Descriptions from the 2007-08 Course Catalog
Please check the Class Schedule for classes offered this year.
Courses in Latin and Greek
CLAS 100
Beginning Latin
An introductory course for both those with no background in Latin and those who seek a better understanding of the forms and basic syntax of the language. 6 units.
CLAS 110
Intermediate Latin
A continuation of Classics 100 with readings to develop experience with connected literary discourse. 6 units.
Prerequisite: CLAS 100 or two years of high school Latin
CLAS 125
Intensive Elementary Greek
An accelerated introductory course emphasizing the basic systematic structure of Greek. Classics 125 and 225 provide students with the ability to read both classical and New Testament Greek. 6 units.
CLAS 225
Intermediate Greek Reading
A continuation of Classics 125, conducted at a similar pace. Readings from a variety of texts. Successful completion fulfills Lawrence’s foreign language requirement. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 125 or its equivalent
CLAS 230
Introduction to Latin Literature
An introduction to the reading and translation of extended passages of Latin literature. Texts to be studied include works of poetry and prose from the late Republic and early Empire. Successful completion satisfies Lawrence’s foreign language requirement. 6 units. Prerequisite: Satisfactory completion of CLAS 110 or three years of high school Latin
CLAS 389
Topics in Classics
This course examines specific topics in non-literary Greek and Latin texts that augment and enhance our understanding and appreciation of classical antiquity. Texts to be studied may include: the Latin Vulgate text of the New Testament; Roman Imperial inscriptions; Donatus and Priscian on the teaching of Latin in the Middle Ages; Homeric scholia. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 110 or 230
The following courses in Latin literature have as a prerequisite either Classics 110 (or its equivalent) or Classics 230 or three or four years of high school Latin. Successful completion of any one of these courses satisfies Lawrence’s foreign language and humanities requirements.
CLAS 400
Roman Comedy
Close reading of two plays by Plautus and/or Terence, selected from the following: Amphitryo, Casina, Menaechmi, Rudens, Andria, Eunuch, Phormio, and Adelphoe. 6 units. Also listed as Theatre Arts 274. Prerequisite: CLAS 110, 230, or four years of high school Latin
CLAS 405
Mediaeval Latin
Reading selections include both prose and poetry, emphasize ecclesiastical and intellectual history, and document continuity and change within the Latin language. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 110, 230, or four years of high school Latin
CLAS 410
Ovid
A study of Ovid’s poetics as represented in a book of the Metamorphoses or the Ars Amatoria. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 110, 230, or four years of high school Latin
CLAS 415
Roman Historians
A study of selections from several Roman historians, chosen to emphasize specific historical events and persons depicted on Roman coins in the university’s Ottilia Buerger Collection of Ancient and Byzantine Coins. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 110, 230, or four years of high school Latin
CLAS 420
Latin Popular Literature
Readings vary from year to year; past texts have included Augustine’s Confessions and the Cena Trimalchionis of Petronius. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 110, 230, or four years of high school Latin
CLAS 425
Horace and Catullus
Careful reading and concentrated study of selected Horatian odes and Catullan lyrics. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 110, 230, or four years of high school Latin
The following courses in Greek literature have as a prerequisite Classics 225 or its equivalent. Successful completion of any one of these courses satisfies Lawrence’s humanities requirement.
CLAS 450
New Testament Greek
Careful reading of the Gospel of John and parallel passages in other Gospels, with special attention to variant manuscript readings. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 225 or its equivalent
CLAS 455
Homer
Readings from the Iliad and/or Odyssey. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 225 or its equivalent
CLAS 460
Plato
Close reading of one dialogue in Greek, such as the Meno, Symposium, or Crito, and of others in translation. 6 units. Prerequisite: CLAS 225 or its equivalent
CLAS 465
Greek Drama
A study of selected dramas such as Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, the Agamemnon and Antigone
of Sophocles, and Euripides’ Bacchae and Medea. 6 units. Also listed as Theatre Arts 276. Prerequisite: CLAS 225 or its equivalent
Courses in classical civilization taught in English
Knowledge of Greek and Latin is not required for the following courses, which are taught in English and which therefore satisfy Lawrence’s humanities requirement but not, obviously, the foreign language requirement.
CLAS 150
Survey of Greek History
A study of ancient Greek history from the Bronze Age to 146 B.C. Emphasis on the rise and fall of the Greek city-state as a political, societal, and cultural model. Readings include the historians Herodotus and Thucydides. 6 units. Also listed as History 180.
CLAS 160
Survey of Roman History
A study of the history of Rome from its origins through the Republic and Empire to 410 A.D. Emphasis on political and cultural developments and the acquisition of empire. Readings may include Livy, Tacitus, Suetonius, and the Historia Augusta. 6 units. Also listed as History 185.
CLAS 250
Classical Mythology
An examination of myths, legends, and folk tales selected from Greek and Roman literature and emphasizing differences in species (human/animal), gender (male/female), and nationality (Greek or Roman/barbarian). 6 units.
