Courses

A selection of ancient Greek literature read in translation, from Homeric epic to classical history and drama, with a focus on the relation between literature and social conditions.

A selection of ancient Roman literature read in translation, including authors such as Vergil, Tacitus, Cicero, and Plautus, with a focus on the relationship between literature and social conditions.

A study of classical epic, with special emphasis on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Vergil's Aeneid, but including also other examples of the genre, such as Lucan or Statius. Topics to be considered include oral and literary epic, their social and political contexts, and the influence of classical epic on later literature.

Study in depth of a selection of ancient Greek and/or Roman tragedies and comedies, with an emphasis on performance practices and contexts.

This course primarily examines how certain themes, typological figures and universal truths which are developed in Biblical and Classical literature have been adapted to new circumstances and handed down over the past two millennia. The other main focus of the course will be daily in-class writing assignments based on class discussions which will allow students to develop their creative and critical writing skills.

Comparison of Classical and modern versions of several ancient Greek myths. The relationships between myth and literature are considered, as well as reasons why these myths have endured through the centuries. Emphasis is on dramatic versions of the myths; narrative poetry and other genres such as music and cinema may also be explored.

This course traces the development of the concept and experiences of the process of discernment from Antiquity to the Renaissance by looking at a wide range of texts originally written in Greek or Latin in a case-study format. The primary focus will be the "discernment of spirits" as developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises, with an emphasis on three key areas of discernment: Individual, Corporate, and Individual within Corporate.

An exploration of the significance of myths, their meanings and functions in the cultures of Greece and Rome. Special attention is given to more recent developments in the study of myths and their relation to rituals and folk tales. Babylonian, Egyptian, Hindu and American Indian mythology may be used for comparative purposes.

A study of the goals, methods and subject matter of Greco-Roman science. Pays special attention to how science relates to the broader social, religious and intellectual context of the ancient world.

This course will focus on a variety of ancient Greek heroes: Herakles, Achilles, Odysseus, Agamemnon, MeleagerJason, Aeneas, Thesus, Perseus and more. We will read great epics such as Homer's Iliad & Odyssey, the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius, Virgil's Aeneid; we will also read about these heroes in Greek tragedies, lyric poetry of Pindar and Bacchyides and the Metamorphoses of Ovid. In addition to literary sources, we will be looking at artistic representations of these heroes on Greek vases and sarcophagi, and in later art up to and including modern art.

A study of Greek history from its beginnings to the death of Socrates. Emphasis is placed on a close analysis of the primary sources.

An analysis of the institutions, literature, and political thought inspired by the democracy of fifth- and fourth-century Athens.

This course will look at uses of ancient Greece and Rome in American civic life and culture, with a focus on the reception of Classical ideas and models during periods of conflict in the US. This will include American engagement with the Classics in the revolutionary and constitutional periods, in the abolitionist movements of the nineteenth century and the civil rights era of the twentieth century, and in discussions about race, gender, and class identity in the twenty-first century.

A survey of Roman civilization from the Regal period to the late Republic, with a special focus on the political and social forces that led to the establishment of the Principate. Concentrates on the primary sources for this period, including the historians, inscriptions, and monuments.

A survey of Roman imperial civilization from the first to the sixth century. Concentrates on the primary sources for this period, including the historians, inscriptions, monuments, and coins.

An introduction to the methodologies employed by archaeologists. Most examples will be drawn from the artifacts, sites and monuments of the ancient Mediterranean world.

Introduces students to the art of mural (wall) painting in the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age through Late Antiquity, and to the art of mosaic from its origins in Classical Greece through Late Antiquity. Topics addressed are the techniques of fresco and mosaic; the relationship of mural painting to lost panel paintings by famous artists; the social meaning of wall and floor decoration in the ancient world; the roles of artist and patron; the Roman response to Greek painting and mosaic; and the Christian response to pagan painting and mosaic.

Considers the political, religious, and cultural encounters between the ancient Greek world and Asia generated by the expedition of Alexander the Great and the interpretations of the story of Alexander found in different cultural traditions from antiquity to the present day, from religious texts to heavy metal music.

Examines the representations of mortal and immortal women in a variety of mythological narratives and in art. Consideration is given to the relationships between these representations and contemporary ideas about and images of women. Students should read Homer's Iliad and Odyssey in translation before enrolling in this class.

Examines the ancient city of Pompeii, with particular emphasis on the houses in which families lived. Domestic spaces both reflected and reinforced certain family structures, and so the houses of Pompeii provide us with information about subjects as varied as the power of the father, ancient slavery, the experience of childhood, the role of women, and ancient notions of public and private space, all of which topics will be addressed in this course through an examination of material culture. For purposes of comparison, the course will also briefly investigate the domestic spaces of the nearby site of Herculaneum, as well as other Italian sites like Cosa and Ostia.

A study of Greek and Roman oratory based on the reading and rhetorical analysis of speeches delivered in the law courts and assemblies of 5th and 4th century Athens, and the late period of the Roman Republic (80-45 BC) where the focus will be on the law court speeches of Cicero. The course involves both an introduction to the legal procedures of the Athenian and Roman courts and assemblies, and careful analysis of the literary style and forms of legal argument in selected speeches.

Study of the power of words to create and to resolve conflict in Ancient Greek and Roman democracy. Close examination of ancient literary and historical sources in translation with comparison to modern parallels. Public speaking exercise on the model of the rhetoric of Georgias.

