Greek, Latin, Classics Course Descriptions

Greek Courses

Completion of Greek 231 satisfies St. Olaf College’s B.A. world-language requirement (WLC, FOL-K).
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Greek 111, 112 – Beginning Greek
In this two-course sequence students learn the basics of ancient Greek. By studying the language’s vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, they not only gain appreciation for its intricacies and nuances but also learn more about their own language and about language in general. Completion of both semesters equips students to translate almost any ancient Greek text with the aid of a dictionary. Greek 111 or its equivalent is a prerequisite to Greek 112.

Textbook for Greek 111 & 112:
From Alpha to Omega: A Beginning Course in Classical Greek by Anne H. Groton (Hackett Publishing-Focus Imprint, 4th edition, 2013)
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Greek 231 – Intermediate Greek (counts toward Linguistic Studies concentration)
Third-semester Greek students translate selections from Plato’s dialogues (Apology, Crito, Phaedo) while reviewing vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. Topics for class discussion include the life and death of Socrates and the significance of the dialogues as works of literature. Prerequisite: Greek 112.
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Greek 253 – New Testament Greek – WLC, RFV, FOL-K, ALS-L (counts toward Linguistic Studies concentration)
The New Testament is the most famous and most widely translated Greek text from antiquity. Students have the opportunity to read one or more of the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, or selected Pauline letters in the original language. Questions about the transmission of the text and about its theological implications provoke lively discussions. Prerequisite: Greek 231.
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Greek 370 – Topics in Greek Literature – WLC, FOL-K
Students translate selections from one or more genres of ancient Greek literature while exploring a specific topic or theme chosen by the instructor. Close study of the text is combined with discussion of broader literary, historical, and cultural questions. Sample topics: “Tales of Odysseus,” Hellenistic Greek,” “Famous Speeches in Ancient Greek Texts.”  Prerequisite: Greek 231.
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Greek 372 – Greek Philosophers – WLC, FOL-K
It has been said that all philosophy is a mere footnote to Plato and Aristotle. In this course students translate selected works by the two renowned philosophers and their predecessors, examining the forces that influenced them and the impact that Greek philosophy had on subsequent ages. Prerequisite: Greek 231.
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Greek 373 – Greek Historians – WLC, FOL-K
Readings in Greek from the works of Herodotus, the “Father of History,” and Thucydides, the first “scientific” historian, provide the backdrop for studying the development of Greek historiography. Students analyze the historians’ distinctive methods and writing styles and compare them with those of modern historians. Prerequisite: Greek 231.
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Greek 374 – Greek Drama – WLC, FOL-K
Like the genre that it describes, the word drama is itself of Greek origin. From the treasure-trove left to us by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander, students translate one or two complete plays and discuss the evolution of the Greek theater, staging, and modern interpretations. Prerequisite: Greek 231.
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Greek 375 – Homer and Greek Epic – WLC, FOL-K (counts toward Linguistic Studies concentration)
The primary texts for this course are Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the earliest recorded literature of Western civilization. Besides translating lengthy passages from one or both of these remarkable poems, students probe the characteristics of epic poetry and investigate current topics in Homeric scholarship. Prerequisite: Greek 231.

Latin Courses

Completion of Latin 231 satisfies St. Olaf College’s B.A. world-language requirement (WLC, FOL-L).
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Latin 111, 112 – Beginning Latin
In this two-course sequence students learn the basics of classical Latin. By studying the language’s vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, they not only gain appreciation for its intricacies and nuances but also learn more about their own language and about language in general. Completion of both semesters equips students to translate almost any classical Latin text with the aid of a dictionary. Latin 111 or its equivalent is a prerequisite to Latin 112.

Textbooks for Latin 111 & 112:
Wheelock’s Latin by Frederic M. Wheelock, revised by Richard A. LaFleur (HarperCollins Publishers, 7th edition, 2011)
Thirty-Eight Latin Stories by Anne H. Groton & James M. May (Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 5th corrected edition, 2004)
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Latin 231 – Intermediate Latin – WLC, FOL-L (counts toward Linguistic Studies concentration)
Third-semester Latin students translate large portions of two orations (First Catilinarian, Pro Caelio) by Cicero and selections from Catullus’ poetry while reviewing vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.  Topics for class discussion include life in late Republican Rome and the stylistic features of the literature. Prerequisite: Latin 112.

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Latin 235 – Medieval Latin – CRE, RFV, ALS-L (counts toward Linguistic Studies concentration)
Latin has been spoken in one form or another for more than two thousand years. This course focuses on authors and texts dating roughly from 300 to 1500 CE and emphasizes the role of Latin as the language of the Church and of the intelligentsia during the Middle Ages. Prerequisite: Latin 231.

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Latin 252 – Vergil and Latin Epic – CRE, WAC
Lord Tennyson called Vergil the “wielder of the stateliest measure ever moulded by the lips of man.” Students encounter that stately measure when they translate selections from Vergil’s three major poems (Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid). Through discussion and readings, students also explore the development of Latin epic and Vergil’s reception in  later literature, art, and music. Depending on the instructor, students engage in at least one significant writing project, e.g., on poetic interpretation or literary translation. Prerequisite: Latin 231.

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Latin 370 – Topics in Latin Literature – WLC, FOL-L
Students translate selections from one or more genres of ancient Latin literature while exploring a specific topic or theme chosen by the instructor. Close study of the text is combined with discussion of broader literary, historical, and cultural questions. Sample topics: “Ovid,” “Latin Epistolography,” “Augustan Elegy.” Prerequisite: Latin 231.

