Ancient Greek and Roman Studies
Students who matriculated in the fall of 2023 or later are eligible for a major or minor in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies. Students who matriculated in fall 2021 must follow the requirements of the Classical Studies major and minor. Students who matriculated in fall 2022 may select to follow the requirements for Classical Studies or Ancient Greek and Roman Studies.
Mission Statement
In the Department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies students are introduced to the intellectual, social, political, economic, material, and cultural histories of the ancient Greeks and Romans and their interconnectedness to other peoples of the ancient world. Our curriculum also engenders a critical exploration of how the ideas and works of the ancient Greeks and Romans remain relevant in the modern world. We study both how the ancient Greeks and Romans understood their world and how modern societies have reconstructed them. Through the study of the languages, literatures, and material culture and contexts of the ancient Mediterranean, our program emphasizes the ability to use diverse types of evidence, interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge, the development of critical and analytical skills, and an appreciation for how ancient and modern intersect in ways that show the continued influence of the Greco-Roman past on our lives today.
Faculty
Professor, Rebecca Kennedy, Chair
Professors Timothy P. Hofmeister, Rebecca Kennedy; Associate Professor Craig Jendza; Assistant Professor Rhodora Vennarucci; Visiting Assistant Professors Max Goldman, Vicky Kostopoulou
Academic Administrative Assistant
Jackie Forshey
Requirements
Students majoring in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies must complete a minimum of ten courses (nine 4-credit courses plus a 1-credit senior capstone) or 37 credits, including courses in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies (AGRS), and in either Ancient Greek (GRK) or Latin (LAT). Specific requirements within the department include:
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one course from 111: Ancient Greek Literature; 112: Roman Literature; or 121: Ancient Myths
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three courses from 200-level AGRS courses
- two courses from the 300-level AGRS courses;
- two courses in either Ancient Greek (GRK) or Latin (LAT);
- one semester of AGRS 451 - Senior Research or AGRS 452 - Senior Research;
- and 1 credit in AGRS 400 - Senior Research Symposium.
Distribution Requirement 1: At least 1 course of the 6 required AGRS courses must be in History
Distribution Requirement 2: At least 1 course of the 6 required AGRS courses must be in Archaeology
Distribution Requirement 3: At least 1 course of the 6 required AGRS courses must be in Literature
Distribution Requirement: At least 1 course of the 6 required AGRS courses must be in Greek culture, if the Latin language is taken; or in Roman culture, if the ancient Greek language is taken. Many AGRS 300-level courses are both Greek and Roman and fulfill this requirement,
Ancient Greek and Roman Studies Minor
For the minor in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, students must complete a minimum of six courses or 24 credits.
- Students must take:
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three courses from 111-112-121 and AGRS 200-level courses; at least 1 must be 200-level
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and one course from the AGRS 300-level courses;
- and two courses in either Ancient Greek (GRK) or Latin (LAT).
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Distribution Requirement: At least 1 course of the 4 required AGRS courses must be in History
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Distribution Requirement: At least 1 course of the 4 required AGRS courses must be in Archaeology
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Distribution Requirement: At least 1 course of the 4 required AGRS courses must be in Literature
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Distribution Requirement: At least 1 course of the 4 required AGRS courses must be in Greek culture, if the Latin language is taken; or in Roman culture, if the ancient Greek language is taken.
Ancient Greek Minor
For the minor in Ancient Greek,
- students must complete a minimum of four courses in the language (GRK) or 16 credits.
- In addition, students must take AGRS 201 - Ancient Greeks and Persians and AGRS 111 - Ancient Greek Literature.
Students may substitute an additional 4-credit language course (GRK) for the AGRS 111 - Ancient Greek Literature requirement.
Latin Minor
For the minor in Latin,
- students must complete a minimum of four courses in the language (LAT) or 16 credits.
- In addition, students must take AGRS 202 - Ancient Rome and AGRS 112 - Latin Literature.
Students may substitute an additional 4-credit language course (LAT) for the AGRS 112 - Latin Literature requirement.
Additional Points of Interest
Graduate Study
Students interested in pursuing graduate study in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies should understand that such programs normally focus on the languages. Therefore, in addition to majoring in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, students should also minor in both Ancient Greek and Latin, preferably taking a language course every semester as an undergraduate. A Ph.D. in Classics requires proficiency in both Ancient Greek and Latin. However, it is also possible to earn a Master’s degree in only Ancient Greek or only Latin. Students should consult with the Chair of the department as early as possible if they are interested in graduate school in Classics or related fields, such as Classical Archaeology.
Archaeology Field Work
One of the most important things a student can do if they are interested in a career in Archaeology is attend a summer field school or archaeological dig. Students should consult with the Chair or Professor Vennarucci to discuss the possibilities and getting started, if interested.
Eta Sigma Phi
Ancient Greek and Roman Studies sponsors a chapter of the national honorary society Eta Sigma Phi. Membership in our local chapter requires the completion of a minimum of one course in either Ancient Greek or Latin with a grade of B or better, a declared major or minor in the department (CLAS/AGRS, GRK, or LAT), and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the department.
