Courses

Classics

CLA07-444-01: Classical Sites and MonumentsSpring 2023

CLA07-44-01: Classical Sites and Monuments

Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30-3:45pm

Dr. Jeffrey Easton

A topographical study of the civic, religious, and private sites and monuments of Ancient Greek and Roman cities. Through the study of site plans and spatial analysis, students consider the function of these sites and monuments, how sites communicated with each other, and how their topographical placement and ornamentation shaped human interaction within the space and reinforced the power and prestige of those who constructed them.

The Classics curriculum includes courses in Greek language and literature, Latin language and literature, and Classics in translation.

For Placement Information and credit (placement, AP, IB), please click here.

Below you will find a list of our current or recent offerings. See the course catalog for descriptions and updated information.

13-144 Greek I
Essentials of grammar, composition, and reading. Students will acquire basic translation skills and build a core vocabulary, and they will support their language learning with the study of Greek society and culture. (Fall)
13-154 Greek II
Continued study of grammar, composition and reading. Students will learn more complex syntactical constructions and begin translating more sustained Greek passages. Prerequisite: Greek 13-144, or equivalent placement. (Spring)
13-164 Greek III
Students will build on the fundamentals they acquired in introductory Greek and strengthen their skills in translation and interpretation through a variety of Greek prose and poetry texts. Readings and cultural studies of prose authors such as Herodotus, Xenophon (history), Plato, and Aristotle (philosophy) and poetry by Hesiod, the anonymous Homeric Hymns (epic), and a selection by Hellenistic poets, as well as New Testament Greek. Prerequisite: Greek 13-154, or equivalent placement. (Fall)
13-204 Readings in Greek Prose
This course is specifically designed for intermediate students and includes rigorous study of Greek texts in focused thematic areas. Students will encounter the texts in their cultural, historical, and political contexts and become more familiar with issues of composition and transmission, as well as current interpretive approaches and important secondary scholarship. May be repeated with change in topic. Topics offered on a rotating basis of prose and poetry. The range of topics include the ethnographic writings of Herodotus; Thucydides and his historiographical methods; the oratory of Lysias and Demosthenes; Greek historians under the Roman Empire; and Presocratic philosophers. Prerequisite: Greek 13-164, or equivalent placement. (H)
13-344 Readings in Greek Poetry
This course is specifically designed for intermediate and advanced students who have completed at least three semesters of Greek. In addition to strengthening skills in translation, interpretation, and textual analysis, students will encounter Greek texts in their cultural, historical, and political contexts. May be repeated with change in topic. Topics offered on a rotating basis of prose and poetry. The range of topics include Homer's epic poems Iliad and Odyssey; Greek tragedy; and Archaic Lyric poetry by such authors as Archilochus, Alcaeus, and Sappho. Prerequisite: Greek 13-164, or equivalent placement. (H)
13-934 Capstone Seminar
This course fulfills the capstone requirement in Classical Languages. As an integrative experience, the capstone challenges students to interrelate knowledge, insights, and perspectives gained in their linguistic and cultural studies and in their undergraduate experience. Students will be guided through independent research and writing that demonstrates advanced proficiency in their select area of classical studies. They will produce an extended formal research paper and deliver a formal oral presentation introducing their project. (Fall or Spring) (H) (WA)

14-144 Latin I
Essentials of grammar, composition, and reading. Students will acquire basic translation skills and build a core vocabulary, and they will support their language learning with the study of Roman society and culture. (Fall)
14-154 Latin II
Continued study of grammar, composition and reading. Students will learn more complex syntactical constructions and begin translating more sustained Latin passages. Prerequisite: Latin 14-144, or equivalent placement. (Spring)
14-164 Latin III
Students will build on the fundamentals they acquired in introductory Latin and strengthen their skills in translation and interpretation through a variety of Latin prose and poetry texts. Readings and cultural studies of poets such as Catullus and Horace to prose writers of oratory (Cicero), natural history (the two Plinys), and society and politics (Tacitus) to the novel Satyricon by Petronius. Prerequisite: Latin 14-154, or equivalent placement. (Fall)
14-204 Cicero in Context
Selected readings in Cicero's public speeches, letters, and treatises, considered within the context of the volatile political atmosphere of the Late Republic. Students analyze Cicero's prose style and methods of argumentation and explore the prosopographical world of the Roman aristocracy of the period. Prerequisite: Latin 14-164, or equivalent placement. (H)
14-244 Vergil's Aeneid
Selected readings in the seminal Latin epic poem about the Trojan hero Aeneas. Students will learn the basics of Latin prosody and recitation, and they will analyze Vergil's style, intertextuality, and use of mythology. Special attention will be given to interpreting the poem's meaning within the new political reality of Augustan Rome. Prerequisite: Latin 14-164, or equivalent placement. (H)
14-344 Livy and Exemplary History
Readings in the early imperial historian Livy. In addition to analyzing Livy's unique prose style, students examine his larger project of writing exemplary history, that is, history as a guide to good or bad behavior according to the work's engagement with the shifting sociopolitical realities of Augustan Rome. Prerequisite: Latin 14-164, or equivalent placement. (H)
14-354 Petronius Satyricon: Dinner Trimalchio's
Readings in Petronius' novel Satyricon. In addition to strengthening skills in translation and literary interpretation, students engage in critical analysis of the social relationships and tensions that operate within the text. They explore the novel's social and political context of the Neronian period and consider how well the story captures the experience of its sub-elite protagonists, particularly current and formerly enslaved men and women. Prerequisite: Latin 14-164, or equivalent placement. (H)
14-404 Love Is Battlefield Latin Elegaic Poetry
Selected readings in Latin elegiac poetry by Catullus, Propertius, Ovid, and Tibullus. Students will explore the roots of this highly personal form of poetry in the Hellenistic literary milieu and its impact on later Latin literature. Special attention is given to the genre's common tropes, constructions of masculinity, poetic meters, and dense intertextuality. Prerequisite: Latin 14-164, or equivalent placement. (H)
14-454 Rome and the Epigraphic Heart
A study of the various genres of Latin inscriptions from the Roman empire. Students analyze the capacity of public and private epigraphic texts to inform our understanding of literary texts and material culture and illuminate a range of social, economic, political, and religious issues in Roman society. Special attention is given to interpreting inscriptions in their physical and monumental contexts. (H)
14-934 Capstone Seminar
This course fulfills the capstone requirement in Classical Languages. As an integrative experience, the capstone challenges students to interrelate knowledge, insights, and perspectives gained in their linguistic and cultural studies and in their undergraduate experience. Students will be guided through independent research and writing that demonstrates advanced proficiency in their select area of classical studies. They will produce an extended formal research paper and deliver a formal oral presentation introducing their project. (Fall or Spring) (H) (WA)

