College Catalog Course Descriptions
Classical Studies (CLAS)

CLAS 101 Elementary Latin
An introduction to classical Latin with emphasis on the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary necessary for reading Latin prose and poetry. The course also stresses the influence of Latin on English vocabulary. Fall semester. Cross-listed with LATN 101.

CLAS 102 Intermediate Latin
A continuation of CLAS/LATN 101, with extended reading passages in Latin prose and poetry. Spring semester. Cross-listed with LATN 102. Fulfills General Education Area 7 - Foreign Heritages Requirement.

CLAS 111 Elementary Greek 1
An introduction to Attic Greek with emphasis on the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek prose and poetry. Fall semester, alternate years. Cross-listed with GREK 111.

CLAS 112 Elementary Greek 2
A continuation of CLAS/GREK 111, with extended reading passages in Greek prose and poetry. Prerequisite: CLAS/GREK 111. Cross-listed with GREK 112. Spring semester, alternate years. Fulfills General Education Area 7 - Foreign Heritages Requirement.

CLAS 200 Augustine and the Classical World
Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430) lived in the waning years of the western Roman Empire, and is one of the greatest thinkers of the Western world. After he became a Christian, he was made bishop of Hippo in Roman Africa where he was very influential in civil and church affairs. With more than 100 books, 200 letters and 500 sermons he has left a lasting impact on Western philosophy, religion and culture. Some of his well-known books, such as Confessions and The City of God, are still widely read today. It is not an exaggeration to say that without Augustine's massive intellect and spiritual perception, the theology of Western Christianity would never have taken the shape in which it is familiar to us. This course will survey the life and times of Augustine. Our goal will be to understand the deep indebtedness of Augustine to the classical heritage of Greece and Rome, and how Augustine and other Christian thinkers adapted that heritage in the late Roman world. By reading some of Augustine's writings (in English translation) and those of modern scholars, we will attempt to understand how the synthesis produced by Augustine is both a final flowering of classical civilization itself, as well as a cornerstone of the coming Christian civilization of the Middle Ages. Cross-listed with RELS 200.

CLAS 203 Readings in Latin
An in-depth reading and study of an extended work by a major Latin author. Normally this would be from the writings of Cicero or Seneca. Depending on the students' interests, readings may also be selected from the Roman historians or early patristic Christian authors. Fall semester. Cross-listed with LATN 203.

CLAS 207 Greek Philosophy
A study of the ancient Greek thinkers who began Western philosophy, with a focus on Plato and Aristotle. Fall semester. Crosslisted with PHIL 207.

CLAS 213 Intermediate Greek
A completion of the study of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of Greek prose and poetry. Readings will include selections from Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plato. Prerequisite: CLAS/GREK 112. Fall semester, alternate years. Cross-listed with GREK 213.

CLAS 314 Classical and Medieval Political Thought
An examination of the political theories of major ancient and medieval thinkers. Issues such as the origin, purpose, nature, and types of political societies, the meaning of citizenship, the relation of the individual to society, and the meaning of authority and rulership will be investigated in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas. Fall semester, alternate years. Cross-listed with POLI 314 and PHIL 314.

CLAS 320 Classical Sculpture and Architecture
A survey of the Greco-Roman tradition in sculpture and architecture. The influence of these traditions are explored in the spatial arts of Europe and America. Fall semester. Cross-listed with ART 320.

CLAS 325 Classical Mythology
This course will study both Greek and Roman mythology in their literary and cultural contexts. The course will consider the meanings, purposes, and universality of various myths, such as the stories of Prometheus, Orpheus, Oedipus, and Aeneas. It may also include comparative elements, touching for example, Norse, Celtic, and American Indian myths. Fulfills General Education Area 10 - Western Heritage Requirement. See Extended General Education Course Description. Cross-listed with WOLT 325.

CLAS 326 The History of Ancient Greece
This course explores ancient Greek civilization from its dawn in the second millennium B.C. to its absorption by the Roman Empire in the third century B.C. Key themes will include: tyranny and democracy; innovations in philosophy and science; competition through warfare and athletics; mythology, poetry, and history; new standards in art and architecture. This course seeks to illustrate how different are world would be without the vibrant and creative culture of ancient Greece. Fall semester , alternate years. Cross-listed with HIST 326.

CLAS 328 The History of Ancient Rome
This course is an exploration of Roman civilization from its origin in a tiny Italian village of the eighth century B.C. to the decline of its vast empire in the fifth century A.D. Key themes include: political, administrative, and legal achievements; conquest, imperialism, and multi-culturalism; the shift from Republic to Empire; daily life in town and country; the impact of Christianity; architecture and urbanism. This course is designed to provide the student with a firm grounding in the Roman experience and a keen awareness of what we today owe the Romans of the distant past. Spring semester, alternate years. Cross-listed with HIST 328.

CLAS 334 Tragedy and Philosophy
A study of tragedy as a dramatic and literary form, and the different western philosophical theories of tragedy inspired by that art-form. One half of the course will concentrate on Greek tragedy (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides) and its commentators, both ancient (Plato, Aristotle) and modern. The second half will examine both Renaissance and modern examples of the tragic tradition with contemporary philosophical readings on the significance of that tradition. Alternate years. Fulfills General Education Area 10 - Western Tradition Requirement. See Extended General Education Course Description. Cross-listed with PHIL 334.

CLAS 490 Independent Study
This course allows a student and instructor to read a major Greek / Latin author or text of particular interest. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

Classical Studies · College Catalog Home Page · Course Descriptions · Registrar