CLA 101-7 College Seminar: American Classics: Ancient Greece and Rome in Modern Culture and Film
In this course we will examine, and learn how to write about, the role of Ancient Greece and Rome in American film and culture. Preliminary steps in this study will involve introductions to various historic eras of the ancient Greco-Roman world as well as important elements of ancient culture. Our emphasis will, however, not be analysis of antiquity itself but rather of recent American engagement with that antiquity, particularly in film. We will examine not just how antiquity perseveres in American culture, but how popular art creatively and critically engages with inherited Classical traditions. We will also consider engagement with Classical antiquity in some non-cinematic media as well, such as the graphic novel and even the architecture of the city of Chicago.
In addition to the scholarly elements of this course, it will also serve as an introduction to college life itself. We will learn about specific resources on campus that exist to enable student success as well as discuss student well-being and personal success strategies. Your instructor will be your academic advisor this term and this will incorporate advising related activities to help students succeed not only in this class but at the university generally.
CLA 101-8 First-Year Writing Seminar: Endless Exile: Home and Homelessness in the Ancient Mediterranean World
The topic of exile—the forced abandonment of the place and world one calls home—captured the imagination of peoples across the ancient Mediterranean. The Greek Odyssey and Roman Aeneid, famous accounts of the predicaments of classical exile, were by no means isolated instances. These renowned poems were in conversation with narratives that circulated widely among neighboring Egyptian, Hebrew, Babylonian, Phoenician, and other ancient communities, in stories which not only produced echoes among themselves, but very likely borrowed from each other. In this seminar, we will read and discuss representative accounts of exile from the ancient Mediterranean world, highlighting their historical and geographical specificity but also reflecting on their treatment of common concerns and themes—such as homelessness and hospitality, longing and belonging, identity and otherness, hosts and guests, refugees and havens, pain and nostalgia, presence and absence, etc. While the seminar will highlight the historical and archaeological coordinates of those narratives, we will also reflect upon their relevance in discussing the very current reality of exilic life in today’s world.
As a first-year seminar, this course is meant to hone your abilities in the practice of academic writing. The activities for the seminar address this goal by implementing peer-review processes and exploring different writing techniques and sequences.
CLA 211 Greek History and Culture: From Homer to Alexander the Great
This course will serve as an introduction to the history, culture, and peoples of the Ancient Greek world between the age of Homer (c. 7th century BCE) and the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE). Our emphasis will be on social, political, artistic, and intellectual developments across the period. We will pay special attention to the unique nature of ancient Athenian democracy as well as the politics and culture of other city-states, including Sparta. Our primary sources will be literary, but we will also for unique insights into ancient people's lives, ideas, and values.
The course is a general history survey, starting with Rome’s humble beginnings and ending with the collapse of the Roman Empire. It will trace the story of how a small city state in central Italy, on the periphery of the older civilizations of the Near East and Greece, established military and political dominance over Italy; how it built a Mediterranean empire and administered it for centuries; how a long period of crisis led to its decline and partition into an eastern and western half; and finally how the western half collapsed. In addition to this chronological narrative, the course will treat several key themes and concepts in Roman culture. The Roman military will receive attention, as will gender relations and public spectacles. Roman religion and the role of slavery will also be discussed.
CLA 245 Classics and the Cinema: Ancient Greeks and Romans on the Big Screen
This course inquires into the phenomenon of adaptations of Greco-Roman narratives to the language and conditions of modern cinematography. The class begins with an overview of the framework and methods of Reception Studies, and a short account of some technical tools and terminology necessary to appropriately examine the audiovisual aspects of film. Equipped with these analytical instruments, we will discuss selected ancient narratives, both mythological and historical, and then interrogate the mechanisms through which those stories have been adapted to the technological apparatuses, sociocultural expectations, and economic dynamics constitutive of the practice of modern filmmaking. Through an eclectic selection of film adaptations from different periods and parts of the world, we will interrogate the way world cinema negotiates between the “old” and the “new,” both by deploying visual and narrative techniques to depict ancient motifs, and by using those tales to convey modern historical preoccupations, political ideals, and cultural expectations.
