Department of Classical Studies

Last updated: August 14, 2014 at 4:29 p.m.

Objectives

The Department of Classical Studies offers courses in the languages, literatures, history, and archaeology of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, two cultures that are the intellectual, social, political, legal, scientific, and artistic origin of Western civilization. Along with the Hebrew Bible, the scholarly study of these cultures, which goes back to the death of Alexander the Great, is the original subject of university study. Their brilliance and beauty have not ceased to beguile and inform students for more than two thousand years.

Undergraduate Major in Classical Studies
A major in classical studies offers the opportunity to learn about all aspects of life in Greece and Rome. Aside from its aesthetic, spiritual, moral, and intellectual value, that study can have practical use as well: for example, the study of Latin is a proven key to communication skills in English and in the Romance languages; moreover, Latin and Greek have long been, and continue to be, sources of technical concepts and vocabulary in all fields of study, from cybernetics to political economy by way of astronomy and zoology.

A major in classical studies also enhances preparation for a wide number of professional fields, including law and medicine, as well as for the graduate study of literature, history, fine arts, archaeology, anthropology, philosophy, religion, and classics itself. The requirements for the major are designed to be flexible so that individual students can focus their program around a particular interest like art and archaeology, history, or literature.

Master of Arts in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies
The department offers an interdisciplinary degree program that allows students considerable flexibility to organize their course of study around those aspects of Classical Studies that most interest them. There are two tracks within the master of arts program: Track 1 ("Ancient Greek and Roman Civilization") and Track 2 (Ancient Greek and Latin Languages and Literatures"). Track 1 is designed for preparation for elementary and secondary school education or advanced graduate work in Classical Archaeology or Ancient History with less emphasis on Greek and Latinlanguages. Students who have taken RSEM 161 (The Examined Life) at the Rabb School of Continuing Education may “count” this course towards their Master’s degree. Other practicing professionals in the area can continue their professional education in the Master’s program to gain professional development points, and to advance their school careers.

Track 2 is designed for preparation for advanced graduate work in Classics or Greek or Latin languages and literatures. The master of arts program offers a limited number of course teaching assistantships (assigned by merit) that can defray the cost of graduate study. To obtain the Master’s degree, students must take a total of eight courses, five of which must be taught by CLAS faculty, including the capstone course, CLAS 250A. See details below.

Learning Goals

The Department of Classical Studies is fundamentally interdisciplinary offering courses in the languages, literatures, history, art, archaeology, mythology, and religions of ancient Greece and Rome. These two classical cultures provide intellectual, social, political, legal, medical, philosophical, scientific, and artistic origins of Western civilization. Undergraduate students are afforded a great variety of choice, since the field is wide and deep, thus fostering their intellect and creativity. Taken together and explored either through traditional or interdisciplinary approaches, the topics in Classical Studies offer undergraduate students a detailed knowledge of life in the ancient Mediterranean, Near East, northern Europe, and north Africa over a period of more than 4,000 years (3,000 B.C.E. to 1,000 C.E.).

Students are given the opportunity to learn both from the great literary works of each culture in the original languages, ancient Greek and Latin, or in translation, and from the historical and archaeological records of these cultures. The subjects of inquiry range from iconic art and architecture like the Parthenon frieze, the dome of the Pantheon, or the Colosseum, right down to the nitty-gritty concerns of everyday life, like gender and sexuality, slavery, prostitution, medical practices, and diseases.

As recently as about 100 years ago, the scholarly study of Classics or Classical Studies, along with the Hebrew Bible, were the original, stand-alone disciplines of all university study. Despite its pedigree, the field of Classical Studies is vibrant and constantly changing from new discoveries, methodologies, interpretations, and relationships with other disciplines (including Anthropology, Computer Science, Fine Arts, History, Linguistics, Physics, Religious Studies, and Women and Gender Studies in recent years, to name but a few). Students learn to clarify and assess meanings from time-honored texts and artifacts in order to understand them better in their own ancient context and to reveal their continuing impact on modern life (in our political systems, architecture, engineering practices, films, TV programs, and in every other discipline across the university curriculum). The brilliance, beauty, and ongoing inspiration of ancient Greece and Rome have not ceased to beguile, intrigue, shock, and inform students for more than 2,000 years.

