CLSC 102 BYZANTINE WORLD A.D. 300-1453 (3)

Development of the Byzantine empire from the emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity and founding of the eastern capital at Constantinople to the fall of Constantinople to Turkish forces in A.D. 1453. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as HSTY 102.

CLSC 193 THE ANCIENT WORLD (3)

Ancient history from the origins of civilization in Mesopotamia to the dissolution of the Roman Empire in the West. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as HSTY 193 (formerly known as CLSC 201/HSTY 200).

CLSC 194 CATAPULTS AND CALVERY: WARFARE IN THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN (3)

This course examines the development of warfare in the ancient Mediterranean, including the debated origins of war in prehistory, the rise of the great armies of Assyria and Egypt, the heyday of hoplite infantry in Greece, Alexander the Great’s vast conquests, and the domination of the Mediterranean by the legions of the Roman Empire.  Using written, visual, and archaelogical evidence from the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome we will focus on three main topics:  1) warfare and ancient Mediterranean geopolitics; 2) warfare and innovation, including developments in strategy, tactics, and technology; and 3) the perception and experience of ancient Mediterranean warfare, including social, literary, and artistic responses to violent, interstate conflict.  Class sessions will consist primarily of lecture with regular discussion of assigned readings.  No prerequisites; all readings are in English, Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement.  Cross-listed as ANEE/HSTY 194

CLSC 199 ATHENS: IN SEARCH OF SOCRATES (3)

Students take a trip to Greece over Spring Break. Prereq.: Instructor approval. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement.

CLSC 202 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY (3)

The myths of Classical Greece and Rome, their interpretation and influence. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement.

CLSC 203 GODS AND HEROES IN GREEK LITERATURE (3)

This course constitutes the first half of a two-sequence course on Classical literature (although it may be taken after the second in the sequence, CLSC 204). As such, it examines the major myths and heroes in Greek literature and seeks to place them within their immediate historical, literary and cultural context. It traces the evolution of heroes to citizens and analyzes oral and live performances while interpreting myth from a literary and socio-political standpoint. Constant themes are war and community, wandering, tyranny vs. democracy, and the literary manifestations of men’s and women’s roles within the household and the city. Parallels with modern life and politics will be drawn. Lectures and discussion. No knowledge of the original languages required. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as WLIT 203.

CLSC 204 HEROES AND HUSTLERS IN ROMAN LITERATURE (3)

This course constitutes the second half of a two-course sequence on Classical literature (although it may be taken without having taken, or before having taken, the first in the sequence, CLSC 203). Its main themes are heroism vs. self-promotion, love vs. lust, and the struggle between democracy and tyranny. These topics are traced in a variety of literary genres from the period of the Roman Republic well into the Empire. Parallels with modern life and politics will be drawn. Lectures and discussion. No knowledge of the original languages required. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as WLIT 204.

CLSC 224 SWORD & SANDAL: THE CLASSICS IN FILM (3)

Students will watch and discuss a number of movies about the ancient world, running the gamut from Hollywood classics such as Ben-Hur and >Spartacus to more recent treatments such as The 300 and Gladiator, and from the mainstream and conventional (Clash of the Titans, Disney’sHercules) to the far-out and avant-garde. Cross-listed as WLIT 224.

CLSC 226 GREEK & ROMAN SCULPTURE (3)

This course explores the history of sculpture in ancient Greece and Rome. Students learn to analyze works of sculpture in terms of form, function, and iconography. Particular emphasis is placed on situating sculptures within the changing historical, cultural, political, and religious contexts of the classical world, including the Greek city-state, the Hellenistic kingdoms that followed Alexander the Great, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. We will consider questions of design, patronage, artistic agency, viewer reception, and cultural identity. We will also consider the cultural interaction between ancient Greece and Rome and what impact this had on the production and appearance of sculpture. The course will include visits to the Greek and Roman galleries at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cross-listed as ARTH 226.

CLSC 227 ANCIENT CITIES AND SANCTUARIES (3)

A selection of cities and sanctuaries from the ancient Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Greece, Etruria, and Rome; their political and religious institutions and the relationship to contemporary art forms. Lectures and discussion. Cross-listed as ARTH 227.

CLSC 231 ATHENS TO ALEXANDRIA: THE WORLD OF ANCIENT GREECE (3)

This course constitutes the first half of the Department’s Classical civilization sequence (although it may be taken after having taken the second in the sequence, CLSC 232). It examines the enduring significance of the Greeks studied through their history, literature, art, and philosophy. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Required of all Classics majors and cross-listed as HSTY 231 (formerly known as CLSC 111/HSTY 111).