CLA 250 / CLS 201 Literatures of the Ancient World: Love Scripts: from Sappho to Taylor Swift
Romantic love, although a personal and intimate experience, unfolds amid social norms that guide or regulate many of its aspects, from the identification of a desirable partner to expectations about the outcome of the relationship. The “scripts” to be studied in this course refer both to the material traces of love songs transmitted from antiquity to the present on papyri, calf skin, or medieval manuscripts, and to the social protocols implied in and through those texts. As we read poems originating from ancient Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome—including homoerotic poems sung at drinking parties and sophisticated love elegies addressed to mysterious and probably fictional addressees—we will draw on the resources of literary analysis to explore the narratives and poetic images through which love has been reimagined over time; we will historicize social constructions of the interplay of love, sex, and reproduction; and we will analyze the rhetorical construction of erotic bodies and partners’ roles.
CLA 260 Classical Mythology: Gods and Heroes of Greek Myths
Drawing on a vast repertoire of god and hero names, narrative motifs, and plots, ancient Greek storytellers developed myths that circulated through antiquity in various media and continue to inspire creative artists—from novel writers through theater performers to ad designers—today. This course offers an introduction to major figures and plots from Greek myths. In the first part of the term, we will study various incarnations of major Greek gods across time, space, and storytelling genres. In the second part of the course, we will focus on stories related to the Trojan War and its aftermath as narrated in the two epic poems transmitted under the name of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and in Athenian tragedy.
This course provides an overview of the multicultural and transhistorical phenomenon of ancient Greek mythology. We will pay close attention to the literary and narrative aspects of the mythological corpus (stories, characters, themes, perspectives, etc.) while interrogating their various material and historical implications. Along these lines, we will consider myths as indicative of Mediterranean intercultural transactions; as ornamental and symbolic presences in everyday artifacts and urban monuments; as symptomatic of or allusive to major military tensions among kingdoms, leagues, and city-states; as religious, ritualistic, and philosophical meditations; as performative tools for dramatic and oratory practices; and as mechanisms to negotiate questions of identity in the messy geopolitical scenario of ancient Greece from the late Bronze Age through the Classical period. By using those premises to explore the heterogenous array of textual and non-textual sources that have served to preserve and transmit the tales, we will foreground the importance of integrating archeological findings, historiographic methods, and socio-political and cultural analyses in the discussion of ancient Greek mythology.
CLA 310 Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean: The Archaeology of Athens
Athens was a renowned center of politics, art, religion, and culture throughout antiquity, and even today many of the ancient city’s archaeological features remain as prominent landmarks. This course will examine the topography, archeology, and history of Athens from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman period. In particular, the course will explore how ancient Athenian notions of identity, nationalism, and aesthetics were formed, perpetuated, and challenged through the city’s rich material footprint and urban development. We will ask questions including: How did the religious, political, and social topographies of the city interact with one another? How did certain spaces develop over time to suit the city’s changing needs? How were canons of aesthetics formed and integrated into the city-state’s fabric? In this course, we will also survey Athenian funerary and festival practices, discuss cultural institutions like the theater and the gymnasium, and examine how Athenian gender norms were reflected in material culture. Finally, we will discuss the benefits and limitations of material culture as evidence and how Euro-American receptions of Athens have shaped the field of Classics (the issue of Atheno-centrism).
CLA 314 Topics in Ancient Science and Technology: Ancient Medicine
We will study the theory and practice of Greek and Roman medicine, looking at ancient texts in translation, ancient artifacts and materials, and some modern scholarship. As a term project, students will learn to think like ancient physicians, diagnosing and prescribing treatments for patients from the Hippocratic case studies. During class discussion, we will engage critically with primary sources and examine the differences between ancient and modern science from a balanced historical perspective. We will also investigate the social, cultural, and economic forces that have affected the development of western medicine throughout its history.
