Classics (CLSC)
CLSC 102. Introduction to Byzantine History, 500-1500. 3 Units.
Development of the Byzantine empire from the emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity and founding of the eastern capital at Constantinople to the fall of Constantinople to Turkish forces in 1453. Offered as CLSC 102 and HSTY 102. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 193. The Ancient World. 3 Units.
This course offers students an introduction to the history and culture of several ancient civilizations (including those of Mesopotamia, the Levant, Egypt, Greece, and Rome) as well as their lasting legacies. Offered as ANEE 193 and CLSC 193 and HSTY 193. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 194. Catapults and Cavalry: Warfare in the Ancient Mediterranean. 3 Units.
This course examines the development of warfare in the ancient Mediterranean, including the debated origins of war in prehistory, the rise of the great armies of Assyria and Egypt, the heyday of hoplite infantry in Greece, Alexander the Great's vast conquests, and the domination of the Mediterranean by the legions of the Roman Empire. Offered as ANEE 194, CLSC 194, and HSTY 194. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 199. Athens: City In Context. 3 Units.
Students selected for their strong background and/or interest in Greek Civilization spend Spring Break in Athens, Greece. The intensive week-long itinerary will focus on the city of Athens, bringing students to major sites including the Acropolis, the Agora, and the city's major museums, with day-trips to nearby sites (such as, for example, Delphi, Sounion, and/or the island of Aegina) designed to place Athens into greater context. No language prerequisites, but the course may include instruction in basic modern Greek. Specific thematic focus and the frequency of any pre- and/or post-Spring Break classroom meetings at CWRU to be arranged by the instructor. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Local & Global Engagement course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 202. Classical Mythology. 3 Units.
This course offers a survey of the major myths of Classical Greece and Rome known to us from ancient texts and art (both ancient and modern) with an examination of their interpretation, influence, and reception. We will see how myths functioned to reflect and reinforce (but also to challenge) the values, fears and desires of the Greeks and Romans on variety of topics including the creation of the universe and the structure of the cosmos, relations between gods and mortals, religion and divination, justice, society, family, sex, love, violence, madness, and death. We will discuss ways of understanding the compelling psychological, cultural, social, and political impact of mythic narratives, particularly how mythic narratives have engaged with and often reinforced social structures of power and how their impact is still felt today. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 203. Gods and Heroes in Greek Literature. 3 Units.
Students will read major works of Greek literature in English translation to explore the nature and significance of Greek gods, hero-making, and heroic codes. Constant themes are war, wandering, tyranny, freedom, community, family, and the role of men and women within the household and the ancient Greek city-state. The original social and historical performative context of these works will be closely examined, and the power that mythic narratives have continued to hold over the western imagination will be addressed. Mixed lecture and discussion. Offered as CLSC 203 and WLIT 203. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 204. Heroes and Hustlers in Roman Literature. 3 Units.
Students will read major works of Latin literature in English translation to explore the nature and significance of heroism vs. self-promotion, love vs. lust, and the struggle between democracy and tyranny. These topics are traced in a variety of literary genres from the period of the Roman Republic well into the Empire. Parallels with modern life and politics will be drawn. Offered as CLSC 204 and WLIT 204. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 206. Ancient and Medieval Spain: Prehistory to 1492. 3 Units.
This course focuses on the history of the Iberian peninsula from before the Roman conquest from the Iberians, Greek, and Carthaginian settlements, through Roman, Visigothic, and Muslim rule to the conquest of Ferdinand and Isabella of the last non-Christian territory on the peninsula in 1492. The issues of conquest, frontier, cultural diversity, and change, tolerance, and intolerance will be examined. Offered as CLSC 206 and HSTY 206. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 224. Sword and Sandal: The Ancient Mediterranean in Film. 3 Units.
