Classical Studies (Spring 2026)
CLSS 1010 Intro to Greek Art/Archaeology (Catherine Keesling)
This course offers both a chronological survey of ancient Greek material culture and an introduction to the methods of discovery and analysis employed by Classical (Greek and Roman) archaeologists. Most class meetings will focus on the major monuments, archaeological sites, art works, and other artifacts of the ancient Greek world from Bronze Age prehistory through to the Archaic (ca. 600-480 BC), Classical (ca. 480-323 BC), and Hellenistic (ca. 323-30 BC) periods. In addition to considering major sites such as Knossos, Mycenae,
Athens, Delphi, and Olympia, we will trace the development of Greek architecture, sculpture, city planning, painting, and other art forms over time. We will also consider the nature of the archaeological evidence for the ancient Greeks and the relationship of Classical archaeology to other disciplines such as art history, history, and the classical languages. Midterm and final exams will be based upon slides seen in class and available through Powerpoint presentations; students will research and write two short papers.
CLSS 1061 Intro to Medieval Latin Literature (Justin Haynes)
This course surveys the wide variety of Latin literature written between the waning of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance. A particular theme will be the massive influence exercised by Cicero, Virgil, and Ovid. We will read some epic poems as well as love poetry; prose genres will include philosophy (Boethius), history, and letters by major scholars and clerics that reveal much about daily life. The course will end with a consideration of Latin works written by the three crowns of Florence: Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch. All assigned texts will be read in English translation; no knowledge of Latin or Classical literature is required or assumed.
CLSS 2009 Ancient Greek Religion (Catherine Keesling)
Ancient Greek religion has often been characterized as a religious system fueled more by ritual practice than by belief: there was no central sacred text comparable to the Bible or the Koran, and no body of dogma to which worshippers subscribed. The most important religious ritual was animal sacrifice. Both the ritual practices and the underlying motives and beliefs of Greek religion were complex, giving evidence of a long historical development and significant local variation. In this course, we will explore this complexity through readings from important recent scholarship on a variety of topics to include the following: the theory and practice of animal sacrifice, sacred laws governing the behavior of worshippers, the role of the Panhellenic sanctuaries at Olympia and Delphi, religious festivals, priests and priestesses, the role of women in Greek religion, oracles, and mystery cults.
CLSS 2022 Women & Gender in Ancient Egypt (Lingxin Zhang)
Who is the “femme Fatale” in ancient Egyptian literature? How did “love spells” work? What did ancient Egyptian women write about in their private letters? This course guides students to explore the lives of queens, elite women, and ordinary people by reading the words written by these women and the words written about them. We will explore how ancient Egyptians conveyed sexual differences and established gender norms. We will then investigate the exceptional circumstances under which these norms are challenged. This class relies on textual sources, material cultures, and archaeological evidence from ancient Egypt. It supplements the discussion with relevant theories in gender studies.
CLSS 2045 Comparative Empires (Josiah Osgood & Alison Games)
This class takes a comparative and interdisciplinary approach to the history of empires of the ancient and early modern worlds, with a special focus on empires and their cultural expressions. Topics include cultures of conquest and occupation, provincialism, slavery, resistance, critiques and celebrations, and legacies, as we explore how empires were created, challenged, sustained, and dismantled in the past. The class is discussion-based and incorporates excursions in Washington, including a visit to Dumbarton Oaks and a walking tour. This class is cross-listed by the Classics and History Departments.
CLSS 2058 Indo-European Language/Culture (Andrew Merritt)
Languages, like people, can be genetically related, forming families derived from a common source. By comparing languages whose systematic similarities can only be explained by appeal to shared ancestry, it is possible to reconstruct not only their parent language but also aspects of its speakers’ culture and world, such as ecology and mythology. In this course, we will examine the grammar and vocabulary of Proto-Indo-European (PIE), the language ancestral to Greek, Latin, and English itself, and go on to survey the chief historical developments of these and other such daughter languages in both linguistic and cultural terms.
