Classical Studies
Faculty
Introduction
Classical Studies Majors
Secondary Teacher Certification
Classical Studies Minors
Departmental Honors Program
Study Abroad
Course Descriptions
Faculty
Chairperson
Professor William Hansen
Professors
James L. Franklin, Jr., Eleanor Winsor Leach, Timothy Long
Associate Professors
Cynthia Jordan Bannon, Matthew R. Christ, Christina Illias, Betty Rose Nagle
Assistant Professors
Bridget Balint, Kevin Glowacki
Academic Advising
Ballantine Hall 547, (812) 855-6651
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Introduction
The Department of Classical Studies (CLAS) offers majors in ancient Greek, Latin, and classical civilization leading to the B.A. degree, as well as minors in ancient Greek, Latin, and classical civilization. The majors and minors in ancient Greek and Latin provide students the opportunity to study Greek and Latin literatures and cultures in the original languages. The classical civilization majors and minors offer students with little or no knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages the opportunity to study the Greek and Roman cultures from which much of our literature and thought and many of our institutions come.
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Classical Studies Majors
Major in Latin or Greek
Major in Classical Civilization: Culture and Literature
Major in Classical Civilization: Art and Archaeology
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Major in Latin or Greek
Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 27 credit hours, including the following:
- 18 credit hours of Latin and Greek courses. L100-L150 (or L300) may not be included in the 18 credit hours. G100 (or G301) may be included only if the student has met one semester's proficiency in another language. Latin majors must include at least two 400-level courses.
- One of the following: C308, C310, C311, C350, C351, C360, C361, or HIST C386, C387, C388, C390.
- 3 additional credit hours of Latin, Greek, or classical civilization courses.
- C494 or another classical civilization course to be determined with the major advisor.
- A course in Roman history or C414 is recommended for Latin majors. A course in Greek history or C413 is recommended for Greek majors.
Recommendations
Students should take courses in both Latin and Greek. Recommended electives are C101, C102, C205, C412, C413, and C414; any other foreign language courses; and courses in archaeology, comparative literature, English, fine arts, folklore, history, library science, linguistics, philosophy, and religious studies.
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Major in Classical Civilization: Culture and Literature
Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 27 credit hours, including the following:
- C101, C102, C205, C206, and C494 or H494
- One of the following: C308, C310, C311, C350, C351, C360, C361, or HIST C386, C387, C388, C390.
- 9 credit hours of additional course work chosen from the following: C308, C310, C311, C350, C351, C360, C361, C396, C405, C408, C409, C416, C491; History C386, C387, C388, C390, C498; Philosophy P201; Religious Studies R220, R325; Communication and Culture C419.
A course in Greek or Roman history or C413 or C414 is recommended.
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Major in Classical Civilization: Art and Archaeology
Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 27 credit hours, including the following:
- C101, C102, C205, C206, C494 or H494.
- One of the following: C308, C310, C311, C350, C351, C360, C361, or HIST C386, C387, C388, C390.
- 9 credit hours of additional course work chosen from the following: C412, C413, C414, C416, C419, C420, C421, C396, C498; Fine Arts A311, A312, A314, A410, A416, A417, A418, A419; Anthropology P220, P301, P409.
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Secondary Teacher Certification
Because careful planning is necessary, students expecting to teach Latin at the high school level should confer with the undergraduate advisor at the beginning of their freshman year.
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Classical Studies Minors
Minor in Greek
Minor in Latin
Minor in Classical Civilization
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Minor in Greek
Requirements
15 credit hours or more in Greek, including at least 3 hours at the 300 or 400 level.
- The minor is to be completed with an average grade of C or better.
- A maximum of 3 credit hours of conference courses (C495, G495, L495) may be substituted and counted toward the minor. The undergraduate advisor must approve any such substitution before credit will be counted toward a minor.
- Students may transfer up to 6 hours of credit from another institution to count toward the minor with the approval of the undergraduate advisor.
A student majoring in Greek or Latin may not minor in Greek.
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Minor in Latin
Requirements
15 credit hours or more at or above the 200 level in Latin (excluding L300), including at least 6 hours at the 300 or 400 level.
- The minor is to be completed with an average grade of C or better.
- A maximum of 3 credit hours of conference courses (C495, G495, L495) may be substituted and counted toward the minor. The undergraduate advisor must approve any such substitution before credit will be counted toward a minor.
