CLASSIC Course Descriptions for 2011-2012

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Spring Course Descriptions
CourseTitleInstructorDescription
CLASSIC 36C4TH C/HELLEN GRKARANIKA, A.This course examines fourth century Athens, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic period. The readings will focus on Athenian law, Greek philosophy, the rise of Macedon, and the formation of the Hellenistic empires. This course is a continuation of 36B and completes the series, however, students may begin the series with 36C. It is also suited for students generally interested in Classical Greek and Hellenistic History.
CLASSIC 45CCLASSICAL MYTHOLOGYGIANNOPOULOU, Z.In this course we will examine a few ancient Greek myths, their interpretations, and the influence they have exerted on modern literature and film. Classics 45C is the third course in the series Classics 45A,B,C. It's preferable, but not required, to take this course in sequence. The Classics 45A,B,C series satisfied the Humanistic Inquiry Breadth requirement. The broader objectives of the series are to develop a solid knowledge of the material and to understand some of the ways in which Greek and Romans used the medium of myth to interpret and deal with their world.
CLASSIC 99SPEC STDS:CLASSICSSTAFF
CLASSIC 160HOMER&HOMERIC TRAD.PORTER, J.Participants in this course will accomplish two goals: they will become familiar with a fair amount of Homer’s two epics, the Iliad and Odyssey; and they will learn how classical texts are put together, with Homer as the centerpiece example. That is, we will look at the way in which classical texts are transmitted from the past and how they have survived (or have failed to survive); how scholars have sought to make sense of them (starting with antiquity itself); and how Homer’s originally sung texts have changed (been adapted, used, quoted, sometimes maligned and abused, sometimes creatively reshuffled, or translated into different media—sculpture, painting, cinema) over the past several millennia, starting with their written transcription, while still remaining identifiably “Homeric,” and in this way constituting a Homeric tradition. Requirements: short writing assignments (blog postings and responses) and one final collaborative project in some non-textual medium (oral/aural, visual, or digital).
CLASSIC 160SOUL: PLATO 2 FREUDPORTER, J.On the Soul: Plato, Lucretius, Freud In this course we will read three works by three of the great writers of all time, each of whom developed distinct theories of the soul — the one idealist, the second materialist, and the last a vacillating mix of both. The emphasis will be on close reading, with a minimum of secondary sources, and on covering a range of literary, philosophical, and cultural issues as these arise in the individual works and across them all. Requirements: in-class presentations, weekly reaction papers (to be published on a course-blog), and a final paper or project, which may be on any aspect of the texts, on related contextual matters, on issues of secondary interpretation, or on isolated problems and their extensions to other areas (as defined by a student’s interests and specializations). Required Books - Plato, Republic, trans. Grube/Reeve Lucretius, On the Nature of Things, trans. Stallings (Penguin) Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams (trans. Strachey)
CLASSIC 170ROMAN ART & ARCHKENNEDY-QUIGLE, S.This course will survey the art and architecture of the Roman civilization from its 8th century B.C.E. inception through the age of Constantine. The course will be structured chronologically, examining monuments within the context of Roman religion, history, and politics, with particular attention to the function of visual art, whether public or private, as an expression of the patron’s loyalties, ideals, ambitions, and identity. Prior exposure to the Classical tradition is helpful, but not required or presumed. Course requirements include participation in class discussions relative to required readings, a research paper, and midterm and final examinations.
CLASSIC 170CLASSICAL MYTH IN ARTKENNEDY-QUIGLE, S.This course will investigate the development, standardization, and anomalies of mythical storytelling in Greek and Roman art. Our analysis will examine the function of style and iconography in the formulation and legibility of visual narrative, but we will additionally consider the nuanced connotations of specific legendary figures and/or episodes within varied historical/socio-political contexts. Prior exposure to the Classical tradition is helpful, but not required or presumed. Course requirements include participation in class discussions relative to required readings, a research paper, and midterm and final examinations.
CLASSIC 192BSENIOR CAPSTONECLAXTON, C.Under the direction of a faculty member, majors design and execute a senior project. This project may be a research paper, dramatic production, school curriculum, etc. All projects must be approved by the faculty mentor. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of the lower-division writing requirement.
CLASSIC 220BELLUM JUGURTHINUMSCANLON, T.Reading and discussion of Sallust's Bellum Jugurthinum, with focus on select themes related to Sallust's style and views, and his general historiographical methods.
CLASSIC 220SOLON & THEOGNISEDWARDS, A.Solon and Theognis: Poetry of the State For this course I’m interested in approaching the poets Solon and Theognis as witnesses to the construction of political institutions and the intensification of those institutions’ power. In particular I want to examine in this context the problem of territoriality, the geographical expression and reach of political power. Solon and Theognis provide through their poems consecutive testimony covering much of the sixth century for two cities that lay adjacent to each other and engaged in territorial competitions, such as the one that launched Solon’s political career. As I foresee it, we’ll do some general background reading on geography and political organization, on the process of state formation, and more specifically, of course, on our two authors. We’ll read all that remains of Solon but more selectively from the heterogeneous corpus gathered under Theognis’s name. There will be the usual in- class reports and seminar papers.
CLASSIC 280INDEPENDENT STUDYZISSOS, P.
CLASSIC 280INDEPENDENT STUDYPORTER, J.
CLASSIC 280INDEPENDENT STUDYPANTELIA, M.
CLASSIC 280INDEPENDENT STUDYKARANIKA, A.
CLASSIC 280INDEPENDENT STUDYCLAXTON, C.
CLASSIC 280INDEPENDENT STUDYGIANNOPOULOU, Z.
CLASSIC 290RESEARCH IN CLASSICCLAXTON, C.
CLASSIC 290RESEARCH IN CLASSICPANTELIA, M.
CLASSIC 290RESEARCH IN CLASSICZISSOS, P.