Courses

This course covers the first half of the introductory Latin textbook. Classes are devoted to the presentation of grammar, discussion of problems in learning Latin, and written exercises.

If the current resurgence of interest in ethnic studies is a direct reflection of a contemporary upsurge in ethnic conflict throughout the world, it remains the case that notions of peoplehood and belonging have been of periodic importance throughout history. This course will study the various expressions of Greek identity within shifting political, social and cultural contexts from prehistory to the present day, though with a strong emphasis on classical antiquity. Particular attention will be given to theoretical issues such as anthropological definitions of ethnicity, the difference between ethnic and cultural identities, methods for studying ethnicity in historical societies, and the intersection of ethnicity with politics.

This course examines the portrayal of female villains in Greek tragedy. We will read plays by the three major tragedians, focusing on their depictions of Clytemnestra, the Furies, Phaedra, Medea, and Helen, as it relates to questions of gender, mythmaking, power, and reception. We will discuss the societal dynamics and generic norms through which those characters emerge and we will explore their intertextual journey through myth and literature, ancient and modern. Key questions of the course include: What makes a woman evil? How is the evil female constructed through the writing, visuals, and performance of tragedy? What does it mean to present an evil female in a genre where all writers and actors are male? To what extent does tragedy shape and reflect the patriarchal structures of the Athenian society? All readings will be in English.

How have archaeologists approached the study of gendered practices, and can their work contribute to theoretical and methodological discussions of gender across the social sciences and humanities? How can we use material objects and things to examine or explain gendered identities, especially in the deep past? In this course, students will engage with a range of research, from different disciplinary perspectives, to explore how gender is situated in archaeological theory and praxis and its political implications. Through multiple case studies, the course will interrogate how archaeologists study, analyze, and interpret material remains to examine gendered ideologies and material practices and their intersections with other social constructs: class, sex, race, ethnicity. Coverage is cross-cultural and aims to expose students to the diversity and variability of gendered and sexual experiences of different people across time and space. Topics include but are not limited to: embodiment and expression, gender roles, sexuality, parenthood and childhood, masculinity, biopolitics, and feminist theory.

How appropriate or useful is the application of the idea of “race” to practices in ancient Greece and Rome? What revelations about the classical or modern and contemporary worlds does the idea of “race” afford? Race has long been considered a modern phenomenon, traceable in such practices as the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Recent scholarship has identified race (or racialization, at least) in the European Medieval period and the Renaissance. In this class, we will evaluate the scholarship of race in classical antiquity and the texts and artifacts upon which it relies.

Constantinople (modern Istanbul) was founded in 324 AD to be the capital of the eastern Roman empire. It did this until 1453, when it became the capital of the emerging Ottoman empire, a function that it served until 1922. No city in history has, for so long, served continually as the capital of two successive empires that, in their various incarnations, stradled Europe, Asia, and Africa and played a major role in shaping global politics and world culture. In this course, students will learn about these two parallel histories and cultures through a series of paired thematic units: Foundations; Imperial Cultures; Religious Cultures; and Hagia Sophia (a monument that continues to be a flashpoint for competing claims to the past and modern identities). One week in the middle will be devoted to Transitions, namely to the period around the siege of 1453, before which many Turks lived under east Roman rule and after which most Romans (Greeks) lived under Ottoman rule. The instructors will foster creative dialogue between these two cultures by focusing, in each unit, on exemplary monuments and primary written sources. Students will explore how public authority was claimed and contested, and how each phase of the city’s history appropriated or sidelined the legacy of its own past.

The comedies of Aristophanes are as uproarious, biting, and ribald today as they were more than 2,400 years ago. But they also offer a unique window onto the societal norms, expectations, and concerns as well as the more mundane experiences of Athenians in the fifth century BCE. This course will examine closely a number of Aristophanes' extant plays (in translation) in order to address topics such as the performative, ritual, and political contexts of Attic comedy, the constituency of audiences, the relationship of comedy to satire, the use of dramatic stereotypes, freedom of speech, and the limits of dissent. Please note that this course is rated Mature for adult themes and language.