- Students may transfer up to 6 hours of credit from another institution to count toward the minor with the approval of the undergraduate advisor.
A student majoring in Greek or Latin may not minor in Latin.
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Minor in Classical Civilization
Requirements
15 credit hours or more.
- The minor is to be completed with an average grade of C or better.
- A maximum of 3 credit hours of conference courses (C495, G495, L495) may be substituted and counted toward the minor. The undergraduate advisor must approve any such substitution before credit will be counted toward a minor.
- Students may transfer up to 6 credit hours from another institution to count toward the minor with the approval of the undergraduate advisor.
Two tracks are available:
Literary and Cultural Emphasis
The following courses are required: C101 or C102, C205 or C405. Any three of the following courses may be counted toward the minor: C308, C310, C311, C350, C351, C360, C361, or HIST C386, C387, C388, C390. See requirements 1, 2, and 3 above.
Art and Archaeology Emphasis
The following courses are required: C101 or C102, C206. Any three of the following courses may be counted toward the minor: HIST C386, C387, C388, C390, or C409, C411, C412, C414, C419, C420, C421, C495. See requirements 1, 2, and 3 above.
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Departmental Honors Program
There are two requirements for earning departmental honors:
- The honors candidate must maintain a GPA of 3.3 overall and 3.5 in the major.
- The Honors candidate researches and completes an honors thesis or equivalent project under the close supervision of a faculty advisor during the senior year. The honors candidate enrolls in C399 and/or C499 in the senior year to research and complete the thesis; this course work is in addition to the 27 credit hours required of the regular major. The thesis or project must represent original research focused on primary sources relating to the ancient Greeks and Romans and involve significant, analytical writing (30-40 pages). The finished thesis must be read and approved by the faculty supervisor and a second faculty reader.
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Study Abroad
Majors are encouraged to study overseas. The department participates in the programs available through College Year in Athens and the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome.
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Course Descriptions
Ancient Greek Courses
Latin Courses
400-Level Courses
Classics Courses
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Ancient Greek Courses
G100 Elementary Greek I (4 cr.) Fundamentals of both classical and koine (New Testament) Greek; developing reading comprehension. Credit not given for both G100 and G301. I Sem.
G150 Elementary Greek II (4 cr.) P: G100 or equivalent. Fundamentals of both classical and koine (New Testament) Greek; developing reading comprehension; selections from classical authors and the New Testament. Credit not given for both G150 and G302. II Sem.
G200 Greek Prose: Pagans and Christians (3 cr.) P: G150 or equivalent. Reading from the New Testament and such authors as Aesop and Plato. Review of syntax and grammar. Credit not given for both G200 and G302. I Sem.
G250 Greek Poetry: Homer (3 cr.) P: G200 or equivalent. Selected readings from the Iliad or Odyssey. Credit not given for both G250 and G302. II Sem.
G301-G302 Classical Greek: Accelerated Course I-II (5-5 cr., undergrad.; 3-3 cr., grad.) Not open to students with credit in G100-G150, G200, G250. For advanced students (undergraduates who have already completed the language requirement for the B.A. in another language, or graduate students) with little or no knowledge of Greek. Designed to help students who wish to acquire the ability to read Greek literature. G301, I Sem.; G302, II Sem.
G305 Greek Tragedy (3 cr.) A & H P: G250, G302, or G308. One play of Sophocles and one of Euripides in the light of the social and cultural background.
G306 Greek Oratory (3 cr.) A & H P: G250, G302, or G308. Selected readings in the Greek orators, such as Lysias and Demosthenes, with some discussion of the development of prose artistry and rhetorical theory.
G307 Selected Works of Plato (3 cr.) A & H P: G250, G302, or G308. An introduction to the works of Plato, emphasizing the figure of Socrates.
G308 Readings in Biblical Greek (3 cr.) A & H P: G200 or G302. Selected readings from the New Testament and Septuagint. II Sem.
G406 Homer (3 cr.) A & H Introduction to the Homeric dialect and epic style and study of Homer's place in Greek culture through readings from the Iliad or Odyssey.
G407 Greek Historians (3 cr.) A & H Selections from Herodotus and Thucydides, with attention to the authors' literary style, their conception of history and the causation of events, and their portrayal of individuals and states.