Departmental Recognition
Majors in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies are eligible for Departmental Recognition of Senior Research, according to guidelines established by the college, including the completion of a yearlong senior research project (AGRS 451 - Senior Research and AGRS 452 - Senior Research). Students should consult with the Chair of the department and the Registrar for specific requirements and acknowledgments.
Directed Studies
Our current curriculum includes the possibility of a minor in Ancient Greek and/or Latin. For students finishing the 111-112 sequence of a classical language at Denison, or for those beyond the 111-112 sequence, the department offers a 211 level course in the fall semester only, followed by GRK or LAT 361-362. Faculty members in the department supervise Directed Studies with permission of the department Chair following a "tutorial" model; these courses are conducted either as small groups or individually and meet typically twice per week. Faculty advisors for these courses create a syllabus based on the author, topic, or genre being studied. To qualify as a course toward the minor, it must be taken for 4 credits. Students must also complete the appropriate form available from the Registrar's Office.
Courses
AGRS 101 - The Ancient Mediterranean (4 Credit Hours)
This is an introductory course in the history and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, focusing on particular topics relating to classical culture, and emphasizing the analysis of textual and material evidence.
AGRS 111 - Ancient Greek Literature (4 Credit Hours)
This course is an introduction to Ancient Greek literature from the Homeric world to the Hellenistic era. Students will read the works of major authors representing a variety of genres from epic poetry to philosophical dialogues, considered in the contexts of both ancient culture and contemporary society.
AGRS 112 - Roman Literature (4 Credit Hours)
In this course students will study the literature of ancient Rome, analyzing texts not only for their importance to the development of Latin literature but also for their subsequent influence on later authors, from the Renaissance to the modern world. Readings will include selections from the genres of comic drama, lyric, elegy, epic and satire.
AGRS 121 - Ancient Myths (4 Credit Hours)
This course is a study of the mythology of classical antiquity, with an emphasis on its representations in literature and art, and its relationship to the practice and rituals of Greek and Roman religion.
AGRS 201 - Ancient Greeks and Persians (4 Credit Hours)
An overview of the major cultures of the ancient Mediterranean from 1700 BCE to 300 BCE focusing on the Ancient Greeks and Persians. The course begins with the prehistory of each of these cultures and their predecessors/contemporaries in the Aegean, including peoples known as the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hittites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians (Kemet), and Kushites, and examines the development of ancient Hellenic and Iranian cultures from the 8th-3rd centuries BCE in connection with each other and these other cultures. Ancient Greek and Persian cultures were Mediterranean phenomena that spread in antiquity from the Aegean through southern Europe, the Black Sea, and Egypt as far as India and have had lasting influence in Europe, Asia, and North Africa and were in almost every period deeply intertwined. The course focuses on the major social and political institutions as well as the intellectual and artistic achievements of the Greeks and Persians.
AGRS 202 - Ancient Rome (4 Credit Hours)
A survey of Roman civilization from both an historical and cultural perspective. Chronologically, the course traces the development of the "eternal city" from a tiny village of mud and straw along the banks of the Tiber River in central Italy to the city of marble and bronze dominating the Mediterranean world and beyond. Culturally, we consider Rome's legacy to the western world in terms of its social and political institutions, as well as its intellectual and artistic achievements.
AGRS 210 - Archaeology of the Ancient Greek World (4 Credit Hours)
This course explores the visual and material cultures of the ancient Greek world from the 15th century BCE through the the 1st century BCE. Since art, architecture, and artifacts are the material expression of culture and what determines culture, we must interpret these objects in their socio-historical contexts.
AGRS 211 - Archaeology of the Ancient Roman World (4 Credit Hours)
This course traces the development of Roman visual and material culture from the Archaic through Late Antique periods, exploring how material objects and visual imagery both shaped and were shaped by different social groups and cultural identities. The course balances a critical analysis of iconic elite monuments and famous works of Roman art with the objects, images, and spaces of sub-elite groups.
AGRS 220 - Ancient Epic Tales (4 Credit Hours)
This course provides a survey of ancient epic tales written by the Greeks, Romans, Mesopotamians and other ancient cultures. Students analyze various epics and situate them within their social, cultural, historical, and literary contexts. They also examine ancient and modern artistic representations of these epics and their relationship to their literary counterparts. In addition, students consider the topics and themes found in these ancient epic tales in relation to our own cultural experiences and conflicts today.
AGRS 222 - Ancient Rhetoric & Persuasion (4 Credit Hours)
This course explores rhetoric and methods of persuasive speaking in ancient Greece and Rome. Students analyze ancient Greek and Roman speeches, situate them within their cultural context, learn techniques for effective public speaking and argumentation, and compose and deliver speeches tailored to a variety of situations.
AGRS 223 - Ancient Drama (4 Credit Hours)
This course focuses on the dramatic arts as practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome. Students read selected plays, tragic or comic, by the major playwrights of Greco-Roman antiquity, giving attention to dramaturgy, societal contexts, and influences on the development of Western theater.
