Ancient Mediterranean Studies Program

Program Details

For this quintessential liberal arts experience, student takes 24 credits of AMS courses in any combination. They may include Latin (or Greek) language courses of any level and/or any of the numerous courses taught in English translation approved for AMS. These courses may be taken on campus at CSBSJU or abroad in our Greece and Italy programs. Students may apply up to two courses for another degree program at CSBSJU to an AMS minor.

Eligible courses include:

Language

• Latin 111: Introduction to Latin I
• Latin 112: Introduction to Latin II
• Latin 211: Intermediate Latin
• Latin 270: Intermediate Latin I (abroad)
• Scripture – New Testament 401: New Testament Greek
• Scripture – New Testament 402: New Testament Greek II
• Greek 170: Beginning Ancient Greek (abroad)
• Greek 270: Intermediate Ancient Greek I: Attic Prose (abroad)

literature

• Classics 221: Golden Age of Athens
• Classics 223: Classical Mythology
• Classics 279A: Scientific Etymology
• Classics 379B: Truth, Lies, and Fiction in Classical Literature
• English 221B: Early Western Literature: Homer to Dante
• English 385J: Medieval Women
• Languages 331: Classical Greek Literature in Translation (abroad)
• Languages 332: Roman Literature in Translation (abroad)
• Languages 370IA: Italian Literature in Translation (abroad)
• Greek 341: Homer and Epic Poetry
• Greek 342: Greek Tragedy
• Greek 347: Aristophanes
• Latin 331: Virgil and Epic Poetry
• Latin 333: Elegiac and Lyric Poetry
• Latin 338: Roman Comedy
• Latin 343: Ovid’s Metamorphoses

History

• History 220: Sword and Scroll: Violence and Cultural Exchange in Antiquity
• History 330: Parties and Wars: Greece in the Classical Period
• History 377A: Roman Empire
• Classics 379A: Grand Strategy
• History 113A: History of Greece in the Classical World (abroad)
• History 113B: History of Italy in the Classical World (abroad)
• History 370: Ancient History: Sources and Methods (abroad)
• History 370: Sports, Games and Spectacles in the Graeco-Roman World (abroad)
• History 370: To the Strongest: The Ancient Near East from the Death of Alexander to the Coming of Rome (abroad)
• History 370: History of the Classical World: Italy (abroad)
• History 370: History of Rome from its Origins to Charlemagne (abroad)
• Greek 332A: Greek Historians: Herodotus
• Greek 332B: Greek Historians: Thucydides
• Latin 327A: Cicero and Pliny
• Latin 327C: The Catilinarian Conspiracy
• Latin 327D: The Life and Death of Augustus
• Latin 349: Roman Historians

philosophy

• Philosophy 331: Ancient Philosophy
• Philosophy 368M: The Good Life
• Philosophy 370: The Concept of Life in Ancient Greek Philosophy & Its Relevance Today (abroad)
• Latin 342: Cicero

religion

• Theology 305: Jesus and the Gospels
• Theology 306: Paul and His Letters
• Theology 309B: Sexuality and Renunciation in Christianity
• Theology 365/Peace Studies 368R: Islam
• History of Christianity 400: Patristics
• History of Christianity 402: History of Christianity I
• Theology 370: Ancient Greek Mythology and Religion (abroad)
• Theology 370: Topics in Historical Theology Studies: Western Church (abroad)
• Theology 370: History of the Western Church (abroad)
• Theology 370: The Religions of the Middle East: A Comparative Approach (abroad)
• Theology 391: History of the Eastern Church (abroad)
• Theology 392: History of the Western Church (abroad)
• Latin 327E: Jews and Christians in the Roman World

