The material on this page is from the 2000-01 catalog and may be out of date. Please check the current year's catalog for current information.

Greek [For more information about major requirements, see Classical and Romance Languages and Literature] Ancient Greek attracts students both for its intrinsic beauty as an elegant and subtle language, and because it opens the door to Homer, Sappho, Sophocles, and Plato. Two semesters of elementary Greek sufficiently train students to begin reading in the ancient authors. Courses 101–102. Elementary Ancient Greek. The objective of the course is to begin a study of Classical Greek as a foundation for upper-level reading courses. It covers the basics of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary building. Students learn to read Greek sentences and passages and to translate from English into Greek. During the early stage much learning by rote of forms and rules is necessary, but students find that Greek is a structured and beautiful language, and the pleasure of reading "in the original" is inestimable. D. O'Higgins. 201. Classical Prose. Called the "age of enlightenment," classical Greece witnessed the invention of democracy, philosophy, medicine, to name but a few. Students read Plato, Thucydides, Demosthenes, Lysias in order to understand how and why the Greeks created these disciplines and institutions. Prerequisite(s): Greek 101 and 102. Staff. New description for 2001-2002. 202. Classical Poetry. From Oedipus' self-blinding to the trial of a cheese grater, Athenian tragedies and comedies portrayed the human condition and the Athenian political world. Students read the works of the comedians, Aristophanes and Menander, and the tragic poets, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides who dramatized and satirized the human condition. Prerequisite(s): Greek 101 and 102. Staff. New description for 2001-2002. 203. Prose About Archaic Greece. As the population exploded in archaic Greece, so did political, social, religious, and cultural institutions. The Persians invaded Greece, the Olympics were inaugurated, tyrants were overthrown and law courts invented. Students study these momentous events in archaic authors such as Herodotus and Antiphon and in later writers such as Plutarch and Pausanias. Prerequisite(s): Greek 101 and 102. Staff. New course for 2001-2002. 204. Poetry from Archaic Greece. Homer sang about Troy's destruction and Odysseus' travels, Hesiod the birth of gods and his cheating brother. Sappho praised the power of Aphrodite and Alcaeus the power of wine. Students explore how the poets in archaic Greece sang about their lives and their world. Prerequisite(s): Greek 101 and 102. Staff. New course for 2001-2002. 301. Classical Prose: Advanced. This course covers the same material as Greek 201, but is designed for students who have completed two or more years of college-level Greek. Staff. New description for 2001-2002. 302. Classical Poetry: Advanced. This course covers the same material as Greek 202, but is designed for students who have completed two or more years of college-level Greek. Staff. New description for 2001-2002. 303. Prose About Archaic Greece: Advanced. This course covers the same material as Greek 203, but is designed for students who have completed two or more years of college-level Greek. Staff. New course for 2001-2002. 304. Poetry from Archaic Greece: Advanced. This course covers the same material as Greek 204, but is designed for students who have completed two or more years of college-level Greek. Staff. New course for 2001-2002. 360. Independent Study. Independent study of individually selected topics. Periodic conferences and papers are required. Permission of the department is required. Students are limited to one independent study per semester. Staff. 365. Special Topics. Designed for the small seminar group of students who may have particular interests in areas of study that go beyond the regular course offerings. Periodic conferences and papers are required. Written permission of the instructor is required. Staff. Short Term Units s20. Readings in the Odyssey of Homer. The Odyssey has proved an inspiring and inexhaustible text over the centuries. This unit explores the poem in detail, examining its cultural and literary context and considering modern approaches to this most enigmatic text. The unit is taught in English, but students who have completed one or more years of ancient Greek are encouraged to read sections in Greek and learn how to "perform" the poetry. This unit is the same as Classics s20. Enrollment limited to 15. Written permission of the instructor is required. D. O'Higgins. s26. Reading in the Greek New Testament. Intensive introduction to New Testament Greek. Students begin reading immediately in the Gospel of John, while studying the Koine, or commonly spoken Greek language of late classical and early Christian times. No previous knowledge of Greek is assumed. This unit is the same as Classical and Medieval Studies s26 and Religion s26. Enrollment limited to 8. R. Allison. s50. Individual Research. Registration in this unit is granted by the department only after the student has submitted a written proposal for a full-time research project to be completed during the Short Term and has secured the sponsorship of a member of the department to direct the study and evaluate results. Students are limited to one individual research unit. Staff.