CLA 314 Topics in Ancient Science and Technology: Ancient Astronomy
This course will explore the history of European and Near Eastern astronomy from the 7th century BCE to the 6th century CE. Students will learn the fundamentals of the geocentric model, ancient methods of observation, and traditions of cosmology. We will study the history of time-reckoning and calendar-making, as well as portrayals of astronomy and celestial phenomena in myth and literature. In addition to reading ancient texts, students will also make their own observations using models of ancient instruments and the methods of ancient astronomers.
It is perhaps unsurprising that our time - obsessed as it is with GDP growth, the ups and downs of the stock market, inflation rates, the trade deficit - produces scholarship that studies the ancient Roman economy. This scholarship has made us increasingly aware of how different Rome was from the modern world. This course will focus on what that difference means for the realities of everyday life, both past and present. Questions to be addressed are: What did economic growth mean for the economy of the Romans? Can we even measure it? What role did energy consumption play in economic performance? What was the role of social class in business? What was the influence of a demographic regime with low life expectancy? How was trade conducted over long distances without fast means of communication and transportation? What was the role of technology and technological progress in the economy?
CLA 340 Greek and Roman Drama: Athenian Tragedy, Then and Now
The scripts and fragments from plays produced in fifth-century BCE Athens in honor of Dionysos, god of wine and theater, are among the most enduring and powerful legacies of ancient Greek culture. Since their rediscovery in the early modern period, directors, translators, and adapters have repeatedly turned to the poetry of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides to reflect on political, ethical, social, and theological issues of their time. Most recently, the plays have proved fertile ground for directors eager to imagine alternative ways of thinking about race, gender, and class. We will read a selection of Athenian tragedies, with special emphasis on their form, ancient performance context, and themes, as well as select examples of contemporary adaptations. All readings will be in translation, and students will be encouraged to work in groups to perform and develop creative responses to individual scenes.
Ancient Rome is visible in Chicago—walk the city and learn to “read” the streets, buildings, and monuments that showcase Chicago’s engagement with the classical past! You’ll gain digital mapping and video editing skills as you collaborate on a virtual walking tour mapping Chicago’s ongoing dialogue with antiquity. With a combination of experiential learning and rigorous research methodologies, you’ll explore architecture, history, visual arts, and urban topography in this quintessential modern American city.
CLA 395 Research Seminar: Classics Research Methodology
The course will provide students with fundamental research skills through hands-on learning and in-class work on an individual project. Students will learn how to use reference tools and online databases allowing them to search, analyze and interpret ancient evidence ranging from literary texts to inscriptions, papyri and visual material. The course is designed to reflect current developments in the field of Classics. It therefore emphasizes digital approaches, including electronic tools for the study of ancient evidence as well as search engines that employ advanced computational methods.
GREEK 115-1 Accelerated Elementary Ancient and Biblical Greek
This course is the first in a two-quarter series designed to teach students to read ancient Greek, making accessible much of the world's most influential literature, from the biblical New Testament to Homeric poetry and Platonic philosophy. Since this is an ancient language there will be no spoken component and we will move swiftly through the grammar and basic vocabulary required to read actual texts. These two quarters will, in fact, teach all the fundamentals of the language and lead students directly into second-year courses in the New Testament, classical Greek oratory, and Homeric epic. Thereafter students will be able to progress even further to a wide range of genres from the classical and post-classical periods, including ancient Greek history, poetry, philosophy, drama, and more.
GREEK 115-2 Accelerated Elementary Ancient and Biblical Greek
This course is the second in a two-term accelerated series designed to teach students to read ancient Greek, making accessible much of the world’s most influential literature, from the biblical New Testament to Homeric poetry and Platonic philosophy. In this course we will complete our study of the fundamentals of Greek grammar, making students ready to transition into second-year courses in the New Testament, classical Greek oratory, and Homeric epic. Thereafter students will be able to progress to a wide range of genres from the classical and post-classical periods, including ancient Greek history, poetry, philosophy, drama, and more.
