91611

CLAS / LIT 125 The Odyssey of Homer

Daniel Mendelsohn

. T . . .

4:40 pm -7:00 pm

OLIN 205

ELIT

Cross-listed: Literature This course will consist of an intensive reading of Homer’s Odyssey over the course of a single semester.  The course is designed to introduce freshmen to more profound and sophisticated techniques of reading and thinking about texts than they will have thus far encountered.  After two introductory sessions, in which students will be introduced to the large issues particular both to this genre (the archaic Greek world, oral composition, the Homeric Question) and to this particular text (“sequels,” epic cycle, the prominence of women, narrative closure), we will read through the epic at a rate of two books per week; two summary sessions will conclude the semester as we look back at the large literary and cultural issues raised by this essential document of the Western tradition: travel as a narrative vehicle for (self-) discovery, the competing satisfactions of the journey and the arrival, the poem’s special interest in poetry and narrative creation. A premium will be placed on student participation in class discussion, and each student will be asked to present a book of the poem (focusing on structural analysis, interpretative issues, etc.) to the class.  At least two papers, midterm, final exam. This course is designed particularly for first-year students. Class size: 20

92187

CLAS 157 5^th Century Athens

William Mullen

. T . Th .

3:10 pm -4:30 pm

OLIN 201

HIST

Cross-listed: Literature, History In the fifth century BCE, Athens dramatically developed from a small, relatively unimportant city-state into a dominant power in the Aegean basin. Athenian political, artistic, literary, and intellectual traditions continue to reverberate through the world today: democracy, tragedy and comedy, rhetoric, philosophy, history, as well as the classical style of sculpture and architecture stem from this remarkable culture. The course will confront some of the ambiguities and tensions (slavery, exclusion of women and non-citizens from political power), as well as the glories, of Athenian art, literature, and history during this period. This course is designed primarily for first-year students. Class size: 22

91940

CLAS 276 Indo-European Epic

William Mullen

. T . Th .

11:50 am -1:10 pm

RKC 200

FLLC

Linguists and archaeologists have a rough agreement that there existed a people speaking a language called Proto-Indo-European (PIE), unattested itself but linguistically reconstructable from cognate features in a number of languages covering a geographical spread from Sanskrit to Old Irish.   There is little consensus about that people’s original homeland, or  the timing or causes for its migrations as far as the Indus Valley at  one extreme and Ireland at the other. What can be agreed upon most readily from the linguistic evidence of this band of Indo-European cultures is that they shared not merely a common language and social structures but also common literary genres, principally epic and lyric, in which there are signs of common metaphors and even meters.   Hence it is possible (without adopting any one theory about PIE history) to compare passages from epics originating in oral traditions and later crystallized into such texts as the Mahabharata and Ramayana in India, the Iliad and the Odyssey in Greece, the Norse Elder Edda, and the Irish Táin Bó Cuailnge.   We will read selections from these areas and try to isolate cognate features, on the level of rhythm, diction, tropes, religious and military practices, and narrative structures, and read some of the principal secondary literature of Indo-European comparatists.   We will then further try to formulate what may have been distinctive about each epic tradition’s evolution.  All texts will be read in English, with occasional glances at metrical and linguistic features of the originals.  Class size: 15

91635

CLAS 311 Self and Society in Classic Greek Drama

Daniel Mendelsohn

M . W . .

11:50 am -1:10 pm

OLIN 306

ELIT

This course will involve a close study of nearly all of the major plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides in English translation, with the aim of gaining familiarity with the genre of tragedy as a complex art form and, in particular, as a preeminent vehicle for the transmission of core Western values—moral, political and aesthetic. Emphasis will fall equally on tragedy’s formal aspects (plot, character, poetic language, questions of evolving genre) and its psychological, social and especially its political dimensions, the latter specifically within the context of tragedy’s ongoing presentation of conflict between the individual and society. Special attention will be paid to aspects of staging and performance, both in ancient times and in contemporary productions. Regular film showings will be a part of the course. Class size: 15

91548

ARTH 227 Roman Urbanism from romulus to rutelli (753 bce – 2000 ce)

Diana DePardo-Minsky

M . W . .

3:10 pm -4:30 pm

OLIN 102

AART

91617

LIT 2234 The Ancient Comic Theater

Lauren Curtis

M . W . .

3:10 pm -4:30 pm

OLINLC 115

ELIT

91411

HIST 2110 Early Middle Ages

Alice Stroup

. T . Th .

10:10 am- 11:30 am

OLIN 308

HIST

91767

PHIL 109 IntroDUCTION to Ancient Philosophy

Jay Elliott

M . W . .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

OLIN 101

HUM

91821

REL 140 Sanskrit

Richard Davis

. T. Th . . . W . .

10:30 am- 11:30 am 10:30 am -11:30 am

OLIN LC 118 OLIN 101

FLLC

GREEK

91571

GRE 101 Basic Greek I

Carolyn Dewald

M T W Th .

10:30 am- 11:30 am

OLINLC 120

FLLC

In this two-part course, Greek grammar and fundamental vocabulary are introduced, with attention given to pronunciation and recitation of poetry and prose. Reading includes significant passages from Homer and important classical Greek authors, in Greek. Students with high school Greek are welcome and should see the instructor about placement. Class size: 15

91962

GRE 201 INTERMEDIATE GREEK I

Carolyn Dewald

M T W Th .

10:30 am- 11:30 am

OLINLC 120

FLLC

By special arrangement; see Prof. Romm or Prof. Dewald for more information.

91572

GRE 301 Advanced Greek: Sophocles' Antigone

Anne Carson

. T . Th . .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

OLIN 306

FLLC

We will read Sophocles’ Antigone with special attention to problems of translation and performance. Class size: 12

LATIN

91573

LAT 201 Readings: Classical Latin LitERATURE

Rob Cioffi

M . W . .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

OLIN 306

FLLC

This course, designed for students reading continuous Latin for the first time, focuses on readings from the poetry of Catullus and from Cicero's letters. We will combine grammar drill and review with an emphasis on developing reading fluency in both poetry and prose. We will also consider questions of literary style, language and rhetoric, and will situate these authors within the world of Rome in the Late Republic. Students with high-school Latin are welcome to enroll but should consult with the instructor. Class size: 12

91574 91989

LAT 301 / LAT 403 Advanced Latin: Ovid, love and metamorphosis

Lauren Curtis

M . W . .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

OLIN 307

FLLC

Ovid’s poetic output was enormous, and his influence on later literature profound. This course offers a detailed reading of Ovid’s poetry in Latin, focusing especially on his transformation of two major Latin literary genres: love elegy ('Amores' and 'Ars Amatoria') and epic ('Metamorphoses'). As we increase reading fluency by reading substantial portions of these texts in Latin, we will also develop interpretative tools for understanding Ovid’s innovative treatment of love, change, society and myth. Prerequisites: successful completion of Latin 202, or permission of the instructor. Note that class can be taken at the 300 or 400 level depending on experience. Class size: 12