1. Core Skills expected to be attained—in communication, quantitative information, and strong critical thinking skills.

The Classical Studies major stresses core skills in language acquisition (ancient Greek and/or Latin), textual analysis (of classical texts and modern literature in translation), critical thinking (about complex ideas gleaned from these past civilizations concerning art and/or classical archaeology, history, law, literary genres, mythology, politics, and religion), and excellent communication and writing skills. Students who major in Classical Studies:

*pursue and craft professional scholarly research using ancient sources, as well as modern publications from the field of Classical Studies and related interdisciplinary fields.

*analyze and evaluate information intensely and critically (both from ancient Greek and Roman texts and from the archaeological and historical record). This means that students learn to question everything in these ancient cultures and everything studied about them so far (motives of the ancient or modern author, assumptions, and conclusions) through the lens of cultural perspective.

*express and communicate with precision and clarity all facts, ideas, opinions, and beliefs, which can be a liberating and exhilarating experience when carried out on cultures of so long ago. This means that students learn to design research methodologies, structure careful arguments in their papers or theses, and make well-supported cases for their findings in all written or oral presentations.

2. Knowledge attained from the major (research and scholarship, flexibility, creativity)

Students majoring in Classical Studies have exposure to many of the major questions, concepts, theories, ethical issues, and current methodologies of this professional discipline. The requirements for concentration are designed to be flexible, so that individual students can focus their program around a particular interest like art and archaeology, history, literature, or mythology, and fully explore their intellectual creativity through their studies. Students may complete the major in any one of the three tracks:

1. Classics (Greek and Latin languages and literatures);
2. Greek or Latin languages and literatures; or
3. Classical Archaeology and Ancient History (less emphasis on language)

Students graduate with a significant knowledge of and competency in: *What it means to be human through the lens of classical antiquity;

*The rich diversity of ancient Greece and Rome and how those cultures dealt with that diversity (which inevitably helps us understand our own global culture);

*How inequality (between the sexes, between classes, between and among peoples and nations) affected ancient cultures and helps us understand how it still affects modern societies;

*Language skills in either Greek and/or Latin (at least to the intermediate level in the Classical Archaeology and Ancient History track, and through advanced level in the other two tracks);

*The geography, mythologies, literatures, political thinking, philosophies, religions, daily life practices, material culture, architectural remains, and art of the civilizations of ancient Greece and/or Rome and their impact on modern societies.

3. Social Justice (in relation to CLAS)—how CLAS majors can participate as informed citizens in a global society, understand diversity, and engage in service.

The ancient Greeks were the first people in the west to try to define justice and what it means in social, political, and philosophical terms. The Romans, on the other hand, were the people who invented the fundamental concepts that survive, for good or ill, in the British and American legal system, starting in the seventh century B.C.E. In addition, the major provides graduates with the knowledge, ethical thinking, and critical perspective necessary to function as informed citizens in our complex and global world society. The interdisciplinary approaches within the field of Classical Studies encourage acceptance of “otherness” and diversity that can be profoundly unsettling to our modern psyches, and this forces us to examine who we are now.

Students in Classical Studies learn research methods that are open and honest, and they come to appreciate excellent public dissemination of research results (through traditional and internet publication methods, conferences on and off campus, collaborations with local museums and nearby academic institutions). In the course of their study students make trips to various museum exhibitions and have the opportunity to work in our Eunice M. Lebowitz Cohen Classical Studies Artifact Research Collection (CLARC) in order to understand cultural creativity within the ancient world, to consider the problems of historical and archaeological preservation, to gain insight into archival documentation of antiquity, to learn digital technologies, and to gain expertise in visual media related to the ancient world, such as slides, digital databases, and Internet resources. They learn how to engage scholars across time and geographical space in pursuit of a common scholarly goal. All of these strategies provide specific tools and opportunities to a wide range of Brandeis students who are committed to the concept of social justice or to learning for service.

Upon graduating:
Students who major in Classical Studies will have been exposed to the aesthetic, spiritual, moral, and intellectual values of the classical world along with their ongoing applications to today’s problems and challenges. Such study is invaluable in itself, but it can have many practical uses as well. For example, the study of Latin is a proven key to communication skills in English and in the Romance languages. Furthermore, both Latin and Greek have long been and continue to be sources of technical concepts and vocabulary in all fields of study, from cybernetics to political economy. A major in Classical Studies improves verbal and written stills and also enhances preparation for a wide number of professional fields, including business, education, government, law, library science, and medicine, as well as the graduate study of literature, history, fine arts, archaeology, anthropology, philosophy, religion, and classics itself. Everyone who samples the field comes away a better person for it.

