CLSC 112 — Classical Civilization: Rome (3 hrs). Rachel Sternberg, M.W. 12:30-1:45 PM, classroom TBA.
This course examines the history and society of ancient Rome, with special attention to the late Republic and early Empire. Our central theme is empire: the conquest of territory, the internal dynamics of governance, the uses of wealth and power, the intermingling of cultures, and the transmission of ideas within and beyond the Greco-Roman world.
CLSC 204 — Latin Literature: Heroes & Hustlers (3 hrs). Timothy Wutrich, T.R. 10:00-11:15 AM, classroom TBA.
The orientation session for CLSC 295A and 295B will be held on the first Tuesday of the semester at 4:30 p.m. in Mather House 408. Students should reserve Tuesdays, 4:30 to 5:00 p.m., for testing throughout the semester.
CLSC 304 — Ancient Rome: Republic to Empire (3 hrs). Ricardo Apostol, M.W.F. 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM, classroom TBA.
The focus of this course will be the Roman Empire from its inception as a response to the changes and instability of the Late Republic to the 'Fall' of the Empire in 476. Primary sources will play a strong role throughout as we study the private and public lives of the Caesars, changes in Roman society and values (was there a 'Decline'?), life on the frontiers and in the provinces, the incursions of tribes of nomadic barbarians, and the role of religion from traditional Roman worship and the importation of exotic eastern cults to the rise and eventual triumph of Christianity in all parts of the Empire.
CLSC 317 — Inspiration: Creativity in Arts and Literature, Ancient to Medieval (3 hrs). Florin Berindeanu, T.R. 1:15-2:30 PM, classroom TBA.
One of the most fascinating aspects of what is generally called creative process is related to its origin and the questions arising from it. Where does inspiration come from? Are artists "chosen ones" that implicitly stand out from the "non-inspired" rest? This course wishes to shed light on such primordial questions as they inextricably linked to the large anthropological issue of human genesis and our efforts to define ourselves and the natural and supernatural dimensions with which we are confronted.
It is thus obvious that the course should focus on the theme of "divine" or "transcendent" inspiration in art and literature beginning with Antiquity up to Middle Ages and Renaissance. The readings included in the syllabus are the most representative responses that important writers and artists have handed down to us on what creation is and where such "spark" takes place. In all cases, the responses differ in their expression yet, most importantly, they prefigure a cognitive adventure that is going on to this day.
CLSC 330 — Topics in Classical Literature: G.B. Piranesi, Enlightenment Rome, and the Defense of Fantasy (3 hrs). Charles Burroughs, T.R. 2:45-4:00 PM, classroom TBA.
This course (for flyer, click here) will explore the cultural milieu of eighteenth-century Rome, when the city had largely lost its earlier political importance, but remained vitally important as a cultural center, not least through the development of the "Grand Tour." Visitors to Rome came for many reasons; the more serious studied the remains of antiquity, often in the light of the ongoing evolution of archaeology as a science and attitude, as well as the monuments of "modern" – i.e., papal – Rome, especially the great baroque set-pieces like St Peter's piazza and basilica. Increasingly the experience of Rome was mediated not only by processions and other festive events staged by the papal monarchy but also by proliferating guide books and the images of the city produced by a series of view painters. The greatest of these was Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720 – 1778), whose work ranges between the accurate registration of antiquities to the famous fantastic images of prisons and who both represented and in part opposed the rationalism of the Enlightenment in the interest of the freedom of the imagination in art as well as life.
The two centuries of Greek art and architecture covered by this course were considered in antiquity as well as in later history to represent the apex of classical culture and, as such, have had an immense impact on later Western art. The course examines Greek architecture, sculpture, painting, and the luxury crafts from the Persian invasions of Greece (ca. 500 B.C.) to the aftermath of Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia (ca. 300 B.C.). Particular attention will be paid to cultural, social and political contexts as well as key issues such as patronage, narrative, and gender.
GREK 202 — Introduction to Greek Poetry — Hesiod (3 hrs). Paul Iversen, T.R. 8:30-9:45 AM, Mather House 408.
In this course we will read Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days. The central aim of the course will be to become proficient readers of Greek oral hexameter verse. There will also be some discussion of the genres of Theogonic Literature and Epic, as well as Hesiod's compositional methods and aims. Since the primary goal of this course is to become proficient readers of Hesiodic Greek, we will spend most of our class time reading Hesiod. Much of the course will also involve reviewing Attic Greek and comparing it with the Hesiod's dialect. In order that the class not become monkish, we will, however, take many excursus on topics such as the Hesiod's life and times, oral poetry, formulaic epithets, and Hesiod's relationship to the Homeric tradition. We will also do some work on scanning the Greek Epic Hexameter.
GREK 320 — Departmental Seminar: Alexander the Great (3 hrs). Paul Iversen, T.R. 2:45-4:00 PM, classroom TBA.
This seminar offers Classics students a firm grounding in the discipline, with an emphasis on the diverse materials, methods, and approaches that can be brought to bear on the study of Greco-Roman antiquity. Students will read and discuss the ancient sources and contemporary scholarship on the enigmatic Alexander the Great drawn from various fields of classics, including history, archaeology, art history, gender studies, inscriptions and numismatics.
GREK 370 — Greek Prose Composition (3 hrs). Paul Iversen, T.R. 11:30 AM-12:45 PM, Mather House 408.
This course introduces students to the principles and practice of composing continuous passages of Greek prose. It is designed to review and to strengthen students' command of Attic forms while becoming more aware of the ways Greek syntax was employed to express thought. Via practice at writing Greek prose, the ultimate goal is for the students to become more proficient and sensitive readers of ancient Greek.
LATN 102 — Elementary Latin II (3 hrs). Ricardo Apostol, M.W.F. 10:30-11:20 AM, classroom, TBA.
LATN 202 — Vergil (3 hrs). Timothy Wutrich, T.R. 2:45-4:00 PM, classroom TBA.
In this course we shall read and discuss selections from Vergil's Aeneid, especially Books I, IV, and VI. We shall consider language, style, and meter, as we develop further our Latin vocabulary and reinforce our command of Latin grammar. The performance aspect of Latin epic will also be our concern. Additionally we shall consider literary analysis and interpretation of theAeneid in general.
LATN 320 — Departmental Seminar: Alexander the Great (3 hrs). Paul Iversen, T.R. 2:45-4:OO PM, Mather House 408.
LATN 380 — Advance Topics in Latin Literature: Ovid (3 hrs). Ricardo Apostol, M.W.F. 3:00-3:50 PM, classroom TBA.
In this course we will undertake an in-depth examination of Ovid's Metamorphoses with particular attention to issues of intertextuality (we will be reading other ancient texts, both in the original and in translation, along with the Ovid), genre, and current scholarship, with a view to answering questions such as: What does Ovid do with the epic tradition in the Metamorphoses? How does he relate to his poetic predecessors, both Roman and Hellenistic, as well as to his contemporaries? How, and for what purposes, does Ovid change Greek myths in retelling them? In addition to translation and reading, students will engage in active discussion and a short presentation on one of Ovid's other works.
LATN 382 — Senior Dissertation (3 hrs). Paul Iversen, times as arranged.