Homer’s Odyssey describes the homecoming of Odysseus in a series of poignant, half-hidden, and sometimes misaligned reunions with his loved ones. In this course we will read in Greek many of the Odyssey’s homecoming scenes of the Odyssey, including all of Books 19 and 23. Our focus will be on how the poem depicts the complex character of Odysseus through its recognition (and misrecognition) scenes. Much of our conversation will center on Penelope, the mutual testing between her and her husband, and the degree to which we can attribute “like-mindedness” (homophrosyne) to their relationship.

Ancient Greek Philosophy was remarkable for the creation of three main types of philosophy after Aristotle: Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Skepticism. Marx admired this trio as a highlight of Greek philosophy. Differing fundamentally from each other, Epicureanism relies on the evidence of the senses and proposes pleasure as the goal of life; Stoicism values morality as a way of attaining union with god; the Skeptics reject both. Each type of philosophy responded dynamically to the others and kept evolving by continually adapting to diverse social circumstances, both Greek and Roman. Each also had a lasting influence on the development of later European philosophy. We will trace their significance by reading texts in English translation; no Greek or Latin is required.

Plutarch’s biographies and his writing on literature and morality stand in a long tradition. In this class we will read passages from Plutarch in Greek and compare them to similar texts, such as the relevant sections of Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Poetics. The aim is to evaluate Plutarch’s contribution to a literary critical tradition while also comparing his Greek to that of his predecessors.

War and its fallout have been a central part of the human experience, sparking the fascination of poets and audiences alike. Along with war comes the concept of peace, both in life and in poetry. In this course, we will use poetry and poetic texts to explore different possibilities for understanding the fundamental tension that exists between the quasi-universal notion that “no one is so foolish as to choose war over peace” (Herodotus, 1.87), and the fact that war has been our constant companion. Along the way, we will examine how poets across a spectrum of cultures, eras, and genres have given life to rich expressions of hope, fear, and everything in between, and ask ourselves how these poets succeed in illuminating these parts of the human experience, and to what effect. Homer and Vergil will be our guides through the first part of the quarter, but in the second half we will explore poetries of war and peace from around the world, up to the present.

This course seeks to explore the cultural and social history of the city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece from antiquity to the present. As a city of diverse populations, Thessaloniki constituted a melting pot of cultures and a hub for economic activities for a major part of its history. The course will be discussion-based and bring into dialogue textual and material evidence that illustrates various topics of the history of Thessaloniki. Among those topics, we will examine Thessaloniki’s foundation, its relationship with other cities in the Hellenistic world, the formation of (ethnic) identity in Macedonia, its Christianization, its archaeological landscape, the multicultural civic identity and the construction of other (Greek, Jewish, Roman, Slavic, Ottoman), immigration movements, economy and commerce. We will explore a spectrum of historical themes, but our focus will range:  We will delve into the intricate stories of personalities, monuments, and objects. Yet, our ultimate aim will be to step back and analyze broader phenomena in their longue durée.

Ancient Carthage, the semitic empire brought down by a series of wars with Rome, has loomed large across many fields, leaving its imprint through archeology, history, literature, commerce, politics, and more—even if very little has survived of its own literature.  Vergil used Carthaginian Dido, improbably, as his etiology for the Punic Wars, and the Romans spoke derogatively of “Punica fides” as part of their hostile propaganda.  But for us, the city affords a chance to consider the many lenses through which historians and artists have seen this powerful Tyrian settlement in North Africa, whose army was most likely made up of native Libyans, Iberians, Phoenicians, and even Greeks.

The Research seminar is co-taught by two faculty members with different field interests; drawing on its methodological pluralism, the seminar approaches the topic through historical, archaeological, and literary sources and modes of analysis, and surveys issues of method and the history of scholarship on the chosen topic (in this case, Carthage).  We will have a few visitors in class.  The second quarter is reserved for the researching and writing by students of article-length seminar papers, and we will meet regularly to workshop the papers-in-progress.

A workshop for students who have completed coursework and qualifying exams, it aims to provide practical assistance and a collaborative environment for students preparing the dissertation prospectus. It will meet bi-weekly for two quarters.

This course offers a survey of the fundamentals of pedagogy for the ancient language classroom with an emphasis on introductory and intermediate instruction.  Topics include methods of language teaching, language skills and proficiency, modes of assessment, course design, textbook selection, educational technology, online resources, lesson planning, effective presentation, support materials, and the principles and practices of classroom management.  Activities include the creation of sample materials and mock teaching.  Students who successfully complete this course will acquire a foundation in language pedagogy and be well prepared for introductory and intermediate instruction in languages such as Latin and ancient Greek.