GREEK 201-1 Introduction to Greek Literature: New Testament
This first course of the second-year Greek series is designed to build fluency and proficiency in reading ancient Greek through the introduction of students to works of Greek literature. This course will introduce students to the Greek New Testament, particularly the Gospel of Mark, the oldest and shortest of the Gospels. We will read Mark nearly in its entirety as we review the grammar, vocabulary, and morphology learned in first-year Greek. Additionally, we will read selections from other New Testament texts and apocrypha as we investigate how this unique genre functions.
GREEK 201-2 Introduction to Greek Literature: Classical Prose
This course is the second of the second-year Greek series, designed to solidify the grammatical concepts learned in first-year while introducing students to the study of actual ancient literary texts. In this course we will focus on ancient Attic prose by reading from Lysias on the Murder of Eratosthenes and Plato's Crito. We will pay close attention to grammar and style, but we will also gain insight into the complexities of ancient Athenian law and politics.
GREEK 201-3 Introduction to Greek Literature: The Iliad
This course is the third and final element of the second-year Greek series. In this course we will read significant sections of Homer’s Iliad in the original language. Students will develop an ability to read the Homeric dialect and gain an understanding of the conventions of ancient epic poetry. As we explore the earliest European literary work we will also survey several important scholarly issues regarding the nature and history of the poem, including the nature of its composition and its place in ancient Greek society.
GREEK 301 Readings in Greek Literature: Prometheus Bound: Theology and Technology in Fifth-Century BCE Athens
As our 21st-century human lives become increasingly enmeshed with technology, Prometheus Bound, performed in Athens about 2,500 years ago, offers a defamiliarizing lens to reflect on the role of artefacts in human societies. The tragedy dramatizes the conflict between Zeus, newly installed ruler of the gods, and the Titan Prometheus, dispenser of fire and inventor of all human techniques. As Prometheus gets brutally bound to a rock at the edges of the world, then gradually imagines a way to negotiate his freedom, _Prometheus Bound_ offers “one of the greatest plays about tyranny and oppression that the theater knows” (R. Rehm), as well as a study in empathy, and a demonstration of the powers of human language and intellect. Its original production would have amounted to a spectacular performance, complete with a flying entry by the river Oceanus, a virtuoso piece of solo dancing by the cow-maiden Io, and a terrifying earthquake. We will read most of the tragedy in Greek and discuss its significance in its original fifth-century BCE context, when architects, sculptors, potters, and doctors came to play an increasingly important cultural and social role in Athens.
Latin 101-1 is the first quarter of the year-long Elementary Latin sequence designed to introduce students to the basic principles of classical Latin grammar and syntax. In addition to the mastering of these basic tools, the course will focus on vocabulary acquisition and the development of translation skills and reading competency necessary to read, understand, and translate simple passages in both adapted and unadapted Latin. In addition to the exercises and readings included in the textbooks, students will see and read Latin as it appeared on ancient monuments, walls, coins, and everyday objects. By uniting the study of language and culture, this course provides unique insight into the daily life of the people who spoke Latin in the Roman world.
Elementary Latin is a year-long course designed to provide students with the basic skills for reading, understanding, and translating both Latin prose and poetry.In the second quarter of the sequence students continue to acquire knowledge of the grammar and syntax of the Latin language and Latin vocabulary, and to develop an ability to read, understand, and translate passages in both adapted and unadapted Latin.
In addition to the exercises and readings included in the textbooks, students will see and read Latin as it appeared on ancient monuments, walls, coins, and everyday objects. By uniting the study of language and culture, this course provides unique insight into the daily life of the people who spoke Latin in the Roman world.
