Spring 2010 Courses

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Courses
Professor
Schedule

Classical Language Courses
CLSL 002 - Latin II
Wahlberg
 MTWR 1:15-2:05
CLSL 109 - Medieval Latin
McManus
 R 1:15-3:45
CLSL 249 - Ovid
Wahlberg
 TR 2:40-3:55
CLSL 265 - Roman Satire
Osgood
 MW 2:40-3:55
CLSL 290 - Prose: Pagans & Christians
Bryen
 MW 1:15-2:30
CLSG 002 - Ancient Greek II
Sens
 MTWR 12:15-1:05
CLSG 200 - Homer
McNelis
 TR 10:15-11:30
Bryen
 TR 4:15-530
Classical Studies Courses

CLSS 120 - Intro to Roman Archeology

 Nitschke TR 10:15-11:30
Keesling
 TR 1:15-2:30
Bryen
 MW 4:15-5:30
Wahlberg
 MW 10:15-11:30
CLSS 213 - Hellenistic Art & Archeology Nitschke TR 11:40-12:55
CLSS 223 - Roman Sexuality
McNelis
 TR 11:40-12:55
CLSS 262 - Greek Tragedy & Politics Parara MW 1:15-2:30
CLSS 264 - Political Thought & the Formation of the Greek Polis Parara MW 8:50-10:05
CLSS 266 - The Age of Alexander Sens MW 2:40-3:55
CLSS 430 - Cicero: A New Man in the Courts of Rome Osgood T 4:15-6:30

 