archaeology & art

• History 130: Introduction to Archaeology
• Art 230: Art Moves I: Neolithic-1400
• Art 221: Art History of Greece (abroad)
• Art 222: Art History of Rome (abroad)
• Art 370: Ancient Greek Sculpture (abroad)
• Art 370: Aegean Prehistory: The Rise & Fall of the Bronze Age Cultures (abroad)
• Art 370: Aegean & Ancient Greek Art & Archaeology (abroad)
• Art 370: The Topography and Monuments of Athens (abroad)
• Art 370: Art History: Italy (abroad)
• Art 370: Angels, Demons & Artists in Rome: Art Through the Ages (abroad)
• Art 370: Renaissance Rome: Art & Architecture in the Papal City (abroad)
• SA 370: Intro to Digital Archaeology and Virtual Reality (abroad)
• Art 379A: Museum Ethics

In addition, we allow students to apply one of the following courses with significant Classics content or applicable theory to the minor as a substitution (in consultation with AMS faculty and with permission of the Department Chair). Examples may include:

• English 279A: Literary Theory and Criticism
• Entrepreneurship 101B: Innovation: This is Water?
• History 278A: Confusingly Confucian: Creating East Asia to 1600
• Philosophy 121: Great Issues in Philosophy
• Philosophy 123: Philosophy of Human Nature
• Philosophy 125: Social Philosophy
• Philosophy 321: Moral Philosophy
• Political Science 221: Introduction to Political Theory
• Political Science 311: Classics of Political Theory
• Political Science 356: Security: Defense, Diplomacy, and Development
• Sociology 111: Introduction to Sociology
• Sociology 304: Sociological Theory
• Sociology 121: Introduction to Anthropology
• Sociology 326: Cultural Thought and Meaning

Retired Faculty:

Study Abroad? Yes, Please!

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University routinely ranks in the top five schools in the nation for the strength of our study abroad programming. Every year Bennies and Johnnies move across the globe to experience life in other countries and apply what they learn in the classrooms of CSBSJU to the world beyond. Check out our Center for Global Education for our many program possibilities and how to pursue them.

The Ancient Mediterranean Studies Program values study abroad, too! At present, our most important international opportunities are our study abroad programs in Greece and Italy [insert links to CGE webpages], now running for more than 30 years! These programs have at their heart a Classical curriculum and involve excursions throughout Greece and Italy, including site visits at Olympia, Delphi, Pompeii, and Florence. Every year many of our students take part in these programs, to see where Socrates reset the path of philosophy as he walked the agora, where ancient artists and architects built cities that inspired the world (then and now), where citizens fought for their right to govern themselves in democracies and republics. In these, our most popular, study abroad programs, Classics majors and minors have the edge!

Other Experiential Learning Opportunities

We care about experiential learning, which puts students in the driver’s seat of their own education in every way possible. What we do in our classrooms is key, but we also help students to apply their learning to special high-impact learning and leadership opportunities. In addition to study abroad, AMS students can act as Teaching Assistants and Tutors and participate in collaborative student-faculty research. Others, with their unique language skills in Latin and Greek, are equipped to intern at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) at St. John’s University. [insert link to HMML: http://hmml.org] Here they work with an internationally renowned team of experts and scholars to manage a collection of precious manuscripts and to promote HMML’s mission: to preserve human culture by enabling local communities across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and south India to photograph their manuscript collections. Many of these collections are in politically sensitive areas. In good Benedictine tradition, this is a race against time and circumstance to save our shared history, so that it can continue to guide us as we all move into the future. The initiative is the biggest of its kind in the world—and our AMS students can participate!

Classics Course Descriptions

History 130 Introduction to Archaeology (4)

For at least 2.5 million years, humans have created tools of increasing sophistication and variety. In this introduction to archaeology, we focus on the artifacts that are antiquity’s leftovers. What can this “stuff” reveal about past people? How and why did they use it? How did it shape who they were? How can literary evidence, where it exists, enrich and complicate the picture? And how do we use (sometimes abuse?) it to define who we are today? These are just some of the questions we will address. Along the way, we will learn about the discipline’s aims, history, and methods, consider its relationship to the field of history, and devote special attention to its modern practice, problems, and significance. Broadly speaking, the course will consider, in turn, the nature of archaeological evidence, how we interpret it, and finally what we should do with it. While we often will focus on archaeological sites in the Mediterranean and Near East, discussion will touch on others throughout the world. As will be clear immediately and throughout, at the heart of this course is the identity of human beings, past and present.”