Latin 101-3 is the third quarter of the year-long elementary Latin sequence designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of classical Latin. Alongside the grammatical material in this class, students will work on expanding their Latin vocabulary and developing the basic skills for reading Latin texts that are necessary to continue successfully in the second year. During the first few weeks of the quarter, class meetings will be devoted to grammar review and completing Chapters 34-40 of "Wheelock's Latin". For the rest of the term, primary readings from Latin prose writers such as Cicero and Pliny the Younger will be assigned on a daily basis. Students will be expected to develop reading, translation, and literary analysis skills in prepared passages from the original Latin text.
LATIN 201-1 Introduction to Latin Literature: Cicero's Pro Caelio
This first course of the second-year Latin series is designed to build fluency and proficiency in reading Latin through the introduction of students to major works of Latin literature. In this course, students will be introduced to the work of Marcus Tullius Cicero, who, in the late Republic, emerged as Rome’s most skilled public speaker. Students will read one of Cicero’s most famous speeches, Pro Caelio, in which Cicero defends the aristocratic Marcus Caelius Rufus, notably by attacking the (allegedly) debauched lifestyle and reliability of Caelius’ former lover Clodia. Time in class will be spent reading the Latin text and reviewing essential points of grammar and syntax, as well as discussions that will deepen students’ appreciation of Roman oratory, Cicero’s style, and the political and social context of the late Roman Republic.
LATIN 201-2-2 Introduction to Latin Literature: Vergil's Aeneid
Latin 201-2 is designed to improve students’ understanding of the Latin language by close reading of major poetic texts, with special attention to grammar, vocabulary, and style. Class activities will include careful reading and translation of Virgil's Aeneid combined with literary discussion and interpretation of the poem and its composition. The course also provides a systematic introduction to the dactylic hexameter and the basic rules of scansion.
LATIN 201-2-2 Introduction to Latin Literature: Vergil's Aeneid
Latin 201-2 is designed to improve students’ understanding of the Latin language by close reading of major poetic texts, with special attention to grammar, vocabulary, and style. Class activities will include careful reading and translation of Virgil's Aeneid combined with literary discussion and interpretation of the poem and its composition. The course also provides a systematic introduction to the dactylic hexameter and the basic rules of scansion.
LATIN 310 Readings in Latin Literature: The Young Achilles
Who was Achilles before his wrath took hold in Troy? At the end of the first century CE, the epic poet Statius set out to tell us, along with the whole story of Achilles' life. His Achilles harasses centaurs in Thessaly, has a rocky relationship with his parents, and passes as a maiden to avoid joining the war. Cut short by the poet's death, the poem leaves us to wonder how this Achilles could ever have become the Achilles of the Iliad. A mere book and a quarter and long neglected in scholarship, the Achilleid offers an opportunity for students to read the entire poem and develop real mastery over its contents and landmark secondary scholarship. In terms of language pedagogy, the class will focus on building reading comprehension and vocabulary recall.
LATIN 310 Readings in Latin Literature: The Pumpkinification of the Emperor Claudius
On October 13, 54 CE, the Roman emperor Claudius died, allegedly poisoned by his wife Agrippina. His death was kept silent until she had made arrangements for her son Nero to succeed to Claudius. He was buried with regal pomp and accorded divine honors. What happened next "in heaven" is narrated in the only surviving example of prose-and-verse satire from the Roman world.
This course focuses on the relationship between literature and power in the age of the emperor Nero. The primary materials will consist of a close reading of the "Apocolocyntosis", a satirical pamphlet attributed to Lucius Annaeus Seneca lampooning the death and deification of the emperor Claudius, along with selected passages from Seneca’s "De Clementia", a treatise written by Nero’s tutor and advisor with the stated aim of depicting the ideal ruler for the recently acclaimed young emperor. While conducting a literary and historical analysis of these texts, we will address questions of genre, political ideology, and dissent. Students enrolled in the class will work collaboratively to produce a translation suitable for a staged reading of the "Apocolocyntosis", the most mordant political satire on a Roman Emperor that has come down to us from the Early Empire and one of the funniest and most baffling products of the Neronian age.
