Classical Studies (CLST)

This is an archived copy of the 2016-2017 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://e-catalog.sewanee.edu.

CLST 101     Classical Mythology  (4)

Survey of the principal Greek and Roman myths with selected readings in English from ancient and modern sources.

CLST 110     Myth and Monuments  (4)

This course is a comparative study of the archaeological remains and mythology of the Egyptian pyramid builders, the Mesopotamian ziggurat builders, and the Adena/Hopewell and Mississippian mound builders of Central Tennessee.

CLST 121     Explorations in Ancient Society and Its Legacy  (4)

This special topics course consider the ancient world through the lens of history, culture, politics, and other such frameworks. May be repeated once for credit when the topic is different.

CLST 122     Explorations in Ancient Literature  (4)

This special topics course focuses on a key literary theme, author, genre, or time period and introduces students to the interpretation and close reading of ancient texts. May be repeated once for credit when the topic is different.

CLST 123     Explorations in Antiquity and the Arts  (4)

This special topics course introduces students to the study of Classical art, performance, and/or material culture. May be repeated once for credit when the topic is different.

CLST 124     Explorations in Ancient Ethics, Religion, and Belief  (4)

This special topics course considers moral, ethical, and religious questions formulated and prompted by the Greco-Roman world. May be repeated once for credit when the topic is different.

CLST 150     Classics in Cinema  (4)

The course focuses on portrayals of Greek and Roman culture in film, with readings from classical and later literature in translation as well as criticism.

CLST 160     Greek and Roman Private Life  (4)

This course examines Greek and Roman private life using primarily archaeological but also literary evidence. Topics include the family, marriage and divorce, domestic architecture, sport, religion, and food.

CLST 200     Classical Drama  (4)

This course, with texts read in translation, examines Greco-Roman drama of various sorts: the works of the Athenian tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides; the Greek comedies of Aristophanes and Menander; the Roman comedies of Plautus and Terence; and the Roman tragedies of Seneca.

CLST 202     Ancient Lyric Poetry in Translation  (4)

This course examines lyric poetry from Greco-Roman antiquity ranging from the 8th century BC to the 1st century AD. Authors include Archilochus, Alcaeus, Sappho, Pindar, Catullus, and Horace. Consideration is also paid to the influence of ancient lyric upon the later poetic tradition and matters of translation. Taught in English.

CLST 205     Epigraphy Field School  (2)

The Epigraphy Field School, part of the Ancient Graffiti Project, aims to document and digitize ancient graffiti from Herculaneum and Pompeii. Students receive training in archaeological field methods as well as digital applications used to study ancient inscriptions. Fieldwork on-site is enhanced by field trips to surrounding sites and guest lectures. Prerequisite: one course in Latin numbered 104 or above and approval of the Epigraphy Field School program director.

CLST 207     Greek Archaeology  (4)

An introduction to the archaeology of ancient Greece and Rome.

CLST 208     Roman Archaeology  (4)

An introduction to the archaeology of ancient Greece and Rome.

CLST 210     Ancient Epic in Translation  (4)

This course focuses on the epic poetry of the Greco-Roman worlds. These works, which form the foundation of the western literary tradition, engage readers with a wide range of literary, mythological, historical, and cultural approaches. Possible readings include texts by Homer, Hesiod, Apollonius, Ennius, Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid, Lucan, Statius, Valerius Flaccus, and Silius Italicus.

CLST 220     Archaeology of Pompeii and Herculaneum  (4)

Buried and preserved by Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii and the nearby city of Herculaneum are two of the most well-known and complete cities of the ancient Roman world. The material culture of both sites serves as a microcosm in which to survey Roman history, religion, society, art, and daily life. This course examines several categories of archaeological evidence including wall paintings, epigraphy, artifacts, and architecture.

