2018-2019 Calendar Proof
Classics and Ancient History
Below are brief descriptions for the courses which deal with material in English translation.
Descriptions of Latin and Greek language courses can be found under the GREEK and LATIN courses.
CLAS1323 / Discovering Ancient Civilizations(Cross-Listed: ARCH 1323) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /Through the lens of archaeology, students explore the sites, monuments, and artifacts of civilizations (in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, Greece, Italy, and Roman Britain) that shaped Western society. The Tomb of King Midas, the pyramids of Egypt, the Greek theatre, and Roman amphitheatre are among the topics covered.
CLAS1403 / The Ancient Greeks: Gods and Heroes, Politicians and Poets / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
An introduction to ancient Greek civilization, including its history, religion, literature, art, architecture, and thought. Readings include selections in translation from timeless mythological epics such as Homer’s Odyssey and the first major prose work in the Western world, Herodotus’ Histories. Lectures are supplemented with images of the achievements of the Greek Classical Age, such as the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis and the Apollo from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
CLAS1413 / The Romans: Gladiators and Senators, Engineers and Emperors / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
An introduction to ancient Roman civilization, including its history, religion, literature, art, architecture, and thought. Readings include selections in translation from tales of gods and heroes such as Vergil’s Aeneid, and the autobiography of the great emperor Caesar Augustus. Lectures are supplemented with images of Rome’s spectacular achievements, from the Colosseum and Pantheon in Rome to theatres and aqueducts from North Africa and the Middle East.
CLAS1503 / Introduction to Mythology: The Gods and Heroes of Greece and Rome / 3 ch (3C) /
A survey of the myths which helped to shape the life and thought of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. Emphasis will be placed on myths describing the gods and their powers, the beginnings of the world, the earliest humans, the tales of the heroes, and miraculous experiences in the lives of ordinary persons. Students who have successfully completed CLAS 3503 may not enrol in this course.
CLAS1703 / Greek and Latin Roots of Scientific Terminology / 3 ch (3C) /
Designed for anyone with an interest in the origin of words, this course introduces the student to basic scientific terminology, especially that of the life sciences, through the Greek and Latin sources of these words. This course aids in the understanding of these modern terms by exploring their basic meanings, the connections between these words, how they came to be created, and the rules that govern the formation of new terms.
CLAS2333 / "To Dig is to Explore": Approaches to Classical Archaeology (Cross-Listed: ARCH 2333) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
This course includes a brief survey of the history of archaeological investigations and the scientific methods used in identifying and excavating a site and analyzing the material remains.Representative examples that illustrate the above scientific advances are drawn from major Mediterranean civilizations: Mesopotamian, Anatolian, Egyptian, Persian, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. A lab component includes cataloguing ‘ancient shards’ from Greece and Turkey, and copies of Greek and Roman vessels.
CLAS3003 / Ancient History: The Greeks from the Trojan War to Alexander the Great (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
A survey of Greek history from its beginnings in the Bronze Age to the empire forged by Alexander the Great. Topics include the era of the Trojan War and Mycenaean palaces, the origins of the world’s first democracy, the Battle of Marathon and the Persian Wars, Pericles and the Athenian Golden Age, the Peloponnesian War and the clash of Athens and Sparta, and the rise of the Macedonian warlords Philip and his son Alexander. Special emphasis is placed on the enduring impact Greek history and Greek civilization have had on the modern world.
Students cannot receive credit for both CLAS 3003 and CLAS 3013.
CLAS3023 / Ancient History: Alexander and the Hellenistic World (O) 3 ch (3C) / [W] /
The social and political impact of Alexander the Great, his empire and his successors on the Mediterranean world, down to the Roman conquest.
CLAS3033 / Ancient History: The Romans from Republic to Empire (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
A survey of Roman history from its foundation to the fall of the Roman Empire in the west. Topics include Rome’s mythological founding by Romulus and Remus, the age of the kings and the rise of the Republic, Rome’s expansion to rule the Mediterranean, the violent transition from Republic to Empire under Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus, the Pax Romana and the High Roman Empire, the Christianization of the Roman world under Constantine, and the fall of the Empire in the west. Special emphasis is placed on the enduring impact Roman history and Roman civilization have had on the modern world.
Students cannot receive credit for both CLAS 3033 and CLAS 3043.
CLAS3063 / Ancient Greek Warfare (O) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
This course examines the history of warfare in the ancient Greek world, from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period and the rise of Rome. Topics include the development of military theory and practice through the eras of heroic combat, the hoplite phalanx and naval warfare, and the innovative armies of Alexander the Great and his successors; and the social and cultural factors of importance to ancient Greek military history.
CLAS3073 / Ancient History: Jewish Civilization from the Babylonian Exile to the Great Revolt (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
An examination of the social, cultural, intellectual and political history of the Jews during the period of the second temple (516 BCE - 70 CE).
CLAS3083 / The Byzantine Empire / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
A historical analysis of Byzantine civilization from its emergence from the Late Roman Empire to its medieval zenith under Basil II (r. 976-1025). Topics include the development of a distinctive Byzantine culture, its interaction with Western Europe, confrontation with Islam and its civilizing role in Eastern Europe.
CLAS3093 / The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
Traces the more important changes which overtook the Roman world from the late third to the seventh centuries AD. The course concentrates on the Roman experience at the court and in the provinces, and considers some of the dramatic upheavals that swept the empire in this period, which include the change of the principate into an autocracy, the intrusion of the government in to all aspects of life, the decline of the cities, the politicization of Christianity, and the loss of the western provinces.
