GREK

GREK 24523/34523 The Ecumenical Church Councils and the Making of Christian Doctrine

(HCHR 34523)

The Church Councils of late antiquity (fourth-seventh centuries) were huge conferences of bishops, priests, monks, secular officials, and emperors, who met to decide on the rules that would govern the Church and the doctrines that all Christians had to believe. They combined philosophical debate, criminal trials, committee meetings, and Senate procedure. Some were rowdy and acrimonious, while others were meticulously organized in advance, usually by the court. Some remain obscure, while others are the most thoroughly documented events in all ancient history and reveal in detail how the later Roman government operated. In this course we will read, in Greek, a number of fascinating narratives and official acts stemming from the most important Councils, including Nicaea I (325), Ephesos I (431), and Chalcedon (451). We will also discuss the Councils from a historical perspective to understand the complex negotiations that gave rise to Christian doctrine and canon law.

2023-24 Autumn

GREK 21700/31700 Greek Lyric Poetry

This course will examine instances of Greek lyric genres throughout the archaic, classical, and hellenistic periods, focusing on the structure, themes and sounds of the poetry and investigating their performative and historical contexts. Readings will include Alcman, Sappho, Alcaeus, Anacreon, Theognis, Alcaeus, Bacchylides, Pindar, and Anyte. In Greek.

This course is appropriate for students who have completed GREK 20300 or equivalent

2023-24 Autumn

GREK 20300 Intermediate Greek III

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Greece, and the long subsequent tradition of Latin literature. 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.  

This course is appropriate for students who have completed GREK 201, or GREK 202, or equivalent work.

2023-24 Spring

GREK 20200 Intermediate Greek II

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.

This course is usually appropriate for students who have completed GREK 201, or equivalent work.

2023-24 Winter

GREK 20100 Intermediate Greek I

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.

2023-24 Autumn

GREK 10300 Introduction to Attic Greek III

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 103 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 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). 

GREK 102 or equivalent

2023-24 Spring

GREK 10200 Introduction to Attic Greek II

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.

GREK 101000 or equivalent

2023-24 Winter

GREK 10100 Introduction to Attic Greek I

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.

2023-24 Autumn

GREK 23922/33922 Plato on Tyranny and Injustice

In this course we will read passages from Plato’s dialogues, especially the Republic, which explore the question of how bad men manage to manipulate others and rise to power. We will pay attention to the style and rhetoric of such men, as represented by Plato, and briefly digress into other contemporary authors who tackled the same problem.

GREK 27122/37122 Praising The Gods: Greek Hymnic Poetry and Its Context

(HREL 47518, RLST 27518, CLCV 27522, CLAS 37522)

In this course we will read a broad range of Greek hymnic poetry, starting with Hesiod’s invocation to the Muses in the Theogony, followed by a selection from the Homeric Hymns, the Orphic hymns, and later literary or philosophical hymns by Callimachus and Proclus. Close readings will explore matters of language, genre, and literary tropes, as well as the evolving religious and cultural context of the hymns through the long chronological span in which the genre was productive in Greek antiquity. 

Does not fulfill PhD Writing requirement (no paper required)

Two years of Greek. 

2022-23 Winter
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