In this course students will watch and discuss a variety of films about ancient Greece, Rome, the Near East, and Egypt, running the gamut from Hollywood classics such as Ben-Hur and Cleopatra to more recent blockbusters like 300 and Gladiator, and from mainstream hits such as Disney's Hercules to controversial and avant-garde films such as Fellini Satyricon and Spike Lee's Chi-Raq. No prior knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean is necessary; all readings and films will be in English or subtitled in English. Offered as ANEE 224, CLSC 224, and WLIT 224. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 230. Ancient Roman Art and Architecture: Power, Politics, and Diversity. 3 Units.
This course explores the history of ancient Roman art and architecture, with a particular emphasis on the Roman Empire. We will focus on situating objects and monuments in the changing historical, cultural, political, and religious contexts of the Roman world. The course will introduce students to famous buildings such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon in Rome, but we will also look at lesser known but equally fascinating works that offer insight into the imaginations, aspirations, and identities of the Roman Empire's diverse population. From statues and paintings to oil lamps with erotic scenes, drinking cups with images of famous athletes, and even travel souvenirs, Romans were surrounded by images and objects that allowed them to participate in but also shape and resist a broader imperial culture. Students will consider how art and architecture shaped the complex ways that people living in the Roman world related to the empire and to regional and local cultural traditions from Egypt and North Africa, Northern Europe, and the Near East. Finally, we will also examine how the legacy of Roman art and architecture continues to fuel debates about power, politics, and representation in the United States, including controversies over Confederate monuments. The course will include frequent visits to the Cleveland Museum of Art and, weather permitting, other area sites such as Lakeview Cemetery (where some Cleveland patrons commissioned exact replicas of Roman monuments!). Offered as ARTH 230 and CLSC 230. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 231. Athens to Alexandria: The World of Ancient Greece. 3 Units.
This course examines the enduring significance of the Greeks studied through their history, literature, art, architecture, archaeology, science, religion, philosophy, daily life, and political, economic and social structures. Lectures and discussion. Offered as CLSC 231 and HSTY 231. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 232. Gods and Gladiators: The World of Ancient Rome. 3 Units.
The enduring significance of the Romans studied through their history, literature, art, architecture, religion, philosophy, and political, economic and social structures. Lectures and discussion. Offered as CLSC 232 and HSTY 232. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 242. Cooking Up the Past: Food & Foodways in the Ancient World. 3 Units.
This course offers a survey of the foodways of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome as understood through a study of their literature, art, and archaeological remains, with an eye towards understanding their similarities and differences. We will focus on the role of food in understanding aspects of each culture, including farming practices, urbanization, food scarcity, transitions to agriculture, feasting and friendship, and foodways in religious ritual, funeral practices, politics, colonization, gender relations, and identity. Through weekly readings, discussion, and writing assignments, students will explore how assumptions, traditions, and experiences related to food can vary when examining cultures beyond their own. Offered as ANEE 242 and CLSC 242. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 295. Medical Terminology. 3 Units.
A self-paced, computer-assisted course on the classical foundations (etymology) of modern English as well as the basic principles on which roots, prefixes, and suffixes combine to give precise meanings to composite words, which is then applied toward learning medical, biomedical and scientific terminology.
CLSC 301. Ancient Philosophy. 3 Units.
Western philosophy from the early Greeks to the Skeptics. Emphasis on the pre-Socratics, Plato and Aristotle. Recommended preparation: PHIL 101 and consent of department. Offered as CLSC 301 and PHIL 301.
CLSC 304. Ancient Rome: Republic and Empire. 3 Units.
Growth and development of the Roman state from the unification of Italy in the early third century B.C. to the establishment of the oriental despotism under Diocletian and Constantine. The growth of empire in the Punic Wars, the uncertain steps toward an eastern hegemony, the crisis in the Republic from the Gracchi to Caesar, the new regime of Augustus, the transformation of the leadership class in the early Empire, and the increasing dominance of the military over the civil structure. Offered as CLSC 304 and HSTY 304. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 316. Alexander the Great: Materials and Methods. 3 Units.
