Undergraduate

This course introduces the fundamentals of the Latin language, and the Ancient Roman culture in which it developed. The focus is on developing interpretive reading ability, but other language skills are also employed to enhance the learning of vocabulary, culture, and grammar. This course is intended for students with no previous experience in Latin.

In this course we will read the Greek text of Philo’s de opificio mundi, with other brief excerpts here and there in the Philonic corpus. Our aim will be to use this treatise to elucidate the thought and character of one of the most prolific theological writers of the first century. We will seek to understand Philo as a Greek author and the nature and origins of his style, Philo as a proponent of middle Platonism, and Philo as a Jew in the context of Alexandrian Judaism. We will also examine his use of the allegorical method as an exegetical tool, and its implications for pagan, Jewish and early Christian approaches to sacred texts.

Now that you can read Greek pretty well, this course takes a step back to look at the system as a whole. What are the major ways in which Greek syntax is different from English (and Latin)? How does the case system work? Are there really twenty ways to use the dative? What more can we say about tense and aspect, and how do you go about making a linguistic argument? And what is the difference with philology, anyway? We are fortunate that two new grammars of Greek (one in English, one in Spanish) have recently come out. We will look closely at what has changed in Greek linguistics between Smyth and the new Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek, and we will do our own corpus-based research. PQ: one year of Greek or consent of instructor; recommended for MA students. Students will present in class and write a final paper.

This is a course for intermediate and post-intermediate Greek students who are interested in exploring a less canonical genre and in developing their reading skills further. The novels give us glimpses of the Greek world and the wider Mediterranean that we do not often get elsewhere. What can we say about the world view of these authors and their audiences? We will read extensively in the various works (in Greek and in translation) and explore the scholarship around them. Student presentations should range widely from cosmopolitanism to gender roles, narratology, and the conventions of this emerging genre.

We will read the entire play, focusing on syntax, religious ideas and scansion of the iambic trimeter.

We read the text of the historian in Greek and contextualize his contribution to the classical period, with some discussion of his perspectives on the past, people, and artifacts he records.

This course is a close reading of selections from Homer, with an emphasis on language, meter, and literary tropes.

This course includes analysis and translation of the Greek text, discussion of Sophoclean language and dramatic technique, and relevant trends in fifth-century Athenian intellectual history.

We read Plato's text with a view to understanding both the grammatical constructions and the artistry of the language. We also give attention to the dramatic qualities of the dialogue. Grammatical exercises reinforce the learning of syntax.

This course continues the study of basic Ancient Greek. Course work involves reading practice, presentational writing, and formal study of grammar and vocabulary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Ancient Greek 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 (GREK 20100-20200-20300).