CLSC 232 GODS AND GLADIATORS: THE WORLD OF ANCIENT ROME (3)

This course constitutes the second half of the Department’s Classical civilization sequence (although it may be taken without having taken, or before having taken, the first in the sequence, CLSC 231). It examines the enduring significance of the Romans studied through their history, literature, art, and philosophy. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Required of all Classics majors and cross-listed as HSTY 232 (formerly known as CLSC 112/HSTY 110).

CLSC 295. Medical Terminology (3)

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 301 ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY (3)

Western philosophy from the early Greeks to the Skeptics. Emphasis on the pre-Socratics, Plato and Aristotle. Prereq: PHIL 101 and consent of department. Cross-listed as PHIL 301.

CLSC 302 ANC. GREECE: ARCHAIC TO HELLENISTIC PERIODS (3)

This course constitutes the first half of a GER Humanities Sequence on Classical History (for second course in sequence, see CLSC 304). It treats rise of Hellenic thought and institutions from the eighth to the third centuries B.C., the rise of the polis, the evolution of democracy at Athens, the crises of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, fifth-century historiography, the growth of individualism, and the revival of monarchy in the Hellenistic period. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as HSTY 302.

CLSC 304 ANCIENT ROME: REPUBLIC & EMPIRE (3)

This course constitutes the second half of a GER Humanities Sequence on Classical History (although it may be taken without having taken, or before having taken, the first in the sequence, CLSC 302). It covers the growth and development of the Roman state from the unification of Italy in the early 3rd century B.C. to the establishment of the oriental despotism under Diocletian and Constantine. The growth of empire in the Punic Wars, the uncertain steps toward an eastern hegemony, the crisis in the Republic from the Gracchi to Caesar, the new regime of Augustus, the transformation of the leadership class in the early Empire, and the increasing dominance of the military over the civil structure. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as HSTY 304.

CLSC 305 SANSKRIT RELIGIOUS TEXTS I (3)

This class is an introduction to Sanskrit language and culture. Students will learn basic Sanskrit grammar and syntax, both of which are inextricably linked to the culture of ancient South Asia. No previous knowledge of Sanskrit is required. Cross-listed as RLGN 305.

CLSC 309 SANSKRIT RELIGIOUS TEXTS II (3)

This class is a continuation of CLSC 305. In it students will learn advanced Sanskrit grammar and syntax. They will then translate sections from the Bhagavad Gita. Prereq: CLSC 305 or equivalent. Cross-listed as RLGN 309.

CLSC 312 WOMEN IN THE ANCIENT WORLD (3)

The course offers a chronological survey of women’s lives in Greece, Hellenistic Egypt, and Rome. It focuses on primary sources as well as scholarly interpretations of the ancient record with a view to defining the construction of gender and sexuality according to the Greco-Roman model. Additionally, the course aims to demonstrate how various methodological approaches have yielded significant insights into our own perception of sex and gender. Specific topics include matriarchy and patriarchy; the antagonism between male and female in myth; the legal, social, economic, and political status of women; the ancient family; women’s role in religion and cult; ancient theories of medicine regarding women; paederasty and homosexuality. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as WMST 312.

CLSC 314 THE POETICS OF EROS: LOVE POETRY FROM SAPPHO TO SHAKESPEARE AND BEYOND (3)

Introduction to the love poetry of ancient Greece and Rome and its impact on the later European tradition in such poets as Petrarch, Chaucer, and Shakespeare. Readings will focus especially on questions of generic convention, audience expectation, and the social setting of love poetry in the different ages under consideration. No knowledge of the original languages required. Lectures and discussion. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as WLIT 314.

CLSC 316/416 GREEK TRAGEDY IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION (3)

Students will read numerous Greek tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides in modern English translations. An attempt will be made at understanding the plays as literature for performance.Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as WLIT 316/416.

CLSC 318/418 ARCHAEOLOGICAL & EPIGRAPHICAL FIELD SCHOOL (3)

This interdisciplinary course takes place in situ in the Mediterranean and will be attached to an active archaeological project. Students will learn the methodological principles of archaeological and epigraphical fieldwork by participating in activities such as surveying, excavation, museum work, geophysical survey, artifact analysis, and other scientific techniques. In addition to work in the field and museum, students will receive an introduction to the history Greco-Roman culture through visits to major archaeological sites in the region.  Examples of active archaeological projects may vary, depending on the year.

CLSC 320/420 ALEXANDER THE GREAT: MATERIALS & METHODS (3)

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. Approved SAGES Departmental Seminar. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Cross-listed as HSTY 320/420.

CLSC 322/422 ROMAN DRAMA AND THEATER (3)

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. Cross-listed as WLIT 322/422.

