The department offers three groups of courses for distribution, those in Classical Civilization (introductory courses that require no knowledge of Greek or Latin), courses in Classical Archaeology, and upper level language courses in Greek and Latin authors or genres. While only a few courses are repeated in yearly or biennial rotation, most courses are offered less regularly. This system guarantees that the instructor approaches the subject each time with fresh impetus. We believe in a healthy change and variation in our course offerings. The undergraduate advisor of the Department of Classical Studies will consider and, if appropriate, authorize other classical civilization, literature, and archaeology courses for distribution credit upon request by students during the first drop/add period each term.
Classical Civilization offerings include the general surveys of Greek and Roman civilizations (CC 101 and 102), which provide (through readings, lectures, and discussions) a broad understanding of the literatures, thought, and social development of ancient Greece and Rome, and thus provide the student with knowledge of and appreciation for our cultural origins, as well as an acquaintance with modern methods for understanding an ancient culture. These courses are taught each year. CC 101 is offered in the Fall and CC 102 is offered in the Winter. Other courses provide understanding of particular aspects of the ancient world, approached from a variety of disciplines and studies - literary, philosophical, historical, sociological, and so on. Some students (particularly those who have already developed special interests in such disciplines) may wish to explore one of these topics without having had a broader introduction.
Classical Archaeology offerings include the broad surveys of the archaeology and monuments of Greece (Cl.Arch 221 - offered in the Fall) and Rome (Cl.Arch 222 - offered in the Winter) and a general introduction to archaeological field methods (Cl.Arch 323). Other courses use the material remains of specific cultures both to introduce students to the diversity of the ancient world and to demonstrate how, through a variety of multi-disciplinary approaches, the archaeological record can be used to reconstruct the life-ways of past societies.
323. Introduction to Field Archaeology. (4). (HU).
Admit it - you wanted to be an archaeologist when you were a kid. This
course offers the chance to see what such a career would be like. We will
investigate issues such as: What is left from past human activity and how
do we retrieve it? How were societies organized? What did ancient peoples
eat? What did they think? What were they like? Who owns the past? Archaeological
case studies will be drawn from all over the world, and from a range of
prehistoric and historic periods. The course is lecture-based, with field
trips organized to various university museums and other facilities, such
as the Phoenix Laboratory. The text book is C. Renfrew and P. Bahn, Archaeology:
Theories, Methods and Practice; there will also be a supplemental course
pack. Requirements are midterm, final and one project, which offers the
chance to experiment with some 'real' archaeology. No prerequisites. Cost:2
WL:1 (Alcock)
101. Classical Civilization I: The Ancient
Greek World (in English). No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in Great Books 191 or 201. (4). (HU).
This course serves as an introduction to the civilization of ancient
Greece from its beginnings to the fourth century BCE. All reading is in
English translation. Lectures will trace the development of Greek literature
and thought within the context of Greek society, with emphasis on gender
relations and the crisis in traditional values during the late fifth century.
Literature read includes Homer's Iliad and Odyssey; selected
lyric poetry; selected tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides;
selected comedies of Aristophanes; selections from the historians Herodotus
and Thucydides; and philosophical writings of Plato. The readings average
about 90 pages per week. There will be a midterm, two brief papers, and
a final examination. Freshmen Honors students in Honors sections will write
enough to meet the Introductory Composition requirement. Cost:3 WL:1 (Rappe)
120. First-year Seminar in Classical Civilization (Humanities). (3).
(HU).
Section 001 - The Hero and Heroism in Greece and Rome. Who is a hero?
What do heroes do? If Superman (or Rambo) is all-powerful, can he be of
any interest to us, the merely human? Can he make a mistake? But if heroes
can have human failings, can they still be heroic? What sorts of times produce
what sorts of heroic literature? Could you write a heroic epic today?
If you did, could it have any more reality than a sci fi novel? These are
the sort of questions we might ask as we look at the beginnings of heroic
literature in the Western literary tradition. What makes Achilles more than
Rambo, and Ajax more than a figure from science fiction? What was
the nature of the ancient hero, and how did the concept of heroism change
and develop in Greece and Rome? We will think about the Homeric hero, the
tragic hero of Sophocles, the more "modern" hero of the Alexandrian
poets, the hero of Virgil's Aeneid, the anti-hero of Petronius' novel,
and others. We will also consider some contemporary heroes. At the end,
I hope we will have arrived at a better understanding not only of our literature,
and why we read it, but of ourselves. Course requirements: to read selected
works of heroic literature with interest and an inquiring attitude, and
to write two papers (6-8 pp. each) on the concept of heroism in what we
have read and discussed. (D.O. Ross)
121. First-year Seminar in Classical Civilization
(Composition). (4). (Introductory Composition).
Section 001 - Women in Ancient Rome: Gender and Identity. This course
will focus on women's roles and lives in Ancient Rome. We will examine the
cultural identity or ideal constructed for women in Roman literature in
comparison with the historical evidence. Subjects addressed will include
sexual stereotype and ideals, power-relations of gender, familial roles,
social and economic status, social and political history, visual art, medical
theory, and religion. In addition to the ancient literary texts, attention
will be given to the historical evidence, such as inscriptions and archaeological
remains, as well as modern feminist theory. The readings for this course
will include key Latin texts in translation, including poetry (Catullus,
Vergil, Propertius, Sulpicia, Ovid, Juvenal), history (Livy, Sallust), comedy
(Terence), rhetoric (Cicero's Pro Caelio), and inscriptions (Sourcebooks
for Women). Class will be divided between lectures and discussion of the
readings. Student participation will be an important component of the course.
