Classics (CLAS)
CLAS 120. The Secret History of Words: The Greek and Latin Origins of English and Bio-Scientific Vocabulary. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the Greek and Latin origins of many English words and the specialized vocabulary in fields such as the biosciences and law. We will primarily analyze words in order to improve your comprehension of English, but will simultaneously learn about the languages and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean.
CLAS 131. Greek Civilization. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to the study of ancient Greek civilization through its art, literature, history, religion, etc. Emphasis on the classical period.
CLAS 132. Roman Civilization. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to Roman Civilization from Romulus to Constantine. Emphasis on social and cultural history, including literature, art, architecture, religion, and historiography in their cultural context.
CLAS 141. Ancient Cities. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to Near Eastern and Greco-Roman civilization through study of major urban centers. Seniors by permission of the instructor.
CLAS 150. Modern Greek Language. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to the basics of the Modern Greek language and culture; taught on site in Athens during the semester study abroad program in Athens.
CLAS 215. Classical Myth. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Study of the traditional tales of Greece and, to a lesser extent, the Near East and Rome; consideration and application of myth theory. Seniors by permission of the instructor.
CLAS 216. Athenian and Theban Traditions. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3,Other:3
Theban and Athenian myth traditions studied in their historical context and as cultural constructions expressing identity, religion, and regional opposition through literature, vase painting, and architecture.
CLAS 217. Greek History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Greek history from the heroic Bronze age down through the Persian invasion, the flourishing of Classical Athens, and the Peloponnesian wars to the death of Socrates, focusing on political, social, and economic developments. Crosslisted as HIST 240.
CLAS 218. Roman History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Roman history from Rome's foundations as a backwater village ca. 753 BCE, through its rise as a world-power to its fall in the fourth century CE, focusing on economic and political issues. Crosslisted as HIST 241.
CLAS 220. Preindustrial Environment. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An introduction to global environmental history of the preindustrial world through three thematic lenses: how the natural environment shaped patterns of human life, how ideologies toward nature shifted over time, and how human activities and ideologies reshaped the ancient landscape. Crosslisted as ENST 216.
CLAS 221. Heroic Epic. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Interpretive study of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and other epics chosen by the instructor (e.g., the Argonautica and Aeneid). Study may include epic works of later traditions.
CLAS 222. Greek Tragedy. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Interpretive study of the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
CLAS 225. The Classical Tradition. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course will investigate (ab)uses of ancient Greco-Roman material in various modern cultures, such as 19th-20th century Germany and modern China. We will consider the power of Greco-Roman Classics in global and Asian contexts and how to prevent abuses of that power.
CLAS 226. Ancient Conflict and Competition. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
The ancients had numerous settings for conflict and competition: battlefields, stadia, and artistic patronage. This course explores the origin, content, and meaning of agonistic display.
CLAS 229. Ancient Biography. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the emergence and development of ancient biographical writing.
CLAS 230. Herodotus and His World. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3,Other:3
Study of the historian's work alongside major cultural moments of the 5th century BCE, including the Persian and Peloponnesian wars, the Sophistic movement, the Athenian Empire, and the Aegean Sea as a cultural conduit.
CLAS 231. Religion of the Ancient Mediterranean. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Study of the various religions of the ancient Mediterranean, especially Greek and Roman pagan practices as well as Near Eastern influences and early Christianity.
CLAS 233. The Age of Alexander the Great. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
Study of the transformation of classical Greek culture into a civilization dominating the Mediterranean world and its Eastern neighbors. Topics may include art, urban culture, politics, intellectual expressions, and religious innovation.
CLAS 235. Dying for God: Martyrdom from Antigone to ISIS. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Early Christians were attracted to dramatic narratives of suffering--whether about spectacular deaths in the arena or extreme self-denial in the desert. This course explores the world of martyrs and monks and considers how ancient ideals about pain, gender, and sexuality continue to influence Christian thinking about holiness and sainthood. Crosslisted as RELI 253 and WMST 245.
CLAS 236. The Age of Augustus. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
Study of late republican - early empire Rome, emphasizing the transition from the republic to empire, the role played by Augustus in this transition, the tension between East and West, and the crisis of morals.
