Students will read all seven extant plays (including Antigone and Oedipus the King) and one fragmentary play (Phaedra) of Athens' greatest dramatist, plus critical scholarship. An aristocrat, Sophocles' dramas performed to 17,000 Athenians are enmeshed in the problems and controversies of that city's democracy. What is the relationship of these texts to the democracy and to Athens' democratic leader Perikles, and how do their ideas change over time? No exams, but a weekly 1-2 page paper: either a critique of scholarship or an analysis of a play, which we then discuss in class. Students will learn about one of the world's greatest dramatists and the world's first democracy, while improving their skills in writing, critical thinking, and debate. Grades are based on the weekly papers and class participation. Attendance mandatory.

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How did individuals define themselves in the ancient Mediterranean world, and how did they express their affiliation with multiple and diverse ethnic, religious, linguistic, and other collective social identities? How did groups portray perceived differencees between themselves and others? What do we know of the construction of gender identities, race, age, and class distinctions? What dynamic roles did dress, hairstyle, body decoration or ornament, and personal possessions play in establishing and expressingg individual and collective identities?

This course explores evidence for self-and group-fashioning in Greece, Rome, and their neighbors in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia. We examine a wide range of textual and material sources, including works of art, archaeological contexts such as burials and religious institutions, biographies, autobiographies, and legal documents, including dowries. We also consider culturally significant modes of self-representation and commemoration, such as portraits and funerarymonuments, along with the collecting and transfer of objects that represented accumulated social entanglements, such as heirlooms.

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This course traces the development of democracy in Greece from its beginnings, in the egalitarian mentalities attested already in Homer, the hoplite military reforms of the 7th and 6th centuries, the first written constitutions and written laws, the emergence of class conflict and tyranny in the 6th and 5th centuries, and the subsequent growth of democratic ideology.  The course will also touch on the reception of Greek democracy in early modern Europe and America.

Prerequisites: None.

Evaluation Method: Two short exams; final paper.

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This course is the first in an accelerated 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 to a wide range of genres from the classical and post-classical periods, including ancient Greek history, poetry, philosophy, drama, and more.

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In this course, we will read, in the original Greek, the entirety of one of Euripides’ most celebrated plays: Bacchae. In this tragedy, the god Dionysus himself appears on-stage and in Thebes to ensure the proper celebration of his rites. The play inspires numerous questions about the nature of divinity, justice, and the theater itself, all of which we will discuss as a group over the course of the quarter.

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Latin 201-2 is designed to improve students’ understanding of Latin language by close reading of major poetic texts such as Vergil’s Aeneid, with special attention to grammar, vocabulary, and style. Class activities will include careful reading and translation of the Latin text combined with literary discussion and interpretation. The course also provides a systematic introduction to the basics of Latin metrics and versification

Learning Objectives.

Students will learn how to

1) approach ancient Latin texts in the original language;

2) analyze Latin grammar and syntax;

3) evaluate our source materials and different linguistic interpretations of Latin texts and their composition.

Prerequisites:Latin 201-1 OR byonline Latin Placement Test.

For further information, contact the Director of Latin Instruction Prof. Francesca Tataranni (f-tataranni@northwestern.edu).

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This advanced Latin course has two goals: (1) to explore the complex dynamic between Greece and Rome through translation, adaptation, and imitation in Latin poetry and (2) to practice producing literary translations sensitive to the challenges of intercultural communication that our study of Roman translation practices uncovers. Readings in Latin will range from ancient discussions of translation (e.g. Cicero’s de Oratore, Horace’s Ars Poetica), to passages based on Greek texts (e.g. Plautus’ Bacchides, Catullus 51), to surveys of intertextual hotspots (e.g. the blush simile in epic). This course is ideal for advanced students who want to sharpen their understanding of Latin stylistics and lexical semantics while exploring the practical and theoretical concerns of translating in the past and present.

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