This course examines the portrayal of female villains in Greek tragedy. We will read plays by the three major tragedians, focusing on their depictions of Clytemnestra, the Furies, Phaedra, Medea, and Helen, as it relates to questions of gender, mythmaking, power, and reception. We will discuss the societal dynamics and generic norms through which those characters emerge and we will explore their intertextual journey through myth and literature, ancient and modern. Key questions of the course include: What makes a woman evil? How is the evil female constructed through the writing, visuals, and performance of tragedy? What does it mean to present an evil female in a genre where all writers and actors are male? To what extent does tragedy shape and reflect the patriarchal structures of the Athenian society? All readings will be in English.

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Greece. Readings this quarter concentrate on selections of Greek prose (for instance, by Plato), with an aim to improve reading skills, discuss key concepts in Greek history and culture, and expand knowledge of grammar and vocabulary as necessary. This course is usually appropriate for students who have completed GREK 103, or several years of high school Greek, or equivalent work.

If the current resurgence of interest in ethnic studies is a direct reflection of a contemporary upsurge in ethnic conflict throughout the world, it remains the case that notions of peoplehood and belonging have been of periodic importance throughout history. This course will study the various expressions of Greek identity within shifting political, social and cultural contexts from prehistory to the present day, though with a strong emphasis on classical antiquity. Particular attention will be given to theoretical issues such as anthropological definitions of ethnicity, the difference between ethnic and cultural identities, methods for studying ethnicity in historical societies, and the intersection of ethnicity with politics.

How have archaeologists approached the study of gendered practices, and can their work contribute to theoretical and methodological discussions of gender across the social sciences and humanities? How can we use material objects and things to examine or explain gendered identities, especially in the deep past? In this course, students will engage with a range of research, from different disciplinary perspectives, to explore how gender is situated in archaeological theory and praxis and its political implications. Through multiple case studies, the course will interrogate how archaeologists study, analyze, and interpret material remains to examine gendered ideologies and material practices and their intersections with other social constructs: class, sex, race, ethnicity. Coverage is cross-cultural and aims to expose students to the diversity and variability of gendered and sexual experiences of different people across time and space. Topics include but are not limited to: embodiment and expression, gender roles, sexuality, parenthood and childhood, masculinity, biopolitics, and feminist theory.

How appropriate or useful is the application of the idea of “race” to practices in ancient Greece and Rome? What revelations about the classical or modern and contemporary worlds does the idea of “race” afford? Race has long been considered a modern phenomenon, traceable in such practices as the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Recent scholarship has identified race (or racialization, at least) in the European Medieval period and the Renaissance. In this class, we will evaluate the scholarship of race in classical antiquity and the texts and artifacts upon which it relies.

Constantinople (modern Istanbul) was founded in 324 AD to be the capital of the eastern Roman empire. It did this until 1453, when it became the capital of the emerging Ottoman empire, a function that it served until 1922. No city in history has, for so long, served continually as the capital of two successive empires that, in their various incarnations, stradled Europe, Asia, and Africa and played a major role in shaping global politics and world culture. In this course, students will learn about these two parallel histories and cultures through a series of paired thematic units: Foundations; Imperial Cultures; Religious Cultures; and Hagia Sophia (a monument that continues to be a flashpoint for competing claims to the past and modern identities). One week in the middle will be devoted to Transitions, namely to the period around the siege of 1453, before which many Turks lived under east Roman rule and after which most Romans (Greeks) lived under Ottoman rule. The instructors will foster creative dialogue between these two cultures by focusing, in each unit, on exemplary monuments and primary written sources. Students will explore how public authority was claimed and contested, and how each phase of the city’s history appropriated or sidelined the legacy of its own past.

The comedies of Aristophanes are as uproarious, biting, and ribald today as they were more than 2,400 years ago. But they also offer a unique window onto the societal norms, expectations, and concerns as well as the more mundane experiences of Athenians in the fifth century BCE. This course will examine closely a number of Aristophanes' extant plays (in translation) in order to address topics such as the performative, ritual, and political contexts of Attic comedy, the constituency of audiences, the relationship of comedy to satire, the use of dramatic stereotypes, freedom of speech, and the limits of dissent. Please note that this course is rated Mature for adult themes and language.

