Associate Professor Risser, Chair; Assistant Professor Safran; Visiting Associate Professor Anderson
The department offers three majors: classics, classical civilization, and, in cooperation with LACS, a “Plan B” major.
Within the liberal arts, classics is the discipline that represents the Greek and Roman foundations of Western civilization in their purest form, for it entails the study of Greek and Roman literature in the original languages and the analysis of objective remains recovered through archaeological exploration. The classics major at Trinity not only prepares students to read original Greek and Latin texts with confidence, but promotes in them an awareness of intercultural and interdisciplinary learning, since it involves history, philosophy, literary criticism, art, and architecture.
The classics major—Twelve courses are required, and students must earn a grade of at least C- in each. The requirements include:
The classical civilization major—The major in classical civilization, while reducing the linguistic requirements of the classics major, allows students to explore the corpus of Greek and Roman literature through texts in translation, and provides the same range of courses in history, philosophy, literary criticism, and art and archaeology.
Thirteen courses are required, and students must earn a grade of at least C- in each. The requirements include:
The Plan B major—Under this plan, students may combine ancient Greek or Latin with any of the languages taught in the Department of Language and Culture Studies. A minimum of seven courses in a primary language and five in a secondary language is required, as well as two courses in a cognate field or fields (e.g., ancient art, ancient history, archaeology). A paper integrating the three fields of study must be completed in one of the primary language upper-level courses. Except under exceptional circumstances, this project will be undertaken in the primary language section’s senior seminar and must be done at Trinity College.
The award of honors is determined by the excellence of the candidate’s work in courses and performance in the senior seminar.
Majors who intend to proceed to a higher degree are urged to acquire a reading knowledge of French and German as soon as possible. For courses in Biblical Hebrew, see the offerings of the Religion Department; for Arabic, see the Department of Language and Culture Studies.
For special programs at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies at Rome, Trinity College’s Rome Campus, or the summer excavations at AKKO, Israel, see “Special Curricular Opportunities,” p. 30. The department also recommends programs in classics and ancient history offered by universities in the United Kingdom under the auspices of Arcadia University. For departmental prizes, see the section on prizes.
Minors—Four minors are housed in the Classics Department.
Ancient Greek—For students who wish to minor in ancient Greek, this is a sequence of six courses designed to develop linguistic skills to read ancient Greek literature in its original language. In addition, the minor will include either a .5-credit Language Across the Curriculum unit or a .5-credit integrating paper, typically written in conjunction with the last course taken for the minor. No more than one transfer credit may be applied to the minor.
Latin—For students who wish to minor in Latin, this is a sequence of six courses designed to develop linguistic skills to read ancient, and possibly medieval, Latin literature in its original language. In addition, the minor will include either a .5-credit Language Across the Curriculum unit or a .5-credit integrating paper, typically written in conjunction with the last course taken for the minor. No more than one transfer credit may be applied to the minor.
Classical Antiquity—The purpose of the minor is to allow students to acquire a general knowledge of the achievements of ancient Greece and Rome, which traditionally have constituted, along with the Judeo-Christian tradition, the chief ingredients of Western civilization. Despite the advance of technology, shifts in educational and societal priorities, and an increasing awareness of other civilizations in the 20th century, Homer, Plato, Cicero, and Caesar remain lively figures, and the classical tradition still pervades our poetry and prose, our philosophy and law, our ideas of history, our conceptions of education, and our art and architecture. The student electing this minor will have the opportunity to become acquainted with the classical achievements in each of these areas and to shape that knowledge into an integrated view of antiquity. Students take three core courses, three electives, and an essay exam.
Classical tradition—The minor in the classical tradition will establish a basic acquaintance with the history and cultural landmarks of ancient Greece and Rome, and promote a contextual understanding of later achievements significantly influenced by them, especially in literature and history, the arts, and philosophy. The minor is based on two groups of courses: the first comprises courses in the civilization of classical Greece and Rome, the second courses in subjects in which the presence of the Greek and Roman experience is felt.
The Classics Department also contributes courses to minors in architectural studies, Jewish studies, literature and psychology, mythology, and women, gender, and sexuality.
Fall Term
399. Independent Study— Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairman are required for enrollment. (1-2 course credits) -Staff
401. Senior Seminar: Special Topics 1— A two-semester course (1 credit) that combines seminar meetings with independent study and the writing of a final essay under the direction of a member of the department. Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office, and the approval of the chair are required for each semester of this year-long seminar. Required of all classics and classical civilization majors. (Enrollment limited)-Risser
466. Teaching Assistant— (0.5 course credit) -Staff
Courses Originating in Other Departments
[Hispanic Studies 355. Rogue Humanism]— View course description in department listing on p. 641. Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in HISP270 and one of the following: HISP261 or HISP262 or HISP263 or HISP264; or Permission of the Instructor.
[History 115. History of the Greek World: c. 1500-200 BCE]— View course description in department listing on p. 518.
Philosophy 281. Ancient Greek Philosophy— View course description in department listing on p. 709. -Hyland
Political Science 219. The History of Political Thought I— View course description in department listing on p. 743. -Smith
Spring Term
399. Independent Study— Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairman are required for enrollment. (1-2 course credits) -Staff
402. Senior Seminar: Special Topics 2— A continuation of 401. Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office, and the approval of the chair are required for each semester of this year-long seminar. (Enrollment limited)-Risser
466. Teaching Assistant— (0.5 course credit) -Staff
Courses Originating in Other Departments
History 115. History of the Greek World: c. 1500-200 BCE— View course description in department listing on p. 527. -Staff
[History 116. The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic]— View course description in department listing on p. 528.
[History 374. Alexander the Great]— View course description in department listing on p. 535.
[Philosophy 308. Aristotle]— View course description in department listing on p. 714.
Fall Term
101. Introduction to Classical and Biblical Greek I— A course in the fundamentals of classical Greek, designed for those who begin the language in college. (1.5 course credits) (Enrollment limited)-Anderson
[315. Plato]— Selected readings from the dialogues, with special emphasis on Plato’s style, thought, and characterization of Socrates.
325. Greek Religious Texts— A survey of religious beliefs, concepts, practices, and history based on close study of ancient Greek sources. Readings include selections from Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, Herodotus, tragedy, the philosophers, the Septuagint, Josephus, and the New Testament, as well as epigraphic material. Topics addressed include myth, ritual, sanctuaries, conceptions of divinity, the soul, mystery cults, the emergence of Christianity, and religious warfare and conflict. Core readings are in ancient Greek. (Enrollment limited)-Anderson
[330. Homer and Homeric Hymns]— Substantial readings selected from the Illiad, the Odyssey, and the Homeric Hymns with attention to Homeric language, the Homeric depiction of gods and heroes, and ancient and modern reception of these works
466. Teaching Assistantship— Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment. (0.5-1 course credit) -Staff
Spring Term
102. Introduction to Classical and Biblical Greek II— A continuation of Greek 101. The aim of the course is to enable students to read Greek as soon as possible. (1.5 course credits) (Enrollment limited)-Anderson
[301. Egypt from Alexdander to Amr. The Nile and Desert Under the Greeks and Romans]— From the advent of Alexander the Great to the Muslim conquest in 640 CE by the then governor of Palestine, Egypt was under the rule of Greeks and Romans. Thanks to the dry climate, thousands of texts on stone, papyrus, and fragments of pottery (ostraka) have been preserved. In this course, students will become familiar with the style, conventions, and language of these texts by reading the in the original Greek; they will also learn how to use scholarly aids to the study and interpretation of these texts. Prerequisite: C- or better in Greek 102 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Enrollment limited)
319. Herodotus— Selection from the Histories of Herodotus and Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. (Enrollment limited)-Anderson
[321. Euripides]— A study of Euripides’ Bacchae. (Enrollment limited)
Fall Term
101. Introductory Latin— An introduction to Latin grammar, syntax, and vocabulary with a view to reading the language as soon as possible. Elective for those who have never studied Latin or for those who have had one year or less of Latin in secondary school. (1.5 course credits) (Enrollment limited)-Safran
221. Intermediate Latin I: A Blend of Greek and Roman— The assimilation of Greek literary ideas and forms (and their transformation) by such authors as Plautus, Terence, Catullus, Lucretius, and Cicero. Emphasis on literary analysis and criticism. Elective for those who have offered three or four units of Latin at entrance, or have taken Latin 102. Those who have Advanced Placement Latin exam credit should consult the chair. (Enrollment limited)-Anderson
[301. Roman Drama]— Through readings of Roman plays, students study the origins and development of Roman drama; theater production; and the reflection of contemporaneous social, political, and philosophical issues in Roman plays. (Enrollment limited)
