2020-21

Julius Caesar is a captivating figure in the Western political and literary imaginary. Consummate general, admired stylist, lover of Cleopatra, winner of the civil war against Pompey, and dictator for life, Caesar seems to have it all until his assassination by some of his closest friends. Did he have the ambition to control the state from the beginning or did he react in response to provocation? Did he have a just cause for waging civil war? Was he a figure of consummate cruelty or did he do atrocious things to forward a progressive political agenda? How are we to interpret his vaunted clemency? To address these questions, we will read Julius Caesar’s extant works and examine the rich variety of representations of this charismatic figure in imperial Greek and Roman literature (Appian, Plutarch, Suetonius, Lucan) and beyond (Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Richard Nelson’s 2008 play, Conversations in Tusculum).

To an observer steeped in the classical tradition, Modern Greece is a layer cake of survivals, revivals, and innovations. To Greeks today, antiquity is only one element of a vastly more complex cultural heritage. This course, originally designed for Study Abroad, will investigate contemporary Greece in multidisciplinary fashion, with readings from history (narratives as well as primary texts), art history, theology, philosophy, music, and poetry, as well as film. Topics to be covered range from the late-antique iconoclasm controversies to the contemporary financial crisis. We will compensate for the lack of field trips with virtual visits from professionals in Greece and elsewhere. Knowledge of Greek (classical or modern) is not required, though we will often be pausing to examine the effects of language hybridity and change.

M/W/F 10:20 - 11:10

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Summer Intermediate Latin combines extensive reading of texts with a comprehensive review of classical grammar and syntax; it prepares students for advanced courses in Latin and for the use of Latin texts in the course of their research. Texts studied are taken from one or more representative and important authors, which may include Cicero, Seneca, Pliny, and others. The backbone of the review sessions is Wheelock's Latin, with supplementary exercises in composition. The program includes synchronous meetings five days a week as well as daily asynchronous assignments. Students are responsible for considerable amounts of class preparation during the evenings, requiring a full-time commitment for the duration of the course. Summer Intermediate Latin equips students to continue with advanced coursework or independent reading in Latin in all its varieties. Summer Intermediate Latin corresponds to a full year's worth of instruction at the University of Chicago.

This course is a reading of selections from a major monument of Roman literature, such as Vergil's Aeneid. There will be discussion of the relationship between language and literary art, and the legacy of the work or works studied.

Readings concentrate on Cicero's Catalinarian Orations, the famous group of speeches he delivered in 63 BC against L. Sergius Catilina, who was plotting to overthrow the Roman government. Some discussion of the history and culture of the period; study of problems of grammar as necessary.

Readings concentrate on works of Roman prose (e.g. Cicero), with an aim to improve reading skills, discuss key concepts in Roman history and culture, and study problems of grammar as necessary.

This course is intended for students with some experience in Latin to quickly review what they know and upgrade their skills in reading and understanding Latin. In this course, students will expand their vocabulary, learn more advanced grammar, and practice extensive reading.

This course is intended for students with some experience in Latin to quickly review what they know and upgrade their skills in reading and understanding Latin. In this course, students will expand their vocabulary, learn more advanced grammar, and practice extensive reading. Terms Offered: Summer, Winter

Summer Intensive Introductory Latin offers a comprehensive introduction to Classical Latin language in eight weeks. In daily classes, students learn new grammatical concepts and morphology, practice reading and translating increasingly complex Latin texts, and complete exercises in Latin to gain an active command of the language. Students will also read unadapted Latin from classical authors, including Caesar, Sallust, and Cicero. By the end of the summer Latin course, students will be thoroughly familiar with Latin idiom and sentence structure and will be able to proceed to reading courses in the language. Summer Introductory Latin is an intensive course that requires a full-time commitment on the part of the student, meeting approximately five hours per day and demanding independent review and memorization in the evenings.independent review and memorization in the evenings.