CLASSICS SPRING 2021 COURSE OFFERINGS

January 2021 3 Week Session: January 8 – 29

CLSC 322: Classical Mythology
MTWRF 9:00-11:30, Timothy Wutrich
(Cross listed as CLSC 422, THTR 322, THTR 422, WLIT 322, WLIT 422) This course is designed as a continuation of and companion to CLSC/WLIT 316/416 Greek Tragedy in English Translation, although it may be taken without having taken, or before having taken, that course. Students in Roman Drama and Theater will read a significant number of ancient Roman plays in modern English translation and study non-literary theatrical entertainment of the Roman Republic and Empire, including mime and pantomime, gladiatorial shows, political speeches, courtroom drama, and various other spectacles. The dramatic texts that we shall study include the fragments of early Latin drama, selected comedies by Plautus and Terence, and the tragedies of Seneca, and the forensic speeches of statesman such as Cicero. We shall also consider Greek and Roman literature that comments on Roman theatrical practices. These works will be read for their literary merits and theatrical possibilities, while at the same time examining them for what they can tell us about Roma culture and society. Similarly, when studying the non-literary theatrical works we shall examine historical and theatrical context including archaeological evidence from theaters and amphitheaters and material remains (masks, depictions of actors and gladiators on vases, terra cotta lamps, mosaics, etc.). Finally, while the majority of the course focuses on drama originally written in Latin and theatrical entertainments performed in ancient Rome, the course will conclude with a survey of selected post-classical works indebted to the tradition of Roman drama and theater. Authors to be studied include Hrotsvitha, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Racine, Mollère, and the legacy of Roman drama and theater in contemporary stage and cinema such as Sondelm’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Thus a secondary concern will be to consider how and in what ways the legacy of Roman drama and theater has continued to shape the dramatic arts since antiquity. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement.

February 1 – May 7

CLSC 202: Classical Mythology
TR 1:00-2:15, Mark Hammond
The myths of Classical Greece and Rome, their interpretation and influence. Lectures and discussion.

CLSC 232: Gods and Gladiators: The World of Ancient Rome
TR 11:30-12:45, Mark Hammond
(Cross listed as HSTY 232) The enduring significance of the Romans studied through their history, literature, art, and philosophy. Lectures and discussion.

CLSC 295: Medical Terminology
TR 11:30-12:45, Paul Iverson
A self-paced, computer-assisted course on the classical foundations (etymology) of modern English as well as the basic principles on which roots, prefixes, and suffixes combine to give precise meanings to composite words, which is then applied toward learning medical, biomedical and scientific terminology.

CLSC 320: Alexander the Great: Materials and Methods
TR 10:00-11:15, Paul Iverson
(Cross listed as CLSC 420, HSTY 320, and HSTY 420) This course is the Classics Departmental Seminar in the SAGES sequence (normally taken in the Spring semester of a major’s Junior year), though it can also be taken for regular credit in Classics or History by both undergraduate and graduate students. The seminar offers students a firm grounding in the discipline of Classics with an emphasis on the diverse materials (particularly primary source material), methods and approaches that can be brought to bear on the study of Greco-Roman antiquity. Students will read and discuss the ancient sources and contemporary scholarship on the enigmatic Alexander the Great drawn from various fields of classics, including history, archaeology, art history, philosophy, gender studies, epigraphy, numismatics, and the reception of Alexander. Based upon this, they will then write a research paper that employs conventions found in the field of Classics. Much of this training, however, will also be transferable to other fields and periods. Because the scope of the seminar moves (along with Alexander himself) beyond Europe and examines the historical foundations of the antagonism between East and West, this course qualifies as a Global and Cultural Diversity course.

CLSC 395: Directed Readings
TBA, Rachel Sternberg
Readings in English on a topic of interest to the student and acceptable to the instructor. Designed and completed under the supervision of the instructor with whom the student wishes to work. Prereq: Consent of department.

GREEK

GREK 101: Elementary Greek I
MWF 10:30-11:20, Rachel Sternberg
Beginning course in Greek language, covering grammar (forms and syntax) and the reading of elementary selections from ancient sources. Makes a start toward reading Greek authors.

GREK 201: Greek Prose Authors
TR 4:00-5:15, Timothy Wutrich
(Cross listed as GREK 401, WLIT 201 and WLIT 401) Readings from authors such as Plato, Lysias, Xenophon, and Herodotus.

GREK 306:  Tragedy
TR 1:00-2:15, Rachel Sternberg
(Cross listed as GREK 406, WLIT 306, WLIT 40) Reading and interpretation of selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Prereq: GREK 200-level course or equivalent.

LATIN

LATN 102: Elementary Latin II
MWF 10:35-11:25, Paul Hay
An introduction to the elements of Latin: pronunciation, forms, syntax, vocabulary, and reading

LATN 202: Vergil
TR 11:30-12:45, Timothy Wutrich
(Cross listed as LATN 402, WLIT 232 and WLIT 432) Primarily readings from The Aeneid; selections from Vergil’s other work may be introduced at instructor’s discretion. Recommended preparation: LATN 201 or equivalent.

LATN 351:  Latin Didactic Literature
TR 3:20-4:35, Paul Hay
(Cross listed as LATN 451) Readings from the two surviving Roman novels, Petronius’ Satyricon and Apuleius’ Metamorphoses or Golden Ass. There will also be discussion of the  major themes and approaches to the Roman novel. Recommended preparation: LATN 200 level course or equivalent.Readings from didactic poetry such as Lucretius and Vergil’s Georgics. Parodies like Ovid’s Ars Amatoria or prose treatises may also be introduced. Prereq: LATN 200-level course or equivalent.