This course is a survey of masterpieces of Greek literature set in historical context, from the Archaic through the Hellenistic period, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the poetry of Sappho, and plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. Through our reading we will work toward a better understanding of the texts themselves, the people and the culture that produced them, and the continuing relevance they hold for us today. Appropriate for first-year students, but open to all, the course is foundational for the classics major and minor. No prerequisites. Offered every other year.
It is impossible to understand the literatures of the West without some knowledge of classical mythology. Not only are some myths wildly entertaining, they permeate popular imagination and life to this day. This course focuses on the evidence from ancient Greece and Rome but may also include material from other traditions. Class discussion will explore some of the overarching themes contained within the myths themselves and also how these stories have influenced modern culture through literature and art. At the same time, students will have a chance to observe how the treatment of different myths changes from author to author, thus revealing what issues were important to the people who told them. No prerequisites. Offered every year.
Training in rhetoric--the art of public speaking--was a cornerstone of education in antiquity. The techniques developed in Greece and Rome for composing and analyzing speeches remain invaluable today, but the formal study of these techniques has all but disappeared from undergraduate curricula. This course seeks to fight this trend. In the opening weeks, we will read ancient handbooks on rhetoric, which anatomize the strategies and tropes available to the public speaker, and will engage in classroom exercises in speechmaking developed millennia ago. We will then examine the crucial role that rhetoric played in three venues: the assembly of democratic Athens, the criminal courts of republican Rome, and the cathedrals of Christian bishops in late antiquity. We will read and analyze extant speeches delivered in these three venues, by figures such as Pericles, Cicero, and John Chrysostom, as well as comparable speeches delivered by more contemporary figures such as Churchill, Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. It is hoped that the academic study of ancient rhetoric will aid students in developing their own skills as public speakers. No prerequisites. Offered occasionally.
Training in rhetoric--the art of public speaking--was a cornerstone of education in antiquity. The techniques developed in Greece and Rome for composing and analyzing speeches remain invaluable today, but the formal study of these techniques has all but disappeared from undergraduate curricula. This course seeks to fight this trend. In the opening weeks, we will read ancient handbooks on rhetoric, which anatomize the strategies and tropes available to the public speaker, and will engage in classroom exercises in speechmaking developed millennia ago. We will then examine the crucial role that rhetoric played in three venues: the assembly of democratic Athens, the criminal courts of republican Rome, and the cathedrals of Christian bishops in late antiquity. We will read and analyze extant speeches delivered in these three venues, by figures such as Pericles, Cicero, and John Chrysostom, as well as comparable speeches delivered by more contemporary figures such as Churchill, Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. It is hoped that the academic study of ancient rhetoric will aid students in developing their own skills as public speakers. No prerequisites. Offered occasionally.
In this capstone course, the content of which will change on a regular basis, students will study closely a particular topic in classics that benefits from an investigation based on a wide range of approaches (e.g., literary, historical, archaeological). The course seeks to further students' skills in written and verbal communication: each student will write a major research paper on a subject related to the topic of the seminar and will outline the results of his or her inquiry in an oral presentation. This course is required of and restricted to classics majors and minors in their senior year. Offered every year.
This year-long course prepares students to read Ancient Greek literature in the original. The first semester and the first half of the second semester will be taken up with readings and exercises from a textbook designed to help students build a working vocabulary and to learn the extensive and subtle grammar of this language. In addition, every Tuesday and Thursday students will translate a short piece of authentic Greek, appreciating its artistry and situating it in its cultural context. After spring break, the hard work of the preceding months will be rewarded by the ability to read Plato's dialogue Crito in its entirety. The course is taught in English and does not presuppose any knowledge either of Ancient Greek or of grammatical terminology. No prerequisites. Either GREK 101Y-102Y or GREK 111Y-112Y is offered every year.
The goal of this course is to cultivate students' skills as readers of continuous Greek prose. To this end, students will expand their vocabulary as well as review and refine their understanding of the syntax of Ancient Greek. Upon completing this course, students will read Greek prose with greater precision, nuance, and speed. Authors read with some regularity in this course include Herodotus and Lysias; however, the particular text or texts will vary from year to year and may be complemented with a portion of a tragedy or comedy. Offered every fall.
Knowledge of Latin opens the door to direct engagement with some of the greatest and most influential writings in Western culture without the obscuring filter of translation. The study of Latin also enhances students' ability to think analytically and to use the English language with greater understanding and sophistication. The benefit of these skills extends far beyond the study of Latin to all areas of life that demand critical thinking or effective oral and written communication. The aim of this year-long course is twofold: (1) to give students a thorough knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary employed by Roman writers of the second century BCE through the second century CE, and (2) to have students read increasingly unadapted passages from those writers. After completing this course, students will be prepared to read with good comprehension the works of great Roman writers such as Cicero and Vergil. Faithful attendance and timely completion of all work are essential to success in this course. There will be daily assignments to prepare and frequent written homework, including translations from English to Latin. Classroom work will focus on understanding and practicing the grammar and on reading Latin. Students will also be introduced to the literary and cultural context of the readings. Progress will be assessed by regular tests and frequent quizzes. There will also be a three-hour final examination in May. This course presumes no prior study of Latin and has no prerequisites. Offered every year.
Knowledge of Latin opens the door to direct engagement with some of the greatest and most influential writings in Western culture without the obscuring filter of translation. The study of Latin also enhances students' ability to think analytically and to use the English language with greater understanding and sophistication. The benefit of these skills extends far beyond the study of Latin to all areas of life that demand critical thinking or effective oral and written communication. The aim of this year-long course is twofold: (1) to give students a thorough knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary employed by Roman writers of the second century BCE through the second century CE, and (2) to have students read increasingly unadapted passages from those writers. After completing this course, students will be prepared to read with good comprehension the works of great Roman writers such as Cicero and Vergil. Faithful attendance and timely completion of all work are essential to success in this course. There will be daily assignments to prepare and frequent written homework, including translations from English to Latin. Classroom work will focus on understanding and practicing the grammar and on reading Latin. Students will also be introduced to the literary and cultural context of the readings. Progress will be assessed by regular tests and frequent quizzes. There will also be a three-hour final examination in May. This course presumes no prior study of Latin and has no prerequisites. Offered every year.
The goal of this course is to cultivate students' skills as readers of continuous Latin prose. To this end, students will expand their vocabulary as well as review and refine their understanding of the syntax of classical Latin. Upon completing this course, students will read Latin prose with greater precision, nuance, and speed. Authors read with some regularity in this course include Caesar, Cicero, and Sallust; however, the particular text or texts will vary from year to year and may be complemented with a selection of poems, for example those of Catullus. Offered every fall.
In Advanced Latin, students improve their skills in reading Latin and discuss scholarship on the author or authors being read that semester. Each semester the readings change, so that LATN 301 and 302 can be taken, to the student's advantage, several times. Students are encouraged to inform the instructor if there is a particular genre, author, or theme they would especially like to study. The list of authors regularly taught in this course includes, to name just a few, Horace and Ovid, the comic poet Plautus, and great prose stylists such as Livy, Tacitus, Petronius, and Augustine. This course is open to those who have completed two years of Latin at Kenyon or the equivalent. Offered every fall.