History 220 Sword & Scroll Violence and Cultural Exchange in Antiquity (4)

This course explores different cultures in ancient Greek, Roman, and/or Near Eastern lands that came into intimate contact, producing hostility and violence and/or creative cultural exchange. We will study the cultures of femininity and masculinity (gender), rival imperial cultures or imperial culture and that of a subject people (race and ethnicity), and the cultures of wealth and poverty (class). Our investigation is to better understand the defining features of each of these opposing cultures in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, how the social identity and status of any one person was informed by all three factors (gender, race and ethnicity, and class), how the contact of such cultures involved a power dynamic and could lead to conflict, and how, despite this, they could also lead to fruitful exchange, producing hybrid cultural forms that still impress us today or at least understanding that awaited social change.

Classics 221 Golden Age of Athens (4)

All works read in English. Great works of Greek literature, history, and philosophy from the 5th and early 4th centuries B.C., one of the most remarkable periods of intellectual, artistic, and political activity. Authors read include Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristophanes, and Plato.

English 221B Early Western Literature: Homer to Dante (4)

This early western literature course starts in the ancient world and travels to the medieval as we read foundational masterpieces of literature. We read the famous Greek poets Homer and Sappho, and the later Roman poets Virgil and Ovid. We see how Virgil changes Homer in his later version to fit with the values of the Roman Empire. (We also look at some contemporary poems to see how modern writers retell Ovid’s classical myths.) In the Medieval period we see how Dante and other Christian writers transform the ancient, “pagan” stories into Christianized versions. Students see how a story changes over time as each writer turns old material into something new—something suited to his or her present time and place. We also study gender and sexual norms in these often sexually troubling works, and we see how marginalized female writers, such as Sappho and Christine de Pizan, depict their sex in their own words while carving out a place for women within a masculine tradition. Students in this course may expect to learn ways of reading literary texts, how to conduct literary research and analysis, as well as how to recognize allusions in later literature—a strong basis for future literary study.

Classics 223 Classical Mythology (4)

From gods and heroes to witches, monsters, and legendary rulers, the imagination of the ancient Mediterranean was populated with a dynamic cast of characters and the myths that told their stories. In this class, we will explore Greek and Roman mythology through ancient art and literature as well as selected modern art, literature, and film that take classical myths as their inspiration. As we go, we’ll become familiar with some of the most significant and influential mythology of the classical world, and we will learn how to apply strategies like close reading, comparative analysis, and critical theory to these myths to help us ask What is a myth? What do myths mean, and why are they important? And what do ancient mythology and the modern day have to say to each other?

Art 230 Art Moves I: Art History, Neolithic-1400 (4)

This course is an introduction to art history from ca. Neolithic Period-1400. The course is an introduction to art history from ca. 1400-1850. Although the course content focuses on art from Asia, Europe, and North America, it is examined through the lens of global connections and how these connections transformed art around the world in this period. This course considers movement of objects, ideas and technologies across space and through time. Each class period will focus on a number of issues, which will be introduced through specific examples of art. Any object may be examined from several points of view: as an independent work of art, as an example of a particular style developed within a chronological framework, or as a type which illustrates features associated with a certain locale, country, religious, political, or social context. Offered in the Spring.