Ancient Greek Philosophy was remarkable for the creation of three main types of philosophy after Aristotle: Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Skepticism. Marx admired this trio as a highlight of Greek philosophy. Differing fundamentally from each other, Epicureanism relies on the evidence of the senses and proposes pleasure as the goal of life; Stoicism values morality as a way of attaining union with god; the Skeptics reject both. Each type of philosophy responded dynamically to the others and kept evolving by continually adapting to diverse social circumstances, both Greek and Roman. Each also had a lasting influence on the development of later European philosophy. We will trace their significance by reading texts in English translation; no Greek or Latin is required.

War and its fallout have been a central part of the human experience, sparking the fascination of poets and audiences alike. Along with war comes the concept of peace, both in life and in poetry. In this course, we will use poetry and poetic texts to explore different possibilities for understanding the fundamental tension that exists between the quasi-universal notion that “no one is so foolish as to choose war over peace” (Herodotus, 1.87), and the fact that war has been our constant companion. Along the way, we will examine how poets across a spectrum of cultures, eras, and genres have given life to rich expressions of hope, fear, and everything in between, and ask ourselves how these poets succeed in illuminating these parts of the human experience, and to what effect. Homer and Vergil will be our guides through the first part of the quarter, but in the second half we will explore poetries of war and peace from around the world, up to the present.

This course seeks to explore the cultural and social history of the city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece from antiquity to the present. As a city of diverse populations, Thessaloniki constituted a melting pot of cultures and a hub for economic activities for a major part of its history. The course will be discussion-based and bring into dialogue textual and material evidence that illustrates various topics of the history of Thessaloniki. Among those topics, we will examine Thessaloniki’s foundation, its relationship with other cities in the Hellenistic world, the formation of (ethnic) identity in Macedonia, its Christianization, its archaeological landscape, the multicultural civic identity and the construction of other (Greek, Jewish, Roman, Slavic, Ottoman), immigration movements, economy and commerce. We will explore a spectrum of historical themes, but our focus will range:  We will delve into the intricate stories of personalities, monuments, and objects. Yet, our ultimate aim will be to step back and analyze broader phenomena in their longue durée.

The Senior Seminar is designed as a capstone course, and it is required for all Classics majors, whether they are writing a BA paper or not. The course meets once per week over two quarters (Autumn and Winter), for an hour and twenty minutes each week. Both quarters are required. CLCV 29500 is valued at 100 units; CLCV 29501 is valued at 0 units. Students will normally register in CLCV 29500 in Autumn quarter and CLCV 29501 in Winter quarter; but they may reverse the order of enrollment if need be.

The Senior Seminar is designed as a capstone course, and it is required for all Classics majors, whether they are writing a BA paper or not. The course meets once per week over two quarters (Autumn and Winter), for an hour and twenty minutes each week. Both quarters are required. CLCV 29500 is valued at 100 units; CLCV 29501 is valued at 0 units. Students will normally register in CLCV 29500 in Autumn quarter and CLCV 29501 in Winter quarter; but they may reverse the order of enrollment if need be.

Athanasius was born and reared in Alexandria where he received a thorough classical education. He eventually became secretary to the bishop Alexander, with whom he attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 and whom he succeeded as bishop of Alexandria in 328. For the rest of his life, both in his theological writings and in his turbulent ecclesiastical career, he was a fervent advocate for the Nicene formulations, resisting Arianism at every turn. His most famous work, the De Incarnatione, expounds how Jesus the Word, by becoming flesh, restores to fallen humans the image of God in which they were created. We will read a good part (about 60 pages) of this celebrated treatise with attention to Athanasius’ straightforward Greek style, his portrait of the logos, and his enduring contribution to Trinitarian theology.

This course comprises an introduction to Greek papyrus texts with a view to their contributions to Biblical and early Christian backgrounds. We will read and discuss examples of different genres of documentary papyri, including private letters, marriage contracts, adoption agreements, leases, receipts, and many others. We will also examine documents which directly illustrate religious practice, such as oracles and formal decrees regulating and prohibiting religious activity. In general we will address topics such as the important contribution of papyrology to the language of the New Testament, the form of papyrus letters compared with the NT “epistle,” and the contribution of historical, social, and religious insights gleaned from the papyri to the early Christian context.