G410 Greek Prose Authors (3 cr.) A & H Advanced reading material taken from such historians, orators, and philosophers as Thucydides, Demosthenes, Isocrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
G411 Greek Comedy (3 cr.) A & H Aristophanes and Menander; emphasis on the cultural background and the development of comic drama at Athens.
G495 Individual Reading in Greek (1-3 cr.) P: Consent of department. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
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Latin Courses
L100 Elementary Latin I (4 cr.) Fundamentals of the language; develops direct reading comprehension of Latin. Credit not given for both L100 and L300. I Sem.
L103 Intermediate Latin (4 cr.) Intensive review of fundamentals of the language for students who have placed into the second semester of first-year study. Credit not given for both L150 and L103. I Sem.
L150 Elementary Latin II (4 cr.) P: L100 or equivalent. Fundamentals of the language; develops direct reading comprehension of Latin. Credit not given for both L150 and L300. II Sem.
L200 Second-Year Latin I (3 cr.) P: L103, L150 or placement. Reading from selected authors, emphasizing the variety of Latin prose. Examination of the concept of genre. Grammar review or prose composition. Credit not given for both L200 and L400. I Sem.
L250 Second-Year Latin II (3 cr.) P: L200 or placement. Reading from Virgil's Aeneid with examination of the epic as a whole. Prosody of dactylic hexameter and study of poetic devices. Grammar review. Credit not given for both L250 and L400. II Sem.
L300 Intensive Introduction to Classical and Medieval Latin (5 cr.) P: Completion of the B.A. language requirement in another language, or graduate student status. A rapid survey of fundamentals designed, with L400, to help students develop the ability to read Latin readily. Not open to undergraduate students with credit in any college Latin course. No credit given to students who have passed L100 or L150.
L304 Catullus (3 cr.) A & H P: L250 or equivalent. Selections from the poetry of Catullus with discussion of the cultural and political contexts. Some attention will be given to the origins and nature of Latin epigram and occasional verse.
L305 Ovid (3 cr.) A & H P: L250 or equivalent. Selections from the Metamorphoses and other writings; emphasis on Ovid's artistic and social importance. I Sem.
L307 Cicero (3 cr.) A & H P: L250 or equivalent. Selections from the orations, epistles, and philosophical writings; emphasis on Cicero's political importance and the influence of the man and his work. I Sem.
L308 Caesar, Civil War (3 cr.) A & H P: L250 or equivalent. Readings from Caesar with discussion of the political background of the Roman civil war and of Caesar as a cultural figure. II Sem.
L400 Intensive Study of Literary Latin (5 cr., undergrad.; 3 cr., grad.) P: L300 or consent of instructor. For undergraduates who have already completed the language requirement for the B.A. in another language. May be taken for graduate credit. Designed to broaden and deepen students' knowledge of Latin literature as well as to improve their reading ability. Cicero and Virgil are among the authors read. No credit given to students who have passed L200 or L250. II Sem.
400-Level Courses
Prerequisites for the following 400-level courses: two courses chosen from L305, L307, L308, L309, and L310 or the equivalent.
L407 Roman Lyric and Elegy (3 cr.) Introductory study of Roman lyric and elegiac poetry, with selections from Catullus, Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid. Emphasis on interpretation of individual poems and on their place in the ancient traditions of lyric and elegy.
L408 Roman Comedy (3 cr.) Introductory study of ancient Roman comedy, with selections from Plautus and Terence. II Sem.
L409 Readings in Medieval Latin (3 cr.) Survey of the secular and religious literature of the Middle Ages; discussion of the later development of the Latin language; selections from such authors as Gregory of Tours, Isidore of Seville, Paul the Deacon, Matthew Paris, and Bernard of Cluny.
L410 Advanced Prose Composition (3 cr.) P: L305, L307, L308, L309, or consent of instructor. Exercises in composition requiring control of principal features of Latin syntax.
L423 Roman Satire (3 cr.) Representative satires of Horace, Persius, and Juvenal with emphasis on their literary qualities and on the historical development of Roman satire. Authors will be studied against the social and cultural background of their times.
L424 Silver Age Historians (3 cr.) Selections from Suetonius and Tacitus illustrating the characteristics of silver Latin prose and the authors' methods of depicting government and society in the early empire. Particular attention given to Tacitus's literary technique.