How to become a Major or Minor

Many of the courses in the Department of Classical Studies fulfill general university requirements: school distribution requirements (in three of the schools), writing-intensive course requirements, and foreign language proficiency. Classical studies affords students many opportunities to explore interdisciplinary connections between Greece and Rome and with many other civilizations, both ancient and modern. Besides the intense study of two ancient languages and literatures, the department offers comprehensive courses in the art, archaeology, and history of the Greeks and Romans. We encourage students who have had some background in Greek and Latin to resume their study of those languages as soon as possible after entering Brandeis, as those skills are more difficult to retrieve after a passage of time. Brandeis has a placement test to determine the level of instruction at which a student should begin his/her study of Latin. The test, which cannot be "self-scored," can be downloaded from the Web site of the Office of the University Registrar; follow the submission directions indicated. Students who have had no background in Greek or Latin languages should try to begin one of them as soon as possible after entering Brandeis. Each is a window on an entire civilization.

How to Be Admitted to the Graduate Program

Candidates for admission should have a bachelor’s degree in any subject. The general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, specified in an earlier section of the Bulletin, apply to candidates for admission to graduate study in ancient Greek and Roman studies. Admission decisions are based primarily on the candidate's undergraduate academic record, two letters of recommendation, and the personal statement that is part of the application form.  Applicants to the certificate program need not have completed an undergraduate major in classics.  Students are encouraged, though not required, to visit the campus and to talk to the director of the program.

Faculty

Ann O. Koloski-Ostrow, Chair and Director of Graduate Studies
Roman and Greek art and archaeology. Latin texts. Pompeii. Ancient technology. Mythology in classical art.

Patricia A. Johnston
Latin and Greek language and literature. Vergil. Ancient religion. Mystery cults.

Andrew Koh
Greek archaeology and history. Ancient craftsmanship and trade. Cross-cultural interactions East and West. Ancient Economics.

Leonard C. Muellner
Greek and Latin language and literature. Homeric texts. Ancient poetics. Linguistics. Mythology.

Cheryl L. Walker, Undergraduate Advising Head
Roman and Greek history. Caesar. Alexander the Great. Medieval literature and culture.

Affiliated Faculty (contributing to the curriculum, advising and administration of the department or program)
Bernadette Brooten (Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)
William Kapelle (History)

Requirements for the Minor

Five courses are required for the minor. These may be any combination of ancient language courses at level 30 or higher and any CLAS or cross-listed courses. Three of the five courses in the minor must be taught by members of the Department of Classical Studies or affiliated faculty. No course with a final grade below C- can count toward fulfilling the minor requirements in Classical Studies. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the minor requirements.

Requirements for the Major

A. Required of all majors: A minimum of nine semester courses in classical studies, to include one course in Greek or Latin, level 30 or higher; one course in history appropriate for the language chosen (for Greek, CLAS 100a; for Roman, HIST 103a); one course in the art and archaeology of the appropriate culture (for Greek, CLAS 133a; for Roman, CLAS 134b).

B. Graduation with honors in classical studies may be achieved by completing a senior essay in one semester (CLAS 97a or b; LAT 97a or b; or GRK 97a or b) or by taking a year-long course (CLAS 99d or LAT 99d or GRK 99d) culminating in a senior thesis. One semester course credit from this year-long two-semester course may be counted toward the nine required courses with the consent of the thesis adviser.

C. We strongly urge classical studies majors to work in both Greek and Latin languages as both define our field of study. In special circumstances students may petition for exemptions within the spirit of the disciplines of classical studies. We encourage students to think creatively about their programs. An approved summer archaeological excavation, study tour, or museum internship, completed for credit, may be counted as fulfilling one course requirement for the major. The education program can provide licensure (formerly certification) for teaching Latin and classical humanities in high schools in Massachusetts and several other states, including Connecticut and New York. Such licensure can be obtained concurrently with the Brandeis bachelor's degree by additionally completing approved courses in the education program. Interested students should meet with the director of the education program early in their course of study to ensure sufficient time to take the course sequence.

