Classical Culture Courses

Sculpture produced in Rome and the Roman Empire from 200 BC to AD 330 with an emphasis on portraiture, mythological statuary, and state reliefs. Topics of interest include materials and techniques, ancient display and function, literary descriptions of statuary, Roman viewers, and the modern…

The expanding world of Greek culture in the period from 750 to 480 BC, including consideration of the many new and influential developments in art, literature, history, political science, and philosophy, and their interrelationships.

The archaeology of the Greek colonies in Ionia, Magna Graecia, and the Black Sea area is examined to identify and explain the combination of Greek and indigenous cultures in these areas on the fringes of the Greek world.

Archaeology, art, culture, and history of Greece and the East from the rise of Alexander to Rome's annexation of Egypt.

Examination of the literary, material, and environmental evidence for Roman occupation in Britain; investigation of the interaction between indigenous and Roman populations to illustrate processes of Romanization; examination of the social and economic structure of the Roman frontier in Britain…

Selected Roman cities and their architecture; principles upon which they were planned and designed. Roman reworking of the theories of Hippodamus, and study of the architectural writings of Vitruvius. Detailed study of the topography and monuments of various Roman cities, including Rome, Ostia,…

The art and culture of the people of Northern Italy known as the Etruscans, with special attention to their relationship with the Greek world and their role in the development of Rome as a city.

Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the area destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Concentration will be on political, social, religious, and economic life, combined with a study of the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the excavated cities and villas.

The archaeology of the Western and/or Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, concentrating on the major cities and sanctuaries and their physical remains.

The civilization of Roman North Africa from the Punic period through the Arab Conquest, using the important city of Carthage as a model.

Open only to students participating in the University's Carthage excavation.

All aspects of modern field archaeology on a classical site, including excavation techniques, the keeping of field records, and the classification and conservation of finds from the moment of recovery to their final disposition in museums.

Open only to students participating in the…

The literature and history of late antiquity (270-400 AD) with attention to political, social, intellectual, and religious developments

Ancient comedy in English translation, concentrating on fifth-century Athens, and tracing its changing focus through Menander to Plautus and Terence; also considered will be the theoretical basis of comedy as discussed by Aristotle and others, as well as the place of comedy within the history of…

The conventions of classical tragedy as exemplified in the plays (in English translation) of the Greek dramatists Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, as well as the Roman tragedian Seneca.

The epic poetry of Greece and Rome with emphasis on Homer and Vergil, some attention being given to other epic works, such as those by Apollonius of Rhodes, Ennius, and Lucan. The historical and cultural background of epic will be examined, and the poems will be read in English translation.

The origins of the rationalist tradition in medicine; folk and cult methods of healing; the medical construction of gender differences; attitudes toward the body, including asceticism; and topics in the social history of medicine (such as childbirth, disease, and medical society) will be…

The interpretation and analysis of ancient myths, particularly those of Greece and Rome.

Ancient prose fiction (in English translation), including the Latin novels of Petronius and Apuleius and examples of the Greek novel. Topics include the relationship between the novel and other literary genres, the social and intellectual background of the authors, the themes of love, travel,…

An examination of the influence and reception of classical texts in the literature and culture of later eras (e.g., the Middle Ages and Renaissance).

An analysis of what it meant to be alone in the Roman world. The course examines the literature on solitary experience and explores spaces of solitude in ancient built environments. Coursework prompts students to reflect on contemporary ideas about loneliness and isolation from a historical…

An introduction to the myths of classical antiquity through their reception on stage and screen. A focus on formal techniques of adaptation and allusion creates connections across time periods and media, especially theater, opera, and television/film. Emphasis is laid on the role that…

Special topics in the civilization of Greece and Rome. Topics will vary as demand requires

Special topics in the civilization of ancient Greece and Rome. Topics will vary as demand requires.

Studies Abroad

Law and its functions in ancient society from archaic Greece through the fifth century A.D. Includes discussion of Greek, Roman, and Christian legal codes, legal procedure, and the theory of law; also of law as a source for social history, especially issues of gender, class, crime, and the…

Topics in ancient history that vary by year and instructor. Subject matter may include, for example, "The Hellenistic World"; "The Social History of the Roman Empire"; "Late Antiquity."

Cross-listed with HIST 4329/6329.

An examination of the ancient Greek theater and theatrical performance.

Examination of the archaeological, literary, and environmental evidence for the ancient city of Athens, from the Dark Ages through the Roman period, with special emphasis on the creation of the polis, its social, economic, and cultural systems, and its place within the wider Greek world.

Examination of the archaeological, literary, and topographical evidence for the ancient city of Rome, from the Regal period through the fourth century A.D., with special emphasis on the architectural development of the urban/suburban continuum in ancient Rome and its environs.

Introduction to social science aspects of the ancient world: the economy, agriculture, demography, nourishment, disease. The course includes us of theoretical models and comparative material from other societies to illuminate equivalent aspects of the ancient world, where often not enough…

This course traces the tragic and comic texts and performance contexts of the Roman theatre and the theatricality of spectacle and politics in the Roman Republic and early Imperial Rome. Emphasis is placed on theatre design and spectacle entertainment and the legacy of Rome on British and…

An examination of funerals, disposal, and the commemoration of the dead in ancient Greece and Italy and the legacy of ancient death in the modern era from Medieval to contemporary practices. Emphasis is placed on death in the urban and suburban landscape and the changing periphery of the dead.…

Examination of the ruins and monuments of Classical antiquity in Greece, Italy, and Egypt as the literal and figurative destinations of the Grand Tour and the inspiration for Neoclassicism in Europe and North America that imitated the grandeur of Classical antiquity in politics, the arts and…

An examination of the cultural legacy of classical antiquity on the development of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, and Modern art and architecture studied against the backdrop of the rise of Christianity, Humanism, the Counter-Reformation, the Enlightenment, Nationalism, and…

Study of the production and display of art in Rome, focusing on use of ancient art in later periods and development of early museums. Special emphasis on the display of classical art in Rome’s churches, gardens, and museums, and its influence on collections and installations across Europe…

An introduction to how history is written. Comparison between ancient Greek, Roman, and Chinese traditions provides a historical perspective on the construction of contemporary narratives about the past. Central topics include genre, style and structure, authenticity, power, and the role of…

The phonology, morphology, and syntax of the classical Sanskrit language, emphasizing the position of Sanskrit within the Indo-European language family and its importance for Indo-European linguistics.

Cross-listed with LING 4610/6610.

Continued studies in both the synchronic and diachronic grammar of classical Sanskrit.

Cross-listed with LING 4620/6620.

Special topics in the reception of Classical antiquity in art, architecture, ideas, and economics in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Consideration of continuities and discontinuities, change and innovation, and social, political, and cultural contexts.

Research while enrolled for a master's degree under the direction of faculty members.

Independent research under the direction of a faculty member.

Thesis writing under the direction of the major professor.

Independent research and thesis preparation.

Methods, history, and bibliography in philology and other areas of the classics as a background to graduate study in Greek and/or Latin.

Topics in Greek literature or civilization.

Topics in Roman literature or civilization.