Schools, Departments & Programs

Classical Studies

Course Descriptions
Ancient Greek Courses
  • CLAS-G 100 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.
  • CLAS-G 150 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.
  • CLAS-G 200 Intermediate Greek (3 cr.) P: G150 or permission of instructor. Continuation of G150. Advanced grammatical, morphological, and lexical components of Ancient Greek. Readings in Plato. I Sem.
  • CLAS-G 250 Introduction to Attic Greek Prose and Poetry (3 cr.) P: G200 or permission of instructor. Readings in Plato, Lysias, and Euripides. Credit not given for both G250 and G302. II Sem.
  • CLAS-G 305 Greek Tragedy (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of G250, G302, or G308. One play of Sophocles and one of Euripides in the light of the social and cultural background.
  • CLAS-G 306 Greek Oratory (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of 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.
  • CLAS-G 307 Selected Works of Plato (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of G250, G302, or G308. An introduction to the works of Plato, emphasizing the figure of Socrates.
  • CLAS-G 308 Readings in Biblical Greek (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: G200 or G302. Selected readings from the New Testament and Septuagint. II Sem.
  • CLAS-G 396 Classical Greek Abroad (1-9 cr.) P: Acceptance into an approved Indiana University overseas study program. Credit for foreign study at an advanced level in Classical Greek when no equivalent course is available among departmental offerings. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
  • CLAS-G 401 Archaic Greek Poetry (3 cr.) P: One of G250, G305, G306, G307, G308. Selections from archaic Greek poetry, such as the works of Sappho, Bacchylides, and Pindar. Attention will be given to dialect, style, and cultural context.
  • CLAS-G 406 Homer (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of G250, G302, or G308. Introduction to the Homeric dialect and epic style and study of Homer’s place in Greek culture through readings from the Iliad or Odyssey.
  • CLAS-G 407 Greek Historians (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of G250, G302, or G308. 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.
  • CLAS-G 410 Greek Prose Authors (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of G250, G302, or G308. Advanced reading material taken from such historians, orators, and philosophers as Thucydides, Demosthenes, Isocrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
  • CLAS-G 411 Greek Comedy (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of G250, G302, or G308. Aristophanes and Menander; emphasis on the cultural background and the development of comic drama at Athens. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
  • CLAS-X 491 Individual Reading in Greek (1-3 cr.) P: Consent of department. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours in X491 and G495.
Latin Courses
  • CLAS-L 100 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.
  • CLAS-L 103 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 given for only one of L103, L150, or L300. I Sem.
  • CLAS-L 150 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.
  • CLAS-L 200 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.
  • CLAS-L 250 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.
  • CLAS-L 300 Intensive Introduction to Classical and Medieval Latin (3 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.
  • CLAS-L 304 Catullus (3 cr.) CASE 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.
  • CLAS-L 305 Ovid (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: L250 or equivalent. Selections from the Metamorphoses and other writings; emphasis on Ovid’s artistic and social importance. I Sem.
  • CLAS-L 307 Cicero (3 cr.) CASE 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.
  • CLAS-L 308 Caesar (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: L250 or equivalent. Readings from Caesar’s De Bello Gallico and De Bello Civili with emphasis on syntax as well as a discussion of political background and Caesar as a cultural figure.
  • CLAS-L 309 Introduction to Vergil's Aeneid (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: L250 or equivalent. Selections from Books 7-12 with discussion of the cultural background of the epic. Some attention will be given to the origin and nature of Latin epic poetry. II Sem.
  • CLAS-L 396 Classical Latin Abroad (1-9 cr.) P: Acceptance into an approved Indiana University overseas study program. Credit for foreign study at an advanced level in Classical Latin when no equivalent course is available among departmental offerings. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
  • CLAS-L 400 Intensive Study of Literary Latin (3 cr.) 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

Classical Studies strongly recommends that students take two 300-level courses from L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, and L310 (or the equivalent) before enrolling in the following 400-level courses.