Classical studies majors must choose one of three tracks of study. The first track in classics includes both Greek and Latin, languages and literatures, whereas the second track, in Greek or Latin literature, requires just one core language and literature. The track third in classical archaeology and ancient history, places less emphasis on language and more upon courses in ancient history, ancient art, and archaeology. With departmental approval, various archaeological excavation programs may be substituted for some required courses.

D. No course with a final grade below C- can count toward fulfilling the major requirements in Classical Studies.

E. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the major requirements.

Classics Track

A. Five additional language courses numbered 30 or higher with at least two in each language (Greek and Latin).

B. A second survey in Greek or Roman history. If CLAS 100a (Greek History) completed the core requirement, HIST 103a (Roman History) must also be taken, and vice versa.

Greek or Latin Literature Track

A. Three semester courses in Greek or Latin numbered 30 or higher.

B. A combination of three semester courses selected from courses taught in or cross-listed by the Department of Classical Studies, where such courses have a significant classical component, as approved by the student's departmental adviser.

Classical Archaeology and Ancient History Track

A. A second survey in Greek or Roman history. If CLAS 100a (Greek History) completed the core requirement, HIST 103a (Roman History) must also be taken, and vice versa.

B. A second survey in the art and archaeology of Greece or Rome. If CLAS 133a (Greek Art) completed the core requirement, CLAS 134b (Roman Art) must also be taken, and vice versa.

C. A topics course (CLAS 115b, 145b, etc.).

D. A combination of three semester courses selected from courses taught in or cross-listed by the Department of Classical Studies, where such courses have a significant classical component, as approved by the student's departmental adviser.

Independent Interdisciplinary Major in Classical and English Literature

A student interested in an Independent Interdisciplinary Major in classical and English literature may petition for such through the Office of Academic Services. Generally, an independent major in classical and English literature requires a minimum of five courses in English, five courses in Greek and/or Latin at level 30 or higher, and a senior essay.

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts

Program of Study

Students in either Track 1 (Ancient Greek and Roman Civilization)  or Track 2 (Ancient Greek and Latin Languages and Literatures) must complete CLAS 250b, the graduate capstone course, which is taught by all the members of the Department of Classical Studies. This foundational course delves into the methodologies, perspectives, and theories implicit in the field of Classical Studies. (Students who choose to participate in archaeological excavation or study abroad programs during the summer (with approval from our faculty) may gain graduate credit from these experiences by taking CLAS 251a (Directed Reading) in the semester immediately following the summer experience.)

In addition, all candidates for the Master of Arts degree must meet the following requirements:

A. Complete a program of study consisting of seven additional elective courses designed around their specific interests in Classical Studies, selected with approval of a faculty advisor or the program director. Faculty in the Department of Classical Studies must teach at least five of the total eight courses required. In general, these courses will be in the undergraduate curriculum, with special assignments added for the graduate students.

B. Master’s research paper requirements:

Track 1 students are required to write a 20-30 page Master's paper or thesis (to be decided officially no later than two semesters into the program) of professional quality to be read by two members of the classical studies faculty. The paper or thesis should demonstrate competency in one of the subfields of classical studies, for example:

Greek and/or Roman Art/Archaeology
Greek and/or Roman History
Latin Language and Literature in translation
Greek Language and Literature in translation
A specialized area of the student's choice, made in consultation with a faculty mentor on one of several topics in which the department has strength, for example, Classical Mythology, Homeric studies, Vergilian studies, etc.

The Master's paper or thesis is generally submitted toward the end of a student's completion of the Master's program and at least four weeks prior to a student's receipt of his or her degree. There is no comprehensive exam in Track 1, unless specially requested. 

Track 2 students are also required to submit a 25-50 page Master's paper or thesis (to be decided officially no later than two semesters into the program) -- research of professional quality to be read by two members of the classical studies faculty or, in lieu of a Master's paper or thesis, to pass a comprehensive exam in two of the following five areas:

Greek and/or Roman Art/Archaeology
Greek and/or Roman History
Latin Language and Literature
Greek Language and Literature
A specialized area of the student's choice, made in consultation with a faculty mentor on one of several topics in which the Department has strength, for example, Latin Epigraphy, Classical Mythology, Homeric studies, Vergilian studies, etc.

