Classics at the University of Maryland

Courses in Classics and Related Fields

Faculty | Fall 2008 Courses: Classics – Latin – Ancient Greek – Modern Greek
Summer Courses 2008 | Study Abroad 2008 | Special Opportunities
Classics Related Courses | Citations/Minors | Major | Previous Semester Courses |

The University of Maryland offers many opportunities to study the worlds and legacies of ancient Greece and Rome through courses offered by the departments of Classics, Art History, Architecture, Communication, English, History, Jewish Studies, and Philosophy and in the honors program. This brochure describes the various courses relating to classical antiquity to be offered in the fall semester and the two summer sessions of 2008 by each of these departments. It has been prepared to help you plan your course schedule during the pre-registration period. For additional information on any of the courses listed, programs of study, or requirements for the major, students should consult the adviser in the appropriate department. Students interested in learning more about the study of classics should contact Professor Steven Rutledge, the chief undergraduate advisor in Classics (2407B, Marie Mount Hall, e-mail address: shr@umd.edu.

CLASSICS FACULTY

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FACULTY IN RELATED FIELDS OF STUDY

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CLASSICS COURSES IN FALL SEMESTER

--A SEMESTER ON “WAR”--

CLAS 170     Greek and Roman Mythology (3 credits)
Secs. 0101-0108: H. Lee (MW 10:00-10:50 + Discussion Section); Secs. 0201-0207: (MW 11:00-11:50 + Discussion Section)
Heroes, Monsters, Adventures and Quests, Goddesses and Gods: the syllabus of a course in Classical mythology almost sounds like the description of a computer game.  Yet for the Greeks and Romans these myths were the sacred stories that recorded their history, explained their world, and supported their sense of identity as a people. Classics 170 explores the many roles of myth in Classical culture and the perennial fascination that these stories have held ever since. Taught in English, no prerequisites.

CORE Literature (HL) Course.
CLAS 170 will also be offered in the first 2008 summer session with B. Magee (MTuWTh 10:00-11:40) and J. Edwards (M & Th 5-8:20), and in the second summer session with C. Malerich (MTuWTh 10:00-11:40) and S.Proffitt (M & Th 5-8:20).

CLAS 270    Greek Literature in Translation (3 credits). K.  Tuite: MW 12:00-12:50 + Discussion Section.
An introductory survey of the rich and varied literature of ancient Greece from Homer to the Hellenistic age.  The emphasis will be on epic poetry, dramatic poetry, and historical texts, but lyric, rhetorical, and philosophical texts will also be sampled. The focus of the course will be upon the complex Greek view of war. While the Greeks sought military glory and honored their great warriors, Greek writers were also distinctly aware of the cost (both personal and societal) of war. No knowledge of Greek or Latin required. CORE Literature (HL) Course.

CLAS 309C  Classical Tradition in Modern Greek Cinema (3 credits)   M. Pittas-Herschbach: Tu 5:00-7:40
Can the myths of antiquity relive on the modern stage and screen? And how? Modern Greek filmmakers and dramatists, like their American and European counterparts, have contributed some distinctive as well as provocative answers to these questions.  In this  “cine-mythology” course, a series of modern films featuring themes from ancient myth and classical drama, along with a sampling of comparable plays by modern Greek dramatists, will allow us to explore the  “dialogue” between the classical past and our own times.  Greek films will include English subtitles and all plays will be read in English translation.

CLAS 309W  Warfare in the Classical World: Literature, Culture, Society(3 credits) S. Rutledge: TuTh 11-12:15
Why did the Greeks and Romans go to war? How did they fight? How did they make peace, and what did it mean to them to do so? What was the impact on Greek and Roman society and culture? And how is it reflected in their literature? These are just some of the subjects we will explore in the course of this semester as we examine warfare in antiquity and its impact on society. Issues to be examined include the effects of warfare on women and children (and “civilian” populations), the relationship between warfare and the state, and how the experience of war is expressed in the literature. Grading will be based on two exams and a research project.

CLAS 320 Women in Antiquity (3 credits) L. Doherty MW 3:30-4:45
Also offered as WMST320. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: CLAS320 or WMST320. A study of women's image and reality in ancient Greek and Roman societies through an examination of literary, linguistic, historical, legal and artistic evidence. Special emphasis on the portrayal of women and goddesses in myth; on women's roles in religion and the family; and on women as subjects and makers of creative art. Readings in primary sources in translation and modern critical writings. CORE Diversity (D)

LATIN COURSES IN FALL SEMESTER, 2008

LATN 101     Elementary Latin I   (4 credits) K. Tuite: MWF 10-10:50 + F 9-9:50
A study of the basic grammar, development of reading facility, and an introduction to Roman life and culture in the classical period.  A student who has completed two years of Latin in high school may register for LATN 101 for the purposes of review, but ordinarily not for credit.  Meets four hours weekly.

