Department of Classical StudiesThe Equity Requirement
The study of ancient Greek and Roman societies and their reception presents an opportunity to engage with histories of inequality, exclusion and oppression. Most surviving literary texts and much ancient material culture were the products of elite men, leaving large segments of the population not only excluded from power in their own time, but also silent in our own. Such historical questions are becoming more central to classical studies, archaeology and ancient history, but these fields also have a problematic history of ignoring, downplaying or justifying ancient systems of oppression. Engaging with this difficult history and its biases forms an essential part of training in the majors (see our Learning Goals, #6).
All Classical Studies and Ancient History majors declaring after May, 2022 are thus required:
- EITHER to take one class that centrally addresses a methodological problem in the study of ancient inequalities and/or their reception,
- OR to complete a course paper or project that addresses these questions. (This project must be pre-approved by the course instructor and the undergraduate chair.)
While Senior Research Papers on these topics are strongly encouraged, the SRP itself cannot be used to fulfill the requirement.
Minors: This requirement will NOT apply to minors in ANCH or CLST.
For questions about this requirement and about the course-based and project-based options for satisfying it, please contact the Undergraduate Chair.
Current classes that would fulfill this requirement
- ANCH 3207 Cleopatra
- ANCH 3209 Foreigners in Rome
- ANCH 0020 Travel and Ethnography
- ANCH 3211 Citizenship, Belong and Exclusion in the Roman World
- CLST 0017 Private Life in Ancient Rome
- CLST 1200 Sex and Gender in the Ancient World
- CLST 1205 Race and Ethnicity in the Ancient World
- CLST 1600 Dangerous Books
- CLST 1601 Ancient Drama
- CLST 1603 Hercules
- CLST 1701 Scandalous Arts
- CLST 3317 Archaeology of Subalternities
- CLST 3702 Visions of Rome
- CLST 3805 Classical Studies in Philadelphia Schools
- LATN 3207 Writing Women at Rome
Classes that can support an equity-oriented paper or research project
- CLST 0021 Percy Jackson and Friends: Ancient Greece and Rome in Children’s and Young Adult Culture
- CLST 3201 Ancient Disasters
- CLST 3204 Lies My Ancient History Professor Taught Me
- CLST 3301 Excavating Ancient Cities
- CLST 3504 Greek and Roman Magic
- CLST 3701 The Odyssey and its Afterlife
- CLST 3704 The Iliad and its Afterlife
Such projects are not limited to this course list, but may be proposed by the student from other courses, including advanced Greek and Latin courses that have a research component.