  • CLAS-L 407 Roman Lyric and Elegy (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. 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.
  • CLAS-L 408 Roman Comedy (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. Introductory study of ancient Roman comedy, with selections from Plautus and Terence. II Sem.
  • CLAS-L 409 Readings in Medieval Latin (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. 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.
  • CLAS-L 410 Advanced Prose Composition (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, L310, or consent of instructor. Exercises in composition requiring control of principal features of Latin syntax.
  • CLAS-L 423 Roman Satire (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. 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.
  • CLAS-L 424 Silver Age Historians (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. 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.
  • CLAS-L 426 Rhetoric and Oratory (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. History of Roman rhetoric and oratory; emphasis on Cicero and Quintilian.
  • CLAS-L 427 Virgil’s Ecologues and Georgics (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. Virgil’s earlier work; emphasis on the development of his poetic technique and on the poet’s role in the new order of Augustus.
  • CLAS-L 428 Advanced Study of Virgil’s Aeneid (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. Extensive reading in the Aeneid, with special attention to the poetic art of Virgil. Detailed study of Latin epic poetry.
  • CLAS-L 429 Roman Letters (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. 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.
  • CLAS-L 430 Lucretius (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. Extensive reading in the text of De Rerum Natura and consideration of Epicureanism as a philosophical and social movement.
  • CLAS-L 432 Livy (3 cr.) P: One of L304, L305, L307, L308, L309, or L310. Readings from Livy’s Roman history with discussion of the author’s methods and values.
  • CLAS-X 492 Individual Reading in Latin (1-3 cr.) P: Consent of department. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours in X492 and L495.
Classics Courses

Classics courses (except C399 and C499) require no knowledge of the Greek or Latin language.

  • CLAS-C 101 Ancient Greek Culture (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC 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.
  • CLAS-C 102 Roman Culture (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC 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.
  • CLAS-C 205 Classical Mythology (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC 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.
  • CLAS-C 206 Classical Art and Archaeology (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC 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.
  • CLAS-C 209 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.
  • CLAS-C 308 Roman Law (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC R: C102. An introduction to Roman law and legal reasoning through analysis of legal cases on topics such as theft, damage, slavery, marriage, inheritance. Taught through casebook method requiring daily participation in discussion; other requirements include short writing exercises, exams, and papers.
  • CLAS-C 310 Classical Drama (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Masterpieces of ancient Greek and Roman theatre studied in relation to literary, archaeological, and artistic evidence for their production and interpretation.
  • CLAS-C 311 Classical Epics (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC 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.
  • CLAS-C 321 Classical Myth and Culture in Film (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC P: C205 or permission of the instructor. Examines depictions of ancient Greece and Rome in modern cinema and television. Questions to be asked: How historically accurate are these onscreen versions of antiquity? What conventions and stereotypes appear? How has classical mythology been treated? How do these films reflect the period in which they were made?
  • CLAS-C 350 Greek Literature in Translation (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Survey of Greek literature through selected literary works of such authors as Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Plato.
  • CLAS-C 351 The Golden Age of Athens (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Literary and artistic masterpieces of classical Greece viewed against the intellectual, cultural, and political background of democratic Athens.
  • CLAS-C 360 Roman Literature in Translation (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Survey of Latin literature from its beginnings to the middle of the second century after Christ. Among authors read are Plautus, Terence, Catullus, Cicero, Horace, Virgil, Ovid, Petronius, Juvenal, Tacitus, and Apuleius.
  • CLAS-C 361 The Golden Age of Rome (3 cr.) CASE A&H Literary and artistic masterpieces of the Augustan age viewed in connection with the foundation of the Roman Empire.
  • CLAS-C 362 Later Latin Literature in Translation (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC R: C102. Survey of Latin literature from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages. Authors may include Jerome, Augustine, Prudentius, Alcuin, Einhard, Hrotsvitha, Peter Abelard, Heloise, Hildegard of Bingen, and Petrarch.
  • CLAS-X 371 Teaching Internship in Classical Studies (1-3 cr.) P: Major standing; minimum GPA of 3.500; prior arrangement with faculty member; departmental authorization. Supervised experience in teaching Latin, Greek, or classical civilization at the undergraduate level. Students do not assist with grading. S/F grading. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours; only 3 credit hours may count toward the major with approval of the undergraduate advisor.
  • CLAS-C 395 Topics in Classical Art and Archaeology (3 cr.) P: CLAS C206 or FINA A206. 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.
  • CLAS-C 396 Classical Archaeology Abroad (1-9 cr.) P: Acceptance into an approved Indiana University overseas study program. Credit for foreign study in classical archaeology when no specific equivalent is available among departmental offerings. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
  • CLAS-C 397 Classical Civilization Abroad (1-9 cr.) P: Acceptance into an approved Indiana University overseas study program. Credit for foreign study in Classical Civilization when no specific equivalent is available among departmental offerings. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
  • CLAS-C 399 Reading for Honors (1-12 cr.) P: Approval of departmental honors advisor. I Sem., II Sem.
  • CLAS-C 405 Comparative Mythology (3-4 cr.) CASE 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.
  • CLAS-C 409 Roman Literature and Art (3 cr.) CASE 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.
  • CLAS-C 412 The Art and Archaeology of the Aegean (3-4 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC 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.
  • CLAS-C 413 The Art and Archaeology of Greece (3-4 cr.) CASE 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.
  • CLAS-C 414 The Art and Archaeology of Rome (3-4 cr.) CASE 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.
  • CLAS-C 416 Ovidian Mythology and Its Tradition (3 cr.) CASE 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.
  • CLAS-C 419 The Art and Archaeology of Pompeii (3-4 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of C102, C206, or FINA A206. 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.
  • CLAS-C 420 Topography and Monuments of Athens (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of C101, C206, or FINA A206. 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.
  • CLAS-C 421 Topography and Monuments of Ancient Rome (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of C102, C206, or FINA A206. 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.
  • CLAS-C 422 Greek Sculpture (3 cr.) P: One of C101, C206, or FINA A206. Analytical survey of ancient Greek sculpture from the Archaic through the Classical periods (c. 600–323 B.C.). Topics include the origins and techniques of Greek sculptures; free-standing and architectural sculpture in religious, funerary, and public contexts; lost “masterpieces” of ancient Greek art; and the problems of Roman copies.
  • CLAS-C 423 Ancient Painting (3 cr.) P: C205. Minoan/Mycenaean palace painting; Hellenistic paintings in Macedonia; Etruscan and Lucanian tomb painting; Greek vases from Athens to Southern Italy and the public buildings and houses of the Roman world; Fayum portraits in Egypt and Roman catacombs.
  • CLAS-X 473 Internship in Classical Studies (1-3 cr.) P: Major standing; minimum GPA of 3.500; prior arrangement with faculty member or supervisor; departmental authorization. Supervised work experience in a professional work setting in which a student applies skills and knowledge derived from Classical Studies. S/F grading. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours; only 3 credit hours of X473 and C498 may count toward the major with approval of the undergraduate advisor.
  • CLAS-X 476 Practicum in Classical Studies (1-3 cr.) P: Major standing; minimum GPA of 3.500; prior arrangement with faculty member and supervisor; departmental authorization. Supervised work and academic experience in which a student applies skills and knowledge closely related to Classical Studies in a real-world environment, for example, through curatorial work in a museum. S/F grading. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours; only 3 credit hours may count toward the major with approval of the undergraduate advisor.
  • CLAS-X 490 Individual Reading in Classics (1-3 cr.) P: Consent of department. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credit hours in X490 and C495.
  • CLAS-C 491 Topics in Classical Studies (3 cr.) A detailed examination of a particular aspect of classical civilization using a variety of literary and archaeological evidence.
  • CLAS-C 494 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. Note: Offered fall only. May be repeated once for credit.
  • CLAS-C 499 Reading for Honors (1-12 cr.) P: Approval of departmental honors advisor. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credit hours.