Classical Studies
The Classical Studies major and minor is eligible only to students who matriculated in the fall of 2021 or 2022. Students who matriculated in fall 2022 may select to follow the requirements for Classical Studies or Ancient Greek and Roman Studies. Students who matriculated in the fall of 2023 or later will follow requirements for Ancient Greek and Roman Studies.
Mission Statement
The Department of Classical Studies offers courses in the languages and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Students are introduced to the intellectual, social, political, and cultural histories of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Our curriculum 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, histories, cultures, and contexts of the ancient Mediterranean, our program emphasizes flexibility with diverse types of evidence through 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
Classical Studies Major
Students majoring in Classical Studies must complete a minimum of nine courses or 36 credits, including courses in Classical Studies (CLAS), in either Ancient Greek (GRK) or Latin (LAT), and in other departments or programs. Specific requirements within the department include:
- three courses from 200-level CLAS courses;
- one course from the 300-level CLAS courses;
- two courses in either Ancient Greek (GRK) or Latin (LAT);
- and one semester of CLAS 451 - Senior Research or CLAS 452 - Senior Research.
For the two courses outside of the department, students must select courses that contain a significant component related to the history, culture, or influences and traditions of classical antiquity; the Chair of the department must approve any course selected to meet this requirement.
Classical Studies Minor
For the minor in Classical Studies, students must complete a minimum of six courses or 24 credits.
- Within the department students must take:
- two courses from 200-level CLAS courses,
- and one course from the 300-level CLAS courses;
- and two courses in either Ancient Greek (GRK) or Latin (LAT).
- Outside of the department, students must select one course that contains a significant component related to the history, culture, or influences and traditions of classical antiquity; the Chair of the department must approve any course selected to meet this requirement.
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 Classics should understand that such programs normally focus on the languages. Therefore, in addition to majoring in Classical 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 to discuss the possibilities and getting started, if interested.
Eta Sigma Phi
Classical Studies sponsors a chapter of the national honorary society in Classics, 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, GRK, or LAT), and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the department.
Departmental Recognition
Majors in Classical 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. Students should consult with the Chair of the department and the Registrar for specific requirements and acknowledgments.
Departmental Fellows
Each year the department appoints up to three Seniors as department Fellows, up to two majors and one minor. Criteria for the selection of Fellows is as follow: 1. major GPA of 3.5 or higher; 2. completion of both semesters of the language requirement; 3. active contributions to the department community.
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 a Directed or Independent Study. Faculty members in the department supervise Directed or Independent Studies, following a "tutorial" model. There is a syllabus for these courses (361-362-363-364) based on the author, topic, or genre being studied; to qualify as a course toward the minor, it must be taken for 4 credits. For Directed or Independent Studies in Ancient Greek or Latin, students must work with a faculty member in the department and receive permission from the department Chair, completing the appropriate form available from the Registrar's Office.
Courses
CLAS 101 - Classical Culture (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.
CLAS 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.
CLAS 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 through the Ancient Greeks and Persians. The course begins in 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, 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.
Prerequisite(s): none.
CLAS 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.
CLAS 211 - Ancient Greek Literature and Society (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.
CLAS 221 - Classical Mythology (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.
CLAS 301 - Topics in Classical Studies (4 Credit Hours)
This is a seminar course on a particular historical, social or cultural topic related to classical antiquity.
CLAS 311 - Gender and Sexuality in Antiquity (4 Credit Hours)
This course explores how power and status worked in the family, in politics, in labor practices, and in religious institutions during classical antiquity, focusing on the intersections of gender, class, ethnicity, and sexuality.
CLAS 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.
CLAS 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.
CLAS 320 - Echoes of the Trojan War (4 Credit Hours)
This course examines ancient and modern importance of the legendary city of Troy, site of the mythical Trojan War. The course begins from 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.
CLAS 322 - Classical Drama (4 Credit Hours)
This course focuses on the dramatic arts as practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome. Students will read selected plays, tragic or comic, by the major playwrights of classical antiquity, giving attention to dramaturgy, societal contexts, and influences on the development of western theater.
CLAS 331 - Alexander the Great (4 Credit Hours)
This course focuses on the study of the historical record of the life and times of Alexander the Great, examining primary and secondary sources, and placing the career and accomplishments of Alexander in the contemporary social and cultural context of Macedonia, Greece, and the Near East, as well as Alexander’s influence on the Hellenistic era of classical antiquity.
CLAS 332 - Imperial Rome (4 Credit Hours)
This course focuses on the decline and fall of the Roman Republic and the establishment of the Roman Principate. Students will examine the political, social, and cultural contexts for the creation of an empire that dominated the Mediterranean world, encompassing an area stretching from Britain to Egypt.
CLAS 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.
CLAS 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.
CLAS 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.
CLAS 451 - Senior Research (4 Credit Hours)
CLAS 452 - Senior Research (4 Credit Hours)
GRK 111 - Beginning Ancient Greek (4 Credit Hours)
An introduction to the fundamental morphology and syntax of ancient Greek. Exercises in grammar and translation are based primarily upon quotations from Greek literature and the New Testament.
GRK 112 - Intermediate Ancient Greek (4 Credit Hours)
Advanced study of ancient Greek grammar and language. Emphasis is given to the development of translation skills by reading extended passages of Greek.
Prerequisite(s): GRK 111.
GRK 199 - Introductory Topics in Greek (1-4 Credit Hours)
A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit.
GRK 211 - Reading Ancient Greek (4 Credit Hours)
Readings from ancient Greek that help students transmission from the first year focus on grammar to learning to read and analyze more advanced authors in the original ancient Greek.
Prerequisite(s): GRK 112 or consent of instructor.
GRK 361 - Directed Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
GRK 362 - Directed Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
GRK 363 - Independent Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
GRK 364 - Independent Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
LAT 111 - Beginning Latin (4 Credit Hours)
An introduction to the fundamental morphology and syntax of Latin. Exercises in grammar and translation are based primarily upon quotations from Latin literature.
LAT 112 - Intermediate Latin (4 Credit Hours)
An introduction to advanced grammar and the idiomatic language of Latin. Emphasis is given to the development of translation skills by reading extended passages of Latin.
Prerequisite(s): LAT 111 or consent.
LAT 199 - Introductory Topics in Latin (1-4 Credit Hours)
A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit.
LAT 211 - Reading and Writing Latin (4 Credit Hours)
This course transitions students from either the first year Latin sequence or from high school Latin into reading and analyzing advance Latin authors. It also introduces students to the study of Latin stylistics through composition.
Prerequisite(s): LAT 112, placement, or consent of instructor.
LAT 361 - Directed Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
LAT 362 - Directed Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
LAT 363 - Independent Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
LAT 364 - Independent Study (1-4 Credit Hours)