L426 Rhetoric and Oratory (3 cr.) History of Roman rhetoric and oratory; emphasis on Cicero and Quintilian.
L427 Virgil's Eclogues and Georgics (3 cr.) Virgil's earlier work; emphasis on the development of his poetic technique and on the poet's role in the new order of Augustus.
L428 Advanced Study of Virgil's Aeneid (3 cr.) Extensive reading in the Aeneid, with special attention to the poetic art of Virgil. Detailed study of Latin epic poetry.
L429 Roman Letters (3 cr.) Selected letters of Cicero, Pliny, or Seneca, illustrating the art of letter writing in Rome and reflecting the personal interests and activities of the writers as well as the social and political conditions of their times.
L430 Lucretius (3 cr.) Extensive reading in the text of De Rerum Natura and consideration of Epicureanism as a philosophical and social movement.
L432 Livy (3 cr.) Readings from Livy's Roman history with discussion of the author's methods and values.
L495 Individual Reading in Latin (1-3 cr.) P: Consent of department. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
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Classics Courses
Classics courses (except C399 and C499) require no knowledge of the Greek or Latin language.
C101 Ancient Greek Culture (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Examination and evaluation of the ideas of the Greeks as reflected in their traditions and way of life and in their intellectual and artistic achievements. Selection from general works and Greek authors in English translation. I Sem.
C102 Roman Culture (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Examination and evaluation of the Romans as reflected in their traditions and way of life and in their intellectual and artistic achievements. Major topics: the person (rights, restrictions, environment), society and politics, intellectual and spiritual life. II Sem.
C205 Classical Mythology (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Introduction to Greek and Roman myths, legends, and tales, especially those that have an important place in the Western cultural tradition. I Sem., II Sem.
C206 (Fine Arts A206) Classical Art and Archaeology (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Survey of the art and archaeology of classical lands from the Minoan-Mycenaean Age through classical Greece and Rome. Emphasis on the contribution of archaeology to our understanding of classical culture. I Sem., II Sem.
C209 Medical Terms from Greek and Latin (2 cr.) Basic vocabulary of some 1,000 words, together with materials for formation of compounds, enables the student to build a working vocabulary of several thousand words. Designed for those intending to specialize in medicine, nursing, dentistry, or microbiology. Does not count toward the foreign language requirement or the distribution requirement. I Sem., II Sem.
C308 Roman Law (3 cr.) A & H, CSA An introduction to the Roman legal system and, more generally, to legal reasoning, with a focus on the Roman law of delict (roughly equivalent to tort). The course uses the casebook method requiring daily participation in discussion of legal cases; other requirements include short writing exercises, exams, and papers.
C310 Classical Drama (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Masterpieces of ancient Greek and Roman theatre studied in relation to literary, archaeological, and artistic evidence for their production and interpretation.
C311 Classical Epics (3 cr.) A & H, CSA The development of Greek and Latin epic from the rich oral tradition of Homer to the strictly literary form exemplified by Virgil's Aeneid. Epic masterpieces are read with reference to relevant historical and archaeological background.
C350 Greek Literature in Translation (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Survey of Greek literature through selected literary works of such authors as Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Plato.
C351 The Golden Age of Athens (3 cr.) A & H Literary and artistic masterpieces of classical Greece viewed against the intellectual, cultural, and political background of democratic Athens.
C360 Roman Literature in Translation (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Survey of Latin literature from its beginnings to the middle of the second century after Christ. Among authors read are Plautus, Terence, Catullus, Cicero, Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Petronius, Juvenal, Tacitus, and Apuleius.
C361 The Golden Age of Rome (3 cr.) A & H Literary and artistic masterpieces of the Augustan age viewed in connection with the foundation of the Roman Empire.
C395 Topics in Classical Art and Archaeology (3 cr.) P: CLAS C206 or FINA C206. Special topics in the history and study of classical archaeology. May be repeated once with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
C396 Classical Studies Abroad (1-9 cr.) P: Acceptance into an approved Indiana University overseas study program. Credit for foreign study in classical languages, civilization, and archaeology when no specific equivalent is available among departmental offerings. Credit in C396 may be counted toward a major or minor in Classical Studies or Classical Civilizations with approval of undergraduate advisor. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
C399 Reading for Honors (12 cr. max.) P: Approval of departmental honors advisor. I Sem., II Sem.