The Master's paper or thesis for Track 2 is generally submitted (and the Track 2 comprehensive exam is taken) toward the end of a student's completion of the Master's program and at least four weeks prior to a student's receipt of the degree. 

In lieu of a Master’s paper, candidates may opt to pass a comprehensive exam in two specific areas of Classical Studies (chosen from about five major areas in conjunction with a faculty advisor or the program director).

Language Requirement

Track 1 (Ancient Greek and Roman Civilization) has no language requirement for admission or for completion of the program. Students may take elementary ancient Greek and/or Latin courses while in the program, but only courses at level 30 or higher count towards completion of the master of arts degree.

Entry into Track 2 (Ancient Greek and Latin Languages and Literatures) requires at least two years of ancient Greek and/or Latin at high school level or two semesters of ancient Greek and/or Latin at college level. We expect that most of the required eight courses will be taken in ancient Greek and/or Latin language and literature.

Residence Requirement

There is a one year residency requirement for full-time students. The program may take an additional one or two semesters to complete as an Extended Master's student.

Courses of Instruction

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

CLAS 92a Internship
Two semester-hour credits; yields half-course credit.
Usually offered every year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 97a Senior Essay
Staff

CLAS 98a Directed Reading
Usually offered every year.
Staff

CLAS 98b Directed Reading
Usually offered every year.
Staff

CLAS 99d Senior Research
Majors will be guided by their thesis adviser as they write their honors paper. Usually offered every year.
Staff

(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

CLAS 100a Survey of Greek History: Bronze Age to 323 BCE
[ hum ]
Surveys the political and social development of the Greek city-states from Bronze Age origins to the death of Alexander. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Walker

CLAS 115b Topics in Greek and Roman History
[ hum wi ]
Topics vary from year to year and the course may be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor. Topics include the Age of Alexander the Great, the Age of Pericles, the Greekness of Alexander, and Imperialism in Antiquity. See the Schedule of Classes for the current topic. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Walker

CLAS 120a Age of Caesar
[ hum wi ]
The life and times of Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) viewed through primary texts in a variety of genres: from Caesar himself to contemporaries Cicero and Catullus and biographers Plutarch and Suetonius. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Walker

CLAS 121b Money, Markets and Society in the Ancient Mediterranean
[ hum wi ]
Examines the complex interactions between economic and social systems in the ancient Mediterranean, especially Greece and Rome, through literature, documents, and artifacts. Readings in English. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Walker

CLAS 133a The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
[ ca hum ]
Surveys the main forms and styles of Greek art and architecture from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period in mainland Greece and on the islands of the Aegean. Archaeological remains and ancient literary evidence help explore the relationships between culture, the visual arts, and society. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Koh

CLAS 134b The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome
[ ca hum ]
Surveys the art and architecture of the ancient Romans from the eighth century BCE to the end of the empire in Sicily, mainland Italy (with focus on Rome, Ostia, Pompeii, and Herculaneum), and in the Roman provinces. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 136b Roman Technology, Medicine, and Art
[ hum ]
Investigates a selection of the most famous monuments and cultural institutions of the Roman world in order to understand the technology and engineering that created them. The primary source is Elder Pliny. We also consider Roman medicine. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 140a Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Greek and Roman Art and Text
[ ca hum ]
An exploration of women, gender, and sexuality in ancient Greece and Rome as the ideological bases of Western attitudes toward sex and gender. Includes, in some fashion, Greek and Roman myth, literature, art, architecture, and archaeological artifacts. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 145b Topics in Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology
[ ca hum ]
Topics vary from year to year and the course may be repeated for credit. Topics include daily life in ancient Rome; ancient technology and art; and Athens and the golden age of Greece. See Schedule of Classes for the current topic and description. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow or Mr. Koh

CLAS 149b Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Global Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
[ hum wi ]
Investigates the development of commodity production and global exchange in the ancient Mediterranean. Approached from multiple disciplinary perspectives and through both global and local lenses, this course will study commodity consumption as a social, cultural and material process. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Koh