CLSS 2068 Rome After Nero (Charles McNelis)
The Colosseum, ultimate symbol of Rome and its empire, emerged from a context of chaos brought about by the Great Fire, the death of Nero, and the civil war that followed. Alongside numerous other outstanding works of art, literature, and architecture from Rome, Pompeii, and the empire at large, the Colosseum simultaneously represents a resurgence of Roman ancestral values and optimism for the future. In this literature and archaeology course, we will examine the complex political and cultural landscape of this period of rebuilding. Through analysis of poems, historical accounts, paintings, sculpture, villas, civic architecture, and more, we will develop an understanding of how values that defined Rome and Romans were reconfigured in lasting ways during the Flavian dynasty (69-96 CE).
CLSS 3055 Egyptomania (Lingxin Zhang)
Ancient Egypt has always occupied a prominent place in the global imagination. This course examines the reception and reinterpretation of ancient Egypt from Classical Antiquity to the present, with examples demonstrating how this ancient civilization has inspired Western monarchs, Egyptian nationalists (notably the Wafd), artists, and spiritual practitioners around the world. Students will dive into a mesmerizing world where Egypt’s antiquity is both appreciated and appropriated. Against this background, students will critically engage with the complex intersections of cultural heritage, colonialist histories, and global inequalities through class discussions, case studies, a research presentation, and a research paper.
Classics: Latin (Spring 2026)
CLSL 1012 Latin II (Andrew Merritt)
This is an intensive introduction to the Latin language. By the end of the year, students will have been introduced to all basic Latin morphology and syntax and will be able to read texts in the original with the aid of a dictionary. Unabridged selections from works by Julius Caesar and the poet Catullus are studied in the spring semester.
CLSL 2044 Tacitus (Josiah Osgood)
Tacitus’ Annals are a masterly study of politics, power and corruption in first century AD Rome, with the institution of the principate as their focal point. This course will cover the opening 15 chapters of his great work and then turn to episodes that focus on the infamous emperor Nero (e.g. 12.41-69; 13.1-30; 14.1-28; 15.33-47), including his rise to power, the murders he perpetrated (including that of his mother), and the execution of Christians. These sections of Tacitus’ narrative concern important issues such as imperial succession, the nature of history, the role of a leader in relation to his larger community, and all sorts of reflections upon Roman culture and civilization. Particular emphasis will be placed upon Tacitus’ style and its relation to earlier Latin prose authors as well as the artistry of the historian in constructing his account. Students will develop a strong understanding of Tacitus’ handling of topics such as religion, sexuality, and the family; most of all, their command of Latin will greatly improve.
CLSL 2083 Boethius (Justin Haynes)
This course will focus on Boethius’ most famous work, the Consolatio Philosophiae. Written in the early sixth century by a Roman senator facing execution, the Consolatio is a profound philosophical meditation on human nature that straddles the divide between classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. Its influence on later literature would be hard to overstate, and its authorial voice, calmly rational in the face of great adversity, has brought comfort to generations. Composed in alternating prose and poetry, the Consolatio has a multifaceted quality that encompasses many genres from autobiography to epic. The text will be read in the original Latin.
Classics: Ancient Greek (Spring 2026)
CLSG 1012 Ancient Greek II (Alexander Sens)
Greek 1011 is the first half of Georgetown’s year-long introduction to the Ancient Greek language, which is meant to instruct students to read Greek texts through an intensive study of morphology and syntax. During the course, students will be guided through the normative grammar of Attic Greek. By the end of the second semester, we will have completed all 20 units of Hansen and Quinn’s Greek: An Intensive Course as well as selections from the Attic orator Lysias. By the end of the year, after taking CLSG 1011 and 1012, students will have been introduced to all basic Greek syntax and grammar and will be able to read texts by Homer, Euripides, Plato and others in the original, with the aid of a dictionary.
CLSG 2088 Biblical Greek (Andrew Merritt)
This course will consolidate students’ knowledge of Ancient Greek grammar and syntax, as well as introducing them to Attic literature through two of its most brilliant and influential authors, Plato and Euripides. This course is suitable for students who have taken two semesters of Ancient Greek at the college level, or have permission of the instructor. Satisfies COL language requirement.
CLSG 3005 Odyssey (Charles McNelis)
In this advanced course, students read several thousand lines of the Odyssey in Greek, especially Books 1, 5-7, 9-11, 19, 22, and 24. In the course of our reading, we will discuss the Homeric dialect, heroic themes, meter, and the oral tradition from which this great epic emerged.