Classics 279A Scientific Etymology (4)

Language is power. Nowhere is that truer than in the language of science, which is based on Greek and Latin. In this course, students dramatically increase their understanding and command of scientific terminology through learning its Greek and Latin roots. Students in biology, chemistry, nursing, nutrition, and other science programs will save themselves numerous hours of study by taking this class—and hundreds of hours if they plan on graduate entrance exams and study. And all students, regardless of major, will improve their scientific literacy, ability to navigate their health histories and healthcare, and fluency with English in general, which also owes a major debt to Greek and Latin. What is more, this class will help you experience the study of language as an enjoyable adventure in exploration, rather than a burdensome task. Languages do not materialize out of nothing. They are based on thousands of root words that have moved through time and now join in a variety of combinations that give meaning. Every day your words carry a legacy of human history that stretches back millennia. Greek and Latin are alive and well, and in this class, you will study words that enable you to understand the present and past and to advocate for yourself, your family, your friends, and your fellow citizens.

Theology 305 Jesus and the Gospels (4)

This course explores the origins of the Gospels and the meaning of the teachings and deeds of Jesus as presented in the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Theology 306 Paul and His Letters (4)

This course presents a survey of Paul’s life and thought as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and other writings, and it pursues a historical and theological study of the genuine letters of Paul as he confronts challenges during the development of early Christian communities.

Theology 309B Sexuality & Renunciation in Early Christianity  (4)  

This course will investigate the theological and social construction of sexual expression and gender roles among various Christian groups from the first to the fifth century of the Common Era. We will focus on the reading and interpretation of primary texts, biblical and early Christian, with a twofold objective in view. First, to gain a better understanding of how theological and cultural considerations informed the early Christians’ understanding of sexuality and gender; second, to explore the implications such understanding has for exploring contemporary attitudes toward sexuality and gender.

History 330 Parties & Wars Greece in the Classical Period (4)

The Classical Period in Greece (c. 480-323 BCE) is a cornerstone for western history, and its legacy very much extends into our modern world. In this course, we will concentrate on investigating Greek society and culture at this vibrant time. In particular, we will explore the complexities of Greek identity, broadly defined. At the heart of this course will be the contention that identity was (and is) not a fixed and immutable concept. Rather Greeks constructed and negotiated key elements of their identity as part of a dynamic social process. With this in mind, this course will focus on evidence that illustrates how Greek identity was articulated and debated in a social context in general and in certain social spaces in particular. Such “spaces” of interest will include political debates, battlefields, theatrical productions of tragedies and comedies, funerals, philosophical dialogues, legal trials, drinking parties, and athletic events. In considering how Greek identity was worked out in various ways in these different social contexts, we will learn about a wide range of Greek social and cultural practices related to government, ethnicity, the military, family, gender, religion, death, humor, intellectualism, the body, and education. Humans today are social animals, and the ancient Greeks were no different. Appreciation of the Greeks’ intensely social orientation will lead us to new insights about them – and ourselves. This course is suitable for students of any major, including those who have not taken a previous history course.

Philosophy 331 Ancient Philosophy (4)

Raphael’s famous fresco The School of Athens accurately depicts the world of Ancient Philosophy. The painting features a multitude of ancient thinkers involved in conversation, writing, or meditation in a beautiful public space. The focal point of the painting is the two central figures of Plato and Aristotle, who will also serve as the foundation for this course, which aims to help students become knowledgeable participants in the conversations and practices that pursue truth, virtue and the good that shaped the beginnings of Western philosophy. The course approaches philosophy not simply as an academic discipline, but as a “way of life.”

Theology 365/Peace Studies 368R Islam (4)

This course explores the history of Islam and its interpretations, as well as doctrines and practices among Muslims in various parts of the world. It examines the Quran and Hadith, and topics related to women and gender, Islamic law, and Islam and politics, and it examines the relationship between Islam and the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Philosophy 368M The Good Life (4)

Aristotle’s ideas regarding friendship, virtue, community, and the roles each play in human flourishing have been remarkably enduring. Contemporary scholars in philosophy and psychology are still mining his major works for insights into how to live a fulfilling and happy life. But Aristotle also argued that some people are natural born slaves and that women are naturally inferior to men, ideas that had real-world effects. In this era in which many figures and institutions are being “cancelled”, it’s important to consider: How do we make sense of this complex intellectual inheritance by one of the founding figures of western thought? In this course we will explore how Aristotle’s ideas have moved across time and disciplines. After situating Aristotle’s Ethics within the context of his politics and biology, we will examine contemporary perspectives on Aristotle in virtue theory, empirical psychology, and feminist/ race theory. We’ll grapple with understanding both the promise and potential of Aristotle’s views for living well in our contemporary situation and the more unsavory aspects of his philosophy.