This seminar is the Disciplinary Communication course for majors in Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Studies (ANEE) and Classics (CLSC), though it can also be taken for regular credit in ANEE, CLSC or HSTY by any undergraduate or graduate student. The course offers students a firm grounding in the disciplines of Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, and Classical Studies with an emphasis on the diverse materials (particularly primary source material), methods, and approaches that can be brought to bear on the study of these ancient cultures. Students will read and discuss the ancient sources and contemporary scholarship on the enigmatic Alexander the Great drawn from various fields, including historiography, chronology, archaeology, art history, philosophy, gender studies, epigraphy, numismatics, and the reception of Alexander. Based upon this, they will then write a research paper that employs the conventions found in the fields of Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian and Classical Studies. Offered as ANEE 316, CLSC 316, CLSC 416, HSTY 316 and HSTY 416. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Disciplinary Communication course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 318. Archaeological & Epigraphical Field School. 3 Units.
This interdisciplinary course takes place in situ in the Mediterranean and is attached to an active archaeological project (examples of active archaeological projects may vary, depending on the year). Students will learn the methodological principles of archaeological and epigraphical fieldwork by participating in activities such as surveying, excavation, museum work, geophysical survey, artifact analysis, and other scientific techniques. In addition to work in the field and museum, students will receive an introduction to the history Greco-Roman culture through visits to major archaeological sites and museums in the region. Students will also be exposed to the modern culture of their host country (whose language they will be encouraged to study). Offered as CLSC 318 and CLSC 418. Counts as a Local & Global Engagement course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 319. Greek Tragedy: Plays and Performance in Ancient Athens. 3 Units.
This course provides students the opportunity to read a significant number of ancient Greek tragedies in modern English translations. We read, study, and discuss selected works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, as well as selected criticism, ancient and modern, of these plays. All semester we read the plays as literature composed for performance. We study literary elements within the plays and theatrical possibilities inherent in the texts. As we read the plays, we pay close attention to the historical context and look for what each play can tell us about myth, religion, ethics, and society in ancient Athens. Finally, we give attention to the way these tragic dramas and the theater in which they were performed have continued to inspire literature and theater for thousands of years. Lectures provide historical background on the playwrights, the plays, the mythic and historical background, and possible interpretation of the texts as literature and as performance pieces. Students discuss the plays that they read in class. The course has three examinations and a final project that includes writing an essay and staging a monologue or scene from one of the tragedies. Offered as CLSC 319, CLSC 419, THTR 319, THTR 419, WLIT 319, and WLIT 419. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 322. Theater in Ancient Rome. 3 Units.
This course is designed as a continuation of and companion to CLSC/THTR/WLIT 319/419 Greek Tragedy: Plays and Performance in Ancient Athens, although it may be taken without having taken, or before having taken, that course. Students in Theater in Ancient Rome will read a significant number of ancient Roman plays in modern English translation and study non-literary theatrical entertainment of the Roman Republic and Empire, that may include mime and pantomime, gladiatorial shows, political speeches, courtroom drama, and various other spectacles. The dramatic texts that we shall study include the fragments of early Latin drama, selected comedies by Plautus and Terence, and the tragedies of Seneca. We shall also consider Greek and Roman literature that comments on Roman theatrical practices. These works will be read for their literary merits and theatrical possibilities, while at the same time examining them for what they can tell us about Roman civilization. Similarly, when studying the non-literary theatrical works we shall examine historical and theatrical context including archaeological evidence from theaters and amphitheaters and material remains (masks, depictions of actors and gladiators on vases, terra cotta lamps, mosaics, etc.). Finally, while the majority of the course focuses on drama originally written in Latin and theatrical entertainments performed in ancient Rome, the course may include a brief survey of selected post-classical works indebted to the tradition of Roman drama and theater. Authors that may be studied include Hrotsvitha, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Racine, Molière, and the legacy of Roman drama and theater in contemporary stage and cinema such as Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Thus a secondary concern will be to consider how and in what ways the legacy of Roman drama and theater has continued to shape the dramatic arts since antiquity. Offered as CLSC 322, CLSC 422, THTR 322, THTR 422, WLIT 322, and WLIT 422. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 325. Art at the Crossroads of Religion: Polytheistic, Christian, and Islamic Art in Antiquity. 3 Units.
