Classics

This course examines Roman history, literature, and culture. It explore Rome from multiple perspectives, from politicians and poets to pilgrims and pirates, paying attention to the voices of the enslaved, dispossessed, and exploited and acknowledging the rich cultural diversity of the territories ruled by Rome. It will not only study ancient texts and monuments but also literary and artistic interpretations of the Roman world.

This course introduce students to the literary culture of Ancient Rome. It is designed for students without any background knowledge of ancient literature and aims to offer a chronologically laid out, broad survey of periods, genres, ideas, and best-known authors of Roman literature and thought. 

This course covers major topics in the Western study of Classics. In addition to the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome, this course will cover developments in the study of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China. It presents an introduction to the major themes and methods involved in the study of the ancient world. Drawing on scholarship in the fields of literature, archaeology, history, and manuscript studies, the course engages with the main theoretical and methodological advances in classics. Using case studies from the ancient world, the course opens perspectives for the comparative study of ancient cultures, and provides a helpful starting point in developing a well-rounded understanding of the classical traditions of the ancient world.

This course is based on Mr. Yuan Ke's theory of general mythology, collectively refering to narrative broad supernatural beings and phenomena (including gods, ghosts, monsters, strange phenomena, etc.), and various types of literary works with mythological elements as mythological literature. This course selects classic storylines from ancient Japanese mythology, teaches their main content and cultural significance, and then sorts out the derivatives and changes of these stories from medieval Japan to modern times, as well as the mythological stories that appeared after the Middle Ages and their evolving forms in later generations, such as the folklore of bronze mirrors, fox legends, etc.; it showcases the dissemination and variation of Chinese mythological legends and bizarre literature in Japan, and deeply analyzes the influence between mythological literature in China and Japan. The texts involved in this course are diverse, including literary works, historical documents, theater images such as Jyoururi plays, Kabuki, and artworks. Through fascinating and interesting stories, students are guided to think about the relationship between mythological literature and social evolution, and the changes in ideological concepts, to grasp the characteristics of Japanese culture, and to understand the important influence of Chinese culture on Japanese mythological literature.

This is an etymology course that aims to improve the vocabulary, especially academic vocabulary. The course consists of two components: focus on concepts associated with the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations of the Mediterranean and key words in English derived from Greek and Latin; knowledge of English word-formation and evolution from the lexical resources of the Greek and Latin languages, as well as other languages, particularly as this knowledge enhances word-building skills and increases confidence in the use of English of an academic register. As an introductory course to the study of language, content that engages the diversity of students’ own lexicons and is cognizant of our African location is used. The course employs innovative teaching and delivery methods, including multilingual pedagogies and digital literacy, that allow more time for active engagement and the development of critical reading and writing skills in the Humanities. DP requirements: Students must attend all tutorials, submit all tutorial assignments, and write all tests. Assessment: One two-hour examination at the end of the semester counts for 50% of the final mark; coursework counts for 50%.

This yearlong course introduces students to the material and visual culture of the ancient world from the second millennium BC to late antiquity. The fall term focuses on the Greek world, and the spring term on the Roman. It studies the built environment - from the great urban monuments to everyday domestic units (including temples, ‘homes’ for the gods). It explores the art and iconography of the ancient world alongside the material residues of daily life and ritual. Students are introduced to the different perspectives and methods of both archaeologists and art historians in interpreting material remains and visual images. The course combines close study of individual pieces of evidence with an evaluation of how they illuminate the societies, cultures, institutions and economies of classical antiquity.

If justice meant “helping friends and harming enemies,” then it would be important to know who your friends and enemies are – so it is no surprise that Socrates, confronted with that theory of justice, has a fair amount to say about friendship both in Plato and Xenophon. It is however a surprise to find friendship put at the center of Plato’s sketch of the most just city – a city that will also be “a friend to itself” – as well as the center of a Platonic theory of self-knowledge. For interpreters long thought that Socrates had repudiated this account of justice. This course first considers the treatment of individual friendship intertwined with political friendship for Socrates and Plato, and then turns to Aristotle’s disentangled treatment of them with an eye to the question of whether something goes missing when they are disentangled.
 

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.