Course Descriptions
English Use of Latin & Greek with Dr. Bill Napiwocki Classical Mythology with Dr. Zehavi Husser Classical Mythology with Dr. Gregory Dobrov This is a literary course in which we will encounter the rich culture of the ancient Greeks through their mythology. We will learn to read the marvelous tales of gods and heroes in order to learn how the ancients --specifically the ancient Athenians-- constructed their world. What were their ideas about divinity, mankind, nature, the universe? How did these ideas develop, survive, and influence later European civilization? With the help of the historical and material record (the writings of historians, art, archaeology etc.) and famous literary witnesses from Homer to Ovid we will consider topics such as cosmology, religion, ethics, social organization, politics, and gender. In light of the lasting vitality of our subject, we will seek to interpret Greek myth from different theoretical perspectives and to understand how it remains relevant to our world at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Classical Mythology with Dr. Edith Pennoyer (Penny) Livermore Classical Mythology with Dr. Zehavi Husser Heroes and Classical Epics with Dr. Edith Pennoyer (Penny) Livermore A class designed to foster an understanding of the characteristics of the "hero" and the "heroic", in both the masculine and the feminine, according to ancient as well as contemporary vision, through a close reading of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid, with ancillary materials drawn from other compositions and cultures. The cast of characters and plots of these works will be interwoven with considerations of style, story-telling, and enduring values. Students will be introduced to the vast panoply of scholarship undertaken with regard to the Epic and some of the intriguing issues involved. And they will learn to produce a critical anaylsis of selected lines from these texts employing scholarly methods, reflections, and "heroism" of their own. Heroes and Classical Epics with Dr. James Quillin In this class we will read the major works of ancient epic poetry, including the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and Vergil's Aeneid, setting each work in its historical context and identifying the timeless themes that define epic as a genre: the boundaries between humans, animals, and gods, the heroic journey and the quest for immortality, and the forging of culture and civilization, including the epic poem itself as both individual achievement and national monument. We will also consider other types of works in which epic themes can be employed, such as the sculptural narrative of the "Column of Trajan" in Rome and the 1979 film, Apocalypse Now.
Heroes and Classical Epics with Dr. Edith Pennoyer (Penny) Livermore A class designed to foster an understanding of the characteristics of the "hero" and the "heroic", in both the masculine and the feminine, according to ancient as well as contemporary vision, through a close reading of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid, with ancillary materials drawn from other compositions and cultures. The cast of characters and plots of these works will be interwoven with considerations of style, story-telling, and enduring values. Students will be introduced to the vast panoply of scholarship undertaken with regard to the Epic and some of the intriguing issues involved. And they will learn to produce a critical anaylsis of selected lines from these texts employing scholarly methods, reflections, and "heroism" of their own. Heroes and Classical Epics with Dr. Kirk Shellko This course centers on the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey and Vergil's Aeneid, and endeavors to place these epic poems into their historical, social, and cultural contexts. Students will learn the definition of epic as a literary genre and discover how this gnere evolved to reflect audiences and times. They will learn the components of epic language, in particular, literary devices and structural features (e.g., formulas, nested stories, epic similes). They will be able to describe the plots of the three epics and know the main and mid-level human characters, gods, and goddesses. They will be able to define and better understand the meanings of "hero" and "heroism." Students will be able to express mature appreciation for the epics as whole works. Learning how the epics are variously interpreted, as well as basic methods of literary criticism (e.g., analysis of language, content, structure), students will employ these ways to understand and interpret the poems. As they read, learn, and evaluate modern views of the epics, they will also acquire better means critically to distinguish between views and interpretations. A strong emphasis in this class will be on the vital connections between the past and present and how students can become more aware and understanding of important lasting concepts such as heroism, leadership, self-definition, etc. Finally, students will relate these stories to modern story-telling in order to understand how the heroes of the ancient Greeks live with us today. In short, they will interpet what epic poetry offered ancient listeners and what it has to teach modern readers. The Classical tradition is rich with meaning and significance, even to "modern" 21st-century adults, and this class will not only be an exploration of the culture and instruction of the ancient world through epic, but an investigation of what classic motifs remain with us today. Classical Tragedy with Dr. John Makowski This course focuses on the tragic theater of 5th-century Athens. We'll read masterworks like Aeschylus's Agamemnon, Sophocles's Oedipus Rex and Antigone, and Euripides's Medea, Bacchae, and Iphigenia; we'll also watch their recreation in video and cinema. Issues for discussion will include human and divine justice, war and peace, dramatic reworking of earlier literature and myth, and the representation of women on the tragic stage. Traditional readings of the plays will be enhanced with contemporary media-driven reinterpretations. This is a course for those interested in theater, mythology, and film.