[307. Through Roman Eyes: Foreigners in Roman Literature]— This course examines Roman perceptions of foreigners, their physical natures, their social and political organizations, their customs and religions. Through the Romans’ own words we will learn about the various peoples that the Romans encountered and their attitudes to and assessments of those “others”: Celts and Druids, Britains, Germans, Persians, Egyptians, Africans, Carthaginians, Christians, Jews, and more. Readings will be assembled from a broad range of authors including Plautus, Caesar, Pliny, Tacitus, Juvenal, and many others. Special attention will be paid to how and why these authors construct their representations of the foreigner and what this says about the Romans themselves. Students will actively contribute to the course by engaging in projects to assemble, select and evaluate sources. LATN 221 or equivalent course, permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)
331. Roman Historians: Tacitus— A study of the Agricola and of the historian’s treatment of the climactic year A.D. 69, Histories I-III. (Enrollment limited)-Reger
Spring Term
102. Elementary Latin II— This course treats more advanced features of Latin grammar and syntax, e.g., the forms and usage of infinitives, participles, and the subjunctive, and seeks to develop basic facility in reading Latin prose and poetry. Elective for those who have taken Latin 101 or who offer two or three units of Latin at entrance or otherwise satisfy the instructor with their competency. (1.5 course credits) (Enrollment limited)-Safran, Staff
[308. The Fall of the Roman Republic]— In the first century BCE, the Roman Republic was plunged into chaos and civil war after Caesar made his fatal decision to cross the Rubicon. Using selections from Julius Caesar’s Civil War and contemporary letters from Cicero, Pompey and others, we will explore this tumultuous time from the perspective of the participants themselves who struggled to understand and shape the course of events in the midst of political and military turmoil. Through the contemporaneous observations of these major players, we will become eyewitnesses to the fall of the Republic and the triumph of Caesar. LATN 221 or equivalent course, permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)
341. Catullus & Elegiac Poets— Selections from the elegiac poems of Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid. (Enrollment limited)-TBA
[342. Ovid]— Representative selections from the Amores, Ars Amatoria, and Metamorphoses with emphasis on the baroque quality of Ovid’s work and his extensive later influence.
Fall Term
The following courses presuppose no knowledge of Greek and Latin:
111. Introduction to Classical Art and Archaeology— A survey of the art and archaeology of the classical world, from the Neolithic period through the Roman Empire. Topics of discussion include sculpture, pottery, painting, architecture, town planning, burial practices, and major monuments, as well as archaeological method and theory. (Enrollment limited)-Risser
208. Men, Women, and Society in Ancient Greece and Rome: Myth and Reality— This course takes a look at the assumptions about the nature and function of men and women that informed the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, as revealed through their mythology, law, politics, religion, literature, art, and daily life. From this investigation emerge both a clearer sense of what the Greek and Roman civilizations were like and an understanding of the ways in which our own society incorporates or diverges from their principles. (Enrollment limited)-Safran
[222. Classical City]— The city was the foundation of the classical world. This course examines the city from its beginnings to the collapse of the Mediterranean empires in the seventh century A.D. It includes Athens and Rome, but other Greek and Roman cities are covered, as are cities of other cultures: Egypt, Carthage, and the various Persian kingdoms. Topics include urban life, city government and democratic methods, women, and the city-country relationship.
[229. Journeys and Identies from Gilgamesh to Candide]— Who are we? Where are we going? Where have we come from? These questions have been central to literature in all cultures and all time periods. Epic tales of travel and adventure are a rich field in which to explore what it means to be human, to be an individual and a member of a community. Heroes leave home and find it again, or make it anew, and in the process they find and remake themselves. They encounter monsters and temptresses, utopias and dystopias, all of which test and refute and reshape their notions of what is natural and conventional. We will explore these and other issues through in-depth readings of five works from five vastly different cultures and eras: the Near Eastern epic of Gilgamesh, the early Greek epic of the Odyssey, by Homer; the Roman comic tale of a man turned into an ass in The Golden Ass of Apuleius; the medieval romance of Ywain: The Knight of the Lion, by Chretien de Troyes; and the early modern story of Candide, by Voltaire. (Enrollment limited)
[311. Aegean Bronze Age]— This course explores the art, architecture, and archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age, with a focus on the Minoan and Mycenean cultures. Topics covered include the techniques and methods of Bronze Age artists and architects, the influence of Egypt and the Near East on Aegean culture, governmental structures, issues of race and gender, funerary customs, religion, and evidence for cannibalism and other cult practices.
