Classics (Archive 2018-2019)

4.00

Examines the civic, religious, and domestic art and architecture of the Ancient Mediterranean cultures of Greece and Rome. Considers temples, forums, basilicas, city planning, sculpture, pottery, wall painting, mosaics, and engineering achievements in their cultural contexts.

4.00

Literary masterpieces from ancient times to the Renaissance, including: Homer's Odyssey, Sophocles' Oedipus, Virgil's Aeneid, selections from the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels, and Dante's Divine Comedy. List may vary at the discretion of the instructor.

4.00

This course will use close readings to examine poetry as a heightened form of language seeking to make contact with divine sources of faith. We will consider poems that provide examples of the struggle to attain belief, as well as poems that deny belief. Language as both the grammar of ascent and the locus of descent. The position of human beings in relation to God, or the gods, or the absence of the divine.

WRI-102 or WRI-H103

4.00

Ancient Greek and Roman myths, their motifs, themes and interpretations. Normally offered every third year.

WRI-102 or WRI-H103 with a minimum grade of B+

4.00

A survey of writings in Modern Greek from 1821 to the present exploring Hellenism and the Greek cultural identity. Authors studied will include Kostis Palamas, Georgios Vizyinos, Alexandros Papadiamantis, Stratis Myrivilis, Photis Kontoglou, Dido Sotiriou, George Seferis, Constantine Cavafy, and Odysseas Elytis. A section of the syllabus will be reserved for the Greek-American/diaspora writers Helen Papanikolas, Elia Kazan, Jeffrey Eugenides, Olga Broumas, and Tryfon Tolides. Films and music traditions will be sampled as well.

WRI-102 or WRI-H103

4.00

A survey of major works of literature and thought crucial to the transformation of pagan models of reason to Christian systems of belief, including works by Plato and Plotinus, St. Augustine and Dante. Of central concern is the changing conception of love, from Eros to Agape. Note: This course is cross-listed with HST 339.

WRI-102 or WRI-H103

4.00

This course offers an introduction to the Golden Age of Roman culture and power. Close readings of selections from major historians, poets, political thinkers, and philosophers will be examined in the context of Augustan Rome. Topics such as pietas, virtus, and gravitas, as well as the competing claims of public duty and private devotion, stoic maxim and erotic love lyric, will be discussed from the perspectives of writers such as Virgil, Livy, Tacitus, Horace, Catullus, and Lucretius. Note: This course is cross-listed with HST 304. Normally offered in alternate years.

4.00

Surveys European culture, politics, and society from antiquity to the seventeenth century. Topics include: the Greek, Judaic, and Roman heritage; the rise of Christianity; feudal society in the Middle Ages; Renaissance and Reformation; the Scientific Revolution; and the development of absolutist and constitutional governments.

4.00

Explores the history of the Mediterranean from the ancient times to the 20th century, with emphasis on the extraordinary interaction between the rich cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds of the peoples of Europe, Middle East, and North Africa.

4.00

An introduction to Periclean Athens, the golden age of classical Greek literature and thought. Close readings of selections from the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, the dramatists Aeschylus and Euripides, the poetry of Pindar, and Plato's great work on politics, The Republic. Cross-listed with ENG 316.

Restricted to PHIL majors and minors, PPE majors, and honors students

4.00

The study of philosophical thought from the period of the ancient Greek philosophers through the Medieval thinkers, including such philosophers as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Zeno, Parmenides, Pythagoras, Protagoras, Augustine, Aquinas, Anselm, and Abelard. An introductory course designed to equip the student with a well grounded understanding and appreciation of Philosophy. 1 term - 4 credits. Normally offered every year.

Take 1 PHIL course level 200 or higher; or take GVT-275 or GVT-276; Instructor consent required.

4.00

Examines how classical works of ancient and medieval moral and political philosophy raise questions and themes that persist in challenges facing contemporary public policy and personal ethics. Topics covered will include the nature of moral duties, the connection between happiness and morality, citizenship and virtue, the meaning of a good life, the attractions and limitations of moral relativism, the foundations of legitimate government, arguments for and against democracy, realism and idealism in statecraft, and the relationship between law and ethics. Authors may include the Pre-Socratic thinkers, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, and Aquinas, among others.

Prerequisite: PHIL 210 or consent of instructor.

4.00

A detailed study of Platonic texts and issues. Works studied will vary but will often include dialogues such as the Apology, Euthyphro, Phaedo, Republic, and Symposium. Themes may include, among others: the nature of philosophy and its relation to society; the dialogue form and the character of Socrates; the difference between truth and opinion; the meaning of virtue; justice and the ideal regime; the theory of forms and the nature of reality; love, death, and transcendence. Prerequisite: PHIL 210 or consent of instructor. 1 term ? 4 credits. Normally offered every third year.

4.00

How is it that the knowledge, intelligence, wisdom and values of the Greeks and Romans still educate and edify the world by providing venues towards leading fulfilling and dignified lives? The guiding principles of their respective civilizations rested upon eight pillars: -Humanism: It was recognized that humans have the potential to master their world and live life to the fullest. -The Pursuit of Excellence: To imagine the highest good and strive to attain it. -Self Knowledge: It is imperative to know oneself before seeking to know the world. -Rationalism: Always question, reason and discern truth from falsehood and never consider any matter superficially. -Restless Curiosity: Often the resolution of one issue leads to the revelations of others mysteries and pursuits which compels further investigation. The wise individual makes this a lifelong endeavor. -Love of Freedom: As long as one brings no harm to others, one must be free to live and discover as much as possible. -Individualism: All are unique and, therefore, must recognize individual strengths and identity. -The Practice of Moderation: The prudence of avoiding extremes in personal and social conduct. In this course, students will read two (brief) texts on the Greek and Roman contributions to the world and then will proceed with specific readings which illuminate the eight principles above for achieving the good life.

4.00

This course will focus on classic works of ancient and modern literature that examine the human condition from a tragic perspective. We will concentrate on close readings from the following texts: Homer's Iliad, Sophocles' Antigone, The Bhagavad-Gita, Shakespeare's Othello, Chekhov's short stories, and Joyce's Dubliners.