People often single out the reign of Constantine (A.D. 306-337) as the point in history when Rome transformed from a polytheistic empire to a Christian empire. This course questions the strict divide between the categories of "pagan" and "Christian" in Rome in the imperial period and beyond. Through a close examination of the artistic and architectural record, students will come to understand that this dichotomy is a modern invention; for people living in the Roman Empire, religious identities were extraordinarily fluid. Indeed, traditional polytheistic religion and Christianity remained closely intertwined for centuries after Constantine "Christianized" the Empire. Moreover, religious pluralism had been a fundamental part of Roman culture since the founding of ancient Rome. We will survey a range of material culture, including public statuary, sarcophagi, silver hordes, and temples and churches. We will also examine sites such as the border city of Dura-Europos in Syria to explore how religious identities in the Roman Empire (including Judaism, early Christianity, and so-called mystery cults) intertwined even when Rome was still supposedly a "pagan" Empire. The course pays particular attention to the art and architecture produced under Constantine, whom people today often remember as Rome's first Christian emperor but who represents, in fact, a complex amalgam of polytheistic and monotheistic practices and identities. We will also explore how Christian art slowly but ultimately became the predominant visual culture in the Roman Empire. Finally, we will examine how Early Islamic art and architecture exploited the Greco-Roman visual tradition to the ends of this new religion. Offered as ARTH 325, ARTH 425 and CLSC 325. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 326. Rome on Site: The Archaeology of the Eternal City. 3 Units.
This course offers the opportunity to examine firsthand Roman remains spanning 500 years of the city's history. For three weeks we will explore all sections of Rome and discover how different spheres of Roman life, such as religion, politics, leisure, and death, combined to shape one of the most renowned cityscapes of the ancient Mediterranean world. The course constitutes a mix of museum and site visits to expose us to the artifacts that help us interpret the Roman world, including art and other types of material culture, and the monumental architecture dominating much of Rome to this day. We will also explore important sites outside of the city, including Rome's remarkably well-preserved port at Ostia, the Emperor Hadrian's magnificent villa at Tivoli, and an optional visit to Pompeii and Herculaneum during an extended weekend. Some of the questions we will be asking when visiting the sites include: How did the expansion of the Roman Empire influence the stylistic repertories of the capital's artists and architects? How did the changing political environment shape the topography of the city from Republic to Empire? How can we read political messages and propaganda in the ancient structures? How did (and does) Rome live among, use, and reuse ancient remains? Students will be expected to be active participants in the daily tours. All students will be presenting on various structures as we come to them (topics to be assigned in advance of the trip). Graduate students are responsible for leading a day tour (with my assistance) - to create the itinerary and develop the thematic framework. Grades will be based on participation on site, presentations, and a paper. Offered as CLSC 326 and CLSC 426. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 329. Marvels of Rome: Monuments and Their Decoration in the Roman Empire. 3 Units.
This course examines some of the most famous monuments of the Roman Empire, including Nero's Golden House, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, and the lavish villa of Piazza Armerina in Sicily. We will study each monument in depth, delving into the architecture, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and social functions of each monument. Students will learn how to analyze artistic and archaeological evidence, ancient textual evidence (poems, prose, and inscriptions), and secondary scholarship to reconstruct the visual appearances and historical and cultural contexts of the monuments in questions. Throughout the course, students will gain a new appreciation and deeper understanding of some of the most iconic buildings of the classical tradition. Offered as ARTH 329, ARTH 429, and CLSC 329. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 333. Greek and Roman Painting. 3 Units.
Greek vase painting, Etruscan tomb painting and Roman wall painting. The development of monumental painting in antiquity. Offered as ARTH 333, CLSC 333, and ARTH 433.
CLSC 336. Representations of War in Ancient Rome. 3 Units.