History 377A Roman Empire (4)

An examination of the history of the Roman empire, beginning with Julius Caesar and Augustus, who introduced rule by Roman emperor in the late first century B.C.E., and ending with Constantine, who legalized Christianity in the fourth century C.E. Our point of departure is the vastness of this empire. It stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River, from the North Sea to the Sahara Desert. As such, it encompassed and encountered numerous peoples and cultures, many subject to the power Rome. With this in mind, we will try to achieve a more balanced view of life in the Roman empire by investigating it from the perspective of the rulers and the ruled. To this end, we will (1) study the Roman emperors and their policies, (2) grapple with the struggles of an example subject people, the Jews, under Roman empire, and (3) support students in their pursuit of research projects that will underscore the rich diversity of experience within the Roman world. Throughout we will focus especially on the potential of ancient evidence to answer the following questions. What were the priorities of the Romans, and especially the emperor, in the maintenance of the Roman empire? What was the response of subject peoples like the ancient Jews to that empire? What strategies did they develop for political, cultural (especially religious), social, and economic survival? As we pursue these questions, students will have the opportunity to take part in many well-informed class discussions and to engage more deeply with particular issues through thoughtful papers and collaborative workgroup sessions. This course is suitable for students of any major, including those who have not taken a previous history course.

Classics 379A Grand Strategy (4)

Vision and decision, across 5000 years of human history this is the subject of Grand Strategy. In this course, we will consider a vast array of case studies, starting from the depths of ancient history and moving into the present moment. Along the way, we will witness the spectacular successes and failures of some of the most famous leaders of all time. We will ask a series of interrelated questions that will enable us to understand past human behavior and to best prepare ourselves for how to grapple with crises now, political and personal (and broadly defined). What resources did leaders have? How did they use them? To what effect? How should we explain success or failure? What can we learn from later creative reflections on these movers and shakers in society? How should we apply the past to the present? Is there a reliable recipe for success? As we grapple with such questions and seek truth, students will have opportunities to apply what we learn in a modern context. They will collaborate on responses to global crises and consider how this course can help them to lead lives of positive impact and deep meaning. If you want big history, big questions, and (possibly) big answers, join us.

Art 379A Museum Ethics (4)

This class will examine the formation of museums and issues that arise from the museum’s core activities: collecting and display. You will study the museum’s role in society and in the shaping of knowledge. Readings will come from the textbook as well as case studies and current events. Through discussion of the readings, writing, presentations, and role play you will examine past and present practices of museums and develop your own informed interpretations. This course will look at a variety of museum types including but not limited to art, history, and science museums.

Classics 379B Truth, Lies, and Fiction (4)

When we read a novel, attend a play, or even listen to a tall tale, we’re told stories about things that haven’t really happened by people who aren’t telling us the truth. How is it, then, that made-up stories can seem meaningful? Is there truth in fiction, or is fiction a type of lie? And—as many ancient readers and writers wondered—does that make fiction dangerous? This course will trace the ways that ancient Greek and Roman poets, playwrights, philosophers, and other writers explored these questions in a range of time periods, literary genres, and artistic works. Beginning with an introduction to the Greek philosophical concept of mimesis (imitation/artistic representation) and working up to the first sci-fi novel, we’ll consider how classical authors and artists evaluate and represent different types of invention and their relationships to truth and storytelling. Periodically we will pause in our consideration of ancient works and hold roundtable discussions evaluating our overarching question: what is at stake when we distinguish between truth, lies, and fiction? Throughout the term, we will practice the skills of academic research and writing, including close reading, evaluating sources, prewriting, drafting, and integrating feedback. Students will develop a research question in consultation with the instructor and answer it in a term paper composed in stages over the term.