AGRS 301 - Topics in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies (4 Credit Hours)
This is a seminar course on a particular historical, social, or cultural topic related to the study of the ancient Mediterranean world.
AGRS 311 - Gender-Sexuality in Antiquity (4 Credit Hours)
This course explores how power and status worked in the family, in politics, labor practices, and religious institutions during classical antiquity, focusing on the intersections of gender, class, ethnicity, and sexuality.
AGRS 312 - Ancient Identities (4 Credit Hours)
This course considers the various ways the Greeks and Romans speculated about and defined human differences, as well as exploring the ways in which the ancients theorized about and manipulated their environments to achieve a desired identity. Attention is also given to how these theories were received from medieval to modern times.
AGRS 313 - Ancient Magic and Witches (4 Credit Hours)
This course provides a survey of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome. Students engage with issues such as how magic works, how people interact with the divine, the marginalization of magical practitioners, and the difference between magic, witchcraft, and religion. Emphasized topics include magicians, witches, ghosts, spirits, demons, divination, and spells.
AGRS 314 - The Art of Healing in Ancient Greece (4 Credit Hours)
This course surveys the art of healing in ancient Greece, and how it manifested in theory and practice. Students study the activities of individual healers (doctors, midwives, pharmacists, temple attendants), the nature and function of spaces dedicated to healing (cult sanctuaries, doctors’ homes), and the experience of patients. Students also engage the ancient concepts of health and illness, ideas about public health, and the ways Greek writers used disease as a metaphor for social breakdown and political violence.
AGRS 320 - Echoes of the Trojan War (4 Credit Hours)
This course examines the ancient and modern importance of the legendary city of Troy, the site of the mythical Trojan War. The course begins with the epic poems of Homer (Iliad and Odyssey) and engages with the archaeological history of the site as well as selected novels, poems, and films that respond to and re-envision the ancient stories of the famous conflict and its characters.
AGRS 331 - Alexander and his Legacy (4 Credit Hours)
Alexander of Macedon ('the Great') led his armies from ancient Macedonia into Africa and across the continent of Asia changing the political and cultural landscape for centuries to come. What emerged after Alexander is often called the Hellenistic world, a multicultural world of both Greek and indigenous kingdoms marked by a fusion of Greek and local cultures. This course explores Alexander and his legacy through examination or the literary and material evidence.
AGRS 332 - Imperial Rome (4 Credit Hours)
This course focuses on the ancient Mediterranean in the Roman imperial period (approx. 25 BCE-400 CE). It explores the political, social, and cultural contexts for the empire and the material remains throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia that reflect the extent of Rome’s influence.
AGRS 340 - Ancient Athenian Law and Democracy (4 Credit Hours)
This course explores the various permutations of ancient Athenian democracy and law. The democracy of ancient Athens is often considered the "First Democracy". Although this is not accurate, it has been one of the most influential democracies in history. In the course, students examine the history, structures, and legacy of the Athenian democracy, its conception of citizenship, and the development of its courts.
AGRS 341 - Roman Law: Delict/Torts (4 Credit Hours)
This course examines Roman law and society through the Roman law of delict (wrongful harm to persons and property punished through private law, roughly equivalent to torts in Anglo-American common law). Through the careful discussion of cases (case-study method), we will learn about the nature of law and legal thinking, how it worked (or didn’t), and how legal practice reflected and shaped ethical, economic, and social ideas.
AGRS 342 - Roman Law: Family Law (4 Credit Hours)
An introduction to the Roman legal system and its relationship to Roman society through the study of Roman family law. Through the careful study of cases, jurists’ commentary, and common law comparisons, students learn about Roman culture and history while developing the ability to examine legal rules and assess them critically.
AGRS 351 - Shopping and Markets in Ancient Rome (4 Credit Hours)
Evidence from ancient Rome suggests that a sophisticated retail system developed in urban centers during the Republic so that by the Early Imperial period, many Roman towns were characterized by busy commercial streets and districts where people consumed time and space alongside ready-made goods and services. The shop became a place of leisure and a locus of sociability where status and identity were forged, negotiated, and performed. It also became a potentially subversive space where information was exchanged, and status and power could be challenged and temporarily overturned. This course explores the questions of where, how, and why ancient Romans shopped. focusing on such important aspects as: distribution networks, the evolution of the retail trade, Roman attitudes toward various forms of retailing, analysis of commercial art and architecture, evidence for marketing strategies, shopping behaviors, and consumption practices.
AGRS 361 - Directed Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
AGRS 362 - Directed Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
AGRS 363 - Independent Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
AGRS 364 - Independent Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
AGRS 400 - Senior Research Symposium (1 Credit Hour)
A one-credit senior capstone seminar to support students in writing their senior research. The capstone is team-taught by the department faculty and focuses on discipline-specific: methods and approaches (literary, historical, archaeological) for analysis of ancient evidence; citational practices for ancient evidence; databases and other tools for conducting research in Greco-Roman antiquity; and group workshops at various stages of the thesis-writing process.
AGRS 451 - Senior Research (4 Credit Hours)