Classics

Virgil’s AENEID has been described as a "classic" of western literature for many reasons, and this course is devoted to identifying those reasons and assessing their validity. This course looks closely at the epic itself: its story, which bridges myth and history; its literary form, which depends upon an exceptionally wide range of influences; and its various social, political, philosophical and religious viewpoints. Students also study the ways in which later artists, critics, and scholars have read the Aeneid.

This course focuses on the material culture of the Roman world from the early history of Rome through to the early Christian period (c. 8th century BC - 4th century AD). The lectures examine different strands of the art and archaeology of this period, exploring what these reveal about contemporary society and culture, urban and rural life, religious practices, death and burial, visual display, domestic life, the negotiation of status and power, warfare, and interactions between groups within and beyond the Roman empire. Emphasis is placed on considering the potential and limitations of the archaeological record and its role in elucidating patterns of change and heterogeneity across time and space, from the city of Rome to the most distant reaches of Roman influence.

In this course, students explore ancient Greek drama through a study of select plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. The plays are read in English translation. Students read four plays, one by each playwright. In our reading, students consider such issues as the development of the genre, performance conventions, gender, ethnicity, and religion. Particular attention is paid to the evolving relationship between Athenian drama and the socio-political context of the democracy. Students supplement our investigations with readings from contemporary scholarship.

This course introduces students to the history and culture of Rome under the emperors. It focuses both on the city of Rome and its vast empire, from the Antonine Wall to the Euphrates. The course covers the political and social history of Rome from the death of Augustus to the late 3rd century AD, together with the material culture, monuments, art, literature and thought of the Romans during this period. Lectures cover topics such the expansion of the empire, the Roman army, Roman religion, monuments of the city of Rome, Roman villas, and Roman poetry and drama, as well as the various imperial dynasties. 

This course introduces the principate of Augustus (27 BCE - 14 CE) as a pivotal moment in the political and cultural history of Rome and its subsequent influence. This course helps students understand the creation and design of the Principate in the context of the late Republic, its experiments in one-man rule, and the Civil Wars; explores the literature and art of the Augustan period, above all Virgil's Aeneid, with particular attention to their cultural and political backgrounds, and discusses the development of the Principate over the course of Augustus' reign.

This course examines the political system established at Rome by Octavian at the end of the Roman "Republican" period which is normally known as the "Principate" or "High Empire" until the reforms of Emperor Diocletian and the Edict of Milan which granted the Christians freedom of religion.  Students look at the tensions and development in the structures of the state in this period, the role of the army and foreign policy, life in the provinces of the empire, and social issues including religious practices and the rise of Christianity.