Course:

CLAS 122  The Roman World: An Introduction

Professor:

Lauren Curtis  

CRN:

15515

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     5:10 PM – 6:30 PM Olin 201

Distributional Area:

HA Historical Analysis  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 22

Crosslists: Historical Studies

How did a small village in Italy become the center of one of the largest empires in the ancient world? What did it mean to be “Roman” in a multicultural empire that stretched, at its height, from the Atlantic coast of Europe and north Africa to Albania, Egypt and Iraq? This course will give you a broad overview of Roman history. It will also use a series of focused case studies, based on close analysis of ancient evidence such as coins, visual culture, and literary documents, to explore how Romans from all walks of life shaped and were shaped by the society they lived in. This course is open to all students and has no prerequisites. Assignments will involve short writing responses, quizzes, and a final project.

 

Course:

CLAS 225  The Odyssey of Homer

Professor:

Daniel Mendelsohn  

CRN:

15516

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      12:30 PM – 2:50 PM Olin 305

Distributional Area:

LA Literary Analysis in English  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 18

This course will consist of an intensive reading of Homer’s Odyssey over the course of a single semester. The seminar is designed for students of all levels, with no previous requirements. An introductory session will introduce students to the large issues particular both to this genre: the culture of the archaic Greek world (in part, through readings of M. I. Finley’s The World of Odysseus), oral composition, the “Homeric Question” (how was the epic composed, and by whom?), after which we will turn to specific questions arising from our text itself: the question of “sequels,” the Epic Cycle, gender issues and the prominence of women, how narrative closure is achieved. Toward the end of the semester we will also consider the long tradition of literary tropes in the Western tradition that were crystallized by the Odyssey: travel as a narrative vehicle for (self-) discovery; the competing satisfactions of the journey and the arrival; what is at stake in the division between god and man, man and beast, Greek and “other”; and the poem’s special interest in poetry, narrative, truth and lies. We will read through the epic at a rate of two books per week, largely in Professor Mendelsohn’s translation-in-progress, which will allow us to explore questions of translation, too. Students will be expected to post weekly on the readings; class participation is vital; there will be three short papers and a midterm, as well as pop quizzes.

 

Course:

CLAS 317  Touching the Gods: Sacred Images in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Professor:

Ranjani Atur  

CRN:

15543

Schedule/Location:

   Thurs    12:30 PM – 2:50 PM Olin Languages Center 208

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art;   D+J Difference and Justice

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

Crosslists: Art History; Study of Religions

In the ancient Mediterranean world, images of the gods routinely spoke, moved, and interacted with their human worshippers. In return, ancient Greeks worshipped, kissed, bathed, fed, and sometimes even hit, these sacred images. How did these images function? What was the relationship between material image and immaterial deity? This class explores material modes of representing divine beings in the ancient Mediterranean world by following aesthetic and functional developments in sacred images from the archaic period to the third century CE, when many of these images were mutilated and destroyed. We will consider how mythic narratives, different modes of seeing, and various media (e.g. vase paintings, reliefs, free-standing sculpture) all informed the sacred status of the image. Comparanda from other ancient regions, such as North Africa, the Near East, and Asia will help us evaluate Greek religion apart from a Western, colonial lens. In applying modern theories of object agency and material religion, we will nuance the categories of “person” and “object,” and think about their entanglement in daily and religious life. Through this course, students will develop their visual analysis skills and gain a broader cultural and religious literacy.

 

Cross-listed courses:

Course:

PHIL 129  Philosophy of Slavery

Professor:

Jay Elliott  

CRN:

15624

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     8:30 AM – 9:50 AM Olin 201

Distributional Area:

MBV Meaning, Being, Value D+J Difference and Justice

Credits: 4

 

Class cap 22

Crosslists: Classical Studies; Human Rights

Classical Languages: Greek

 

Course:

GRE 101  Beginning Ancient Greek

Professor:

Robert Cioffi  

CRN:

15518

Schedule/Location:

Mon Tue Wed Thurs    3:50 PM – 4:50 PM Olin Languages Center 118

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 18

This course teaches students at the beginners’ level the fundamentals of the ancient Greek language. Spoken and written for many centuries in mainland Greece, Asia Minor (modern Turkey), and Hellenistic and Roman Egypt, ancient Greek was the language of the Iliad and Odyssey, Sappho, Greek tragedy, Plato and Aristotle, the Septuagint, and even innovative genres like the ancient Greek novels. In this first semester of a two-semester sequence, students will begin to learn Attic Greek, the language spoken in and around Athens. The approach foregrounds reading original (and slightly modified) Greek literary texts and primary documents with an emphasis on grammar and syntax; by the end of the sequence, students will be ready to read most Greeks texts in the original. No prior experience is expected (students with prior experience of Greek should consult with the teaching faculty).

