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 63 Ancient Eros: Sex and Religion in Ancient Greece
This course explores the various manifestations and significance of sex (bittersweet Eros), both the deity and the divinely-inspired passion, in ancient Greece. While focusing on the socio-religious significance of Aphrodite and her son Eros (the Roman Cupid), this class is also designed to provoke an open conversation about responses to sex found in relevant contemporary religious expression. Assignments come from Greek and Roman literature, philosophy, historiography, and art, as well as from contemporary magazines, scholarly journals and books, religious documents, and movies. Seminar-style: participation in class discussion is mandatory. (satisfies Core Curriculum Religious Studies second course requirement)
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.
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 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.
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 Justice: Ancient and Modern
In this course, students explore classical Greek concepts of justice both as actually practiced in the classical courtroom and as discussed in philosophy and drama. Student debates about controversial modern court cases will demonstrate the relevance of these ancient thoughts and practices to the complex issue of how justice is defined and practiced today. (satisfies Core Curriculum Advanced Writing and Civic Engagement requirements)
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.