LATN 120     Intensive Elementary Latin III  (4 credits) J. Hallett:  MWF 10-10:50 + F 9-9:50 
Prerequisite: permission of department. An accelerated study of basic Latin grammar, development of reading facility, and introduction to Roman life and culture in the classical period. Meets four hours weekly. Covers the material presented in both Latin 101 and 102. Recommended for graduate students as well as for highly motivated undergraduates.

LATN 201     Intermediate Latin II  (4 credits) S. Rutledge: TuTh 2-3:50
Prerequisite: Grade of C in LATN 102 or 120, or three years of Latin in high school, or by permission of the department. Review of basic grammar; study of more advanced grammatical material; introduction to major Latin prose authors and poets through readings from Cicero, Caesar, Petronius, Pliny, Catullus and Horace.  Meets four hours weekly.  Successful completion fulfills the foreign language requirement in the College of Arts and Humanities.  CORE Humanities (HO) Course.

LATN 301 Plautus (3 credits) J. Hallett: MW  3:30-4:45
Prerequisite:  Grade of C in LATN 201 or four years of high school Latin, or by permission of the department. This course will consider the literary artistry, distinctive linguistic qualities, socio-cultural significance and later literary influence of the second century BCE Roman comic playwright Plautus.  Plautus’ skills as a dramatist will also be emphasized through study and staging of Plautine performance.

LATN 410/688C Latin Historians (3 credits)  S.  Rutledge: Tu 5:00-7:40 PM
Prerequisite: Latin 301, 302, 303, or 351, with no grade lower than a C, or permission of the instructor.
This course is designed to examine the nature of Roman historiography from its earliest beginnings height of the western Empire.  To that end we shall explore selections of major Roman historians in detail, including Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus.  We also examine the “theory” of historical writing as expressed in Cicero and other Roman writers.  The selected readings for the course are designed to give the student an overview of the major concerns of Roman historians and to instill in them an appreciation of how the genre grew and developed. Grading is based on two exams, a research project, and one or two class presentations.

LATN  472/672 History and Development of the Latin Language (3 credits) J. Hallett:  M 5:00-7:40 PM. 
Prerequisite: Latin 301, 302, 303 or 351, with no grade lower than a C, or permission of the instructor. Our investigation of the Latin language from the time of its putative Indo-European origins down to the present day will focus primarily on Latin literary and inscriptional texts fro the archaic, “Golden” and “Silver” periods of the classical Roman era. We will, however, also trace the transformation of Latin during late antiquity and the Middle Ages into its major contemporary Western manifestations: the globally powerful discourses of modern educated English and the Romance tongues as well as the “dead’ language of elitist masculine schooling. A review of Latin forms and grammar, prose and verse composition and transformation exercises, and the application of material from our review and exercises to selected passages from classical Latin authors will accompany our historical investigation. Required for MA candidates in Latin, and in Latin and Greek. 

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ANCIENT GREEK COURSES IN FALL SEMESTER, 2008

  
GREK 101     Elementary Ancient Greek I    (4 credits)  L. Doherty: MWF 2:00-2:50 +W1:00-1:50
A study of basic grammar, development of reading facility, and an introduction to Athenian life and culture in thefifth century B.C. Meets four hours weekly.  (A student who has had two units of Greek in high school may registerfor GREK 101 for purposes of review, but not for credit.)

GREK 201    Intermediate Ancient Greek   (4 credits) L. Doherty:  MWF 12-12:50 + F 1-1:50
Prerequisite: Grade of C in GREK 201.  This course completes the introductory sequence in ancient Greek, rounding out the  presentation of basic grammar while building vocabulary and reading skills.  Fulfills the language requirement in the College of Arts & Humanities.

GREK 488I/606  Greek Historians (3 credits) K. Tuite: W 5:00-7:40
This is a language course in ancient Greek. Prerequisite:  Grade of  C in Greek 301 or permission of instructor.
This course will focus the work of the historian Herodotos and include selections from his contemporary Thucydides.  Students will examine each author’s style, composition, approach to history, and utility as an historical source.