Ancient Greek: for thousands of years, people have learned this language to go deeper into the thoughts and worlds of Plato, Homer, Sappho, and Early Christianity and more. In this course sequence, you too can begin to learn this language. GREK 101 introduces the study of Ancient Greek. Course work involves reading practice, writing individual sentences and coherent stories, formal study of grammar and vocabulary, and other linguistic skills as necessary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Ancient Greek texts. Students who complete this course will be able to understand simple sentences and combine them into larger units of meaning. This course is appropriate for students who have never studied Greek before.

Ancient Greek: for thousands of years, people have learned this language to go deeper into the thoughts and worlds of Plato, Homer, Sappho, and Early Christianity and more. In this course sequence, you too can begin to learn this language. GREK 102 continues the study of basic Ancient Greek. Course work involves reading practice, writing individual sentences and coherent stories, formal study of grammar and vocabulary, and other linguistic skills as necessary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Ancient Greek texts. Students who complete this course will be able to understand complex sentences and combine them into larger units of meaning.

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Greece. Readings this quarter concentrate on selections of Greek poetry (for instance, by Euripides), with an aim to improve reading skills, discuss key concepts in Greek history and culture, and expand knowledge of grammar and vocabulary as necessary.

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Greece. This course involves reading selections from a major monument of Greek literature (for instance, The Iliad). There will be discussion of the relationship between language and literary art, the legacy of the work or works studied, and study of grammar and vocabulary as necessary.

Homer’s Odyssey describes the homecoming of Odysseus in a series of poignant, half-hidden, and sometimes misaligned reunions with his loved ones. In this course we will read in Greek many of the Odyssey’s homecoming scenes of the Odyssey, including all of Books 19 and 23. Our focus will be on how the poem depicts the complex character of Odysseus through its recognition (and misrecognition) scenes. Much of our conversation will center on Penelope, the mutual testing between her and her husband, and the degree to which we can attribute “like-mindedness” (homophrosyne) to their relationship.

Athanasius was born and reared in Alexandria where he received a thorough classical education. He eventually became secretary to the bishop Alexander, with whom he attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 and whom he succeeded as bishop of Alexandria in 328. For the rest of his life, both in his theological writings and in his turbulent ecclesiastical career, he was a fervent advocate for the Nicene formulations, resisting Arianism at every turn. His most famous work, the De Incarnatione, expounds how Jesus the Word, by becoming flesh, restores to fallen humans the image of God in which they were created. We will read a good part (about 60 pages) of this celebrated treatise with attention to Athanasius’ straightforward Greek style, his portrait of the logos, and his enduring contribution to Trinitarian theology.

Plutarch’s biographies and his writing on literature and morality stand in a long tradition. In this class we will read passages from Plutarch in Greek and compare them to similar texts, such as the relevant sections of Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Poetics. The aim is to evaluate Plutarch’s contribution to a literary critical tradition while also comparing his Greek to that of his predecessors.

Plautus' Pseudolus is read in Latin, along with secondary readings that explain the social context and the theatrical conventions of Roman comedy. Class meetings are devoted less to translation than to study of the language, plot construction, and stage techniques at work in the Pseudolus.

Tacitus made his debut as a historian with the Histories, a grim but vivid account of Roman imperial rule from Galba to Domitian.  The focus of the course is book 1, which describes the succession of coups and revolts that made 69 AD the “Year of the Four Emperors”.  It provides a rare opportunity to see how Tacitus structures his narrative in comparison with parallel sources, and to appreciate the bold effects which make his style uniquely Tacitean.”

Substantial selections will be read from Cato, Caesar, Cicero, Sallust, Livy, Seneca, Pliny, and Tacitus with an eye toward how the collapse of the Roman Republic affected literary expression.

We shall read extended selections from poetry writers of recognized importance to the Latin tradition. Our sampling of texts will emphasize writers of the Late Republic and Early Principate.

Martial’s epigrams can be funny, obscene, groveling, literary, outrageous, illuminating, and more.  In this course we’ll read a selection from the many volumes he wrote, starting with the fascinating Liber de Spectaculis describing apparent snuff plays. We will be using the epigrams as a window into different aspects of first century imperial Roman culture, including doctors, criminal justice, mythology, misogyny, city life, intertextuality, sexuality, obscenity, politics, and more.  Please be aware that he can be very vulgar.

