Course Schedule

CLAS 504C – Cleopatra: Power, Passion, Propaganda

This course focuses on Cleopatra VII (69-30 BCE), the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt and one of the best-known women in history and a key powerbroker during a period of important political change, one with enduring repercussions for the western world. She has been, however, deliberately memorialized as a "romantic" agent, a deployer of "feminine wiles", whose gender and political toolbox rightly doomed her efforts to failure. Students will interrogate the process of transforming a historical individual into an object lesson, a trope of femininity, and a cinematic legend, unpacking the messages crafted for a range of audiences and purposes by multiple creators, including Cleopatra herself. We begin with the historical background of the Hellenistic period, cosmopolitan and multicultural, focusing especially on the dynamism of women in the ideology of royal power and as image-makers in their own right, developing special forms for female authority and female patronage. A number of earlier Cleopatras establish context and particular precedents, creating official personae to engage effective interactions with fundamental groups; these include the resilient Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra II (r. 175-116 BCE) and Cleopatra Thea, token in a dynastic alliance who became Great Queen of Syria, dominating the Seleucid throne for a generation. Students will then sift through the evidence for Cleopatra VII, both the contentious (and largely hostile) material for her Mediterranean activities as well as the Egyptian record that may represent the specific efforts of the queen herself, utilizing then-ancient symbol and ritual to assert her legitimate imperial authority and structure her collaboration with major stakeholders in the Nile realm. The last section of the course looks to the lingering memory of Cleopatra long after her death, closely examining images in drama, art, and film to explore how the story of Cleopatra has been crafted and recrafted to represent different "truths" about sex, power, and identity.

Graduate-level requirements include two short in-class presentations on particular aspects of course material; weekly responses to the assigned reading, focusing on modern scholarship; and a 5000-word final paper, comparative in nature.

CLAS 514 – Narrating Memory: The Greek and Roman Historians

This course will examine the histories written by ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as the broader questions of historiography. What did history mean to the ancients, and what techniques did they use to "bear witness" to the past? How do the writings of ancient historians inform our understanding of classical antiquity? Ancient Greek and Roman historians to be covered include Herodotus, Thucydides, Livy, and Tacitus.

Graduate-level requirements include the responsibility for reading large sections of the ancient authors in their original languages. There will be two language exams over these sections, during which graduate students will not only translate but provide limited commentary on the passage provided.

CLAS 527 – Archaeology of the Peloponnesos

This course will cover aspects of the history and archaeology of the southern region of mainland Greece, the Peloponnesos, between the Bronze Age to the Roman periods. Particular attention will be paid to an understanding of the geography of the region and its resulting effects on political organization, economic production and influences on the creation and maintenance of ancient cities and sanctuaries. The history and archaeological remains of each of the provinces of the Peloponnesos will be considered including Achaea, Arcadia, the Argolid, the Corinthia, Messenia, Laconia and Elis.
The Peloponnesos is a large peninsula and geographic area of southern Greece. The topography of the region includes mountains, rivers, plains, harbors and has some of the finest agricultural land in Greece. It is a region that has a very rich mythology and history. In antiquity the area was famous for many cities and sanctuaries and contains evidence from the Paleolithic period through the Ottoman period and to the modern day. The course will be offered in different years and the focus will be one of the ancient and modern political regions of the Peloponnesos: Corinthia, Argolid, Achaea, Arcadia, Elis, Messenia and Laconia. Topics to be considered include settlements, cities, sanctuaries, tombs, architecture, pottery, small finds.

CLAS 530 – Ancient Greek Technology

This course examines the technological achievement of Ancient Greeks from Prehistoric to Roman times. It is structured around key crafts, such as ceramics, stone and bronze sculpture, ivory-working, glass-making, carpentry, and weaving. The production sequence for each craft is presented, as well as the interconnectedness among different crafts. Visits to local craft studios promote an experiential learning. Students learn how craft practitioners carried out major technological projects, ranging from temple construction, to time-recording machinery, water engineering, and ship construction. The low social status of the workers is contrasted with the elevated appreciation of their products. The impact of environmental, economic, and cultural factors on the endurance, innovation, or abandonment of technological expertise is also addressed.