Few societies in history have been as militaristic as ancient Rome--or as proud of their warrior culture. This course examines the many ways that Romans constructed and contested their conceptions of war from the founding of the Roman Republic in 509 B.C.E. to the reign of Constantine (306-337 C.E.). Why did Romans choose to represent war in certain ways, and how did these artistic representations shape Romans' military values? What can the visual record tell us about how different groups (soldiers, women, slaves) experienced war in the Roman world? We will explore major public monuments in the city of Rome (including triumphal arches and the Colosseum) and private objects (such as silver drinking vessels) to observe how Roman militarism pervaded different walks of life. We will also examine monuments on the edges of Rome's empire, such as the towering trophies in modern France and Romania, to explore how works of art and architecture mediated the relationship between Romans and the peoples they conquered. Students will be encouraged to think about how art and architecture contributed to the construction of militarism as a chief Roman value, but also about how visual representations provided an important means to debate the value of Rome's military efforts, to subvert Rome's rigidly hierarchical social order, and to grapple with what it meant to "be Roman" as wars transformed Rome from a small city in Italy to a massive, pan-Mediterranean empire. After exploring Romans' conceptions of war and victory, students also may ask whether the common comparison between the Roman Empire and modern America is appropriate. Offered as ARTH 336, ARTH 436, CLSC 336 and CLSC 436. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 337. Ancient Medicine. 3 Units.
This course offers a general survey of the history of medicine from its origins in pre-historical times to Galen (2nd c. CE) with a view to gaining a better understanding of the path that eventually lead to modern medical practice. The various medical systems considered, including the ancient Babylonian, Egyptian, Jewish, Chinese, Ayurvedic, Greek and Roman traditions, will be examined through the study of primary and secondary sources, while key conceptual developments and practices are identified within their cultural and social context. Special issues, such as epidemics, women's medicine, and surgery, are also explored and discussed. Offered as ANEE 337, CLSC 337, CLSC 437, HSTY 337, and HSTY 437. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 344. Archaeology of the Ancient World. 3 Units.
This course examines the great civilizations of the ancient world, particularly those of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, through the archaeological record. Each of these geographic areas and their respective cultures will be individually explored, but also examined within a broader historical context. Particular focus will be placed on the social, political, religious, and economic ideas that were exchanged across Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Levant and the Mediterranean and the influence this interconnectivity had on these ancient societies. Offered as ANEE 344, ANEE 444, ANTH 344, ANTH 444, ARTH 344, ARTH 444, CLSC 344 and CLSC 444. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 381. Senior Capstone. 3 Units.
The Senior Capstone is the final requirement of the Writing/Communication GER for majors in the Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Studies and Classics, and it should be taken in the fall semester of a student's senior year. It involves researching, writing and giving an oral presentation of a paper of at least 20 pages on a topic relating to the Ancient Near East, or Ancient Egypt, or Greco-Roman history/culture, in consultation with the student's Senior Capstone Instructor, who will regularly review its progress. Offered as ANEE 381 and CLSC 381. Counts as a Capstone Project course. Counts as a SAGES Senior Capstone course. Prereq: Senior student status and a declared major in Classics. CLSC 231 and CLSC 232 and CLSC 316.
CLSC 382. Senior Honors Thesis. 3 Units.
A course of independent study and research culminating in the preparation of a thesis on a topic approved by the supervising faculty member. Enrollment in this course must be approved by the Chair of the Department. Prereq: CLSC 381.
CLSC 395. Directed Readings. 1 - 3 Units.
Readings in English on a topic of interest to the student and acceptable to the instructor. Designed and completed under the supervision of the instructor with whom the student wishes to work.
CLSC 416. Alexander the Great: Materials and Methods. 3 Units.
This seminar is the Disciplinary Communication course for majors in Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Studies (ANEE) and Classics (CLSC), though it can also be taken for regular credit in ANEE, CLSC or HSTY by any undergraduate or graduate student. The course offers students a firm grounding in the disciplines of Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, and Classical Studies with an emphasis on the diverse materials (particularly primary source material), methods, and approaches that can be brought to bear on the study of these ancient cultures. Students will read and discuss the ancient sources and contemporary scholarship on the enigmatic Alexander the Great drawn from various fields, including historiography, chronology, archaeology, art history, philosophy, gender studies, epigraphy, numismatics, and the reception of Alexander. Based upon this, they will then write a research paper that employs the conventions found in the fields of Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian and Classical Studies. Offered as ANEE 316, CLSC 316, CLSC 416, HSTY 316 and HSTY 416. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Disciplinary Communication course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 418. Archaeological & Epigraphical Field School. 3 Units.
