Fall 2023 Classical Studies Courses
Courses are divided into three areas of study: Classics in English, Greek, and Latin. All available courses can also be viewed via BannerWeb. All courses are one unit (unless otherwise indicated).
Classics in English, Archaeology, and Linguistics
Classics 205 – Mythology: Epic
MW 1:30-2:45 pm – Motz
This course will explore stories of gods and heroes as told in epics of the ancient Mediterranean world. We will attempt to understand how myths arose and functioned in the oral culture of the early Greeks, and were used by poets in the literary cultures that followed. Satisfies the Literary Studies requirement (FSLT). No prerequisite.
Classics 208 – Mythology: Greek Drama
TR 3:00-4:15 pm – Simpson
This course will examine the use of mythology in Greek tragedy. Homer’s Odyssey will provide a basis for reading and interpreting selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. Topics of special interest will include theories of the origin of tragedy, approaches to reading Greek tragedy, and how historical events and social developments in the playwrights’ lifetimes may have influenced how they shaped their stories and characterizations, perhaps even pushing them to a deeper experience of the tragic. Satisfies the Literary Studies requirement (FSLT). No prerequisite.
Linguistics 250 – Introduction to Syntax
TR 12:00-1:15 pm – Gunkel
LING 250 introduces students to the study of syntax, i.e. how words are combined to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. Students learn to identify syntactic units, to analyze complex syntactic structures, and to create model grammars that generate those structures. The course does not presuppose any background in a particular language. Satisfies the Symbolic Reasoning requirement (FSSR). No prerequisite.
Classics 302– Roman Art and Archaeology
MW 12:00-1:15 pm – Motz
A survey of Roman art and architecture from the early republic through the late empire, and throughout the Roman world, from Spain to Syria. This course explores the meanings of ‘style’ in Roman art and the social and political significance of Roman sculpture, painting, and architecture. Satisfies the Visual and Performing Arts Field of Study (FSVP); WGSS Special Cross-List. No prerequisite.
Archaeology 310– Archaeology of Death
F 12:00-2:40 pm – Baughan
From pyramids and pyres to simple pine caskets, the different ways people treat the dead and mark graves can reflect how human societies are organized and individual identities defined. Unlike most other archaeological contexts, burials are intentional deposits that reflect conscious decisions as well as embedded cultural traditions and, often, religious beliefs. Students in this course will learn and assess different approaches archaeologists use to discover, analyze, and interpret mortuary evidence. They will also apply basic methods of ‘above-ground’ cemetery archaeology and genealogical research to help recover buried history and contribute to public scholarship, with a collaborative community-engaged project focusing on a historic African American cemetery in the Richmond area.
Classics 499 – Independent Study
TBD – Stevenson
Available only through departmental approval prior to registration.
Classics in Greek
Greek 101 – Elementary Greek
MWF 12:00-12:50 pm – Simpson
Introduction to ancient Greek, the language of Homer, Plato and the New Testament. We will use a 'reading approach' that aims at helping students develop mental habits and reading strategies that will lead to successful reading of more complex Greek in future semesters. Partially satisfies the COM2 requirement. No prerequisite.
Greek 201 – Intermediate Greek
MWF 12:00-12:50 pm – Gunkel
We will complete our introduction to Greek grammar and embark on our first readings in unadapted Greek taken from Plato and Xenophon, two competing disciples of Socrates. Partially satisfies the COM2 requirement. Prerequisite: Greek 102 or permission of the department.
Greek 398 – Symposiasts
TR 3:00-4:15 pm – Baughan
This advanced Greek course will explore the symposion, the drinking party that was the cultural and social context for so much Greek poetry, philosophy, and art (on painted vases), through a wide variety of original sources. We will read verses by Alcaeus, Sappho, and other archaic poets, inscriptions on drinking cups, selections from dialogues of Plato and Xenophon, excerpts from historical and dramatic sources, and parts of Athenaeus’s Deipnosophists, the early 3rd-century CE narrative that quoted many of these sources and thereby preserved them to the present day. Prerequisite: Greek 202 or permission of the department.
Greek 499 – Independent Study
TBD – Stevenson
Available only through departmental approval prior to registration.
Classics in Latin
Latin 101 – Elementary Latin
MWF 10:30-11:20 am – Motz
Introduction to the language of ancient Rome – also the language of learning for over a thousand years, the source of modern Romance languages, and a wealth of English vocabulary. Partially satisfies the COM2 requirement. No prerequisite.
Latin 201 – Intermediate Latin
Two sections: MWF 10:30-11:20 am – Damer; 1:30-2:20 pm – Stevenson
We will complete the introduction to basic language skills and embark on our first readings in unadapted Latin. Partially satisfies the COM2 requirement. Prerequisite: Latin 102 or permission of the department.
Latin 309 – Cicero
MW 3:00-4:15 pm – Simpson
We will read widely in Cicero's corpus of writings, looking at him as both a public figure and a private individual. As part of the course, students will complete independent projects concerning an aspect of Cicero's life and work of particular interest to them. Prerequisite: Latin 202 or permission of the department.
Latin 499 – Independent Study
TBD – Stevenson
Available only through departmental approval prior to registration.
Please visit the major/minor page for full details on our curricula and major/minor requirements.
