Santa Clara University

Course Descriptions 

1-49    50-99    100-149    150-199

CLAS 1      Elementary Latin I
Introduction to vocabulary, forms, and grammar of classical Latin. Development of reading skills with supporting exercises in writing. No language laboratory.

CLAS 2      Elementary Latin II
The second in the Elementary Latin sequence, this course takes up where Elementary Latin I leaves off. A continuation of the grammar, basic vocabulary, with supporting exercises in writing, and morphology of Classical Latin.

CLAS 3      Elementary Latin III
Completion of Latin grammar. Introduction to reading Latin literature. (satisfies Core Curriculum Second Language requirement)

CLAS 21      Elementary Greek I
Introduction to vocabulary, forms, and grammar of Attic Greek. Development of reading skills with supporting exercises in writing. No language laboratory.

CLAS 22      Elementary Greek II
Continuation of vocabulary, forms, and grammar of Attic Greek. Development of reading skills with supporting exercises in writing. No language laboratory.

CLAS 23      Elementary Greek III
Completion of Greek grammar. Introduction to reading Greek literature. (satisfies Core Curriculum Second Language requirement)

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CLAS 60      Introduction to Ancient Studies
This course explores the nature of political and religious authority - that is, the relationship between the individual, the state, and the divine - in three different ancient civilizations. The primary "texts" for this investigation will be representative monuments of each culture: the pyramids of Egypt (particularly the Old Kingdom), the Temple of Solomon in the Jerusalem of the united monarchy, and the Parthenon of fifth - century Athens.

CLAS 61      Survey of Classical Literature
Historically and culturally based survey of major Greek and Latin authors from Homer through St. Augustine. Introduction to the principal literary genres of antiquity, epic, tragedy, comedy, philosophical dialogue, and satire. (also listed as ENGL 11)

CLAS 62      Survey of Ancient History
Interdisciplinary survey of the development of Western culture from the Near Eastern origins of Western civilization through the collapse of the Roman Empire. (satisfies one of the Core Curriculum Western Culture sequence requirements) (also listed as HIST 11)

CLAS 65      Classical Mythology
Principal gods and heroes of Greek and Roman antiquity: their stories, significance, and pictorial representation. Implications of myth in society and possible origins of myth. Important background for European and English literature. (satisfies Core Curriculum Religious Studies second course requirement)

CLAS 67      Ancient Greek Religion
Consideration of the differing attitudes and expectations of polytheisms and monotheisms and of religious expression in the context of classical Greek cult and ritual. Readings are drawn from a wide variety of literary, historical, philosophical, and epigraphical texts. (satisfies Core Curriculum Religious Studies second course requirement) (also listed as HIST 16)

CLAS 68      Ancient Roman Religion
Examination of religious practices, institutions, and beliefs of the ancient Romans. Special consideration of interconnections in Roman religiosity between the acts and beliefs of individuals and the concerns of the state. Concludes with philosophic mysticism, magic, mystery religions, and Christianity. (satisfies Core Curriculum Religious Studies second course requirement) (also listed as HIST 17)

CLAS 69   History of Early Christianity
This course will explore explanations for how and why the church evolved from a marginal Jewish apocalyptic sect in the tumultuous world of first-century Judaea to become the official religion of the previously pagan Roman Empire. In this course, you should develop a greater appreciation for the rich tapestry of religious, social, and political events during the Roman Empire which contributed to the rise of Christianity. (satisfies Core Curriculum Religious Studies second course requirement) (also listed as RSOC 65)

CLAS 75      Classics in Cinema
A survey of the classical world through dramatic films illustrating the cultural and political history of Greece and Rome. Close viewings of popular films with comparative references to sources and practice in the techniques of film criticism.

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CLAS 101    Intermediate Latin
A course for students who have finished basic Latin grammar. Students will review Latin forms and syntax while reading prose and poetry of increasing complexity. Students will be prepared to enroll in Latin reading courses covering individual authors and genres.

CLAS 108   Ancient Greece
A survey of Hellenic history from the Bronze Age to Alexander the Great. Emphasizing the rise and fall of the polis as an independent social, cultural and political community. (also listed as HIST 108)

CLAS 109   Hellenistic Age
The Hellenistic world and Alexander the Great’s successors a cultural, social, and political review of Alexander the Great’s conquests and their Hellenistic ramifications through the reign of Egypt’s Cleopatra VII. (also listed as HIST 109)

CLAS 110   Roman Republic
A political, military, social and cultural review of the rise and "fall" of the most successful state the West has ever known. (also listed as HIST 110)

CLAS 111   Roman Empire
A political, social, and cultural survey of the Roman Empire beginning with Augustus and tracing changes in Rome from the development of the Roman Empire as a world state to the development of Christianity as a world religion. (Also listed as History 111).

