Spring 2020 Class Schedule: Department of Classics

Spring 2020 Class Schedule

Classes are mostly firm but subject to change.

Course	Title	Instructor	Lecture	Discussion
CLASSICS-101-6	War and Peace in Ancient Greece and Rome	Radding	MW 11:00 am-12:20 pm
CLASSICS-101-6 War and Peace in Ancient Greece and Rome Herodotus’ observation that “no one is so foolish as to choose war over peace” is consistently belied by the choices that humans make. In this course, we examine how ancient Greeks and Romans conceived of both war and peace. Our sources include poets, politicians, historians, and the material traces of life in the ancient world that allow us to glimpse how war and peace were perceived and experienced in the ancient world, but also why peace remains at once so enticing and elusive.
Bio coming soon
CLASSICS 212	Roman History and Culture	Terpstra	MW 12:30-1:50 pm	TH 10-10:50; 3-3:50; 4-4:50 F 10-10:50; 12-12:50; 1-1:50
CLASSICS 212 Roman History and Culture This course is a general survey of Roman history, from the beginnings to the collapse of the Roman Empire. It will trace the story of how a small city state in central Italy built a Mediterranean empire and administered it for centuries; how a long period of crisis led to its decline; and finally how the western half collapsed. The course will also treat several key themes and concepts in Roman culture: the Roman military, gender relations, public spectacles, religion and slavery.
Bio coming soon
CLASSICS 250	The Art of Trash-Talk: Invective Poetry Through the Ages	Radding	MW 2:00-3:20 pm
CLASSICS 250 The Art of Trash-Talk: Invective Poetry Through the Ages Sometimes poets are just plain mean. In this course, we will consider a variety of invective poets talking trash in different genres, from ancient lyric and satire to contemporary genres such as hip-hop and Lebanese Zajal. In each case, we will study and consider the specific contexts in which this poetry was created, the individual(s) at whom it was directed, and to what ends. We will also investigate broader themes of invective poetry, such as the advancement of notions of (often toxic) masculinity, control of social norms, and political protest.
Bio coming soon
CLASSICS 310	Archaeology of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae	Terpstra	MW 3:30-4:50 pm
CLASSICS 310 Archaeology of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae Pompeii and Campania’s other destroyed cities have much more to offer than the familiar story of the 79 AD earthquake. Rather than presenting a static picture of these towns as “frozen in time,” this course takes a diachronic approach to the rich archaeological material. It will survey key aspects of the evidence, which will include a discussion of current archaeological techniques and fieldwork. The course will also discuss the 18th-century uncovering of Campania’s cities, which is a story in its own right.
Bio coming soon
CLASSICS 350	Love Scripts: From Sappho to the Beatles	Hopman	TTH 2:00-3:20 pm
CLASSICS 350 Love Scripts: From Sappho to the Beatles Romantic love, although in some ways a personal and intimate experience, unfolds amidst a system of social norms that guide or regulate every aspect of the relationship, from the identification of a desirable partner to expectations about its outcome. The “scripts” to be studied in this course refer both to the material traces of love songs transmitted to us from antiquity to the present, and to the social protocols implied in and through these texts. As we read poems originating from pharaonic Egypt, ancient Greece, Augustan Rome, and the rolling 1960s, we will draw on the resources of comparative literary analysis to explore the rhetoric, metaphors, and narratives through which love has been (re)imagined over time in an attempt to de-familiarize our own conceptions.
Bio coming soon
GREEK 115-2	Accelerated Elementary Ancient and Biblical Greek	Platte	MTWTh 3:30-4:20 pm
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.
Bio coming soon
GREEK 201-3	Introduction to Greek Literature: Iliad	Platte	MWF 11:00-11:50 pm
GREEK 201-3 Introduction to Greek Literature: 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.
Bio coming soon
LATIN 101-3	Elementary Latin	Tataranni	MTWTh 10:00-10:50 am
LATIN 101-3 Elementary Latin Latin 101-3 is the third quarter of the year-long Elementary Latin sequence designed to introduce students to the basic principles of classical Latin grammar and vocabulary. In addition to the review and continued reinforcement of these tools, the class focuses on the development of reading competency and translation skills through a close reading of Cicero’s First Catilinarian Oration with attention to its rhetorical techniques and historical significance.
Bio coming soon
LATIN 201-3-20	Introduction to Latin Literature: Catullus	Tataranni	MWF 11:00-11:50 am
LATIN 201-3-20 Introduction to Latin Literature: Catullus The goal of second-year Latin (201-1, 2, 3) is the development of proficiency in reading Latin through the introduction of the student to major works of Latin literature. In addition to the review and continued reinforcement of grammar and syntax, the class will read selections from Catullus.
Bio coming soon
LATIN 201-3-21	Introduction to Latin Literature: Catullus	Tataranni	MWF 2:00-2:50 pm
LATIN 201-3-21 Introduction to Latin Literature: Catullus The goal of second-year Latin (201-1, 2, 3) is the development of proficiency in reading Latin through the introduction of the student to major works of Latin literature. In addition to the review and continued reinforcement of grammar and syntax, the class will read selections from Catullus.
Bio coming soon
LATIN 310	Vergil, Livy, and Roman Nostalgia	Weintritt	TTH 12:30-1:50 pm
LATIN 310 Vergil, Livy, and Roman Nostalgia As the Republic collapses in chaos, two Roman authors retreat to the rustic Italian countryside: Vergil with quaint shepherding songs, the Eclogues, and Livy with Rome’s legendary beginnings in the Ab Urbe Condita. But the simple life isn’t quite what it seems: the land is under threat, and the problems plaguing Rome are there in its very foundation. This course probes the connection between civil strife, nostalgia, and myth-making in Roman and contemporary culture. Alongside our Latin readings, we’ll explore how 20^th century folk and blues music conjures up the idyllic rural lifestyle in the American imagination.
Bio coming soon
LATIN 400	Medieval Latin	Newman	TTH 9:30 - 10:50
LATIN 400 Medieval Latin Learn to read the language of Augustine, Abelard, and Thomas Aquinas! Tuesday classes in Medieval Latin will be devoted to grammar, vocabulary building, and sight reading. Thursday classes will concentrate on translation of short texts in a variety of genres, prose and verse, from the early to the late Middle Ages. Readings may include comic tales, saints' lives, and bestiaries.
Bio coming soon