Classics courses and programs

MINOR in classical studies is 24 credits earned as follows:

• 18 from Classics, Latin, or Greek; or PHIL 1601
• 6 from Classics, Latin, or Greek at the 3/4000 level

Students may choose a minor program with an emphasis on ancient history, classical literature, or art and archaeology.

MINOR in Greek is 24 credits earned as follows:

• 18 from GREK 1001, 1101, 2001, 2101, and Greek at the 3000 level
• 6 from Greek, Latin, or Classics

MINOR in Latin is 24 credits earned as follows:

• 18 from LATI 1001, 1101, 2001, 2101, and Latin at the 3000 level
• 6 from Greek, Latin, or Classics

MAJOR in classical studies is 60 credits earned as follows:

• 6 from LATI 1001, 1101, GREK 1001, 1101 3
• 6 from Classics, Greek, Latin, of which 24 must be from the 3/4000 level
• 18 from complementary courses in Arts and Letters and Humanities (or others), chosen in consultation with the program advisor

HONOURS in classical studies is 72 credits earned as follows:

• 12 from LATI 1001, 1101, GREK 1001, 1101
• 6 from LATI 2001, 2101, GREK 2001, 2101
• 6 from Greek/Latin at the 3000/4000 level OR CLAS 4950/4951
• 48 from Classics/Greek/Latin, of which 33 must be at the 3/4000 level

 

CLAS 1631:  Greece & Rome: The Foundations of Western Civilization 

Instructor: B. Robertson

The political and social history of ancient Greece and Rome will be surveyed with a focus on the themes of Law, Politics, War, and Society. Special attention will be paid to Athens in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. and to Rome under Caesar Augustus. (3 credits) [Note: This course is cross-listed with HIST 1631 and may therefore count as 3 credits in either discipline.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

 

 

CLAS 2411:  Hero’s Quest: Greek and Roman Epic Poetry 

Instructor: C. Forstall

This course presents the canonical works of the Greek and Roman Epic traditions: the Trojan war and the rage of Achilles, the wanderings of Odysseus, Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece, and Aeneas' search for a Roman homeland. Students read the original authors in English translation: Homer, Virgil, and Apollonius of Rhodes. The course also introduces key analytical skills necessary for research in the humanities, with a special focus on critical close reading, effective argumentation, and citation of primary sources. (3 credits) (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

 

 

CLAS 2501:  Introduction to Archaeology 

Instructor:  I. Battiloro

An introduction to the methods of archaeological excavation. This course aims to acquaint the student with the theory and basic techniques of archaeology. Examples showing both past and present archaeological research done in the Old and New Worlds will be used to illustrate the topics under discussion. (3 credits) (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

                                                      

 

CLAS 3021: Conquest and Expansion: the Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic

Instructor: B. Robertson

An examination of the development of Rome from a small city-state into the leading power in the Mediterranean. Main themes include the conflict between Rome and Carthage, the conquest of the Hellenistic East, and the political and social changes in Roman society. There will be an emphasis on the analysis and interpretation of primary sources in translation. [Note 1: This course is cross-listed with HIST 3021 and may therefore count as 3 credits in either discipline.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Prereq: Second-year standing; 3 credits from CLAS, HIST at the 1/2000 level; or permission of the Department.

 

 

CLAS 3401: The Lyric Poetry of Greece and Rome

Instructor: C. Forstall
A study of Greek and Roman poetry that expresses universal feelings of love and fear, celebration and personal aspiration. The course will examine the themes and forms of lyric poetry, as well as the role of the poet in society. The poems of Sappho, Archilochus, Pindar, Catullus, Propertius, Ovid, and others will be read in English translation. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Prereq: Second-year standing; 3 credits from CLAS, HIST at the 1/2000 level; or permission of the Department.