This interdisciplinary course takes place in situ in the Mediterranean and is attached to an active archaeological project (examples of active archaeological projects may vary, depending on the year). Students will learn the methodological principles of archaeological and epigraphical fieldwork by participating in activities such as surveying, excavation, museum work, geophysical survey, artifact analysis, and other scientific techniques. In addition to work in the field and museum, students will receive an introduction to the history Greco-Roman culture through visits to major archaeological sites and museums in the region. Students will also be exposed to the modern culture of their host country (whose language they will be encouraged to study). Offered as CLSC 318 and CLSC 418. Counts as a Local & Global Engagement course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
CLSC 419. Greek Tragedy: Plays and Performance in Ancient Athens. 3 Units.
This course provides students the opportunity to read a significant number of ancient Greek tragedies in modern English translations. We read, study, and discuss selected works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, as well as selected criticism, ancient and modern, of these plays. All semester we read the plays as literature composed for performance. We study literary elements within the plays and theatrical possibilities inherent in the texts. As we read the plays, we pay close attention to the historical context and look for what each play can tell us about myth, religion, ethics, and society in ancient Athens. Finally, we give attention to the way these tragic dramas and the theater in which they were performed have continued to inspire literature and theater for thousands of years. Lectures provide historical background on the playwrights, the plays, the mythic and historical background, and possible interpretation of the texts as literature and as performance pieces. Students discuss the plays that they read in class. The course has three examinations and a final project that includes writing an essay and staging a monologue or scene from one of the tragedies. Offered as CLSC 319, CLSC 419, THTR 319, THTR 419, WLIT 319, and WLIT 419. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 422. Theater in Ancient Rome. 3 Units.
This course is designed as a continuation of and companion to CLSC/THTR/WLIT 319/419 Greek Tragedy: Plays and Performance in Ancient Athens, although it may be taken without having taken, or before having taken, that course. Students in Theater in Ancient Rome will read a significant number of ancient Roman plays in modern English translation and study non-literary theatrical entertainment of the Roman Republic and Empire, that may include mime and pantomime, gladiatorial shows, political speeches, courtroom drama, and various other spectacles. The dramatic texts that we shall study include the fragments of early Latin drama, selected comedies by Plautus and Terence, and the tragedies of Seneca. We shall also consider Greek and Roman literature that comments on Roman theatrical practices. These works will be read for their literary merits and theatrical possibilities, while at the same time examining them for what they can tell us about Roman civilization. Similarly, when studying the non-literary theatrical works we shall examine historical and theatrical context including archaeological evidence from theaters and amphitheaters and material remains (masks, depictions of actors and gladiators on vases, terra cotta lamps, mosaics, etc.). Finally, while the majority of the course focuses on drama originally written in Latin and theatrical entertainments performed in ancient Rome, the course may include a brief survey of selected post-classical works indebted to the tradition of Roman drama and theater. Authors that may be studied include Hrotsvitha, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Racine, Molière, and the legacy of Roman drama and theater in contemporary stage and cinema such as Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Thus a secondary concern will be to consider how and in what ways the legacy of Roman drama and theater has continued to shape the dramatic arts since antiquity. Offered as CLSC 322, CLSC 422, THTR 322, THTR 422, WLIT 322, and WLIT 422. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 426. Rome on Site: The Archaeology of the Eternal City. 3 Units.