CLAS 572B – Ancient Philosophy

A philosophical introduction to the major works of Aristotle. Graduate-level requirements include an in-depth research paper on a central theme or topic of the course. Courses for which students receive the grade of P (Pass) do not satisfy requirements for the M.A. or Ph.D. or minor in philosophy.

GRK 539 – Readings in Ancient Greek Orators

Critical reading in ancient Greek with social, historical and interpretive analysis of the works of Demosthenes and other major fourth century BCE. orators. Graduate-level requirements include extensive reading and a research paper.

LAT 501 – Latin Reading Course

Readings in one of the following: epic, lyric, drama, history, oratory, satire, epistles, novel, philosophical, technical or medieval literature. Graduate-level requirements include extensive reading and a research paper.

CLAS 510A – Methods in Classical Studies

Introduction to the various disciplines of classical scholarship: philology, textual criticism, paleography, papyrology, archaeology.

CLAS 510B – Thesis Preparation

This course is an introduction to thesis writing for students enrolled in the Master of Arts degree program in Classics. Topics and/or assignments include forming a thesis committee, the review of scholarship, and developing a thesis writing plan, in addition to discussion of second-year issues such as applying for PhD programs and/or jobs in Classics.

CLAS 554 – Greek and Roman Sculpture: Symbols and Society in Antiquity

This course surveys Greek and Roman sculpture from Cycladic figurines of the 3rd millennium B.C. to Roman sculpture of ca. 300 A.D. Topics to be addressed are stylistic developments, uses of sculpture within historical settings, iconography and meaning, materials and manufacturing techniques, and sculptors and their social status. The course will also deal with modern misconceptions of the original appearance of the classical sculpture, problems of forgeries, and the impact of looting within larger discussions of cultural heritage and collecting.

CLAS 572A – Ancient Philosophy

A philosophical introduction to the major works of Plato. Graduate-level requirements include an in-depth research paper on a central theme or topic of the course. Courses for which students receive the grade of P (Pass) do not satisfy requirements for the M.A. or Ph.D. or minor in philosophy.

CLAS 574 – Archaeometry: Scientific Methods in Art and Archaeology

Critical survey of scientific methods used in archaeology and art history. Emphasis on the potential and limitations of these techniques for reconstructing human behavior. Graduate-level requirements include one substantial critical review of the literature on some archaeological application of archaeometry.

CLAS 584 – Roman Art and Architecture

The origin and development of Italian architecture from the beginning of the Iron Age to the end of the Roman Empire, highlighting the development of construction techniques, materials used, the nature of the work force, principal monuments and patterns of urbanism. Focus is also placed on the imperial building programs of the Roman emperors and on the domestic architecture of Rome and its dependencies. Graduate-level requirements include extensive reading and an in-depth paper.

CLAS 596A – Topics in Greek or Roman Literature, History or Archaeology

The development and exchange of scholarly information, usually in a small group setting. The scope of work shall consist of research by course registrants, with the exchange of the results of such research through discussion, reports, and/or papers.

GRK 533 – Readings in Ancient Greek Poetry of the Archaic and/or Hellenistic Period

Critical readings in ancient Greek with literary and social-historical contextual analyses of ancient Greek Poetry of either the Archaic or Hellenistic period or both. Graduate-level requirements include extensive reading and a research paper.

LAT 526 – Roman Historians

Readings in Latin from the Roman historians and biographers. May be repeated without duplication of readings. Graduate-level requirements include extensive readings and a research paper.

LAT 530 – Roman Drama

Close reading and study of select plays of Plautus, Terence, and Seneca, as well as select fragments of Republican Roman tragedy. Graduate-level requirements include extra reading assignments in Latin; a more ambitious research paper project.

LAT 579 – Second/Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

This class is intended to prepare students to teach a second/foreign language. It will provide students with the essential foundations in language teaching methodology and theory, pedagogical grammar, curriculum and materials development, classroom management, and formal and informal assessment techniques. In addition, students will gain practical knowledge through video practicum components, which allow them to watch and reflect on actual classroom teaching. Students will complete this program with the pedagogical knowledge and practical understanding necessary to be confident and effective language teachers.