Classical Tragedy with Dr. Edwin Menes Classical Tragedy with Dr. Kirk Shellko Classical Tragedy introduces students to the authors, social context and performance of extant Greek drama. The students will learn to apply the "mythical" story presented on the stage to moral, social and political issues. The students will learn names, works and careers (as much as can be known) of the principal tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Students will learn to assess the formal and aesthetic properties of very different plays. Emphasis will be given to specifics of performance and seeing a play in the "theater of the mind" as well as gaining command of the relevant terminology, e.g., parodos, peripeteia, mimesis, katharsis, etc. Students will learn to outline clearly the plot, argument and key themes of each work and will gain an understanding of the historical context and social and philosophical conditions motivating each work. In this connection, the main themes of Greek tragedy invite comparison to themes of contemporary theater, film and literature: power, gender, justice, violence etc. Students will learn an awareness of dramatic conventions in our own theatrical and literary culture that reflect the influence of the Greek drama. World of Archaic Greece with Dr. Patricia Graham-Skoul The course World of Archaic Greece, which provides Core Credit for "Historical Knowledge" and "Critical Thinking" Skills, covers events from the time of Homer and Hesiod (about 700 BCE) until shortly after the Persian Wars (early fifth century BCE). The Archaic period saw dynamic changes in literature, technology, economics, and politics. Important were the development of the Greek alphabet, organization of city states and steps toward democracy, circulation of coins, formalization of Pan-Hellenic festivals such as the Olympic games, artistic innovations, and philosophic speculation. People during this period enjoyed rising levels of affluence and material prosperity. They also experienced social and political conflict, locally, nationally, and internationally. Literary sources convey the thoughts and feelings of the people who lived during those times. Material evidence provides further details about the conditions of their lives and the scope of their achievements. Our studies will be directed toward learning from the past, attempting to better understand the present, and planning for the future.
World of Classical Greece with Dr. Brian Lavelle The course is about the history, literature, art, culture and society of Classical Greece from (before) 480 B.C.E. to c. 320 B.C.E., the headwaters of so much that has impacted western civilization; its focus will be the city of Athens. The course is structured chronologically and is reliant upon primary source-material as represented primarily by contemporary historical literature. To comprehend that information and the ways of reading and interpreting it is a primary aim of the course: we shall want to understand the world of Classical Greece as it is conveyed by Greeks themselves. Its primary aim is to attain a vivid sense of what it was to have been alive and participant in Greek and Athenian society during the Classical period. A further aim of this course is to draw students toward comparing the world of classical Greece with the modern world and their understanding of it, its institutions, thoughts, and practices, so leading them to deeper evaluation of their own lives, their world and their values.