This course offers the opportunity to examine firsthand Roman remains spanning 500 years of the city's history. For three weeks we will explore all sections of Rome and discover how different spheres of Roman life, such as religion, politics, leisure, and death, combined to shape one of the most renowned cityscapes of the ancient Mediterranean world. The course constitutes a mix of museum and site visits to expose us to the artifacts that help us interpret the Roman world, including art and other types of material culture, and the monumental architecture dominating much of Rome to this day. We will also explore important sites outside of the city, including Rome's remarkably well-preserved port at Ostia, the Emperor Hadrian's magnificent villa at Tivoli, and an optional visit to Pompeii and Herculaneum during an extended weekend. Some of the questions we will be asking when visiting the sites include: How did the expansion of the Roman Empire influence the stylistic repertories of the capital's artists and architects? How did the changing political environment shape the topography of the city from Republic to Empire? How can we read political messages and propaganda in the ancient structures? How did (and does) Rome live among, use, and reuse ancient remains? Students will be expected to be active participants in the daily tours. All students will be presenting on various structures as we come to them (topics to be assigned in advance of the trip). Graduate students are responsible for leading a day tour (with my assistance) - to create the itinerary and develop the thematic framework. Grades will be based on participation on site, presentations, and a paper. Offered as CLSC 326 and CLSC 426. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 436. Representations of War in Ancient Rome. 3 Units.
Few societies in history have been as militaristic as ancient Rome--or as proud of their warrior culture. This course examines the many ways that Romans constructed and contested their conceptions of war from the founding of the Roman Republic in 509 B.C.E. to the reign of Constantine (306-337 C.E.). Why did Romans choose to represent war in certain ways, and how did these artistic representations shape Romans' military values? What can the visual record tell us about how different groups (soldiers, women, slaves) experienced war in the Roman world? We will explore major public monuments in the city of Rome (including triumphal arches and the Colosseum) and private objects (such as silver drinking vessels) to observe how Roman militarism pervaded different walks of life. We will also examine monuments on the edges of Rome's empire, such as the towering trophies in modern France and Romania, to explore how works of art and architecture mediated the relationship between Romans and the peoples they conquered. Students will be encouraged to think about how art and architecture contributed to the construction of militarism as a chief Roman value, but also about how visual representations provided an important means to debate the value of Rome's military efforts, to subvert Rome's rigidly hierarchical social order, and to grapple with what it meant to "be Roman" as wars transformed Rome from a small city in Italy to a massive, pan-Mediterranean empire. After exploring Romans' conceptions of war and victory, students also may ask whether the common comparison between the Roman Empire and modern America is appropriate. Offered as ARTH 336, ARTH 436, CLSC 336 and CLSC 436. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 437. Ancient Medicine. 3 Units.
This course offers a general survey of the history of medicine from its origins in pre-historical times to Galen (2nd c. CE) with a view to gaining a better understanding of the path that eventually lead to modern medical practice. The various medical systems considered, including the ancient Babylonian, Egyptian, Jewish, Chinese, Ayurvedic, Greek and Roman traditions, will be examined through the study of primary and secondary sources, while key conceptual developments and practices are identified within their cultural and social context. Special issues, such as epidemics, women's medicine, and surgery, are also explored and discussed. Offered as ANEE 337, CLSC 337, CLSC 437, HSTY 337, and HSTY 437. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 444. Archaeology of the Ancient World. 3 Units.
This course examines the great civilizations of the ancient world, particularly those of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, through the archaeological record. Each of these geographic areas and their respective cultures will be individually explored, but also examined within a broader historical context. Particular focus will be placed on the social, political, religious, and economic ideas that were exchanged across Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Levant and the Mediterranean and the influence this interconnectivity had on these ancient societies. Offered as ANEE 344, ANEE 444, ANTH 344, ANTH 444, ARTH 344, ARTH 444, CLSC 344 and CLSC 444. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
CLSC 481. Special Studies. 1 - 6 Units.
Subject matter varies according to need.
CLSC 492. Graduate Certificate Thesis. 3 Units.
This course will be focused on the independent writing of a substantial term paper under the supervision of an advisor. It is required for the completion of the Graduate Certificate.
CLSC 493. Graduate Certificate Presentation. 1 Unit.
This course will involve the presentation of the term paper completed and refined during CLSC 492. Prereq: CLSC 492.
CLSC 651. Thesis M.A.. 1 - 6 Units.
Limited to M.A. candidates actively engaged in the research and writing of their theses. Credit as arranged.