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MODERN GREEK COURSES IN FALL SEMESTER, 2008

           
GREK 111      Elementary Modern Greek I   (3 credits)     M. Pittas-Herschbach:  MWF 12:00-12:50.
An introduction to the language and culture of modern Greece.  Students learn about modern Greece as they begin to acquire the basic tools of the language and communicate and function in simple, everyday situations as well as read, write, and understand simple texts and dialogues. This course contributes to the fulfillment of the foreign language requirement of the College of Arts and Humanities.

GREK 211      Intermediate Modern Greek I  (3 credits)   M. Pittas-Herschbach:  MW 2:00-3:15.
Prerequisite:  Grade of C in Elementary Modern Greek II (GREK 112) or permission of the instructor.  This course continues to develop communicative competence and self-assurance in all areas of the language with an increasing emphasis on vocabulary enrichment and writing. The cultural landscape of Greece is explored through the use of readings as well as audio-visual material. This course contributes to the fulfillment of the foreign language requirement of the College of Arts and Humanities.

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CLASSICS COURSES SUMMER SESSION I - II, 2008

CLAS 170 Greek and Roman Mythology (3 credits) Staff.  CLAS 170 will be offered in both summer sessions, with day and evening sections in each session. For a description of CLAS 170, see page 4 above.

Summer Session 1 (June 4-July 13)
Sec. 0101    B. Magee:    MTuWTh  10:00-11:40 AM           
Sec. 0102     J. Edwards:  M & Th     5:00-8:20 PM     
  
Summer Session 2 (July 16-August 24)
Sec. 0201 C.  Malerich:            MTuWTh  10:00-11:40 AM
Sec. 0202  S. Proffitt:          M & Th      5:00-8:20 PM

LATN 120     Intensive Elementary Latin  (4 credits) (Summer Session 1) 
J. Scholten: MTuWThF  10:00-11:45.
  Prerequisite: permission of department. Not open for credit to students with credit for LATN 102. An accelerated study of basic Latin grammar, aimed at developing reading facility, and introducing students to Roman life and culture in the classical period.  Meets four hours weekly.  Covers the material presented in both Latin 101 and 102.  Recommended for graduate students as well as for  highly motivated undergraduates.

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STUDY ABROAD: OTHER PROGRAMS

Students majoring in Classics can also take advantage of a number of opportunities to study abroad with our January winter term study tour in Italy or our summer study tours in Paris and Greece. In addition to our own study abroad programs, students may take advantage of other opportunities to study abroad:  for example, in Rome, at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies, or in Athens, at the College Year in Athens.    Through the School of Architecture there are also opportunities for graduate students to study at Stabiae, Italy, in the Bay of Naples area.
                               

CLAS 171   Classical Myths in Paris   (1 credit)    L. Doherty:  May 24 - June 2, 2008
This one-week tour of "classical Paris" (taught on location after two days of background lectures in Maryland) will focus on the Roman past of the city, the rich collections of Greek and Roman art in the Louvre, and the influence of classical styles on the art and architecture of France.  Mythology will provide a focus for our comparisons of art from different periods.  In addition to the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, visits will include walking tours of the Latin Quarter—with its ancient Roman baths and medieval art in the Musée Cluny—and of the Champs Elysées from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe.  There will be ample free time for visiting other sites such as the Eiffel Tower and the chateau of Versailles.  For more information and an application, contact Prof. Doherty at ldoherty@umd.edu .  The application deadline has passed.

CLAS 308G  Greece: The Living Legacy  (3 credits) M.Pittas-Herschbach.  June 2 - 23 2008.                                    
This three-week course will be taught on location in Greece. Students will be based in a central location in Athens and will take day trips as well as longer excursions to some of the most important sites and monuments of antiquity, including Mycenae, Delphi, Epidaurus, the temple of Aphaia in Aigina, Delos, and the Cycladic island of Mykonos. Readings and discussions will explore central issues and themes (cultural, artistic, political and philosophical) associated with classical Greece during the latter half of the fifth century. For more information and an application, contact M. Pittas-Herschbach at mph@umd.edu.
The application deadline has passed

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The Department sponsors a chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the national undergraduate Honor Society in Classics, and annually awards the Avery Prize to a Latin student of special merit, and the Steyer Undergraduate Scholarship to an outstanding classics concentrator. To honor the memory of Sylvia Gerber, who taught Latin for many years in the Washington, DC public schools, her son Louis has recently provided our department with funding to support the training of Latin teachers and Latin pedagogical studies. The sons of Elena Toma and Antonio DeLuca have similarly honored them by contributing to undergraduate scholarships and other departmental programs; the Italian Cultural Society has also supported our students

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Classics Related Courses In Other Departments

ARCH423 History of Roman Architecture; (3 credits)   R. Vann: TuTh 12:30-1:45.
Prerequisite: ARCH221 or permission of department. Survey of Roman architecture from 500 B.C. To A.D. 325.