World of Classical Rome with Dr. Martin Miller The Roman historian Polybius wrote: "Who is so thoughtless and lazy that he does not want to know in what way and with what kind of government the Romans in less than 53 years conquered nearly the entire inhabited world and brought it under their rule -- an achievement previously unheard of?" (Polybius, Histories I,1,5). While we might question the exactness of some elements of Polybius's question, he did recognize that the Romans were achieving something that was almost unique in history. Rome's achievements were not restricted to the ancient world, for Rome's law, language and administrative practices were an important heritage given to the medieval and modern worlds. The memory of Rome's accomplishments haunted the people of the Middle Ages and they sought to perpetuate it. Charlemagne and Otto I considered themselves the heirs of Julius Caesar and Augustus. The founding fathers of the United States looked to Rome as a model and Napoleon and Mussolini sought to revive its empire. All in all the history of Rome is worthy of our study not only in terms of the Roman achievement itself but also for an understanding of our own culture and civlization, to which the Romans contributed greatly, and for the important and sometimes tragic lessons that its history provides for us. Lectures will be supplemented by select readings from the ancient sources, slides to illustrate the art and architecture and DVDs.
War and War Experience with Dr. Brian Lavelle This course focuses upon the institution of war and the effects that war has upon individuals, especially in ancient Greece and in modern times. Students will "zoom" in on personal experience in war, observe and evaluate what particular impacts war has upon individuals and the small groups that immediately surround the individual such as military units and families. "Zooming" out, students will learn how societies and states, and the individuals who comprise them, come to engage in war, as well as the political and psychological processes and outcomes that war involves before, during, and after conflicts, and how these contextualize individual war-experiences. In this way, they will confront what war meant to a culture and society in many ways very much like their own, but in many ways also different from their own. Students will be able to engage in meaningful discourse about how a society’s disposition to war has ongoing impact upon individual and societal identities, forging collective identity, while at the same time destroying individual identity.
Women in the Classical World (cross-listed with WSGS 295) with Dr. Laura Gawlinski This course will explore the roles, status and representation of women in the ancient Mediterranean world from Prehistory to the late Roman period, with some emphasis on Classical Athens. Topics will include women's social and political agency, religious roles, sexuality, daily life, and the effects of the particular culture and time period on women's opportunities and expectations. We will examine a range of both textual and visual material, including female characters written for the stage by male Athenian playwrights, dedications with scenes of women's work offered to goddesses in Hellenistic Italy, and Roman historians' views of the power of women in the Imperial family. The uses and limitations of each type of source for the study of women in antiquity will be analyzed. In addition to these ancient primary sources, we also will examine the modern interpretations of those sources to uncover the methodologies behind the various interpretations of ancient women.
Roman Law (Writing Intensive; cross-listed with HIST 300B, PLSC 371, ROST 362) with Dr. Martin Miller An introduction to the general principles and basic concepts of Roman civil law (law of procedure, persons, obligations [with stress on delicts], and inheritance) from the Twelve Tables (ca. 450 BC) to Justinian's codification (6th century AD). Special attention is directed to Roman law in its classical phase and especially to the role of the praetor in shaping the strict rules of civil law to fit the demands of a great empire. The stress this semester will be on Roman family law (marriage, divorce, inheritance).
Religions of Ancient Greece (Writing Intensive) with Dr. Laura Gawlinski This course will examine the rituals and beliefs of the ancient Greeks through the literary, historical, epigraphical, archaeological, and art historical records. The critical interpretation of both textual and visual sources will play a large role in the course, and emphasis will be placed on the benefits and limitations of the sources for Greek religion. In addition to the reading of ancient texts, images of myth and cult on vases, dedications, and architectural sculpture will be examined, and minor deities and small shrines will be added to the "big picture" in order to give a richer view of religious expression in antiquity. The course will explore most of the major topics and problems in the study of Greek religion: myth vs. cult, sacred spaces, the influence of politics and economics, the role of gender, the relationship of magic to religion, prophecy and divination, theories about animal sacrifice, rites of passage, personal and communal piety, and mystery cults from the Eleusinian Mysteries to early Christianity. The material to be covered spans the history of Greek religion from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, with focus on the Archaic and Classical periods. To a lesser extent, we will also examine influences from other Mediterranean cultures and the interactions between the pagans and the early Christians.