CLAS3313 / Field School in Classical Archaeology (O) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
This course is an introduction to archaeological field techniques through participation in a field research project in the Classical lands. It introduces students to survey methods, excavation techniques, documentation/recording of field procedures, recovery of artifacts, and their preparation for storage.
CLAS3323 / The Jewel of the East: The Art and Archaeology of Byzantium (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
The eastern Roman Empire, known today as Byzantium, flourished for over 1000 years (AD 324-1453). The art and architecture of this multicultural society, united under a single state religion, reflect contemporary political and religious attitudes. They tell the story of an evolving state that slowly drew away from Roman traditions to create its own identity. Clinging to its classical-Hellenic past through education, it laid a firm foundation for humanistic studies and the emergence of the Renaissance period. The surviving luxury items (jewelry, textiles, metalwork), the iconography (icons, wall paintings, and mosaics), the elegantly decorated books and illuminated manuscripts, the great basilicas and high-domed churches, most of which survive intact, are just some of the remains of material culture discussed. With the assistance of historical documents and anthropological and scientific studies, this course traces the story of this ‘mystical’ empire and its legacy to the development of western civilization.
CLAS3333 / From Kingship to Democracy: The Art and Archaeology of Greece (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
From prehistoric settlements to the great city states and from the monumental works and ‘masterpieces’ of art to the humble tomb and domestic pot, this course presents the material remains of a culture which continues to inspire artists, architects, engineers and city planners worldwide. The material is examined within a political, religious, and social context with the aid of historical documents, anthropological studies, and modern science. Topics include the contributions of eastern Mediterranean cultures (Egypt, Phoenicia, etc.), the development of the architectural orders (Doric, Ionic) and free-standing male and female sculpture, the ancient theatre, and the development of democracy as interpreted through the archaeological record are just some of the topics covered
Students cannot receive credit for both CLAS 2303 and CLAS 3333.
CLAS3334 / Classical Archaeology: Method and Theory / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
In this course students examine the evolution of the discipline of classical archaeology and the scientific approaches to the study of material remains from the classical world: Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt, Greece, Italy and Britain. A pottery lab component will complement this course.
Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: CLAS 2333, or ARCH 2333, or CLAS 3334.
CLAS3343 / Archaeologies of the Roman Empire: Art, Landscapes andMemories (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
The enduring monuments of Roman art, architecture, and engineering feats such as aqueducts and baths, still in use today, are a reminder of the ingenuity of a culture that has left its imprint on the modern world. With the aid of textual sources, anthropological studies, and the sciences, the course acknowledges the cultures that inspired the Romans (the Hellenistic kingdoms of Alexander the Great and the Etruscans) and then examines the political agenda and building programs of the Republic and the emperors. Topics include Iron Age huts and the imperial palace of Domitian on the Palatine Hill; the simple funerary monuments of the masses and the pompous display of statuary and monumental tombs of the wealthy; and grand temples, villas, and amphitheatres (such as the Colosseum).
Students cannot receive credit for both CLAS 2313 and CLAS 3343.
CLAS3373 / Pompeii and Herculaneum (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
Buried by a volcanic eruption in 79 CE, Pompeii and Herculaneum are our richest source of evidence for daily life in the Roman Empire, from public buildings to private houses, from temples to taverns to brothels, from city streets to tombs, from sculpture and painting to graffiti and bones. By studying the archaeological remains of these cities, students learn about ancient Roman city structure, class and gender relations, political life, religious observances, hard work, and spectacular entertainment.
CLAS3403 / The Comic Theatre of Greece and Rome (O) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
The development of comedy from the kômos in Greece; the reading, in English translation, of an Old Comedy by Aristophanes, a satyr-play by Euripides and a New Comedy by Menander; the development of comedy in Rome through the reading of plays by Plautus and Terence. The history of the theatre, its changing structure, conventions, the production of plays and their performance and the festivals at which they were performed.
CLAS3413 / The Tragic Theatre of Greece and Rome (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
The history of the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens and a survey of the origins of Greek tragedy; the reading in English translation of a representative sample of the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides; the dramatic festivals at which they were performed, the production and performance of the plays, the dramatic conventions. The role of the serious theatre in Rome; a tragedy of Seneca, in English translation, is read.
CLAS3433 / The Ancient World on Film (A) / 3 ch (3C) [W] /
The course aims to help students understand and enjoy the reception of Greek and Roman civilization in Hollywood and European films. History will be studied via cinematic versions (such as Troy, Alexander, Spartacus, Life of Brian, Fellini’s Satyricon, Gladiator, etc.) and Greek and Latin literature in translation. Attention will be given to the ways in which filmmakers adapt historical subjects and how classical literature is recast as films, offering an exciting commentary on our relationship with our classical heritage. By introducing students to some of the literature and films about the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, it will encourage them to address questions of how they shape our views about the past. The focus will be on analyzing and discussing literature, film, and culture within a historical context.
CLAS3463 / History of Modern Greece / 3 ch (3C) [W] [O] /
An introductory survey course of the history of Modern Greece beginning with the Greek War of Independence in 1821 to World War II. Special attention will be paid to various events and themes (such as the Asia Minor Catastrophe in 1922 and the Greek Diaspora etc.) by utilizing literature and other historical sources and documentaries in order to present the society, culture and politics of Greece and gain a better understanding of the modern Greek identity. There are no prerequisites.