 

 

CLAS 3731: Roman Art and Archaeology

Instructor: I. Battiloro

This course introduces the artistic, architectural, and archaeological monuments of the Roman world from the eighth century BC to the fifth century AD. It traces Roman art and architecture from its early origins under Etruscan influence through to the periods of the Roman Republic and Principate. It engages monuments and artifacts within their political, economic, religious, intellectual, and social context. This approach provides a framework for a more comprehensive understanding of art and artistic movements in their diachronic development. [Note 1: This course may count as 3 credits in Art History only towards the BA programs in Fine Arts and Art History. Note 2: This course is cross-listed with VMCS 3731 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusions: CLAS 3701, CLAS 3711) Prereq: Second-year standing; 3 credits from CLAS, ARTH (or FINH), HIST at the 1/2000 level; or permission of the Department.

  

 

CLAS 3801: Digital Methods in the Humanities

Instructor: C. Forstall
This course introduces the tools and methods of Digital Humanities research. It surveys recent computational work in a variety of humanities disciplines, focusing critical attention on the particular modes of thought, biases, strengths, and limitations that characterize the Digital Humanities. The course simultaneously provides hands-on instruction in basic practices for digital research. It assumes no prior computing expertise but does expect that students have some experience with research in their own field. (Format: integrated lecture and laboratory 3 Hours) (Exclusion: CLAS 3991- Digital Methods in the Humanities) Prereq: Second-year standing, any second-year course in Arts.

 

 

3991A Tragedy in Film - Sophocles and the Cinema

Instructor: M. Ludwig

In this course we will spend half of our class time surveying several plays by the ancient Greek author Sophocles (496-406 BCE) to develop familiarity with the conventions of classical Athenian tragedy in the fifth century generally and the thematic preoccupations of Sophocles in particular. This latter focus will include: the failures of human knowledge, the individual’s relationship to their communities, the inscrutability of the gods, and the relationship between fate and choice. Additionally, to enrich our reading of Sophocles, we will spend the other half of our class time reflecting on the enduring resonance of his tragedies in film. For each play we study we will examine its reverberations in cinema, accounting not only for direct adaptations but also for twentieth and twenty-first century iterations of Sophoclean character types, tropes, structures,  and themes. Of particular interest will be the extent to which the dominant American cinematic genre of film noir (and its post-modern reappraisal as neo-noir)—with its central figure of the socially isolated and estranged detective—translates Sophoclean anxieties into modernity.     

GREK 2001 Intermediate Greek

Instructor: C. Forstall
This course introduces students to the reading of unadapted passages from ancient authors. While the emphasis is on developing a fluency in reading Greek, it also reviews basic Greek grammar and presents some more advanced grammar and syntax. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Prereq: GREK 1101; or permission of the Department.

 

 

LATI 1001: Introductory Latin I

Instructor:  I. Battiloro

An introduction to basic Latin grammar and vocabulary for students with no previous knowledge of the language. This course is based on readings which present not only the fundamentals of Latin but also the Roman world in which it was used. Some effort is made to show the connections between Latin and modern languages (English, French, Spanish). Three class periods per week, plus a fourth hour to be arranged after classes have begun. (3 credits) (Format: Lecture 3 Hours, Tutorial 1 Hour) (Exclusion: LATI 1000)

 ​​​​

 ​​​​

LATI 2001: Intermediate Latin (3 credits)

Instructor: TBA

Format: Lecture 3 Hours

This course introduces students to the reading of unadapted passages from ancient authors. While the emphasis is on developing a fluency in reading Latin, it also reviews basic Latin grammar and presents some more advanced grammar and syntax.

Prereq: LATI 1101; or permission of the Department.

 

CLAS 1651:  Classic Mythology: Gods, Goddesses, and the Creation of Order 

Instructor: C. Forstall

Format:  Lecture 3 Hours

An introduction to the gods and goddesses of classical myth in the literature, art, and religion of ancient Greece and Rome. The course will examine cosmogonies and divine myths in order to shed light on the views held by the Greeks and Romans about the nature of the relationship between mortal and immortal. 