466. Teaching Assistantship— Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment. (0.5-1 course credit) -Staff
Courses Originating in Other Departments
The following courses presuppose no knowledge of Greek and Latin:
Guided Studies 219. The Classical Tradition— View course description in department listing on p. 508. Only students in the Guided Studies program; Classical Tradition minor; or Classics or Classical Civilization majors are allowed to enroll in this course. -Anderson
Spring Term
The following courses presuppose no knowledge of Greek and Latin:
[203. Mythology]— Generally, this course is a study of the role of myth in society; particularly, the emphasis will be laid on the body of Greek myth and its relationship to literature and art. Readings within the area of classical literature will be wide and varied, with a view to elucidating what “myth” meant to the ancient Greeks. Whatever truths are discovered will be tested against the apparent attitudes of other societies, ancient and modern, toward myth. Lectures and discussion.
214. Greek and Roman Architecture— An examination of building materials and methods used in the construction of domestic, civic, and religious buildings of the Greek and Roman worlds. The way in which the functions of these buildings influenced their forms is also examined. Further topics of discussion include comparative studies of the works of individual architects, architectural adaptations to local topography, and the use of building programs for propaganda purposes.-Risser
[216. Archaeological Method and Theory]— An introduction to interdisciplinary archaeological enquiry, drawing on material selected from American studies, anthropology, art history, classics, geology, history, Middle Eastern studies, religion, and women’s studies. Students will consider archaeological methods, techniques, and specific applications to various disciplines. Central to the discussion will be the uses of archaeology in reconstructing aspects of pre-historic, historical, and more contemporary human life. The course has a strong hands-on component. (Enrollment limited)
[221. Ancient Athletics]— This course surveys ancient sporting events, from the Greek Olympic games to the Roman gladiatoral contests, offering an in-depth examination of various aspects of athletics together with a comparison of ancient and modern sports activities and athletic values. The modern world has idealized ancient Greek athletics and claims to use the ancient Greek Olympics as a model, while Roman athletics is associated today with the violence and cruelty of the amphitheater and the persecution of Christian martyrs. In this course we will compare these stereotypes and models to the ancient reality. What were ancient athletics really like? What were the actual rules and events? What values drove ancient athletes to succeed? Many types of evidence will be discussed, including readings in translation from ancient Greek and Latin texts, painting, sculpture, and archaeological remains. (Enrollment limited)
222. Classical City— The city was the foundation of the classical world. This course examines the city from its beginnings to the collapse of the Mediterranean empires in the seventh century A.D. It includes Athens and Rome, but other Greek and Roman cities are covered, as are cities of other cultures: Egypt, Carthage, and the various Persian kingdoms. Topics include urban life, city government and democratic methods, women, and the city-country relationship.-Safran
[236. From Sophocles to Spielberg: Athenian Tragedy and Its Modern Reincarnations]— Modern poets, playwrights, composers, and filmmakers have repeatedly found inspiration in the works of the Athenian tragedians. This course focuses on some of the more widely imitated Greek tragedies, including Sophocles’ Antigone and Oedipus Rex, and surveys their influence on a range of twentieth-century artists, including Anouilh, Eliot, Cocteau, Fugard, García Márquez, Spielberg, Richard Strauss, and Stravinsky. After close study of the Greek plays and their cultural and political significance in classical Athens, we examine how artists of our own era have appropriated the Greek tragic models of conflict and suffering to address cultural and political preoccupations in the modern world. This course counts in the electives category towards the Theater and Dance major. (Enrollment limited)
466. Teaching Assistantship— Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment. (0.5-1 course credit) -Staff
Courses Originating in Other Departments
The following courses presuppose no knowledge of Greek and Latin:
[History 206. Greek Democracy]— View course description in department listing on p. 528.