07-204 Greek and Roman Mythology
A study of the traditional cycles of Classical Mythology and the essential role myths played in Greek and Roman culture, especially the ways myth was employed to reinforce contemporary socio-political ideologies. Students encounter the myths through a variety of ancient evidence, including literature, artwork, material culture, and religious cultic practices, and engage with the most important historical and contemporary theories of mythology. Particular attention is given to the formation of these myths in a global context and the recrystallization of Classical myth in later literature and art. (H)
07-234 Marble Cinematic Universe Clas in Cinema
In this course, students watch a selection of films based on Classical topics and explore corresponding ancient literary sources (in translation), artwork, and archaeology to understand how the ancient world is perceived, why stories set in the Classical world allow us to explore contemporary themes, and how the cultural context of the audience changes traditional narratives. Special attention is given to how films based on Classical themes have contributed to modern debates on social, economic, political, and cultural issues. (H)
07-244 Sweaty Antiquity: Sport & Spectacle
A study of the central place sports and public spectacles and entertainment held in Ancient Greek and Roman society. Through analysis of literary and artistic representations of events such as the religious festivals and Panhellenic and regional games in the Greek world and gladiatorial combat, chariot races, and triumphal processions in Rome, students gain an understanding of the embeddedness of these events in the fabric of Greek and Roman society and track how changes in performance reflected contemporary social norms and values. (H)
07-324 Invisible Romans Sub-Elite & Marginalize
A study of the diverse ethnic and socioeconomic groups who occupied the margins of Roman society and how these groups made their way in the Roman world by operating within existing institutions or by forging new avenues for civic engagement and upward social mobility. Students consider a range of ancient evidence, including literary and legal sources, art and material culture, physical spaces and economic instruments, and personal inscriptions. Contributes to Race and Ethnicity Studies/Allied Course. (H)
07-334 Emperors Behaving Badly: History Roman
A study of the evolving relationship between imperial power and the wider Roman social order, economy, and rule of law. Guided by recent scholarly reassessments of the position of the emperor in the Roman world, students explore several sociopolitical developments and episodes by which we can track the expansion of imperial power and how the emperors articulated their position through various media. Contributes to Legal Studies Certificate. (H)
07-344 War & Society Ancient Greece & Rome
In this course, students focus on the intersection of military participation and civic life in Ancient Greece and Rome. Students engage with a range of primary evidence, from literary narratives to military inscriptions to the artifacts and physical remains of equipment and frontier garrisons. Special attention is given to evaluating this heterogeneous primary evidence and understanding the methodological problems encountered in the study of institutions in any historical society. (H)
07-404 Empire of Cities: Urban Life Roman World
A study of the rich evidence for urban life at sites throughout the Roman empire. Rather than studying the Roman world as a monolith, students explore the diverse social groups and legal, economic, and religious institutions that imbued civic life and the institutions that linked the elite and sub-elite. (H)
07-434 Greek & Latin in Scientific Terminology
A study of the vocabulary of technical terms derived from Ancient Greek and Latin that abound in the natural sciences, particularly the life sciences, and other fields such as law. Students acquire the ability to analyze word elements and diagnose the meaning of technical terms through both discussion of historical linguistics, etymology, and methods and completion of hands-on assignments that put these skills into practice. Contributes to Health Studies and Spanish for Healthcare Professions Certificate. (H)
07-444 Classical Sites and Monuments
A study of key archaeological sites and monuments in the Classical World with a focus on their function, the messages they conveyed, how their construction impacted on social interaction within the spaces, and how approaches to building reflected changing social and political norms over time. Special attention is given to the topography of Athens and Rome and their array of civic, religious, and private sites and monuments. (H)
07-934 Capstone Seminar
This course fulfills the capstone requirement in Classical Civilizations. As an integrative experience, the capstone challenges students to interrelate knowledge, insights, and perspectives gained in their linguistic and cultural studies and in their undergraduate experience. Students will be guided through independent research and writing that demonstrates proficiency in their select area of classical studies. They will produce an extended formal research paper and deliver a formal oral presentation introducing their project. (Fall or Spring) (H) (WA)