CLST 250     The Golden Age of Athens  (4)

This course examines the historical and literary sources that provide us with knowledge about the development of Athens in the Archaic and Classical periods culminating in the Peloponnesian War. Emphasis is placed on examining the methods, biases, and goals of the historians, Herodotus and Thucydides. Other authors considered include Sophocles, Aristophanes, the Sophists, Xenophon, Plato, and Aristotle. Not open for credit to students who have previously taken HIST 301.

CLST 301     Classical Etymology in English  (4)

A study of the derivation of English words from Latin and Greek, with discussions of grammar and of language history.

CLST 322     Exploring Rome and the Bay of Naples  (4)

In this extended on-site study in Italy, students examine the public and private life of people of various socio-economic classes in classical antiquity. The focus is on the material culture of Rome and the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. From the grand aristocratic villas and urban imperial palaces to the more modest quarters of the poor and enslaved, students explore at first hand the settings of the private lives of individuals in both the capital city of the Empire as well as the towns covered by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

CLST 345     Literature and Myth: The Tradition of Classical Mythology in European Literature  (4)

A study of the use of classical myth in the literature of the Western World through an examination of selected works from the classical, medieval, and renaissance periods. Special attention is given to the development and literary history of the Trojan War legend. Prerequisite: CLST 101.

CLST 349     Sex and Sexuality in Classical Antiquity  (4)

This course examines sexual practices and the construction of sexuality in Greco-Roman antiquity. Drawing on both literary and artistic evidence, the course explores a wide range of topics, including sexual stereotypes, marriage, prostitution, pederasty, rape, adultery, and homoeroticism. Considerable attention is paid to the intersections of sex with gender, power, and social status.

CLST 350     Women and Gender in Classical Antiquity  (4)

This course examines the lives of women in the ancient world and their representation in the literature of Greece and Rome. It explores how the Greeks and Romans constructed both female and male gender and what behavioral and sexual norms they assigned to each. Reading assignments include wide-ranging selections from Greek and Roman poetry (epic, drama, lyric, and elegy) and prose (philosophy, history, and oratory). Subjects addressed include gender stereotypes and ideals, power-relations of gender, the social conditions of women, familial roles, and male and female sexuality.

CLST 351     Greek Literature in Translation  (4)

Survey of ancient Greek literature in English translation emphasizing the development of the major genres. Readings are selected from epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, history, and oratory.

CLST 353     Latin Literature in Translation  (4)

Survey of Latin literature in English translation treating Roman comedy, epic, history, and satire. Special emphasis in the first semester is on Vergil's Aeneid.

CLST 354     Sacred Spaces in and around Rome  (2)

This three-week interdisciplinary course focuses on the relationship of the human to the divine in Italy, and Rome especially, from its earliest pagan manifestations, through the rise of Christianity in the first century, to the reform of spiritual life associated with St. Benedict and St. Francis of Assisi. The emphasis of the course is on the sense of place in these religious experiences of how location affected belief and behavior. Students explore ancient temples, Christian churches and catacombs in Rome, and follow in the footsteps of St. Benedict and St. Francis in Umbria.

CLST 355     Special Topics  (4)

Though its content will vary from semester to semester, this class always focuses on a special topic in classical literature or culture not fully covered in existing courses. Examples might include courses on a single author, a literary movement or tradition, a genre, or a theme. May be repeated when topic differs. Prerequisite: One course in CLST, GREK, or LATN or one course with attribute CLLG.

CLST 444     Independent Study  (2 or 4)

For students who offer an acceptable proposed course of study. May be taken more than once for credit. Prerequisite: Professor consent and prerequisite override required.

CLST 494     From Pericles to Caesar  (4)

This course traces the history of the Mediterranean world from fifth-century Athens to the rise of the Roman Empire. Special attention is given to ancient biography, historiography, and philosophy. The first half of the course includes the study of Plutarchis and Thucydidesi accounts of the lives of Pericles and Alcibiades as well as Plato's Apology and Symposium. In the second half of the course, works by Aristotle, Plutarch, Caesar, Cicero and Tacitus are considered. This course is only available through the European Studies Program.