Humanism of Antiquity I with Dr. Edwin Menes Classical Backgrounds II: Augustine (Writing Intensive; cross-listed with CATH 300, HIST 300B, MSTU 398) with Dr. Jaqueline Long Aurelius Augustinus grew from (by his own account) a brainy, competitive child of an African small town in the later fourth century to one of the most important thinkers of the Western Christian tradition. This Writing-Intensive class will examine translated texts of Augustine’s own writings and other sources for the world in which he lived, in order to develop an understanding of how late Roman provincial culture and Christian society formed Augustine’s intellect and its enduring responses to contemporary challenges. Students will pursue research independently and collaboratively in seminar format.
Elementary Greek I with Dr. Gregory Dobrov A student-centered and hands-on initiation into Ancient Greek. You will gain the basic vocabulary and skills to read the original texts of Homer, Herodotus, Plato, the New Testament, and Church Fathers. Our textbook "From Alpha to Omega" (Ann Groton, Focus) is user-friendly and accessible. Along the way, you will learn a great deal about language in general. Introduction to Greek Historiography with Dr. Gregory Dobrov Thucydides with Dr. Brian Lavelle This author-course for upper division Greek students centers on selections from Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War. Passages from Books 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 will be translated, but also interpreted in the context of the life and times of the author and the history and culture of fifth century Athens and Greece. (Students familiarize themselves with Greek history for the latter part of the fifth century BCE before taking this course.)
Iliad with Dr. Gregory Dobrov Readings in Greek Literature I with Dr. Gregory Dobrov Elementary Latin I with Dr. Jacqueline Long Latin is a great language to study, not only toward the goal of reading great literature as it was originally written, but also for what its structures make clear about how all languages work to represent ideas and communicate between people. This course will take a user-friendly, reading-method approach, the Cambridge Latin Course. We will develop reading skills by studying grammar and syntax. We will expand vocabulary in Latin - and English. Our reading will also introduce Roman culture, religion, literature, and history. Elementary Latin I with Patricia Graham-Skoul Latin is a great language to study, not only toward the goal of reading great literature as it was originally written, but also for what its structures make clear about how all languages work to represent ideas and communicate between people. This course will take a user-friendly, reading-method approach, the Cambridge Latin Course. We will develop reading skills by studying grammar and syntax. We will expand vocabulary in Latin - and English. Our reading will also introduce Roman culture, religion, literature, and history. Elementary Latin I with Dr. William Napiwocki Latin is a great language to study, not only toward the goal of reading great literature as it was originally written, but also for what its structures make clear about how all languages work to represent ideas and communicate between people. This course will take a user-friendly, reading-method approach, the Cambridge Latin Course. We will develop reading skills by studying grammar and syntax. We will expand vocabulary in Latin - and English. Our reading will also introduce Roman culture, religion, literature, and history. Introduction to Roman Prose with instructor to be announced The Age of the Flavians with Dr. Edwin Menes St. Augustine: Confessions with Dr. Jacqueline Long In Augustine's Confessions, one of the most talented public speakers of the Christianizing, late Roman world, brings the full resources of his art to a personal exploration, addressed as a meditation to his God - for his congregation, friends and critics, and several centuries of later readers to listen in on. Augustine's Latin is highly readable. His story is endlessly engrossing. Its characters are indelible: an indomitable mother, dearly loved friends, the arresting bishop Ambrose. The Confessions also offers fascinating material for anyone interested in the traditions and profession of literature in classical antiquity, the social history of Roman North Africa and Italy amid the flowering of the Christian Church, or the philosophical influences and theological inquiry that shaped one of the fifth-century Church's most important Fathers.
Revised on 22 August 2008 by jlong1@luc.edu 
Fall 2008
Classical Studies (Taught in Translation)
enrollment restricted to St. Joseph's Seminary
CLST 131-K02.....Class # 5502.....M-W-F.....12:35pm-1:259m.....STJ-202
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 271-001.....Class # 1091.....M-W-F.....8:15am-9:05am.....CC-140
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Communication, Critical Thinking
CLST 271-002.....Class # 1094.....M-W-F.....11:30am-12:20pm.....DH-436
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 271-003.....Class # 1096.....T-Th.....10:00am-11:15am.....CC-140
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 271-004.....Class # 2965.....M-W-F.....2:45pm-3:35pm.....DU-234
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 272-001.....Class # 1100.....M-W-F....9:20am-10:10am.....CC-140
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 272-002.....Class # 1103.....Th.....7:00pm-9:30pm.....DU-231
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 272-004.....Class # 1101.....T-Th.....2:30pm-3:45pm.....DU-4
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 272-005.....Class # 2966.....T....7:00pm-9:30pm.....CC-140
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 273-001.....Class # 3664.....M.....4:15pm-6:45pm.....CC-141
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 273-002.....Class # 3665.....T-Th.....11:30am-12:45pm.....CC-530
Literary Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 273-003.....Class # 3666.....W.....7:00pm-9:30pm.....DU-228
Historical Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 274-001.....Class # 3669.....M-W-F....12:35pm-1:25pm.....DU-228
Historical Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 275-001.....Class # 5047.....T-Th....10:00am-11:15am.....CC-141
Historical Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 276-001.....Class # 3667.....M-W.....4:15pm-5:30pm.....DU-234
Societal and Cultural Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 281-001.....Class # 5048.....T-Th.....1:00pm-2:15pm.....CS-313
Societal and Cultural Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 295-001.....Class # 3690.....M-W-F.....10:25am-11:15am.....DU-228
CLST 362-001.....Class # 5049.....T-Th.....1:00pm-2:15pm.....DU-5
Theological and Religious Studies Knowledge - Skills of Critical Thinking
CLST 371-01W.....Class # 5322.....M-W-F.....9:20am-10:10am.....DU-238
CLST 383-001.....Class # 1114.....Th.....2:30pm-5:00pm.....CC-572
CLST 389-01W.....Class # 5051.....M-W-F.....10:25am-11:15am.....IC-230
Greek
GREK 101-001.....Class # 2972.....M-W-F.....10:25am-11:15am.....DH-430
meets with GREK 389-001
pre-requisite: one year of college-level Greek or the equivalent, and instructor's permission
GREK 281-001.....Class # 5953.....F.....4:15pm-6:45pm.....CC 572
pre-requisite: two semesters of 200-level Greek (or higher), and instructor's permission
GREK 335-001.....Class # 5940.....TBA.....TBA.....TBA
meets with GREK 281-001
pre-requisite: three semesters of college-level Greek or the equivalent, and instructor's permission
GREK 341-001.....Class # 6313.....TBA.....TBA.....TBA
pre-requisite: three semesters of college-level Greek or the equivalent, and instructor's permission
GREK 389-001.....Class # 3674.....F.....4:15pm-6:45pm.....CC 572
Latin
LATN 101-001.....Class # 2970.....M-W-F.....9:20am-10:10am.....DU-229
LATN 101-002.....Class # 2971.....M-W-F.....11:30am-12:20pm.....DU-229
registration in this section is restricted to St. Joseph's Seminary
LATN 101-K01.....Class # 4216.....M-W-F.....10:25am-11:15am.....STJ-202
pre-requisite: 2 semesters of college-level Latin or the equivalent
LATN 271-001.....Class # 4590.....M-W-F.....1:40pm-2:30pm.....IC-112
pre-requisite: 3 semesters or more of college-level Latin, or the equivalent
LATN 287-001.....Class # 5052.....T-Th.....10:00am-11:15am.....CC-572
pre-requisite: 4 semesters or more of college-level Latin, or the equivalent
LATN 361-001.....Class # 5634.....T-Th.....8:30am-9:45am.....CC-572