English 385J Medieval Women (4)

During the Middle Ages, commonplace depictions of women portrayed them as all-powerful temptresses or husband-destroying nags. Yet in reality women enjoyed little to no sexual freedom or legal authority in marriage. In this course, students examine the gap between these images and gendered realities as we study complex relationships between women and power in medieval literature. We look carefully at women as writers of and as subjects in medieval texts, reading for instance the romances of Marie de France and Chretien de Trois, the defense of women written by Christine de Pizan, and excerpts from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron and Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. We read medieval women Christian mystics as well, Julian of Norwich among other, often surprisingly powerful, female visionaries. The course provides historical context for reading these figures, and specifically draws attention to the material conditions in which different genders were able to write. Students explore how gender affects one’s ability to communicate in writing and to make his or her voice heard.

Classics 399 Senior Capstone (2)

All Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies majors and Classics Classical Languages majors must present a senior project in a public forum. In consultation with a faculty advisor, students choose a project appropriate to their previous course of study and/or their individual goals. Students completing 398 on a topic relevant to their Classics major do not need to complete CLAS 399.

History of Christianity 400 Patristics (3)

Survey of church history from the apostolic age to the Council of Chalcedon in 451, with special emphasis on the Apostolic Fathers, the Christianization of the Roman Empire, and the formation of Christian doctrine.

History of Christianity 402 History of Christianity I (3)

This course will examine the development of the Christian tradition, including the expression of seminal doctrines within the Christian church, from its origins to the eleventh century. The course will explore the main trends in the development of the institution and primary doctrines of the church within the larger philosophical, social, and political contexts of the first millennium, paying attention to the ways in which the lived experience of Christian peoples informs and shapes its thinking.

Latin Course Descriptions

LATN 111 Introduction to Latin I (4)

The elements of classical Latin, its grammatical structure and forms, with a basic vocabulary. Development of reading skill through a varied selection of ancient texts in prose and verse.

LATN 112 Introduction to Latin II (4)

The elements of classical Latin, its grammatical structure and forms, with a basic vocabulary. Development of reading skill through a varied selection of ancient texts in prose and verse.

LATN 202 Reading Group in Latin (0-1)

Selected readings deal with world languages and cultures. Texts read may be classics in a national literature, works by writers who recently won a high literary prize, or texts dealing with current topics critical to the history or politics of a particular country. Texts may be tied to on-campus lectures on world literature by invited speakers. This course can be repeated once for credit with the permission of the chair. Offered for S/U grading only.

LATN 211 Intermediate Latin (4)

Review and completion of the fundamentals of Latin, including the reading of passages from classical texts. Satisfactory completion of LATN 211 fulfills the global language proficiency requirement.

LATN 271 Individual Learning Project (1-4)

Supervised reading or research at the lower-division level. Permission of department chair required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.

LATN 302 Reading Group in Latin (0-1)

Selected readings deal with world languages and cultures. Texts read may be classics in a national literature, works by writers who recently won a high literary prize, or texts dealing with current topics critical to the history or politics of a particular country. Texts may be tied to on-campus lectures on world literature by invited speakers. This course can be repeated once for credit with the permission of the chair. Offered for S/U grading only.

LATN 327 Topics in Latin Literature (4)

A selected topic in Latin literature, such as classical rhetoric, Lucretius, the novel, philosophy, satire, Medieval Latin, or Christian literature. This course may be repeated for credit if the topics are different.

LATN 327A Topic: Cicero and Pliny (4)

A reading of Latin of selected works of prose by Cicero and Pliny.

