Classics Courses

MWF 9:00 - 9:50

A survey of Greco-Roman mythology, with emphasis on learning narrative content and on understanding the literary, artistic and cultural uses to which these stories and characters were put.

MWF 13:00 -13:50

In this course we will explore the origin, content, and function of ancient Greek and Roman myths in the historical and cultural context of the ancient Mediterranean world. From the birth of the gods of Hesiod’s Theogony, to the adventures of heroic figures such as Herakles, Theseus, Achilles, Odysseus, and Aeneas, students will analyze various myths through the close reading of primary texts. Students will also learn about the history of the study of ancient Greek and Roman myth, exploring the relationship between myth and religion, literature, psychology, and society.

MWF 14:00-14:50

Survey the history and cultures of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, and China from the beginning of written records through to the 6th century of the common era.

TR 11:00 - 12:20

This course will introduce students to the field of Classical Archaeology through a thematic exploration of its development, the theory and methodology used by modern archaeologists, and the current issues faced by the discipline.

MWF 11:00 - 11:50

This course is an introductory survey of Greek and Roman literature, with a focus on the Trojan Cycle in epic and drama. We will engage with a variety of primary texts, including the works of Homer, Vergil, Ovid, Statius, Aeschylus, Euripides, and Seneca. Through close reading of primary material and collaborative discussions, students will develop a nuanced appreciation for the diversity and complexity of Greek and Roman literature and apply that knowledge to comparisons of the two.

TR 14:00 - 15:20

In this course we will be studying the Art and Archaeology of the ancient Greek world, from the Neolithic and Prehistoric periods, until the Hellenistic period. We will look at a broad range of evidence, including sculpture, architecture, pottery, metal work, domestic archaeology and more.

MWF 10:00 - 10:50

Classics 294 offers a general introduction to various fields of science and technology in the Greco-Roman world.

MWF 13:00 - 13:50

This course examines the development of Archaic Greece to Late Antiquity of warfare, both in its technical aspects and as a political and socio-cultural phenomenon.

TR 12:30-13:50

Aspects of social and cultural history of sexuality from Archaic Greece to Late Antiquity, with reference to ancient artistic, material, and textual evidence. This course examines ancient Greek and Roman sexual practices, terminology, gender expectations, and related concepts.

TR 14:00 - 15:20

Ancient Greek literature is a fascinating field. Here we will move beyond the canon, and beyond the mainstream ancient Greek world to read poets, primarily epic, from the Imperial period.

Online Asynchronous

The goal of this course is to introduce students to a selection of ancient Greek and Roman myths, their cultural background, and wider scholarly and literary questions surrounding them. We will read a variety of ancient sources on ancient myth from various genera, but especially epic poetry and ancient drama.

LEC B01: MWF 10:00 - 10:50

LEC B02: TR 15:00 - 16:20

In this course we will explore the origin, content, and function of ancient Greek and Roman myths in the historical and cultural context of the ancient Mediterranean world. From the birth of the gods of Hesiod’s Theogony, to the adventures of heroic figures such as Herakles, Theseus, Achilles, Odysseus, and Aeneas, students will analyze various myths through the close reading of primary texts. Students will also learn about the history of the study of ancient Greek and Roman myth, exploring the relationship between myth and religion, literature, psychology, and society.

 TR 12:30 - 13:50

Classics 103 is designed to introduce students to the culture and history of ancient Greece. The course may include an overview of the Prehistoric periods with a focus on Minoan and Mycenaean Greece, as well as the Archaic and Classical Periods.

MWF 13:00 - 13:50

This course aims to introduce students to the society and culture of the Roman world. Through literature, material culture, art, and inscriptions students will learn about topics such as class and status, the Roman family, education, the military, religion, and gladiatorial spectacles.

TR 14:00 - 15:20

In this course, you will explore the art and archaeology of the Roman world through its architecture, material culture, and a wide array of artistic media, including sculpture, painting, and mosaics. Beginning from the Etruscan period and ending with the reign of Constantine and late antiquity, we will focus on how the art and architecture of the Roman world developed and changed. While many of the case studies and examples explored in class will come from the city of Rome and the Italian peninsula we will also examine works of art, architecture, and material culture from the Roman provinces and beyond to investigate cultural contact in the ancient world and the emergence of a pan-Mediterranean visual language during the Roman era.

R 9:30 - 10:50

Classics 261 examines the role of women and the construction of gender and sexuality in Greek and Roman society from the Archaic period to Late Antiquity.

MWF 10:00 - 10:50

A survey of Roman Imperial history from the assumption of control of the political system by Augustus ca. 30 BC to the deposition of the last emperor in the west. Major themes include how the Imperial administrative system was developed, how the Romans responded to increasing pressure in their borders, and how the available sources allow us to reconstruct these developments.

TR 15:30 - 16:50

The Greek and Latin elements of modern medical terminology, with an examination of its history and cultural background.

MWF 14:00 - 14:50

Topic: Antigone Past & Present

In this course we will explore the story of Antigone from Sophocles’ production at the city Dionysia in fifth-century Athens to re-performances on the contemporary world stage. This course has two equally important goals. The first goal is to explore Sophocles’ Antigone in its cultural context through a critical reading of the text. The second goal is to investigate the impact of the story of Antigone by considering the following questions: why does this story still resonate with so many people across the globe, how has it been re-told and re-performed, and how might we envision it continuing to be re-told and re-performed in our contemporary world.

TR 11:00 - 12:20

A study of the religious practices of the Greco-Roman world, beginning with the Neolithic & Bronze Ages and ending with the interactions and interrelations of ‘Pagan’ religion, Judaism & Christianity in the 4th century CE.

MWF 14:00 - 14:50

A representative works of Latin and Greek literature and their cultural context.

MWF 14:00 - 14:50

Topic: Archaeology of Identity and the Roman World

We will examine identity as a concept through which we can understand how individuals and communities in the Roman Empire may have perceived and defined themselves and others, and how these perceptions are articulated in textual and material sources. To do so, we will evaluate our contemporary understandings of identity and question what we can achieve by engaging with such a concept before discussing how we can apply it in the Roman world. Through various case studies based on texts and the material record, we will explore the processes that affected the formation, development, negotiation and maintenance of identities, particularly those based on ethnicity, status, gender and age.

TR 12:30 - 13:50

Topic: Race, Class, and Identity in Imperial Rome

This course explores the social and cultural history of the Roman Empire in roughly the first four centuries CE, with particular attention to the construction of group identities. The course will pose questions about who “the Romans” were and how inhabitants of Rome and the provinces thought of themselves in terms of class, ethnicity and related concepts in the context of post-conquest imperialism.