CLAS 150b Pompeii: Life in the Shadow of Vesuvius
[ ca hum ]
Examines Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried by Vesuvius in 79 CE, using the ancient cities' art, architecture, and wall writings to understand the social, political, economic, and religious realities of Roman life on the Bay of Naples, especially in the first century CE. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 151a Greece, Rome, Myth, and the Movies
[ hum ]
Explores classical mythology through several key texts to demonstrate the strong connections between antiquity and our own society, especially as revealed in an array of modern cinematic experiments. Charts the transformation of these myths for our own cultural needs. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 165a Roman Sex, Violence, and Decadence in Translation
[ hum wi ]
Famous Roman texts (200 BCE-200 CE) are read from social, historical, psychological, literary, and religious viewpoints. The concept of "Roman decadence" is challenged both by the Roman literary accomplishment itself and by its import on subsequent periods. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 166a Medieval Literature: A Millennium of God, Sex, and Death
[ hum wi ]
A survey of medieval Latin literature in translation, beginning with the fourth-century church fathers and ending with the early Renaissance. Includes Augustine, Ambrose, Jerome, Egeria, Jordanes, Gregory of Tours, Isidore of Seville, Bede, Alcuin, Einhard, Hroswitha, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Hildegard, Anselm, and others. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Walker

CLAS 167b Classical Myths Told and Retold
[ hum wi ]
Surveys several major literary works of the ancient Greeks and Romans in order to study their mythological content, variant myths, and the influence of mythology on later literature and modern cinema. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 170a Classical Mythology
[ hum ]
An introduction to Greek and Roman mythology. Considers ancient song cultures, and the relationship between myth, drama, and religion. Also explores visual representations of myth. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Muellner

CLAS 187a Art, Archaeology, and Society in the Holy Land
[ hum ]
Surveys the archaeological and social history of the southern Levant from the emergence of complex societies in the Chalcolithic to the hegenomy of the Romans, emphasizing developments after the Early Bronze Age such as the rise and fall of the Iron Age biblical states. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Koh

CLAS 190b Ancient Mysteries, Cults, and Myths
[ hum ]
An investigation of the phenomenon of the ancient mystery cults as preserved in the surviving art and literature of antiquity. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Johnston

CLAS 192b Slavery in the Roman World (1st-4th C. CE)
[ hum ]
Analyzes the world's first society with massive enslavement. Topics include sources of slavery, slavery's economic role, Roman, Jewish, and Christian legal regulation, gender difference and sexuality, religious teachings, daily life, punishment, incentives, and resistance, and slavery's effects on the freeborn. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Brooten

CLAS/FA 186a The Art and Archaeology of Korea
[ ca hum nw ]
Surveys the art, archaeology, and architecture of Korea from the Prehistoric period to the twentieth century. We will conceptualize the study of Korean material culture by highlighting striking parallels with ancient Greece. This course emphasizes the Korean peninsula's unique geographic placement in East Asia. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Koh

(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students

CLAS 200a Proseminar
Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated twice for credit.
A graduate course of specialized topics, examples include Latin Epigraphy, Greek Poetics, Historiography, Manuscript Tradition. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 250b Capstone Course
Taught consecutively by department faculty on the methodologies, perspectives, and theories in the field of classical studies. Students gain insight, for example, into Homeric scholarship, Vergilian studies, historiography, and new methods and research in such areas as classical archaeology, anthropology, epigraphy, ancient Greek and Roman history, and ancient art. Usually offered every second year in the spring semester.
Staff

CLAS 251a Directed Study
A graduate course for students who complete some approved experiential summer study (e.g., participation in an archaeological excavation or in a two-week summer program at Cumae, Italy, on the Bay of Naples through the Vergilian Society). Usually offered every year in the fall semester.
Ms. Koloski-Ostrow

CLAS 298a Independent Study
Staff

CLAS 299a Master's Thesis
Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Staff

Greek and Latin Courses

All Greek and Latin courses numbered 30 or higher require reading knowledge of the respective language.