LATN 327C The Catilinarian Conspiracy (4)

An investigation of an attempted revolution led by Catiline against the Roman state in 63 B.C.E. We will read Latin selections from (and English translations of) the following contemporary accounts of the events: Cicero’s political speeches and Sallust’s history of the conspiracy. In the process, we will learn a great deal about two of the most important Latin prose authors and the life and thought of the late Roman republic.

LATN 327D The Life and Death of Augustus (4)

Augustus was a monumental figure in Roman history—and western history in general. While he belonged to the last generation of the Roman Republic, he was also the first Roman emperor, and as such he ushered in the long and transformative period of the Roman Empire. As a result, the “Augustan period,” that is, the period defined by his unparalleled and unquestioned power in the Roman world (31/0 BCE-14 CE), merits serious study. In it we see the Roman political tradition and the Mediterranean world in transition. In this course, we will learn about the life and death of Augustus, the age that he defined, and the legacy that he left behind, through the study of relevant Latin epigraphic and literary documents. Indeed Latin inscriptions and literature are abundant for this subject—and we will take full advantage of the abundance by reading selections from The Accomplishments of the Divine Augustus (Augustus’s epigraphic autobiography), Suetonius’s Life of Augustus (an engaging work of biography), and Tacitus’s Annals (the greatest work of Roman history by its greatest historian). In the process, not only will students see their familiarity with and ability to read a range of Latin authors grow, but they also will come to better understand and appreciate a vital period of history, the mark of which can still be seen today.

LATN 327E Jews and Christians in the Roman World (4)

Jews and Christians produced some of the most creative and controversial ideas in the Roman world. Such ideas and their social, cultural, and political consequences have come down to us in a variety of languages, including Latin. In this course, we use Latin literature to investigate the diversity of these ideas, consider how they fit into Jewish, Christian, and Roman cultural contexts, and seek to explain why these groups experienced exclusion and inclusion. How is it that Christianity, a Near Eastern religion growing out of Judaism, started as a practice reviled by many and leading to martyrdom only to enjoy the patronage and power of Roman emperors and become the dominant religion in the Mediterranean? It was not an inevitable development. We will explore this unlikely and shocking story through reading and discussing selected Latin passages. Possible sources include the Vulgate, Tacitus, Pliny, the Passion of Perpetua, Lactantius, Ammianus Marcellinus, Augustine, and/or the Rule of Saint Benedict.

LATN 331 Virgil and Epic Poetry (4)

Virgil’s Aeneid: Latin readings in the first six books; the entire work in translation. The influence of Homer and of Alexandrian poetry and the unique quality of Virgil’s poetic art.

LATN 333 Elegiac and Lyric Poetry (4)

Readings in Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid, and Horace, with emphasis on a close explication of the Latin text and on the characteristics of classical poetry. Development of Roman elegiac and lyric forms.

LATN 338 Roman Comedy (4)

The ancient Romans liked to laugh as much as we do today! In this class, we’ll read at least one of Plautus’ or Terence’s comedies in full with attention to the distinctive features of their genre, their poetic style, and their archaic Latin language. We’ll also learn about ancient theater production, imagine how these plays might have looked and sounded in performance, and discuss some of the current questions in scholarship on Roman comedy: How do these plays represent the world? Who were they for, and who were they about? And what can we learn about the playgoers of Republican Rome from the jokes that Plautus and Terence wrote to make them laugh?

LATN 342 Cicero (4)

Readings in the work of Cicero, a major orator, statesman, and philosopher of the Roman Republic.

LATN 343 Ovid’s Metamorphoses (4)

A reading of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, selected stories in Latin and the entire work in English.

LATN 349 Roman Historians (4)

Reading of one or more Roman historians, such as Sallust, Livy, Caesar, Tacitus, or Suetonius. Emphasis on methodology, style, function of speeches, views of causality, origins of war, and the weighing and presentation of evidence.

LATN 371 Individual Learning Project (1-4) Supervised reading or research at the upper-division level. Permission of department chair and completion and/or concurrent registration of 12 credits within the department required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.