The University of Massachusetts Amherst
HFA - College of Humanities & Fine Arts view HFA submenu
Academics

Upcoming Courses

Courses in Classics, Fall 2023

 

 

Classics 100                        Greek Civilization. 4cr.                                                           HOGUE

Survey of ancient Greek literature, art, and society. The major Greek states (Mycenae, Sparta, Athens, Macedonia) and their political and cultural development from Neolithic to the Classical and Hellenistic periods, emphasizing Greek influence on Roman and later western civilization (Gen.Ed. HS; MWF 1:25-2:15)

 

Classics 100H                     Honors Greek Civilization. 4cr                                               MUELLER

An introduction to Ancient Greece and its intellectual and cultural heritage. Study of historical, social, and political trends from the Persian Wars (490-479BCE) to the death of Socrates (399 BCE). A key component of the course is the “Reacting to the Past” game focused on The Threshold of Democracy: Athens in 403BCE. (Gen.Ed. HS; TuTh 10:00-11:15)

 

Classics 101                        Greece, Rome, and Beyond. 4cr.                                           BREED

An introduction to the study of Classics through the lens of responses to and reuses of the Classical past in different historical eras, including the contemporary world. Emphasis on different forms of interaction between populations differentiated by geography, language, and status within antiquity and on how those differences have affected the understanding of Classics over time. (Gen.Ed. HS DG; TuTh 2:30–3:45)

 

Classics 103                        Intro to Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology. 4cr               WILSON

Introduction to Classical Archaeology will examine the material history of the Archaic and Classical Periods of Greece and the Archaic through Imperial periods of Italy and its empire.  The course is designed to provide a foundation of knowledge related to the architecture, physical space, religious ritual, material cultural, social form, and political development of these regions. (Gen.Ed. AT; MWF 1:25-2:15)        

 

Classics 224                        Greek Mythology. 4cr.                                                           TUCK

Analysis of the structure and meaning of ancient Greek myths. Religious, social, artistic, and political expression of myths in both ancient and modern times. Emphasis on creation myths, myths of the gods and goddesses, and heroic myths as told by Hesiod, Homer, Ovid, Vergil, and others. (Gen.Ed. AL; MWF 9:05-9:55)

 

Classics 301                        Roman Archaeology. 4cr.                                                      POEHLER

Archaeology of the Roman world during the Republic and Empire period. Methods, progress, and ethics of archaeological research. Emphasis on remains displaying the architectural and urbanistic development of Roman cities and colonies in Italy, North Africa, and Britain, and on their contribution to western civilization. (Gen.Ed. AT; TuTh 10:00-11:15)

 

Classics 329                        Religion of the Roman World. 4cr.                                        HORVITZ

Ritual, theology, and myth in the Roman world, from the Republican period to the   ascent of Christianity. Interactions and rivalries of Roman religion, Judaism, Mithraism, the cult of Isis and Christianity. Emphasis on types of worship: public state religions, private mystery cults, missionary doctrines. (Gen.Ed. HS; MWF 10:10-11:00)

 

Classics 335                        Women in Antiquity. 4cr.                                                      CALDWELL

Lives, roles, contributions, and status of women in Greek and Roman societies, as reflected in classical literature and the archaeological record.  (Gen.Ed. HS; TuTh 11:30-12:45)

 

Classics 381                        Jr. Year Writing-The Field of Classics. 3cr.                            MUELLER

Practice in writing and in oral communication skills. Assignments drawn from different areas of classical scholarship: language and literature, art and archaeology, or history and civilization. For classics majors, satisfies Junior Year Writing requirement. (TuTh 1:00-2:15)

 

 

Classics 390A                      History and Archaeology of the Silk Road. 3cr.                    WILSON

The Silk Road is an interconnected web of trade routes between the Ancient Mediterranean and Asia, traversing a vast expanse of the Eurasian heartland. Communities of nomadic shepherds and oasis townsfolk coexisted with itinerant merchants, missionaries, and soldiers. Students will become acquainted with the history and archaeology of this cosmopolitan region and with scholarly debates about the extent of historical interactions between classical world civilizations. Beginning with the first people of the region and its prehistoric economy (before ca. 3000 BCE), students will then study Greek, Persian and Chinese regimes of the Silk Road prior to the ascendance of confederated horse nomads, and the role of shifting geopolitical realities in the economics of long-distance overland trade in antiquity, concluding with the unification of the region under Mongol Empire (after 1200 CE). (MWF 11:15-12:05)

 

Classics 393A                      Technology in the Ancient World. 3cr.                                             WILSON

This course explores the various ways in which technology form and innovation reflects and shapes ancient communities’ responses to their environment. By considering evidence for manufacturing and production, this class explores issues of artisan status, resource procurement and production environments. Significant portions of the class are dedicated to experimental reconstruction of ancient production methods and techniques. (MW 2:30-3:45)

 

Classics 480                        Pompeii. 4cr.                                                                          POEHLER

This course will closely examine the ancient city of Pompeii in order to understand its development from a prehistoric village to the Roman city buried by Vesuvius in AD 79. The position of Pompeii as a preeminent source of archaeological data for Roman Archaeology – and the validity of that position – will also be studied. The course will be organized around a series of questions and problems in the archaeology of Pompeii. Using both archival information and the latest research from the field, each week will address the impact of new discoveries, new methods of research or new interpretations of previous ideas.  Recommended for students who have previously taken a course in archaeology or participated in a field school. (TuTh 1:00-2:15)

 

Courses in Greek, Fall 2023

 

Greek 126                           Intensive Elementary Classical Greek. 6cr.                 OSWALD/CALDWELL

                                            MWF 11:15-12:05, TuTh 10:00-11:15

 

Greek 320                           Classical Greek Prose. 4cr.                                                      OSWALD

                                            MWF 10:10-11:00

 

Greek 452                           Greek History. 3cr.                                                                  HOGUE

                                             MWF 11:15-12:05

 

Courses in Latin, Fall 2023

 

Latin 110                             Elementary Latin I. 3cr.                                                         

                                             Lec. 1, MWF 10:10–11:00                                                        

                                             Lec. 2, MWF 11:15–12:05                                                                                

                                             Lec. 4, MWF 12:20-1:15                                                                                              

                                                                                                       

Latin 120                             Elementary Latin II. 3cr.                                                        

                                             Lec. 1, MWF 10:10–11:00                                                        

                                             Lec. 2, MWF 11:15-12:05                                                                               

 

Latin 126                             Intensive Elementary Latin.  6cr.                                           

                                             MWF 9:05-9:55, TuTh 8:30-9:45                                              

                                                                                                                                                                   

Latin 230                             Intermediate Latin I.  3cr.                                          

                                             Lec. 1, MWF 11:15–12:05         

 

Latin 310                             Latin Prose. 4cr.                                                          CALDWELL                                                          

                                              TuTh 2:30-3:45

Latin 440                             History or Biography                                                  CLOSS                                   

                                              MW 2:30-3:45