C405 Comparative Mythology (3 cr., undergrad.; 4 cr., grad.) A & H P: C205, graduate standing, or consent of instructor. Advanced, theoretical study of the forms and functions of classical Greek and Roman myths, including reading and evaluation of comparable myths in ancient Near Eastern cultures (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Canaan). Comparative reading and evaluation of selected myths from outside the Mediterranean cultural area.
C409 Roman Literature and Art (3 cr.) A & H P: C102, C206 or FINA A206. An interdisciplinary investigation of selected works of Roman art and literature with attention to their common aesthetic ground, their role as expressions of Roman social ideology, and their place in the evolution of Roman culture.
C412 (FINA A412) The Art and Archaeology of the Aegean (3 cr., undergrad.; 4 cr., grad.) A & H P: CLAS C206 or FINA A206. Introduction to the preclassical art and archaeology of the Aegean Basin: Greece, Crete, and the Aegean islands during the Stone and Bronze Ages (to about 1000 B.C.). Topics covered include Troy, Minoan Crete, and Mycenaean Greece.
C413 (FINA A413) The Art and Archaeology of Greece (3 cr., undergrad.; 4 cr., grad.) A & H P: CLAS C206 or FINA A206. Art and archaeology of Greece from about 1000 B.C. through the Hellenistic period. Special attention given to the development of Greek architecture, sculpture, and vase painting. Continuation of CLAS C412 (FINA A412), but CLAS C412 (FINA A412) is not a prerequisite.
C414 (FINA A414) The Art and Archaeology of Rome (3 cr., undergrad.; 4 cr., grad.) A & H P: CLAS C206 or FINA A206. Development of Roman architecture, sculpture, and painting from the beginning through the fourth century A.D. Consideration given to the major archaeological sites. Continuation of CLAS C413 (FINA A413), but CLAS C413 (FINA A413) is not a prerequisite.
C416 Ovidian Mythology and Its Tradition (3 cr.) A & H P: C205, L305, or consent of instructor. Study of Ovid's love poems and Metamorphoses and their importance for the transmission of classical mythology within the literary and artistic traditions of western Europe. Post-Ovidian examples will include selections from Spenser, Apuleius, Petrarch, Chaucer, and Shakespeare and paintings by Botticelli, Raphael, Coreggio, Titian, the Carracci, and Poussin.
C419 The Art and Archaeology of Pompeii (3 cr., undergrad.; 4 cr., grad.) A & H P: C102, C206, or equivalent. Survey of the archaeological evidence of the best-preserved ancient city, noting its importance to our knowledge of everyday life in the first century A.D.
C420 Topography and Monuments of Athens (3 cr.) A & H An archaeological survey of the major monuments of ancient Athens from the prehistoric through the Roman eras. Topics include basic architectural forms and their political, social, and religious functions; Athenian democracy, political patronage, and building programs; and the integration of historical sources and the archaeological record.
C421 Topography and Monuments of Ancient Rome (3 cr.) A & H Study of the remains and knowledge of the physical fabric of ancient Rome, from its foundations through the high empire. It is the purpose of the course not only to introduce the student to the city and its monuments, but also through the monuments to provide a better understanding of the history of the city, its statesmen, and authors.
C491 Topics in Classical Studies (3 cr.) A detailed examination of a particular aspect of classical civilization using a variety of literary and archaeological evidence.
C494 Problems in Classical Civilization (3 cr.) P: Junior or senior standing. R: 6 credit hours of literature. Detailed study of one aspect of the society and culture of Greece and Rome. Typical subjects: ancient literary criticism, the Classical Heritage, urban problems. May be repeated once for credit.
C495 Individual Reading in Classics (1-3 cr.) P: Consent of department. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
C498 Internship in Classical Studies (1-3 cr.) P: Major standing; minimum GPA of 3.5; prior arrangement with faculty member or supervisor; departmental authorization. Supervised experience in teaching Latin, Greek, or classical civilization at the undergraduate level or supervised internship in a museum. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours; only 3 credit hours may count toward the major with approval of the undergraduate advisor.
C499 Reading for Honors (12 cr. max.) P: Approval of departmental honors advisor.
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