CLAS 260
Classical Literature in Translation
A study of several specific literary texts selected from the corpus of ancient Greek and Latin prose and poetry, read in English translation. Selections vary year to year. 6 units.
CLAS 270
Athletes and Heroes in Ancient Greece
A study of the “agonal drive,” the competitive spirit that dominated ancient Greek culture and civilization. Emphasis on the Olympic Games and the Athenian dramatic competitions at the Festival of Dionysus. 6 units.
CLAS 300
Periclean Athens
A study of the history of Athens from the end of the Persian Wars to the execution of Socrates. A wide range of material and topics will be considered: social and political developments, warfare, empire, diplomacy, intellectual and cultural life. Emphasis on the revolution in ideas and visions of humanity that defined the golden age of classical Greece. 6 units. Also listed as History 235. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor
CLAS 310
Augustan Rome
An introduction to ancient Rome and Roman civilization, focusing on the Age of Augustus in all its aspects: art, literature, politics, empire, law, entertainment, and society. Emphasis on the political and cultural changes that took place during this revolutionary period. 6 units. Also listed as History 240. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor
CLAS 320
Slaves and Barbarians in Greece and Rome
An examination of the cultural role of slaves and barbarians in the societies of ancient Greece and Rome. Topics to be considered include: representations in literature and art; legal and social status; and issues of labor, war, and trade. Emphasis on questions of power, identity, and assumptions of cultural superiority. 6 units. Also listed as History 230. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
CLAS 340
Archaic and Classical Greek Art
A study of Greek art and architecture to the end of the fourth century B.C. Topics include the great sanctuaries at Olympia, Delphi, and Athens; the development of mythological narrative in sculpture and vase painting; the political and propagandistic function of Greek art; and the beginning of portraiture. 6 units. Also listed as Art History 200. Prerequisite: ARHI 100 or sophomore standing
CLAS 345
From Alexander to Kleopatra: Art of the Hellenistic Age
A study of Greek and Greek-influenced art from the time of Alexander the Great to the Roman conquest of Egypt in 31 B.C. Topics include portraiture and the royal iconography of the Hellenistic rulers, the development of regional styles in sculpture, and the influence of the Romans as patrons. 6 units. Also listed as Art History 202. Prerequisite: ARHI 100 or sophomore standing
CLAS 350
Roman Art
A study of the art and architecture of the Etruscans and the Romans to the end of the Roman empire. Topics include the funerary arts of the Etruscans, the art and archaeology of Pompeii and Herculaneum, developments in imperial portraiture and historical relief, technological innovations in architecture, and the beginnings of Christian art. 6 units. Also listed as Art History 204. Prerequisite: ARHI 100 or sophomore standing
CLAS 355
Women in Classical Antiquity
This course examines the roles of women in ancient Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman societies, using historical, literary, art historical, and archaeological sources. Topics will include these cultures’ constructions of gender and the ways in which they affected the relationship of women (and men) to social, religious, political, economic, and legal institutions. 6 units. Also listed as Art History 302, Gender Studies 215. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
CLAS 365
Archaeology of the Prehistoric Aegean
A study of archaeological investigations in the Aegean region — Greece, Crete, the Cycladic Islands, and western Turkey. Emphasis on the evidence of cultural development from Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers and herders through the development of the Bronze Age “palace” civilizations of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. 6 units. Also listed as Anthropology 324.
CLAS 500
Medical Language: Origins and Etymologies
An introduction to the origins of medical arts and medical vocabulary in classical antiquity and to the etymological principles governing the history and derivation of medical terminology. Emphasis on specific episodes in the history of medicine and on the Greek and Latin linguistic elements in medical discourse. 6 units. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor
CLAS 510
The Origins of War
A study of the concerns that lead states to war, through analysis of the strategic and diplomatic crises that precipitated two great historical conflicts: the Peloponnesian War in 431 B.C. and the First World War in 1914. Students will regard themselves as diplomats assigned to report on the developing situations. 6 units. Also listed as History 510. Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor
CLAS 520
The Romance Languages and Their Histories
An introduction to the development of Romance languages from Latin. Emphasis on a comparative study of the structures of the modern Romance languages. Taught in English. 6 units. Also listed as Linguistics 510, Spanish 560. Prerequisite: Knowledge of Latin or a Romance language beyond the intermediate level or consent of instructor
CLAS 190, 390, 590, 690
Tutorial Studies in Classics
Advanced study of Greek, Latin, ancient history, classical civilization, and/or linguistics, arranged and carried out in cooperation with an instructor. Variable units. Prerequisite: Counter registration required
CLAS 199, 399, 599, 699
Independent Study in Classics
Advanced study of Greek, Latin, ancient history, classical civilization, and/or linguistics, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms. Variable units. Prerequisite: Counter registration required
Recent tutorial topics in classics
Aristotle’s Poetics
Comparative Phonology of Greek and Latin
Ovid and Art
Latin Palaeography and Textual Criticism
Imagery and Madness in Vergil's Aeneid
