Spring 2008 Courses in Classical Culture

0803 and 0903 (Honors). The Art of Sacred Space MWF 140-230. (Fulfills Core AR and Gen Ed Arts)Martha Davis, Associate Professor, Karen Hersch, Assistant Professor. Since the beginning of civilization, man has devoted time, energy and materials to making images of, gifts for, and spaces for the sacred. We will investigate Roman interpretations of sacred spaces, the activities performed in them, and the works of art created to honor them, with a view to identifying, approaching and discussing aspects of the sacred. By learning about the Roman world, we will also begin to learn how to recognize and appreciate sacred spaces in the modern world and what these may represent and contain. During the course we will read a number of books and articles to help us think about the 'sacred invisible' and how persons and communities respond to it. In addition to much reading and discussion, students will have some writing, and will be expected to complete a final research or creative project.

2102. Ancient Roman Civilization. MWF 1240-130. Laura Samponaro, Lecturer.This interdisciplinary course examines who the ancient Romans were, what they did, how they lived and what they believed. Students will read some of the great works of Roman historians, poets and novelists, as well as studying the physical and artistic culture of Rome, with a view to understanding the Romans’ beliefs about themselves and their world.  Each week, one class will be devoted to learning about larger issues of Roman daily life (education, spectacles) history (civil wars, the Augustan world) and people (men, women, slaves, Christians), and one class to learning about the authors who wrote on these subjects or during these historical periods. This course can serve the needs of student who seek a broad background in ancient Roman civilization and those who seek an introduction to this subject before pursuing more advanced work in Classics.

3311. Ancient Greek Historians. MWF 1040-1130 Eric Kondratieff, Lecturer.This course will survey Greek history from the Stone Age until the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE), but its core  focus will be Greece in the Archaic and Classical Period (8th-4th centuries BCE). We will study in particular the works of Homer and two of the most important Greek historians: Herodotus and Thucydides. A major component of the course will be an examination of the historiographical methods of the latter two writers, but attention will also be paid to the other types of sources, such as comedies, tragedies, speeches, and various archaeological materials. (X-listed History 3311)

3286 Comparative Mythology (WI). MWF 1140-1230 Martha Davis, Associate Professor of Classics
Topic: In Quest of the Hero

What is a hero? If asked to name one, do you think immediately of Greek heroes? epic heroes? What about Mesopotamian heroes, tragic heroes, eponymous heroes, comic book heroes? Would you name Achilles?  Heracles? Oedipus? Moses? How about Gilgamesh, Medea, Raven, Sonjaro, Superman? In this course we will try to define the hero or heroine in various manifestations around the world, looking for universal characteristics and those that are specific to given cultures.  Many scholars have tried to define the hero. Among them are Otto Rank, Lord Raglan, Claude Levi-Strauss, G. S. Kirk, and Joseph Campbell. Most of the heroes whose lives they analyzed are from Greco-Roman or Biblical culture. Do their patterns fit heroes from medieval African societies? from Native American peoples? from ancient India? from the modern world? Are heroes still emerging on the world stage? If so, how do we recognize them? The course will involve reading a large number of hero legends, discussing and writing about them, perhaps even creating a hero story of your own. Before entering this class, you should have read the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Tolkien Ring stories, from The Hobbit to The Return of the King.  

3596 Ancient City: Athens (WI). TTh 110-230. Daniel Tompkins, Associate Professor of Classics. Focusing on Athens in the 5th century BCE., this course will survey the history of the period but will concentrate on life in a major ancient participatory democracy. We will cover drama, philosophy, archaeology, and daily life

Also, Latin I (1001) is offered during the spring semester at 1220-130 MWF with Eric Kondratieff