In this course, we will explore how the ancient Greeks and Romans engaged with the natural world surrounding them. Our course will consider several themes, including the relationship between city and country; philosophical treatments of the natural world; the role of the environment in literature; and the conceptualization of the universe and its origins. We will base our discussion of these themes on our analysis of evidence from antiquity, which will span both material remains like Greek temples and Roman villas as well as literary and philosophical works central to western civilization. Looking back at ancient philosophy, pastoral poems, and early epics, we will read selections from authors such as the pre-Socratic philosophers, Homer, Hesiod, Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, and Seneca. Alongside our study of the ancient world, we will glance ahead to consider the reception of the Greeks and Romans' treatment of nature, with our contemporary readings including selections from Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'.

A detailed study of the archaeological remains from ancient sanctuaries. The buildings and monuments are studied in connection with other evidence for religious behavior in the different ancient cultures. Emphasis is on the cults and shrines of Ancient Greece and Rome but in different years, the ancient Near East and Egypt also are considered. Counts toward fulfillment of the Visual Arts major.

How do we know that Vesuvius erupted on August 24, 79 A.D., that the Temple of Zeus at Olympia was completed by 456 B.C. or that the bulk of the construction of the Pantheon in Rome took place in the 120's A.D.? This course surveys the physical techniques and historical method that lie behind dates like these.

Designed for selected students with approval of a professor and the Department Chair. This work may be done for one or two semesters.

Designed for selected students with approval of a professor and the Department Chair. This work may be done for one or two semesters.

A first course in Greek language involving a systematic introduction to Attic or Homeric Greek through an intensive study of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.

A first course in Greek language involving a systematic introduction to Attic or Homeric Greek through an intensive study of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.

Translation and analysis of Greek prose and poetry, with close attention to grammar and syntax. Students without the prerequisite should consult the department.

Translation and analysis of Greek prose and poetry, with close attention to grammar and syntax. Students without the prerequisite should consult the department.

A close reading in Greek of a variety of lyric poets such as Alcaeus, Pindar, and Sappho.

A reading of selected books of the Iliad and/or Odyssey with special attention to their literary value as well as to problems of oral composition, metrics, linguistics, authorship and text history.

Exegesis and translation of a biography by Plutarch, with attention to his essays and his place in Greek literature.

An examination of selected passages from the historian Herodotus' account of the Persian Wars.

An in-depth survey of Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War. Extensive selections of historical and literary significance are read in the original Greek.

A close study of the speeches of one or more Attic orators. One unit.

A detailed study of the Agamemnon and other dramas of Aeschylus in the original.

An analysis of two plays in Greek, with special attention to Euripides' dramatic technique.

Designed for selected students with approval of a professor and the Department Chair. This work may be done for one or two semesters.

Designed for selected students with approval of a professor and the Department Chair. This work may be done for one or two semesters.

A first course in Latin. As you are introduced to fundamentals of Latin grammar, you encounter a historical language and culture, and engage with how that language and culture continue to shape structures of power today.

A continuation of Latin 101.

For students with two or more years of study in Latin at the secondary-schoollevel. This course includes a systematic review of grammar, and selected readingsfrom Latin authors

For students who have completed LATN 101 and 102. This course includes selected readings from Latin authors and an extensive grammar review.

For students who have completed LATN 101 and 102 or two years of pre-college Latin. This course includes selected readings from Latin authors and an extensive grammar review.

This intensive intermediate level course will consolidate the student's knowledge of Latin grammar through reading a variety of Latin texts.

Extensive readings from the works of the Roman historians Sallust and Livy. Study of the sources and methods of Roman historiography.

Concentrates on the Annals of Tacitus. Consideration is given to the Historiae, Agricola, and Germania.

Selected orations of Cicero are read in the original. Emphasis is placed on rhetorical analysis and on the interpretation of historical and political developments of the first century B.C.E.

Selected letters of Cicero and Pliny are read in the original Latin, while those of Seneca are read in English. Consideration is also given to historical background and to the development of letter writing as a literary form.

A detailed study of selected satires of Juvenal. Although emphasis is placed on the literary analysis of satire, some attention is also given to Juvenal's works as a source for understanding first century CE Rome.

Selected poems from the four books of Odes are read in the original. Emphasis is placed on literary analysis and interpretation. In addition, students read a sampling of Horace's other poetic works in the original.

A literary study and analysis of the poems of Catullus.

Reading in the original of selected works from the Patristic period. This course can count toward fulfillment of the Religious Studies major.

A study of Vergil's epic with emphasis on its literary artistry.

The development of pastoral and agricultural poetry, as exemplified in Vergil's two poetic masterpieces, Eclogues and Georgics.

Selected plays of Plautus and Terence read in Latin, combined with a study of Greek sources of Roman comedy.

Selected poems from the four books Propertius' elegies are read in the original. Appropriate attention is paid to the background of the elegiac genre. Emphasis is placed on literary analysis and interpretation. One unit.

A close examination of the literary artistry of a number of individual stories in the Metamorphoses.

Study of the ancient Latin translation of Josephus with comparison to the original Greek text.

Designed for selected students with approval of a professor and the Department Chair. This work may be done for one or two semesters.

Designed for selected students with approval of a professor and the Department Chair. This work may be done for one or two semesters.