CLAS 240. Roman and Byzantine Greece. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:4
History and archaeology of Roman and Byzantine Greece; focus on culture through art, architecture, religion, politics, and regional studies. Taught on site and in Athens during the semester study abroad program in Athens.
CLAS 241. Archaeology of Egypt. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture, with emphasis on major architectural and artistic developments and their legacy to modern Western civilization. Crosslisted as ARTH 241.
CLAS 242. Archaeology of Greece. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture of the Greek world from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period. Crosslisted as ARTH 242.
CLAS 243. Archaeology of Rome. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture of the Roman world from the Etruscans through the late Empire. Crosslisted as ARTH 243.
CLAS 244. Magic and Mystery of the Ancient Mediterranean World. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the literary and material culture of ancient Greece and Rome to understand their mystical and magical practices, from civic rituals to personal spells and curse tablets. Through study of these practices we will gain a unique perspective on ancient social culture.
CLAS 247. Ancient Technology. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
A detailed survey of the state of ancient technology by the time of the early Roman empire in its economic and social context. Topics include sources of power, mining and metallurgy, quarrying, land and sea transport, and the urban infrastructure.
CLAS 250. Topic in Classics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Study of a topic relating to the classical world and its tradition. Examples, slavery, women, religions, a historical period. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
CLAS 252. New Testament and Christian Origins. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An exploration of the earliest Christians through the writings that later became the New Testament. We will examine these sources in the context of their specific social and historical concerns and consider the complex process in which some writings were included in Christian scripture while others were rejected. Crosslisted as RELI 252.
CLAS 253. Ancient Ships and Seafaring. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course will introduce you to the ships, sailors, and navies of the ancient Mediterranean and of Greece and Rome in particular. We will analyze the evidence in ancient texts, shipwreck archaeology, and artistic representations.
CLAS 255. Archaeology of Food. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course examines a range of archaeological methods and materials used to study diet, the economics of food, the politics of food distribution and consumption, feasting and religion, and the social significance of food in questions of gender, ethnicity and status in and around the ancient Mediterranean.
CLAS 262. Life in Ancient Pompeii. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the history, literature and material culture of Pompeii with the goal of better understanding daily life for all levels of society in the early Roman Empire. Crosslisted as ARTH 262.
CLAS 311. Independent Study in Classics. .5-1 Credits.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies; Repeatable
Topics in classical civilization, to be chosen by the student. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
CLAS 321. Honors Tutorial and Thesis. .5-1 Credits.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies
Independent study and research leading to the writing of a thesis. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
CLAS 322. Honors Tutorial and Thesis. .5-1 Credits.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies
Independent study and research leading to the writing of a thesis. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
CLAS 331. War and the Iliad. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the Iliad and its influence at great depth. Students will read the entire Iliad (in English) as well as related texts from Greece and Rome. Homer's depiction of war and its consequences will be compared to modern and ancient descriptions of warfare. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
CLAS 332. Classical Athens. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
An in-depth integrative study of Athens from the 6th - 4th centuries including its literature, arts, architecture, religion, philosophy, politics. Some background required.
CLAS 333. After Alexander: Hellenistic Cultural Landscape. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
An interdisciplinary examination of the Hellenistic cultural landscape as a cultural, historic, ecological, and symbolic system. Includes discussion of the eastern Mediterranean and central Asia as a focus of confrontation between east and west over time. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
CLAS 334. Women in Antiquity. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Seminar-style examination of the lives of women in antiquity both real and imagined, as attested in a variety of ancient media. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as WMST 334.
CLAS 336. The Ancient Novel. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Study of Graeco-Roman prose fiction, such as Apuleius' "Golden Ass', and Longus' 'Daphnis and Chloe', together with current scholarly literature. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
CLAS 337. Use and Abuse of the Past: Adaptation and Revision. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the positive and negative ways that Greco-Roman history and culture are continually evoked in modern discourses by those who attempt to shape society, our concepts of culture, and our relationships with one another. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
CLAS 350. Seminar on a Classical Topic. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Study of a topic of importance in classics. Examples: a current problem, an important figure, a historical period. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.