Descriptions

CLSL 002 - Latin II
A continuation of CLSL 001
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CLSL 109 - Medieval Latin
For students with three semesters of college Latin or the equivalent. The course is an introduction to the Latin writings of the Middle Ages. Slected works from a variety of genres are read and discussed, with particular attention paid to the development of the Latin language of the post-Classical period. Spring.
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CLSL 249 - Ovid
For students entering into advanced courses for the first time. Selections from Ovid's Metamorphoses with discusion of style theme and myth.
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CLSL 265 - Roman Satire
Satire in verse was an original and distinctive Roman contribution to world literature. Its inventor, Lucilius, was later remembered for his complete and outspokenness, while Horace, writing as the old Republic disappeared, had to mute its tone, and then abandoned it altogether, leaving its future up in the air. Two great practitioners emerged in the imperial period, Persius and Juvenal, at work under Nero and Hadrian respectively; and just as Horace had defined himself in relation to Lucilius, each of the these poets glances back at Horace and Lucilius together, and cast themselves as satiric successors forced to confront what satire could be under emperors, after Horace. In this class, after a brief introduction to Lucilius and reading of selected Horatian satires, we focus on Persius and Juvenal as 'satiric successors." Attention will also be paid to the rebirth of verse satire in the Renaissance, its practitioners since then --also 'satiric successors'-- as well as the reception of Persius and Juvenal more generally.
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CLSL 290 - Prose: Pagan & Christians
The study of Late Antiquity -formerly "post-classical" culture (in a democracy sense)- has proven to be one of the most intellectually fertile branches of classics studies. The problem of religious change and the eventual "strange triumph" of Christianity likewise provoked contemporary authors to express themselves with strong words and emotions. In this class we will read a selection of Latin texts that document this new and changing world: the Passo Perpetuae, a martyr narrative claiming to be written in party by a young Roman woman in third century North Africa; a selections from the Historia Augusta, a bizarre, scurrilous, and fraudulent collection of imperial biographies; the Itinerarium Egeriae, which documents a pilgrimage through the Holy Land; and the History of Appolonius King of Tyre, a late Latin novel; and more, if time permits and students excel.
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CLSG 002 - Ancient Greek II
A continuation of CLSG 001
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CLSG 200 - Homer
For advanced students of Greek only. We will read selections primarily from the Iliad that focus on Achilles; themes such as heroism, family, and social obligations will be at the fore, and intense scrutiny of Homeric diction and metrical practices will enhance our awareness of the brilliance of Homeric poetry.
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CLSG 239 - New Testament Greek
A central question in the study of the New Testament is: Is Christianity unique? If it is, then how is it possible to study a singularity? If it is not, then how do we contextualize it? In this course we will approach this question through looking at the construction of Christian lives in the first few centuries AD. We will read the book of Acts closely, and then turn to lives that modeled themselves on Jesus and the Apostles, and in turn, provided models for others. In particular, we will read selections from martyrological texts and Athanasius' Life of St. Anthony. Additionally, we will read (in English) some competing pagan lives; selections from the Greek novels, the Acts of the Alexandrians, selections from Libanius' Autobiography, and the emperor Julian's Misopogon.
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CLSS 120 - Intro to Roman Archeology
This course is a study of the Roman world, including the Italian peninsula and the Roman provinces (extending from Britain to North Africa, Spain to Syria) from the eighth century BC until the fifth century AD through an examination of its material remains, including temples, baths, houses, public monuments, sculpture, and other associated artifacts. Lecture and class discussion will center on how the art and monuments of Rome and the provinces reflect the culture that produced them and how they relate to the major historical, social and philosophical developments. In addition to a chronological overview of architecture and monuments, we will consider such topics as the iconography of political power, urbanization, art and identity, romanization and the archaeology of imperialism, the material of everyday life, religion (including the role of art in the transition to Christianity), and funerary practices. Requirements for the course include midterm and final exams, two quizzes, two brief writing assignments and a final project.
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CLSS 130 - History of Ancient Greece
This course traces the political, cultural, and social history of ancient Greece from the end of the 'Dark Age' in the eighth century BC through the conquests of Alexander the Great in the 330s B.C. The course focuses upon the development of the religious, political, military and social institutions of Athens and Sparta, but we also consider more widespread phenomena such as colonization, and the interaction between the polities of ancient Greece and the broader eastern Mediterranean world. Reading assignments include selections from Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, and Aristotle, as well as secondary source material. Texts are supplemented by presentations of the archaeological evidence for Greek history.
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CLSS 141 - Roman History: Empire
In the aftermath of the civil wars of the late first century BC, a new form of government emerged in the city of Rome. Rule by the princeps (also imperator, autokrator, Caesar, Augustus) would persist throughout the Mediterranean littoral for five hundred years in the Latin speaking West, and far longer in the Greek-speaking East. The emperors rules over a geographically, linguistically, ethnically, and culturally diverse patchwork of peoples and territories; presided over a government that evolved from a republic to a near-monarchy and eventually to a bureaucratized citizen-state; oversaw powerful and violent armies and aristocracies; and lived through the most consequential religious transformation in the history of the Western world. In this overview of the first five centuries of the Roman Empire we will use primary and secondary sources to contemplate how empires rule, what made the Romans successful, and how the experience of ruling differed from the experience of being ruled.
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CLSS 170 - Classical Mythology
The origins and significance of gods and heroes, the dominant patterns of Greco-Roman myth, and a survey of major contemporary approaches to mythology.
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CLSS 213 - Hellenistic Art & Archeology
The Hellenistic world, broadly encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean region from the reign of Alexander the Great in 336 to 30 BC with Augustus' defeat of the Kleopatra, was a time of artistic achievement and diversity unparalleled in antiquity. This period witnessed the rise of a new type of monarchy under the Macedonian dynasts, the spread of Hellenic cultural forms over a wide geographic area spanning from Rome to India, closer political and economic connections between the Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, technological advances, a new intellectualism, and new ideas in the realm of religion and philosophy, all of which had huge ramifications on the artistic output of this time, which include some of the most stunning works in the ancient world. This course provides students with a thorough study of the art and archaeology of the Hellenistic age considered in its political, religious, and social context. As we examine monuments and works both major and minor, we will give special attention to themes and issues such as power and propaganda in art, portraiture and individualism, luxury crafts, theatrical architecture, city and space, and interaction with non-Greek cultures and the so-called phenomenon of 'hellenization'; special attention will be given to the impact of Hellenistic art and architecture on Roman culture. Requirements for the course include two short writing assignments, two exams during the term, and a final research paper. The final weeks of the course will focus on the discussion of major scholarly issues in Hellenistic archaeology and on how to do advanced research in the field of ancient art and archaeology.
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CLSS 223 - Roman Sexuality
This course will consider ways in which Roman attitudes towards and practices concerning sexual activity provide insights to and about the construction of ancient Roman society. We will analyze various forms of ancient evidence (e.g. literature, visual art, legal documents) and modern theoretical approaches that reflect a variety of viewpoints about Roman sexuality, and from there we will consider
ways in which we may (or may not) reconsider topics such as class, status, and gender in ancient Rome.
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CLSS 262 - Greek Tradegy & Politics
The course focuses upon the political analysis of Greek tragedy. It discusses how closely the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides mirror the political culture of the "polis". The fact that each tragedy was presented once to the whole citizenry indicates the specific gravity of that event. Additional readings from historiography and philosophy will introduce students to the political thought of the city state of Athens in the fifth century.
Spring 2010 Syllabus
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CLSS 264 - Political Thought & the Formation of the Greek Polis
The course examines the political milieus and thought described in the archaic Greek poetry, epic and lyric. First it focuses on the foundations and structures of political societies in Homer (general notion of humanity, foundations of power and legitimacy, the institutions and the political life of the Achaean world, the search for perfect societies) and on the notions of nation, state, empire in the Homeric poems. Second it examines the distance from heroic poetry by later poets and the introduction of ideals and morals that reflect the formation of the polis. The course concludes on to what extend legend, history and politics are interrelated in the formation of civic ideology in the archaic Greek polis.
Spring 2010 Syllabus
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CLSS 266 - The Age of Alexander
This class explores the literature, art and philosophy of the Hellenistic Age, the period following the death of Alexander the Great, in light of the cultural changes wrought by Alexander's campaigns. Some attention will be paid to the biography of Alexander and his successors, but the primary focus will be on Hellenistic culture, and in particular on the works of poets like Theocritus, Callimachus and Apollonius and prose writers like Polybius.
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CLSS 430 - Cicero: A New Man in the Courts of Rome
In 64 BC Marcus Tullius Cicero was elected consul of Rome, the first man in a generation to hold the office who was not from Rome's hereditary ruling class. Representing influential Romans in both civil and criminal cases, Cicero owed his unusual political success to his skills as a lawyer. In this seminar we study together the surviving transcripts of Cicero's speeches to reconstruct how the courts of Rome worked; attention will also be paid to Cicero's political ascent, his canvass for the consulship, and the conspiracy he claims to have uncovered while in office. Extraordinary individuals will be met --Verres, the rapacious governor of Sicily; Cicero's great rival, Hortensius, devoted to gourmet food and his pet lampreys; Atticus, the tight-fisted banker who served as Cicero's confidant; and above all Cicero himself, the flawed genius whose brilliant words survive today to light up a world 2000 years old. Requirements: weekly reading and participation at seminar meetings; development and execution of a twenty-page research paper.
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