CLSC 325 ART AT THE CROSSROAD OF RELIGION: POLYTHEISTIC, CHRISTIAN, AND ISLAMIC ART IN ANTIQUITY. People often single out the reign of Constantine (A.D. 306-337) as the point in history when Rome transformed from a polytheistic empire to a Christian empire. This course questions the strict divide between the categories of “pagan” and “Christian” in Rome in the imperial period and beyond. Through a close examination of the artistic and architectural record, students will come to understand that this dichotomy is a modern invention; for people living in the Roman Empire, religious identities were extraordinarily fluid. Indeed, traditional polytheistic religion and Christianity remained closely intertwined for centuries after Constantine “Christianized” the Empire. Moreover, religious pluralism had been a fundamental part of Roman culture since the founding of ancient Rome. We will survey a range of material culture, including public statuary, sarcophagi, silver hordes, and temples and churches. We will also examine sites such as the border city of Dura-Europos in Syria to explore how religious identities in the Roman Empire (including Judaism, early Christianity, and so-called mystery cults) intertwined even when Rome was still supposedly a “pagan” Empire. The course pays particular attention to the art and architecture produced under Constantine, whom people today often remember as Rome’s first Christian emperor but who represents, in fact, a complex amalgam of polytheistic and monotheistic practices and identities. We will also explore how Christian art slowly but ultimately became the predominant visual culture in the Roman Empire. Finally, we will examine how Early Islamic art and architecture exploited the Greco-Roman visual tradition to the ends of this new religion. Cross-listed as ARTH 325/425.

CLSC 326/426 ROME ON SITE: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE ETERNAL CITY (3)

This course offers the opportunity to examine firsthand Roman remains spanning 500 years of the city’s history. For three weeks we will explore all sections of Rome and discover how different spheres of Roman life, such as religion, politics, leisure, and death, combined to shape one of the most renowned cityscapes of the ancient Mediterranean world. The course constitutes a mix of museum and site visits to expose us to the artifacts that help us interpret the Roman world, including art and other types of material culture, and the monumental architecture dominating much of Rome to this day. We will also explore important sites outside of the city, including Rome’s remarkably well-preserved port at Ostia, the Emperor Hadrian’s magnificent villa at Tivoli, and an optional visit to Pompeii and Herculaneum during an extended weekend. Some of the questions we will be asking when visiting the sites include: How did the expansion of the Roman Empire influence the stylistic repertories of the capital’s artists and architects? How did the changing political environment shape the topography of the city from Republic to Empire? How can we read political messages and propaganda in the ancient structures? How did (and does) Rome live among, use, and reuse ancient remains? Students will be expected to be active participants in the daily tours. All students will be presenting on various structures as we come to them (topics to be assigned in advance of the trip). Graduate students are responsible for leading a day tour (with my assistance) – to create the itinerary and develop the thematic framework. Grades will be based on participation on site, presentations, and a paper. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement.

CLSC 329 MARVELS OF ROME: MONUMENTS AND THEIR DECORATION IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE (3)

This course examines some of the most famous monuments of the Roman Empire, including Nero’s Golden House, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli, and the lavish villa of Piazza Armerina in Sicily. We will study each monument in depth, delving into the architecture, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and social functions of each monument. Students will learn to analyze artistic and archaeological evidence, ancient textual evidence (poems, prose, and inscriptions), and secondary scholarship to reconstruct the visual appearances and historical and cultural contexts of the monuments in questions. Cross-listed as ARTH 329/429.

CLSC 337/437 Ancient Medicine (3)

CLSC 381 SENIOR CAPSTONE (3)

The capstone is the final requirement of the SAGES program and is normally taken in the fall semester of senior year. It involves an independent study paper resulting from exploration of a topic chosen in consultation with the student’s capstone advisor, who will regularly review progress on the project. In the capstone students employ, integrate, and demonstrate analytical, rhetorical, and practical skills developed and honed through the SAGES curriculum as well as their major or minor studies. The Capstone Project has both a written and an oral component: oral presentation and argumentation will be stressed. The product of the capstone may take different forms: there will always be a written component, but other forms of expression are also encouraged, such as a webpage or poster for a poster session. As for the kind of project that might be done: students interested in literature might work on an annotated translation of a classical text; archaeology students might produce a virtual exhibit centered on a specific site or problem. Approved SAGES Capstone.

CLSC 382 SENIOR THESIS (3)

A course of independent study and research culminating in the preparation of a thesis on a topic approved by the supervising faculty member. Enrollment in this course must be approved by the Chair of the Department. Prereq: CLSC 381.

CLSC 395/495 DIRECTED READINGS (1-3)

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.

CLSC 481 GRADUATE LEVEL SPECIAL STUDIES (1-6)

Subject matter varies according to need. Prereq: Consent of department.