This course is a practical introduction to the styles of classical Latin prose. After a brief and systematic review of Latin syntax, we combine regular exercises in composition with readings from a variety of prose stylists. Our goal is to increase the students' awareness of the classical artists' skill and also their own command of Latin idiom and sentence structure.

For centuries people have learned this language to go deeper into the thoughts and worlds of Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. In this course sequence, you too can begin to learn this language. LATN 101 introduces the study of Latin. Course work involves reading Latin, writing individual sentences and coherent stories, formal study of grammar and vocabulary, and other linguistic skills as necessary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Latin texts. Students who complete this course will be able to understand simple sentences and combine them into larger units of meaning. This course is appropriate for students who have never studied Latin before.

For centuries people have learned this language to go deeper into the thoughts and worlds of Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. In this course sequence, you too can begin to learn this language. LATN 102 continues the study of basic Latin. Course work involves reading Latin, writing individual sentences and coherent stories, formal study of grammar and vocabulary, and other linguistic skills as necessary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Latin texts. Students who complete this course will be able to understand complex sentences and combine them into larger units of meaning. This course is appropriate for students who have completed LATN 101 or equivalent work.

For centuries people have learned this language to go deeper into the thoughts and worlds of Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. In this course sequence, you too can begin to learn this language. LATN 103 continues the study of basic Latin. Course work involves reading Latin, writing individual sentences and coherent stories, formal study of grammar and vocabulary, and other linguistic skills as necessary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Latin text. Students who complete this course will be able to track ideas across at least a paragraph of text and will be ready to move into the intermediate sequence (LATN 20100, 20200, 20300). This course is appropriate for students who have completed LATN 102 or equivalent work.

This course begins with the completion of the basic text begun in LATN 11100 and concludes with readings from Cicero, Caesar, or other prose texts in Latin.

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Rome, and the long subsequent tradition of Latin literature. Readings this quarter concentrate on selections of Roman prose (for instance, by Cicero), with an aim to improve reading skills, discuss key concepts in Roman history and culture, and expand knowledge of grammar and vocabulary as necessary. This course is usually appropriate for students who have completed.

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Rome, and the long subsequent tradition of Latin literature. Readings this quarter concentrate on selections of Roman poetry (for instance, by Ovid). The class involves discussion of poetic language, the literary and historical context of Roman poetry, and study of grammar and vocabulary as necessary.

The course continues to consolidate the foundations extended in the autumn course based on readings from Cicero. We shall cover a variety of poetry and prose from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, including selections from Boethius, Bede, Lupus of Ferrières, Nithard, and others. The authors chosen will all be significant for their efforts to reflect the highest classical standards.

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Rome, and the long subsequent tradition of Latin literature. This course involves reading selections from a major monument of Roman literature (for instance, Vergil's Aeneid). There will be discussion of the relationship between language and literary art, the legacy of the work or works studied, and study of grammar and vocabulary as necessary.

The course continues the work of grammatical extension and consolidation. We shall cover a variety of poetry and prose by great Latin stylists from the twelfth to the fourteenth century, including Bernard of Clairvaux, Peter of Blois, Petrarch, and Dante. The authors chosen will all be significant for their efforts to reflect the highest classical standards.

Plautus' Pseudolus is read in Latin, along with secondary readings that explain the social context and the theatrical conventions of Roman comedy. Class meetings are devoted less to translation than to study of the language, plot construction, and stage techniques at work in the Pseudolus.

Tacitus made his debut as a historian with the Histories, a grim but vivid account of Roman imperial rule from Galba to Domitian.  The focus of the course is book 1, which describes the succession of coups and revolts that made 69 AD the “Year of the Four Emperors”.  It provides a rare opportunity to see how Tacitus structures his narrative in comparison with parallel sources, and to appreciate the bold effects which make his style uniquely Tacitean.”

Martial’s epigrams can be funny, obscene, groveling, literary, outrageous, illuminating, and more.  In this course we’ll read a selection from the many volumes he wrote, starting with the fascinating Liber de Spectaculis describing apparent snuff plays. We will be using the epigrams as a window into different aspects of first century imperial Roman culture, including doctors, criminal justice, mythology, misogyny, city life, intertextuality, sexuality, obscenity, politics, and more.  Please be aware that he can be very vulgar.