CLAS 112   The World of Augustine
In his life and writings, St. Augustine marks the point of transition from the ancient to the medieval world. In this course, students will join Augustine on his personal odyssey in The Confessions culminating in his conversion to Christianity; while reading City of God and excerpts from other treatises, we will examine the three principal controversies to which Augustine directed his intellectual energy: the Manichaean, the Donatist, and the Pelagian. The course will include an overview of late antiquity: major figures, key movements, and decisive events amid the dissolution of the Western empire. (satisfies Core Curriculum Religious Studies third course requirement)

CLAS 114   Imperialism and Religion: Roman Britain
A study of Roman Britain in order to illustrate how imperialistic powers manipulate the religions of the peoples who come under their sway both to foster pacification in newly won territories and to redirect the political loyalties of new subjects. The course compares and contrasts the religious traditions of the Romans and the Celts and notes how religious practice evolved in Britain under Roman influence. (satisfies Core Curriculum Religious Studies third course requirement) (also listed as HIST 114)

CLAS 121   Caesar
Representative selections from the Comentarii on the Gallic War and/or the Bellum Civil War. Consideration of the adaptation of history to political ends.

CLAS 122   Catullus
Lyric poems, short epigrams, and longer mythological poems by the late Republican poet of personal love and sophisticated society.

CLAS 123   Roman Comedy
One or more plays by Plautus or Terence. Origins and nature of Roman comedy.

CLAS 124   Ovid
Selections from the major works, which include love poems, Amors; a handbook for amatory success, Ars Amatoria; and the epic compendium of mythology, the Metamorphoses.

CLAS 125   Cicero: Philosophical Works
Consideration of Cicero’s eclectic philosophy through a careful reading of one or more of his philosophical dialogues (e.g., De Amicitia, De Senectute, or The Dream of Scipio).

CLAS 126   Cicero: Oratory and Rhetoric
One or more exemplars of Cicero’s rhetorical style (e.g., Catilinarian Orations, Pro Archia) or rhetorical theory (e.g., De Oratore). Consideration of rhetorical form, figures, and topoi.

CLAS 127   Vergil: Aeneid
The epic poem on the effort of founding Rome and the cost of its greatness. Consideration of the traditional and innovative features of Vergil’s epic style and purpose. Attention to epic meter.

CLAS 131   Vergil: Eclogues and Georgics
Vergil’s earlier works: pastoral poems set in an idealized landscape and the didactic poem on the agriculture and countryside of his native Italy.

CLAS 132   Horace
Selections from the odes and epodes. Attention to the adaptation of Greek lyric forms and rhythms to the Latin language.

CLAS 133   Livy
Selections from the Ab Urbe Condita - the history of Rome from its semimythical founding through monarchy, early Republic, and Punic Wars.

CLAS 134   Roman Satire
Representative selections from among the works of Horace, Juvenal, and others. Origins and development of the satiric mode in Latin literature.

CLAS 135   Medieval Latin
Major works of prose and poetry from the fourth century to the Renaissance. St. Augustine’s Confessions; the histories of Gregory of Tours, Bede, and Einhard; Latin fables; popular songs such as the Carmina Burana; and the humanistic writings of Dante and Petrarch.

CLAS 137   Latin Special Topics: Poetry
Occasional courses in selected authors or genres for advanced students. Possible topics: Lucretius or elegy in poetry.

CLAS 138   Latin Special Topics: Prose
Occasional courses in selected authors or genres for advanced students. Cicero’s letters, Tacitus, or other Roman historians in prose.

CLAS 141   Love and Relationships in Classical Antiquity
An examination of true love, relationships, and sexuality as these pertained to the quest for the best of all possible human lives in antiquity. Readings from: Euripides, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Ovid, Sappho, and others.

CLAS 146   Age of Socrates
A study of Socrates as both historical and literary figure, with special attention to his political and cultural context and to our three chief sources on him and his philosophical activities: Aristophanes, Plato, and Xenophon.

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CLAS 151      Lucian
Selections from the author’s satirical treatments of mythology, history, philosophy, and rhetoric (e.g., Dialogues of the Dead) and/or from the fantasy called A True Story. Lucian’s place in the Second Sophistic.

CLAS 152      Homer's Odyssey
Selected passages demonstrating the fusion of the heroic and the romantic in an epic of peacetime. Consideration of epic meter and conventions.

CLAS 153      Euripides
A complete tragic drama. Attention to characterization, dramatic structure, and poetry, and to Euripides’ place in the history of tragedy. Metrical reading of dialogue.

CLAS 154      Herodotus
Selections from the Persian Wars. Herodotus’ achievements and limitations as the "Father of History." Peculiarities of the Ionic dialect.

CLAS 155      Plato
Careful reading from one or more dialogues such as Apology, Crito, Phaedo, and Republic. Detailed study of dialogue mode of discourse; overview of Plato’s philosophy.

CLAS 156      Greek New Testament
Readings selected from the Koine Greek text of the New Testament with a concentration on the gospels, John, or the epistles. Close reading of the text with a view to theological implications of the vocabulary. Introduction to primary research tools.

CLAS 161      Homer: Iliad
Selected passages illustrating the course and consequences of the wrath of Achilles and the nature of the hero. Consideration of epic meter and conventions.

