. PREREQUISITES: One 300-level course in Latin or four years of high school Latin

Close reading and study of extended selections from Virgil (in Latin), primarily drawn from the Aeneid. Meets concurrently with CLAS 304. Students taking this course at the 400-level will be held to a higher standard of reading, translation, and performance in class and on exams, and will be assigned an additional research paper. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 304 or CLAS 440, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 304. PREREQUISITES: One 300-level course in Latin or four years of high school Latin

Close reading and study of selected passages in Latin from the Satyricon of Petronius and the Metamorphoses of Apuleius. Meets concurrently with CLAS 306. Students taking this course at the 400-level will be held to a higher standard of reading, translation, and performance in class and on exams, and will be assigned an additional research paper. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 306 or who need to receive credit for CLAS 306. PREREQUISITES: One 300-level course in Latin or four years of high school Latin

Close reading and study of a selection from the works of Cicero (in Latin). Meets concurrently with CLAS 307. Students taking this course at the 400-level will be held to a higher standard of reading, translation, and performance in class and on exams, and will be assigned an additional research paper. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 307 or CLAS 435, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 307. PREREQUISITES: One 300-level course in Latin or four years of high school Latin

A study of selections from several Roman historians (in Latin). Meets concurrently with CLAS 308. Students taking this course at the 400-level will be held to a higher standard of reading, translation, and performance in class and on exams, and will be assigned an additional research paper. Not open to students who have received credit for CLAS 308 or CLAS 415, or who need to receive credit for CLAS 308. PREREQUISITES: One 300-level course in Latin or four years of high school Latin.

Close reading and study of texts selected from the corpus of ancient Greek literature, read in English translation. Each iteration of the course will focus on a particular author, genre, or theme in Greek literature. Possible topics include: Greek historiography, Greek lyric poetry, and literature of the Hellenistic period May be repeated when the topic is different.

An examination of a particular topic in ancient art history. Students are expected to carry out independent research. The topic will change periodically. Course may be repeated when the topic is different.

This course examines specific issues in classical scholarship, ranging from longstanding questions of analysis and interpretation to contemporary topics of research and debate. Students will develop their familiarity with the methods of classical scholarship as they undertake independent work culminating in a research paper or book reveiw. Recommended for majors and students considering graduate study in classics.

Advanced study of topics in Greek and Latin literature, ancient history, ancient philosophy, classical civilization, and/or linguistics, arranged and carried out in cooperation with an instructor. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Advanced independent research on topics in Greek and Latin literature, ancient history, ancient philosophy, classical civilization, and/or linguistics, arranged in consultation with the department. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Advanced study of topics in Greek and Latin literature, ancient history, ancient philosophy, classical civilization, and/or linguistics, arranged and carried out in cooperation with an instructor. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Advanced independent research on topics in Greek and Latin literature, ancient history, ancient philosophy, classical civilization, and/or linguistics, arranged in consultation with the department. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.