DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS

The course is a cultural and historical survey of the Roman Republic and Empire. We will trace the story of how this small city-state in central Italy, on the periphery of the older and wealthier civilizations of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean, how it established military and political dominance over Italy and the entire Mediterranean, how it administered this vast empire for centuries, and how a long period of crisis lead to its decline, partition into eastern and western halves, and finally to the collapse of its western half. 

Woven into this historical narrative, however, we will also ask who these people were, what they believed and cared about, and how they organized their society and conducted their lives. We will read in translation some of their most cherished and prestigious works of literature, observe their achievements in philosophy, science, and the arts, and scrutinize their dreadful glorification of conquest and unchallenged acceptance of slavery. Lectures and sections will alternate between these key events in Roman history and broader topics in the cultures of Rome and the empire.

This course focuses on the history of development and changes in scientific paradigm through readings of a variety of ancient thinkers from Greece and Rome. Students examine and assess ancient “science” through a synthesis of a range of primary and secondary source evidence: Heraclitus (Aphorisms), Plato (Timaeus), Aristotle (Physicsand logic), Euclid (Elements) Galen (On the Natural Faculties) and Archimedes (On the Equilibrium of Planes) among others. The goal of this course is to teach students some basic highlights of the history of scientific inquiry, inform them about the difficulty of defining science, and describe how ancient thinkers employed the human abilities of pattern-finding, empirical investigation, and deductive reasoning as modern science does in its inquiry. Students will learn precise differences between scientific perspectives that come from the ancient world and understand how those differences brought about a slow evolution of scientific inquiry.They will in this manner gain a basic historical understanding of the development of the scientific paradigm and its likely future change.

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.

Odysseus’ homecoming to Ithaca is one of the most fascinating and enduring narratives of Western culture. While Nausicaa, the Cyclops, and the Sirens irresistibly appeal to our imagination, Odysseus’ wanderings, return, and revenge raise fundamental questions about identity, gender, justice, among others. We will read two books in the original Greek and reflect upon the complex relationship between Telemachus’ coming of age, Odysseus’ travels through supernatural lands, and his slow re-integration into society and revenge upon the suitors. We will also read the entire poem in English and discuss a selection of articles emphasizing the poetic, anthropological, and cultural significance of the Odyssey in its ancient performance context.

Classical Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax with graded readings for translation.