ARTH 200  Art of the Western World from Prehistory through 1300  (3 credits) M. Venit: TuTh 9:30-10:20 AM + Discussion Section.  Painting, sculpture and architecture from prehistoric times to the Renaissance. CORE History and Theory of Arts ( HA) course.

ARTH 708: Seminar in Ancient Art and Archaeology: Imaging Death in the Ancient Greek World. (3 credits) M. Venit. Tu 12-2:40.          
For all non-art history and archaeology majors, permission of the instru ctor is required.

COMM 450 Ancient and Medieval Rhetorical Theory (3 credits) R. Gaines  TuTh 11:00am-12:15pm
Prerequisites and other limitations on enrollment: For COMM majors only. (Contact Robert Gaines for permission to enroll if you
are not a COMM major.)  A  survey of rhetorical theory in the ancient and medieval periods. Emphasis is placed on the theoretical problems that gave rise to its development within both periods. Authors include Isocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Hermogenes, Martianus Capella, Aurelius, Augustine, Alberic of Monte Cassino, Geoffrey of Vinsauf and Robert of Basevorn.

ENGL 201  Literature of the Western World I: Ancient and Medieval (3 credits) Staff: TuTh 9:30-10:45; MWF 10; MWF 11.
Readings of authors, works, and genres, largely continental, in the early Western literary tradition. Readings such as selections from the Bible, Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Sappho, Virgil, Ovid, Seneca, Augustine, Dante, medieval romance. CORE Literature (HL) Course.

 ENGL 477 Studies in Mythmaking (3 credits)  V. Flieger.  TuTh 2-3:15.  Grade Method: REG/P-F/AUD.
Prerequisite: two literature courses. Major themes, figures, and configurations of northern European mythology, examining the value of the mythic mode of thought in a scientific era.

ENGL 479 Oratory and War (3 credits) V. Valiavitcharska.  TuTh 9:30-10:45.
Prerequisites: A 300-level course in English or consent of instructor. This course is part of the college-wide initiative A Semester on War and Representations of War. Working with texts from the classical Greek period, we will examine the argumentation involved in the rhetoric of war and peace: its justifications and motivation. We will begin with Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War and consider his treatment of the issues of passion/self-control, power/justice, economic advantage/lenience, illusion/truth, and words/deeds in the context of the rise of a self-conscious rhetorical discourse and the intellectual inquiries of the Older Sophists. We will then continue with Demosthenes’ Olynthiac and Philippic orations and his presentation of democracy, self-advantage, power, and justice. Finally, we will look at nineteenth and twentieth-century American war speeches and consider the impact of their arguments and language. The course will have a significant emphasis on rhetorical theory.  Readings: Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War; Demosthenes, The Public Orations of Demosthenes, vol. 1; a course pack of selected texts on rhetoric

ENGL 488B Rhetoric and the Visual (3 credits) V. Valiavitcharska. TuTh 12:30-1:45
Prerequisites: a 300-level English course or consent of instructor.  This course will examine the relationship between the visual and its verbal representations. Working with texts and images from Greek and Roman late antiquity and the Middle Ages, we will consider how the visual was used to achieve persuasion, what it meant to achieve visual vividness, how images were used to relate to the text they accompanied, and how visualization was understood as a mnemonic tool. Some of the topics we will discuss include the rhetorical practice of ekphrasis (rhetorical description) as related to ancient theories of vision and to rhetorical training; visual culture and imperial ceremony; and the “interaction” between text and image in illuminated Byzantine manuscripts. Toward the end of the course, we will draw comparisons with contemporary texts and visual practices as well as discuss modern attitudes toward the visual, including the emergence of visual studies. The course will place a significant emphasis on rhetorical theory.  Texts: A course pack of selected texts, including excerpts from Cicero, Quintilian, Theon’s Progymnasmata, the Hermogenic corpus, Apsines of Gadara, Ps.-Quintilian and Libanius’ declamations, Choricius’ Encomium of Marcian, Paul the Silentiary’s Ekphrasis of Hagia Sophia, Nicholas Mirzoeff, James Elkins, and others.