Regular reports will be expected. There will also be papers and a final.
Cost:2-3 (Myers)
372. Sports and Daily Life in Ancient Rome. (4). (HU).
Readings include selections from ancient writers in translation and
from recent scholarship on topics in Roman history and society available
in a course pack obtainable from AccuCopy at the corner of Maynard and East
William, and books available from Shaman Drum. In the lectures we begin
with some background on Roman religion and history and then consider the
different social classes and their lifestyles; the second half of the course
deals with the athletic events of chariot racing, gladiator fights, and
wild beast hunts. Grades will be based upon midterm and final examinations
and upon computer assignments and participation in class. (Potter)
Two convictions are basic to the Elementary Latin Program of the Department of Classical Studies: (1) it is possible for every able-minded person to master the basic facts of a foreign language and (2) the learning experience leading to such a mastery is a privilege that is very specifically human and ought to be most satisfying. Essential facts of morphology, syntax, semantics, vocabulary, history and culture are taught, and a knowledge of these facts enables students to understand Latin written by the famous authors of the Golden Age. Since at least 50% of the vocabulary of an educated speaker of English is Latin in origin, English vocabulary improves as Latin stems and derivatives are learned. The program normally takes four terms to complete. A placement test may be taken at the beginning or end of a term, and a student may succeed in placing out of one or more courses in the introductory sequence.
In the Elementary Latin Program, the department is offering Latin 101, 102, 193, 231, and 232. Latin 101 (see below) is for students with little or no previous Latin. A placement examination will determine the appropriate course for other students who enter the elementary sequence. Students with questions about which course to elect are encouraged to visit Professor Knudsvig in Angell Hall, 764-8297.
101. Elementary Latin. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in 103, 193, or 502. (4). (LR).
All of the assigned tasks/exercises in Latin 101 are directed toward
the reading and translation of Classical Latin and not toward writing or
conversation. The course has as its primary objective the acquisition of
a fundamental understanding of basic Latin grammar and the development of
basic reading skills. The text for the course is Knudsvig, Seligson, and
Craig, Latin for Reading. Latin 101 covers approximately the first
half of the text. Grading is based on quizzes, class participation, hour
examinations, and a final. Cost:1 WL:3
102. Elementary Latin. Latin 101. No credit granted to those who
have completed or are enrolled in 193 or 502. (4). (LR).
All of the assigned tasks/exercises in Latin 102 are directed toward
the reading and translation of Classical Latin and not toward writing or
conversation. The course continues the presentation of the essentials of
the Latin language as it covers the last half of Knudsvig, Seligson, and
Craig, Latin for Reading. Extended reading selections from Plautus
(comedy) and Eutropius (history) are introduced. Grading is based on class
participation, quizzes, hour examinations, and a final. Cost:1 WL:3
193. Intensive Elementary Latin I. No credit granted to those
who have completed or are enrolled in 101, 102, 103 or 502. (4). (Excl).
This course is a rapid introduction to Latin and is intended for students
with little or no prior Latin. Upperclass undergraduates in such fields
as history, medieval or renaissance literature, or linguistics and who need
to acquire a reading competence in Latin as quickly and as efficiently as
possible should elect this course. So should other undergraduates who intend
to continue the study of Latin and want a rapid introduction that enables
them to take upper-level Latin courses as soon as possible. (Note: completion
of 193-194 alone does not fulfill the undergraduate language requirement).
This first term course covers elementary grammar and syntax. Cost:1 WL:1
(D.O. Ross)
231. Introduction to Latin Prose. Latin 102 or 103. No credit
granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 194, 222, or 503.
(4). (LR).
This course reviews grammar as it introduces students to extended passages
of classical Latin prose through selections from several authors of the
first centuries B.C. and A.D., but primarily from Pliny the Younger. Class
discussions center upon the readings. Some course materials require the
use of a computer. Grading is based on class participation, quizzes, hour
examinations, and a final. Cost:1 WL:3
232. Vergil, Aeneid. Latin 231 or 221. No credit granted to those
who have completed or are enrolled in 194, 222, or 503. (4). (LR).
The goal of this course is simple: to learn to read extensive passages
of the greatest work of Latin literature, Vergil's Aeneid, with comprehension
and enjoyment. This course will ask you to bring together and apply the
knowledge and skills you have acquired up to this point and to build on
these as you learn to read poetry. There will be some grammar review as
necessary. You will also study Vergil's epic poem in English translation.
By term's end you should have both a good understanding and appreciation
of what the Aeneid is all about and an ability to handle a Latin
passage of the poem with control and comprehension. Grading is based on
class participation, quizzes, hour exams, and a final. Cost:2 WL:1,3
Intermediate Courses
301. Intermediate Latin I. Latin 194, 222, 232 or equivalent.
(3). (HU).
The primary goal of this course is to serve as an introduction to the
study of Latin literature, and, through the literature, of Roman culture.
Texts by a major poet and a major prose author will be read with a view
to their literary, historical, and political contexts. Reading strategies,
and review of morphology and syntax as needed, will be stressed. There will
be quizzes, a midterm, and final exam. Cost:2 WL:3,4 (Knudsvig)