(3 credits)

 

 

CLAS 2021:  Alexander the Great 

Instructor:  B. Robertson

Format:  Lecture 3 Hours

Exclusion: CLAS/HIST 3011

An examination of the career of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic era that followed his conquest of the eastern Mediterranean. Among the main themes included will the goals of Alexander, the new political climate of kingship and patronage that he helped create, the interaction of the Greeks with the civilizations of Egypt and the East, and the integration of new cultural ideas into Greek society. (3 credits) [Note: This course is cross-listed with HIST 2021 and may therefore count as 3 credits in either discipline.]

 

 

CLAS 2521: The Archaeology of Daily Life in the Greek and Roman World 

Instructor:  I. Battiloro

Format:  Lecture 3 Hours

An examination of the evidence used by archaeologists to recreate the social history of ancient Greece and Rome. The course will consider how archaeology can shed light on such topics as the lives of men, women, and children; the home; government; the economy; the army; and entertainment. (3 credits)

 

CLAS 3031: The Roman Empire: Centre and Periphery

Instructor: B. Robertson
An examination of the history of imperial Rome from the age of Augustus to that of Constantine. Main themes include the imperial form of government, the Roman army, urban development and its impact on society, and the conflicts between Romans and other cultures. There will be an emphasis on the analysis and interpretation of primary sources in translation. [Note 1: This course is cross-listed with HIST 3031 and may therefore count as 3 credits in either discipline.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Prereq: Second-year standing; 3 credits from CLAS, HIST at the 1/2000 level; or permission of the Department.

 

 

CLAS 3721: Art and Archaeology of Pompeii

Instructor:  I. Battiloro

Prereq: Second-year standing; 3 credits from CLAS, ARTH (or FINH), HIST at the 1/2000 level; or permission of the Department
This course closely examines the archaeological remains from the city of Pompeii in the Bay of Naples: its road system, sewers, public markets, cult places, burial monuments, brothels, bathhouses, political buildings, and houses and residential areas. It pays special attention to the occupation phases of the city before the foundation of the Roman colony in 80 BC, and the impact that the Roman conquest of Pompeii had on its architectural and artistic forms. It also explores the 'hidden history' of Pompeii as a means to raise awareness about the role of material culture in giving voice to cultures and communities that have not left written sources to us. [Note 1: This course may count as 3 credits in Art History only towards the BA programs in Fine Arts and Art History. Note 2: This course is cross-listed with VMCS 3721 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

 

 

CLAS 3991B: Roman Horror

Instructor: C. Forstall

The goal of this course is to become familiar with the epic (and tragic) poetry of post-Augustan Rome and with its primary authors, themes, and stylistic preoccupations. A second, related goal is to hone the practice of critical reading and literary analysis in order to better understand the literary arts of our own time, especially in light of their Classical heritage. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

 

 

GREK 2101: Introductory Readings in Greek Literature

Instructor: TBA
A reading of selected works by Greek authors. This course will acquaint the student with some of the forms of ancient prose and poetry. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Prereq: GREK 2001; or permission of the Department.

 

 

LATI 1101: Introductory Latin II

Instructor: M. Ludwig

A continuation of the study of the Latin language. While adding new grammar, this course concentrates on reading comprehension and vocabulary building. Three class periods per week, plus a fourth hour to be arranged after classes have begun. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours, Tutorial 1 Hour) (Exclusion: LATI 1000)Prereq: LATI 1001; or permission of the Department. 

 

 

LATI 2101: Introductory Readings in Latin Literature

Instructor: TBA

A reading of selected works by Latin authors. This course will acquaint the student with some of the forms of ancient prose and poetry. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Prereq: LATI 2001; or permission of the Department.

 

LATI 3101: Readings in Latin Poetry 

Instructor: C. Forstall
The translation and study of the work of one or more Latin poets. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Prereq: LATI 2101; or permission of the Department.