GRK 10a Beginning Ancient Greek
Three class hours per week.
The basics of ancient Greek language and an initiation into the artistic, religious, social, political, and psychological dynamics of ancient Greece. After taking its sequel, GRK 20b, students can read Homer or Plato in the original. Students must earn a C- or higher in GRK 10a in order to enroll in a 20-level Greek course. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Muellner

GRK 20b Continuing Ancient Greek
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in GRK 10a. Three class hours per week.
Fundamentals of Greek grammar through reading. Students must earn a C- or higher in GRK 20b in order to enroll in a 30-level Greek course. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Muellner

GRK 30a Intermediate Ancient Greek: Literature
[ fl ]
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in GRK 20b or equivalent or instructor's permission. Three class hours per week.
Readings from Plato's Apology and Herodotus's Histories in Greek. Students must earn a C- or higher in GRK 30a in order to enroll in a higher-level Greek course. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Walker

GRK 97a Senior Essay
Staff

GRK 98a Directed Reading
Generally reserved for those students who have exhausted regular course offerings. Usually offered every year.
Staff

GRK 98b Directed Reading
Generally reserved for those students who have exhausted regular course offerings. Usually offered every year.
Staff

GRK 99d Senior Research
For seniors writing an honors thesis under direction. Usually offered every year.
Staff

GRK 110b Greek Epic
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: GRK 20b or equivalent or instructor's permission.
Selections from Homer's Iliad or Odyssey, in Greek. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Muellner

GRK 115b Ancient Greek Drama
[ fl hum ]
The plays of Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, and Sophocles, in Greek. A different playwright is studied each year. See Schedule of Classes for current topic. Usually offered every fourth year.
Mr. Muellner

GRK 120b Greek Prose Authors
[ fl hum ]
Selections from Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, and other prose authors, in Greek. See Schedule of Classes for current topic. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Muellner

GRK 125a Greek Lyric Poetry
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: GRK 30a or equivalent.
Close reading and interpretation of mainly fragmentary poems, several of them newly recovered from Hellenistic papyri, of Archilochus, Alcman, Solon, Sappho, and Simonides, along with selected epinicians of Pindar and his nephew, Bacchylides; reconstruction of the poetics of lyric performance. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Muellner

GRK 298a Independent Study
Staff

LAT 10a Beginning Latin
Three class hours per week.
An introduction to Latin grammar, based on Latin authors. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 20b Continuing Latin
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in LAT 10a or permission of the instructor. Three class hours per week.
See LAT 10a for course description. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 30a Intermediate Latin: Literature
[ fl ]
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in LAT 20b or permission of the instructor. Three class hours per week.
An introduction to Latin literature; selections of Latin prose and verse from various periods. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Walker

LAT 97a Senior Essay
Staff

LAT 98a Directed Reading
Generally reserved for those students who have exhausted regular course offerings. Usually offered every year.
Staff

LAT 98b Directed Reading
Generally reserved for those students who have exhausted regular course offerings. Usually offered every year.
Staff

LAT 99d Senior Research
For seniors writing an honors thesis under direction. Usually offered every year.
Staff

LAT 110b Advanced Latin Composition
[ fl hum wi ]
Poetry and prose composition. Offered on request.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 115a Roman Drama
[ fl hum ]
Selected plays of Plautus and Terence, in Latin. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 116b Roman Satire
[ fl hum ]
The satires of Horace and Juvenal, in Latin. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 117a Lucretius, De Rerum Natura
[ fl hum ]
Close reading (in Latin) and discussion of poetic and philosophical dimensions of the poem. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 118a Latin Lyric and Elegiac Poetry
[ fl hum ]
Selections from Catullus, Horace, Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid, in Latin. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 118b Roman Historians
[ fl hum ]
Selections from the histories of Julius Caesar, Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus, in Latin. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Walker

LAT 119b Ovid: Metamorphoses
[ fl hum ]
Selections from Ovid's mythological-poetic history of the universe, in Latin. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 120a Vergil
[ fl hum ]
Selections from Vergil's Eclogues, Georgics, and the Aeneid in Latin. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Johnston

LAT 125a Medieval Latin
[ fl hum ]
Surveys medieval Latin prose and poetry from the fourth to the fourteenth centuries and their influence on subsequent English, French, and Italian literature. Materials will be studied in the original Latin and English. Offered on request.
Ms. Johnston or Ms. Walker

