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These are courses in the literature and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. All reading is done in English translation.

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Classics 121 - "Western" Greeks and Eastern "Barbarians" in Antiquity (January Interim Course) - HWC - approval for this course is pending

This course introduces a variety of documents (both literary and artistic) to investigate cultural interactions between ancient Greece and the East in the first millennium BCE. By studying the mythological Trojan War, the Persian War, and Alexander the Great’s decade of campaigns, students consider how the ancient Greeks related to the alien cultures with which they were in continual contact: what did it mean to be "Greek" or "barbarian" in the ancient world? 

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Classics 122 - Ghosts, Funerals, and Ferrymen: Death among the Ancient Greeks (January Interim Course) - HWC

Students receive a grounding in Greek religion and in the variety of approaches used to study the classical world. Armed with evidence from art, archaeology, poetry, drama, history, curse tablets and religious rites, they explore the Greek view of mortality: What's a good death? What happens to the soul afterward? Can spirits intervene for the living? Where can you get a decent meal in Hades, and just how much is the ferryman charging these days?

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Classics 128 - The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity: Transition, Continuity, and Change (January Interim Course) - HWC

This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the roughly 300-year period of Western European history from the Fall of the Roman Empire to the establishment of the sixth-century Christian Germanic kingdoms. Using primary sources, archaeological evidence, and remains of art and architecture, students investigate the collapse of Roman authority and the rise of the Christian Church, gaining insight into an age of great transition and change.

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Classics 129 - The Neverending Myth: Ovid's Metamorphoses (January Interim Course) - ALS-L

Ovid was the most witty and popular Roman poet of his time, and his 12,000-line Metamorphoses has influenced more European literature and art than any other classical Latin text. By analyzing two modern English translations and studying other poems, stories, and artwork based on the Metamorphoses, students gain an understanding of the nature of Ovid's storytelling and the power that it has exerted on our cultural tradition.

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Classics 241 - Greek and Roman Myth - ALS-L

For the Greeks and Romans myth was a cultural reality, just as it is for us.  Students in this course read the famous tales told by the poets Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Vergil, and Ovid, and ponder the deeper truths contained in their works of fiction.  The class also explores the use of classical myth in later literature and its manifestations in art, music, and drama from ancient to modern times.   Offered every year in the fall.

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Classics 243 - The Golden Age of Greece - ALS-L, HWC

In this course students journey back to the 5th century B.C., the "Golden Age" of Greece. They watch as the Athenians emerge triumphant from the Persian Wars and develop a powerful empire under the leadership of Pericles, an extraordinary statesman and general. During the final years of the Peloponesian War, they see the Golden Age come to an inglorious end. As they study the history of Athens, they also look closely at the literature, art, and architecture of this unique city state and its lasting contributions to Western civilization.  Offered every other year in the spring.

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Classics 244 - The Golden Age of Rome - ALS-L, HWC

What made the last years of the Roman Republic and the early years of the Roman Empire "golden"? Students learn the answer by reading (in English translation) some of the finest Latin literature ever written, from epic to satire. They also do research with source materials to gain understanding about the society that produced such talented authors. The course emphasizes the many ways in which ancient Rome has influenced and continues to influence Western culture.  Offered every other year in the spring.

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Classics 251 - Classical Studies in Greece (January Interim Course) - ALS-A, HWC

This course introduces students to the history and art of ancient Greece. It covers more than two thousand years of Greek civilization, from the Bronze Age through the archaic, classical, and hellenistic periods. The itinerary takes students to every major region of Greece, with extended stays in Athens and Thessaloniki. When not visiting museums and archaeological sites and learning about ancient Greek culture, students have the opportunity to experience modern Greek culture as well.  Offered every January.