Spring 2005 Courses in Classical Culture

C071. Greek Drama and Culture. 1010-1130 TTh (Fulfills Core ARTS)

This introductory course examines in detail tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and comedies of Aristophanes, and the functions of drama in fifth-century Athens. Students will study Greek drama as an ever-evolving live theatrical form and as a product of its own time. Topics include: tragic and comic festivals, the nature of Greek theaters and dramaturgy, religion and drama, women and tragedy, tragic and comic heroism, democracy and drama, and the relationship between tragedy and philosophy. Andromache Karanika, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics

110. Slavery in Antiquity. 110-230 TTh.

A series of case studies illustrating the practice of slavery from Bronze Age Greece through the late Roman Empire. Readings will include both ancient sources and modern historians. The course will begin with a review of Near Eastern and Biblical slavery, and will conclude by studying the influence of ancient thought on slavery in the Spanish Caribbean. Daniel Tompkins, Associate Professor of Classics

161. Ancient Roman Historians. 940-1030 MWF (Cross-listed with History 236)

This course examines the political and social history of ancient Rome, from the Villanovan culture to the time of Constantine. While Rome's history embraces a wide sampling of political structures--from village settlement through aristocracy to imperial power--we shall consider in particular the great political transition from the Republic (rule by Senate and elected magistrates) to the Principate (rule by emperors), a period dominated by such personalities as Caesar, Cleopatra and Nero. We will also consider the social, economic and political consequences of Rome's great achievement in uniting the entire Mediterranean world under one government, as well as the limitations to Roman power and various types of challenges (military, cultural, religious) to the hegemony of the Roman state. This investigation will utilize readings in the works of Rome's own historians (Sallust, Livy and Tacitus) and biographers (Plutarch and Suetonius). Eric Kondratieff, Visiting Asst. Prof. of Classics

H192 Honors Race in Greece and Rome. 240-4 MW (fulfills Core Race and IS) This course aims to introduce students to ancient thinking about race and ethnicity and, time permitting, to consider how ancient thinking remains current and influential today. We will investigate how categories of race and ethnicity are presented in the literature and artistic works of Greece and Rome. Our case studies will pay particular attention to such concepts as: notions of racial formation and racial origins; ancient theories of ethnic superiority; and linguistic, religious and cultural differentiation as a basis for ethnic differentiation. We will also examine ancient racism through the prism of a variety of social processes in antiquity: slavery, trade and colonization, racial migrations, imperialism, assimilation, native revolts, and genocide. Eric Kondratieff, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics

W254 Classical Epic. MWF 1040-1130

This course traces the development of a genre from the Near East (Gilgamesh), to its "definitive" manifestation in Homer, to the uses and abuses of epic by the Romans (Virgil, Ovid). As we read we will consider various topics, including the relationship between myth and history, the role of the hero and the status of women, the origins of writing and oral vs. literate societies. We will seek to define "epic", and to develop an understanding of the constituent facets of the genre. Christopher Star, Visiting Asst. Prof. of Classics

W264 Ancient City: Alexandria. 1140-1230 MWF

The modern city Alexandria conceals almost completely the ancient Greek metropolis founded by Alexander the Great and fought over by his generals after his death. Yet the old learning, art and literature of Alexandria have survived in great measure, and recently underwater archaeologists have begun to recover some of the ancient architectural and artistic wonders from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This semester we will take a tour into the history and culture of the fabled city, site of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and of one of the most famous Libraries ever compiled. Using Peter Green's From Alexander to Actium as a base, we will read and write about the city of the Macedonian rulers, from the first Ptolemy to the last: Cleopatra VII, who by her wits and charm almost saved her kingdom from the mighty Roman Empire. Martha Davis, Associate Professor of Classics