 

Course:

GRE 203  Euripides’ “Alcestis”

Professor:

James Romm  

CRN:

15519

Schedule/Location:

Mon Tue  Thurs    3:30 PM – 4:40 PM Olin 302

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

We will read scenes from the genre-bending Alcestis of Euripides, a play that is today classed as a tragedy but was put on in the place of a comic satyr play. We’ll use the play to explore aspects of ancient Greek theater and to review grammar and syntax of the Greek language. The class will meet three times a week; please speak with Prof. Romm if the schedule creates a conflict with other, required courses. Readings will be Ancient Greek. Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed Greek 102 at Bard or its equivalent elsewhere (consult with Professor Romm, romm@bard.edu , if unsure about placement).

 

Course:

GRE 302  Plato’s Symposium

Professor:

James Romm  

CRN:

15544

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     5:10 PM – 6:30 PM Olin Languages Center 206

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

We will read Plato’s dialogue Symposium, an exploration of erotic love and its place in the life of the philosopher, giving attention to its central ideas, its structure and style, and the insight it gives into sexual mores in classical Athens. Readings will be in Ancient Greek. Prerequisites: Greek 201/202 or permission of the instructor.

Classical Languages: Latin

 

Course:

LAT 102  Beginning Latin II

Professor:

Lauren Curtis  

CRN:

15520

Schedule/Location:

Mon Tue Wed  Fri   10:10 AM – 11:10 AM Olin Languages Center 210

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 22

This is the continuation of Latin 101, an introduction to the Latin language. Spoken and written for many centuries, first at Rome and then across the Roman Empire from Britain to Syria, Latin has shaped the history of English and many other living languages today. In this second semester of a two-semester sequence, you will learn classical Latin using new course materials specially designed by Bard faculty. They combine engaging introductory texts with selections of original Latin written by a diverse array of Romans, including women, enslaved people, and literary authors such as Cicero, Ovid, and St Augustine. A focus on reading comprehension and grammar is combined with an emphasis on understanding the Latin language within its cultural and historical contexts. By the end of the full-year sequence, you will have learned the fundamentals of Latin and will be ready to read original texts in full. This course is for students who have taken Latin 101 in the Fall. Latin 101 is offered every Fall. If you have questions about beginning Latin, please contact Prof. Curtis, lcurtis@bard.edu.

 

Course:

LAT 202  Love and Politics in Republican Rome

Professor:

Robert Cioffi  

CRN:

15960

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM – 11:30 AM Olin 302

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

This course reads selections in Latin of the poetry of Catullus and the Pro Caelio, Cicero’s withering defense speech of 56 BCE. Composed in the last days of the Roman Republic, these texts offer insights into the intersection of political power, public speech, literary culture, gender, sexuality, and shifting morals in the first century BCE. While focusing on developing students’ reading fluency in both poetry and prose, we will also consider questions of literary style, language and rhetoric, and will situate these authors within their cultural and historical context. Readings will be in Latin. Prerequisite: Latin 102 or permission of the instructor (students with high-school Latin are welcome and should consult with Prof. Cioffi before enrolling).

 

Course:

LAT 302  Advanced Latin Readings

Professor:

James Romm  

CRN:

15545

Schedule/Location:

        TBA  

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

Readings in Latin literature with close attention to grammar, themes and historical context. Selection of readings to be determined in consultation with those enrolled in the course. Meeting days and times will be arranged between Prof. Romm and enrolled students. Prerequisites: Latin 201/202 or permission of the instructor (students with high-school Latin are welcome and should consult with Professor Romm before enrolling).