LAT 298a Independent Study
Staff

Cross-Listed in Classical Studies

ANTH 1a Introduction to the Comparative Study of Human Societies
[ nw ss ]
Examines the ways human beings construct their lives in a variety of societies. Includes the study of the concept of culture, kinship, and social organization, political economy, gender and sexuality, religion and ritual, symbols and language, social inequalities and social change, and globalization. Consideration of anthropological research methods and approaches to cross-cultural analysis. Usually offered every semester.
Mr. Anjaria, Ms. Lamb, or Ms. McIntosh

ANTH 60a Archaeological Methods
[ ss ]
Focuses on the exploration of archaeological sites on and near campus to offer a practice-oriented introduction to field methods, including surface-survey, mapping, and excavation of archaeological features. Other topics include principles of stratigraphy and relative/chronometric dating methods. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Golden or Mr. Urcid

ANTH 60aj Archaeological Methods
[ ss ]
Focuses on the exploration of archaeological sites on and near campus to offer a practice-oriented introduction to field methods, including surface-survey, mapping, and excavation of archaeological features. Other topics include principles of stratigraphy and relative/chronometric dating methods. Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff

ANTH 60b Archaeological Analysis
[ ss ]
An introduction to archaeological laboratory methods and analyses, emphasizing hands-on experience. Students engage in discussion of field and laboratory methods, ethical issues, and the challenges of interpreting human behavior from material remains. Students conduct independent analyses ancient artifacts in the classroom and also conduct independent research in surrounding communities in locations such as the Boston area's graveyards. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Golden or Mr. Urcid

ANTH 60bj Archaeological Analysis
[ ss ]
Introduces archaeological laboratory methods and analyses, emphasizing hands-on experience. Students engage in discussion of field and laboratory methods, ethical issues, and the challenges of interpreting human behavior from material remains. Students conduct independent analyses ancient artifacts in the classroom and also conduct independent research in surrounding communities in locations such as the Boston area's graveyards. Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff

CHSC 8b Chemistry and Art
[ qr sn ]
Does NOT meet requirements for the major in chemistry but does meet requirements for the major in Classical Studies.
Topics include a scientific description of the materials and methods used in making works of art; light and color; pigments and dyes; restoration and conservation; scientific examination of material culture; the identification of fakes; and scientific probes of influence and style. Usually offered every fourth year.
Mr. Koh

FA 30a History of Art I: From Antiquity to the Middle Ages
[ ca ]
Open to all students; first-year students and sophomores are encouraged to enroll. May not be taken for credit by students who took FA 17a in prior years.
A survey of major styles in architecture, sculpture, and painting from prehistoric times to the Gothic cathedral. Usually offered every year.
Mr. McClendon

FA 40a The Gift of the Nile: Egyptian Art and Archaeology
[ ca nw ]
Surveys the art, archaeology, and architecture of ancient Egypt and how various traditions to the present have approached its study. The course will discuss the unique setting of northeast Africa, the achievements of Pharonic Egypt, the periods when outsiders co-opted its glorious past, and recent issues of cultural heritage. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Koh

FA 145a St. Peter's and the Vatican
[ ca ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took FA 45a in prior years.
The history, growth, and development of Christendom's most famous shrine, with particular concern for the relationship between the design and decoration of the Renaissance/baroque church and palace complex and their early Christian and medieval predecessors. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. McClendon

HIST 103a Roman History to 455 CE
[ hum ss ]
Survey of Roman history from the early republic through the decline of the empire. Covers the political history of the Roman state and the major social, economic, and religious changes of the period. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Kapelle

HIST 110a The Civilization of the Early Middle Ages
[ ss ]
Survey of medieval history from the fall of Rome to the year 1000. Topics include the barbarian invasions, the Byzantine Empire, the Dark Ages, the Carolingian Empire, feudalism, manorialism, and the Vikings. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Kapelle

HUM 10a The Western Canon
[ hum ]
May not be taken by students who have taken ENG 10a or FYS 18a in prior years.
Foundational texts of the Western canon: the Bible, Homer, Vergil, and Dante. Thematic emphases and supplementary texts vary from year to year.
Staff

PHIL 161a Plato
[ hum ]
Prerequisite: PHIL 1a or permission of the instructor.
An introduction to Plato's thought through an intensive reading of several major dialogues. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Yourgrau

PHIL 162b Aristotle
[ hum ]
Prerequisite: PHIL 1a or permission of the instructor.
An introduction to Aristotle's philosophy through an intensive reading of selected texts. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Yourgrau