CLAS 162      Sophocles
A complete tragic drama. Attention to characterization, dramatic structure, and poetry, and to the author’s particular contributions to the development of the tragic form. Metrical reading of the text.

CLAS 163      Aeschylus
A complete tragic drama. Attention to characterization, dramatic structure, and poetry, and to the author’s particular contributions to the development of the tragic form. Metrical reading of the text.

CLAS 164      Oratory
Selections from a representative Greek orator such as Demosthenes or Lysias. Consideration of classical rhetorical forms and topoi.

CLAS 165      Lyric Poetry
Fragments of Alcaeus, Archilochus, Sappho, Smonides, and others. Development of elegiac, iambic, and melic forms.

CLAS 167      Greek Special Topics: Poetry
Occasional courses in selected authors or genres for advanced students. Possible topics: Hesiod or Pindar in poetry. Careful reading and discussion of extensive selections from the Greek text of Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, including the Greek version of the origin of the university, the "Ages of Man," and the Prometheus and Pandora myths. Sampling of recent and important literary criticism on the work of Hesiod. Practice in scansion of the dactylic hexameter.

CLAS 168      Greek Special Topics: Prose
Occasional courses in selected authors or genres for advanced students. Possible topics: Thurcydides or Xenophon in prose.

CLAS 175      Special Topics in Classical Literature
Occasional courses in specialized topics. Consult current course descriptions for details.

CLAS 176      Special Topics in Ancient History
Occasional courses in specialized topics. Consult current course descriptions for details. Classical Numismatics: This course will explore the systematic analysis of coins as a unique historical source for the study of Greco-Roman antiquity. It will examine the rise in the minting of coins in the western tradition, and trace the various political and economic reasons for the rapid increase in their circulation. (also listed as HIST 129)

CLAS 177      Special Topics in Ancient Philosophy
Occasional courses in specialized topics. Consult current course descriptions for details.

CLAS 178      Special Topics Classical Culture
Occasional courses in specialized topics. Consult current course descriptions for details.  

CLAS 181      Classical Tragedy
Representative works of the principal Greek tragic playwrights: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Features of the tragic genre, its origins, and the conventions of its performance. At the discretion of the instructor, may include satyr drama and/or the Roman Tragedy of Seneca. (satisfies Core Curriculum Third Writing requirement) (also listed as ENGL 110 and THTR 181).

CLAS 182      Ancient Comedy, Wit and Humor
An exploration of various styles of and approaches to humor in the ancient Greek and Roman world, chiefly as seen through the genre of satyr, drama, Greek old and new comedy, and Roman comedy. At the discretion of the instructor, may include satire, spoof literature, and invective. (satisfies Core Curriculum Third Writing Requirement) (also listed as ENGL 111 and THTR 182).

CLAS 183      Greek and Roman Historiography
A survey of the origin and development of historical prose from Herodotus through Ammianus Marcellinus. Consideration of History as an artistic genre; special attention to the authors’ various political and ideological purposes.

CLAS 184      Classical Mythology in the Western Tradition
An examination of the manipulation and metamorphosis of Greek myths for artistic and political purposes from the classical period through the 20th century. (also listed as ENGL 187)

CLAS 185      Women in Ancient Greece
Investigation into the representation and the reality of women’s lives in ancient Greece, from mythistoric times through the Hellenistic period, from the evidence of literature, history, philosophy, and religion, from legal and documentary texts, and from art. Significance of the status of and views about women in the ancient contexts and for modern times. (satisfies Core Curriculum Ethnic Studies/Women’s and Gender Studies Requirement) (also listed as ENGL 186A)

CLAS 186      Women in Ancient Rome
Investigation into the representation and reality of women’s lives in ancient Rome, from mythistoric times of the founding of Rome to the advent of Christianity, from the evidence of literature, history, philosophy, and religion, from legal and documentary texts, and from art. Significance of the status of and views about women in the ancient contexts and for modern times. (satisfies Core Curriculum Ethnic Studies/Women’s and Gender Studies Requirement) (also listed as ENGL 184A)

CLAS 187      Family in Antiquity
A survey of the family’s social, economic, political, and religious roles in various ancient Greek states and in Republican and Imperial Rome. (satisfies Core Curriculum Ethnic Studies/Women’s and Gender Studies Requirement) (also listed as HIST 113)

CLAS 188      Art and Architecture of the Classical World
Architecture, sculpture, and painting from the Archaic through the Roman period, with special emphasis on major artists and monuments such as the Pathenon, the Altar of Zeus at Pergamum, Trajan’s column; the sculptors Polyclitus and Lysippus; and the painters Parrhasius and Zeuxis and how they reflect artistic developments and classical culture.

CLAS 198      Capstone Project
Directed research project and paper for senior Classics majors.

CLAS 199      Directed Reading/research
Individually designed programs of reading or research, in Latin, Greek, or Classics (i.e., literature in translation or culture). Available to advanced students. Written permission of the instructor and department chair required in advance of registration.

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