Study of the major developments, achievements, and contradictions in Greek culture from the Bronze Age to the 4th century BCE. Key works of literature, history, and philosophy (read in English translation) will be examined in their political and social context, and in relation both to other ancient Mediterranean cultures and to subsequent developments in Western civilization.

This course offers an introduction to essential moments in the history and literature of ancient Greece, from its rise to the end of the classical period. Students will read and learn how to interpret and critique literary masterpieces by Homer, Hesiod, Sappho, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, and Aristotle. As we explore the mutual engagement of these texts with their historical and cultural contexts, students will discover the ways in which essential aspects of Greek language and culture affect the modern world, including our modes of thinking about and experiencing subjectivity. At the same time they will gain a sense of the radical discontinuities between Greek culture and our own. The course has a twofold structure: a 50-minute lecture three times a week and a mandatory discussion section. An introduction to essential aspects of the cultural and literary landscape of ancient Greece, from its rise to the end of the classical period (from Homer to Aristotle).

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills