ANCH 026-910 |
ANCIENT GREECE |
SUSALLA, CYNTHIA |
CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 237 |
MTWR 0240PM-0415PM |
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The Greeks enjoy a special place in the construction of western culture and identity, and yet many of us have only the vaguest notion of what their culture was like. A few Greek myths at bedtime when we are kids, maybe a Greek tragedy like Sophokles' Oidipous when we are at school: these are often the only contact we have with the world of the ancient Mediterranean. The story of the Greeks, however, deserves a wider audience, because so much of what we esteem in our own culture derives from them: democracy, epic poetry, lyric poetry, tragedy, history writing, philosophy, aesthetic taste, all of these and many other features of cultural life enter the West from Greece. The oracle of Apollo at Delphi had inscribed over the temple, "Know Thyself." For us, that also means knowing the Greeks. We will cover the period from the Late Bronze Age, c. 1500 BC, down to the time of Alexander the Great, concentrating on the two hundred year interval from 600-400 BC.
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History & Tradition Sector (all classes) |
CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; HISTORY & TRADITION SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS |
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ANCH 027-920 |
ANCIENT ROME |
MORTON, JACOB |
CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 204 |
MTWR 0240PM-0415PM |
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The Roman Empire was one of the few great world states-one that unified a large area around the Mediterranean Sea-an area never subsequently united as part of a single state. Whereas the great achievements of the Greeks were in the realm of ideas and concepts (democracy, philosophy, art, literature, drama) those of the Romans tended to be in the pragmatic spheres of ruling and controlling subject peoples and integrating them under the aegis of an imperial state. Conquest, warfare, administration, and law making were the great successes of the Roman state. We will look at this process from its inception and trace the formation of Rome's Mediterranean empire over the last three centuries BC; we shall then consider the social, economic and political consequences of this great achievement, especially the great political transition from the Republic (rule by the Senate) to the Principate (rule by emperors). We shall also consider limitations to Roman power and various types of challenges, military, cultural, and religious, to the hegemony of the Roman state. Finally, we shall try to understand the process of the development of a distinctive Roman culture from the emergence new forms of literature, like satire, to the gladiatorial arena as typical elements that contributed to a Roman social order.
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History & Tradition Sector (all classes) |
CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; HISTORY & TRADITION SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS |
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CLST 100-910 |
GREEK & ROMAN MYTHOLOGY |
STRUCK, PETER |
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W 0430PM-0600PM |
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Myths are traditional stories that have endured many years. Some of them have to do with events of great importance, such as the founding of a nation. Others tell the stories of great heroes and heroines and their exploits and courage in the face of adversity. Still others are simple tales about otherwise unremarkable people who get into trouble or do some great deed. What are we to make of all these tales, and why do people seem to like to hear them? This course will focus on the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as a few contemporary American ones, as a way of exploring the nature of myth and the function it plays for individuals, societies, and nations. We will also pay some attention to the way the Greeks and Romans themselves understood their own myths. Are myths subtle codes that contain some universal truth? Are they a window on the deep recesses of a particular culture? Are they entertaining stories that people like to tell over and over? Are they a set of blinders that all of us wear, though we do not realize it? We investigate these questions through a variety of topics creation of the universe between gods and mortals, religion and family, sex, love, madness, and death.
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Arts & Letters Sector (all classes) |
CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; ARTS & LETTERS SECTOR; ONLINE COURSE FEE $150; ONLINE COURSE ONLY; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS |
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CLST 337-910 |
ILIAD |
STRUCK, PETER |
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R 0430PM-0600PM |
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Homer's Iliad presents a dark and difficult vision of the world, but one that nonetheless inspires. Casual cruelty, divine caprice, and savage violence test heroes and lesser folk and provoke a reckoning with the stark realities of both human vulnerability and capability. It inspires kind of terror, but still also somehow provides a kind of comfort, albeit one whose character seems almost beyond comprehension. By a close and careful reading of Homer's text, along with some reflections and readings drawn from more contemporary wars, including the current ones, we will try to examine these issues with one eye on the past and one on the present. Our goal will be to achieve some further understanding of war and human experience. This course will be offered online.
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ONLINE COURSE FEE $150; ONLINE COURSE ONLY |
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CLST 521-941 |
MLA Proseminar: Violence in Ancient Art |
KUTTNER, ANN |
FISHER-BENNETT HALL 25 |
TR 0600PM-0830PM |
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Topic Varies. Please check website for more details.
Spring 2016: Rome and its world became dense with monuments, artifacts, images, structures, spaces which addressed individual and collective concerns that we can call political. In private and public displays, these concerns included citizenship and class standing, public achievement and power, the construction of social memory, and the very nature of being Roman in a city, republic, empire. Of interest here also are the roles of women and of the empire's indigenous peoples. Such displays often engaged, too, with religion, in a providential understanding of historical event. Cases range from displays of high design, art , to seemingly crude graphic communications; all shed light on Roman visual language, and its makers, patrons and spectators. Of especial interest to students in ArtH, AAMW, AncH, ClSt, RelSt, Anthro. No prior background in ancient Roman studies or art history/archaeology requireOpen to advanced undergraduates with permission of the instructor.
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GREK 112-910 |
INTENSIVE ELEM GREEK |
LEWIS, AMY |
WILLIAMS HALL 303 |
MTWRF 0900AM-1230PM |
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An introduction to the ancient Greek language for beginners, with explanation of basic grammatical concepts and intensive exercises in reading and writing. Ideal for undergraduates or graduate students from Penn or elsewhere with some background in learning other languages, or who need to learn Greek rapidly. The course covers the first year of college-level Greek, equivalent to GREK 101 + GREK 102 at more than twice the normal pace. For further information on Penn's Greek curriculum, visit the Classical Studies department website.
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LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE |
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GREK 212-920 |
INTERMEDIATE GREEK |
HANSON, WESLEY |
COLLEGE HALL 217 |
MTWRF 1000AM-0130PM |
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An introduction to the basic history and conventions of Greek prose and poetry, with continuous readings from classical authors accompanied by grammar review and exercises. Ideal for undergraduates or graduate students from Penn or elsewhere who have completed the equivalent of one year Greek (e.g., GREK 112). The course covers the second year of college-level Greek, equivalent to GREK 203 + GREK 204 at more than twice the normal pace.
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LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; ONE TERM COURSE |
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LATN 212-920 |
INTERMEDIATE LATIN |
PERSYN, MARCIE |
CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 204 |
MTWRF 0900AM-1230PM |
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Prerequisite(s): LATN 102 or equivalent (such as placement score of 550). Accelerated introduction to reading of Latin authors, at twice the normal pace, equivalent in scope to second-year Latin (LATN 203+LATN 204). Ideal for undergraduates or graduate students from Penn or elsewhere who have completed the equivalent of one year Greek (e.g., GREK 112). Readings in simpler prose and poetry (e.g., Cornelius Nepos, Ovid), then in more challenging prose and poetry (e.g., Cicero, Pliny, Virgil, Horace), in combination with a thorough review of Latin grammar. By the end of the course students will have thorough familiarity with the grammar, vocabulary, and style of the selected authors, will be able to tackle previously unseen passages by them, and will be able to discuss language and interpretation. Note: Completion of Latin 212 with C- or higher fulfills Penn's Foreign Language Requirement.
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LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; ONE TERM COURSE |
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