HIST 110 The Ancient World (3 credits)  K. Holum.  TuTh 11-11:50 + discussion sections.
Interpretation of select literature (in translation) and art of the ancient Mediterranean world with a view to illuminating the antecedents of modern culture; religion and myth in the ancient near East; Greek philosophical, scientific and literary invention; and the Roman tradition in politics and administration. CORE Humanities (HO) Course. USP Distributive Studies Area A: Cultural and Historical Course.

HIST219E Special Topics in History: History of Ancient Egypt (3 credits) M. Cohen. TuTh.12:30pm- 1:45pm
Also offered as JWST219Q

HIST330 Europe in the Making: The Early Medieval West (A.D. 300-1000) (3 credits).  J.  Wasilewski. TuTh 9:30am-10:45am
From one empire to another: Rome to Charlemagne. This period is approached as a crucible in which classical, Christian, and Germanic elements merged, yielding new experimental syntheses. This course will deal with issues of authority, cultural trends, and the formation of group solidarity.

HIST619O Special Topics in History. Greek Historiography: Thucydides (3 credits).  A. Eckstein W 3:30-6.

HONR 249Z Troy Matters: Tales Told and Retold (3 credits) L. Coleman. TuTh 9:30-10:45
Open only to students in Honors. The Trojan War is in many ways the prototypical war in western literature and society, used as a way of commenting on issues raised during more recent conflicts, from the question of what justifies going to war, to issues of morality versus utility in the conduct of war, to codes of behavior for combatants, to the effect of conflict on civilians. We begin with a reading of the Iliad and some later representations of the war from ancient and medieval writers and then examine various modern representations of the war. Coursework will include discussion requirements and be aimed a producing a seminar paper and a class presentation. This course is taught in the University Honors Program and is part of the semester on war and the representation of war sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanities.

PHIL310 Ancient Philosophy; (3 credits) R. Singpurwalla  MW 11-11:50 + discussion section. Grade Method: REG/P-F/AUD.
Prerequisite: six credit hours in philosophy or classics. A study of the origins and development of philosophy and science in ancient Greece, focusing on the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

PHIL 412 The Philosophy of Plato; (3 credits) R. Singpurwalla:  MW 2-3:15.    
Prerequisite: nine credit hours in philosophy.  A critical study of selected dialogues, with a special focus on the place of pleasure in Plato's ethics

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CITATIONS/MINORS IN CLASSICS

  
Students seeking to pursue a coordinated program of study in classics (short of majoring in classics) may be permitted to enroll in a program of study leading to the award of a minor in one of three areas: Latin Language and Literature; Greek Language and Literature; and Classical Mythology [in English]. Each minor program requires a set of selected CLAS, GREK, or LATN courses; the first two require at least some work in Latin or Greek at the 300 level or above. Minors offer students an opportunity to pursue a coherent program of study outside the major and gain an additional form of recognition for their academic achievements. For additional information on earning a minor in Classics, or to apply for admission to any one of the three programs, students should contact the Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of Classics, Professor Steven Rutledge (2407B Marie Mount Hall, e-mail: shr@umd.edu).

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MAJORING IN CLASSICS

Students who wish to major in classics through the study of one of the ancient languages as well as through English may choose the Classical Humanities major.  This program requires 12 credits in either Greek or Latin, 18 credits in CLAS courses, and 12-14 credits in supporting courses (normally upper-level courses in Art History, Archaeology, Architecture, Government, History, Linguistics, or Philosophy).  Note:  Students are encouraged to substitute 300- and 400-level courses in LATN and GREK for some of the 18 required hours in CLAS.  100- and 200-level courses in GREK may be included among the supporting credits if the student's 12 language credits are taken in Latin, and 100- and 200-level courses in LATN may be included among the supporting credits if the student's 12 language credits are taken in GREK. The Classical Humanities major is not recommended for students considering pursuing graduate study in Classics; such students should choose one of the following major tracks:
The Latin major requires thirty credits of Latin at the 200-level or higher, at least 12 of which must be at the 400-level or higher, plus nine to twelve credits of supporting courses at any level in CLAS, GREK, or related fields such as HIST and ARTH.
The Greek major requires thirty credits of Greek at the 200-level or higher, at least 12 of which must be at the 400-level or higher, plus nine to twelve credits of supporting courses at any level in CLAS, LATN, or related fields such as HIST and ARTH.
The combined major in Latin and Greek requires eighteen credits of either Latin or Greek and 12 hours of the other classical language, plus nine hours of supporting courses in CLAS or related fields.  Students with no previous training in the second language may count introductory level courses as part of the 12-hour requirement.

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CLASSICS COURSES IN SPRING SEMESTER, 2008