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Latin 371 – Latin Lyric – WLC, FOL-L
Lyric poems – short, occasional pieces composed in various meters, often concerned with love and longing – are the focus of this Latin course. Students translate the vivacious verse of Catullus, Horace, Tibullus, and Ovid and learn to recognize the features that make lyric a distinctive genre of Latin poetry. Prerequisite: Latin 231.

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Latin 372 – Latin Historians – WLC, FOL-L
The writings of Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus provide breathtaking views of ancient Rome and memorable vignettes from the city’s colorful history. Extended passages from the historians’ works, read in Latin, form the basis for a survey of Roman historiography and historical writing in general. Prerequisite: Latin 231.

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Latin 373 – Lucretius and Latin Poetry – WLC, FOL-L
Lucretius might best be described as a philosophical poet. His De Rerum Natura (“On the Nature of the Universe”) presents the theories and teachings of Greek philosophers like Democritus and Epicurus, but with a Roman flavor. Students translate substantial sections of this fascinating poem. Prerequisite: Latin 231.

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Latin 374 – Cicero and Latin Prose – WLC, FOL-L
Rome’s greatest orator, Cicero, was also its greatest prose stylist and the author most responsible for supplying Latin with philosophical vocabulary. Selections from his philosophical, rhetorical, and oratorical works show the range of his talents and help demonstrate the development of Latin prose style. Prerequisite: Latin 231.

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Latin 375 – Latin Drama – WLC, FOL-L
Strange things happened on the ancient Roman stage; this course gives students firsthand proof of that. The comedies of Plautus and Terence and the tragedies of Seneca make entertaining reading. Students translate selected plays and discuss the evolution of the Roman theater, staging, and modern interpretations. Prerequisite: Latin 231.

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Latin 377 – Latin Satire – WLC, FOL-L
The Romans claimed that satire was a literary genre of their own creation. Students are able to weigh the merits of that claim as they translate selections from the wry and witty texts of prominent Roman satirists such as Horace, Petronius, Martial, and Juvenal. Prerequisite: Latin 231.

Classics Courses

These are courses in the literature and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. All reading is done in English translation. A Classics course with HWC or GHS may be used as an elective for the History major.
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Classics 120 – Greek and Roman Myth (January-Term Course) – CRE, ALS-L

With their tales of shape-shifting, vengeance, heroic quests, and tragic turns of fortune, the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans have long inspired artists, poets, and philosophers. Even today, they continue to influence how human beings view the world and interact with one another. In this course students read thought-provoking stories about gods, heroes, and mortals, explore them in their original contexts, and investigate their connections with modern times and with students’ own experiences.

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Classics 124 – The Many Faces of Homer (January-Term Course) – CRE, ALS-L

The first half of this course is devoted to a close reading of the Iliad and Odyssey – two of the earliest and most influential epics of human history – with attention to their ancient Greek historical and cultural contexts. The second half explores some of the many reincarnations of Homer’s epics in later generations, from Monteverdi’s opera Return of Ulysses to David’s painting Anger of Achilles to the Coen brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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Classics 125 – Dawn of Democracy (January-Term Course) – GHS, HWC

Today, countries from Uruguay to South Korea to the United States all proudly claim to be “democracies.” In this class, students investigate the dawn of democracy in ancient Athens to understand democracy’s origins and what “rule of the people” meant to the Greeks—something radically different from modern political systems that claim the same title. Students read and discuss ancient sources (in English translation) and experience Athenian democracy for themselves through a historical role-immersion game.

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Classics 126 – Ancient Comedy: A Funny Thing Happened (January-Term Course) – CRE, ALS-L, ORC

This course introduces students to the wild and wacky world of ancient Greek and Roman comedy. It traces the development of the genre with discussion of how the plays were produced in antiquity and what influence they wielded on the drama of later centuries. Students read works by Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus, and Terence and stage selected scenes.

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Classics 239 – Classics and Race – GHS, PAR, HWC, MCD

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Classics 240 – Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient World – GHS, HWC (counts toward Gender & Sexuality major and concentration)

This course explores the social construction and function of sex and gender in ancient Greece and Rome. It uses both literature and visual art to analyze the role of sexuality in everyday society and in the lives of several of the more famous figures from antiquity. Readings also include modern histories and theories of sexuality, especially those that investigate the influence of the Greeks and Romans on modern conceptions of sexuality.

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Classics 243 – The World of the Ancient Greeks – CRE, GHS, ALS-L, HWC

This course takes students on an exciting journey back to the world of the ancient Greeks, a land of democracy and tyranny, comedy and tragedy, myth and mystery—and much more. Students explore ancient Greek society from an interdisciplinary perspective, analyzing its literature, art, and ideas in the light of their historical and cultural contexts. The course ranges far, both chronologically and geographically, from the palaces of the Bronze Age to the Library of Alexandria. Offered every other year.

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Classics 244 – The World of the Ancient Romans – CRE, GHS, ALS-L, HWC

This course takes students on an exciting journey back to the world of the ancient Romans, a land of republic and empire, oratory and elegy, brick and marble—and much more. Students explore ancient Roman society from an interdisciplinary perspective, analyzing its literature, art, and ideas in the light of their historical and cultural contexts. The course ranges far, both chronologically and geographically, from the Tiber River to the shores of Carthage to Hadrian’s Wall. Offered in alternate years.

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Classics 251 – Classical Studies in Greece (January-Term Course) – CRE, GHS, ALS-A, HWC

This course introduces students to the history and art of ancient Greece. It covers more than two thousand years of Greek civilization, from the Bronze Age through the archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods. The course takes students all over mainland Greece, with extended stays in Athens, the Peloponnese, and Thessaloniki. When not visiting museums and archaeological sites, students have the opportunity to experience modern Greek culture as well.  Offered in alternate years.

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Classics 253 – Classical Studies in Italy (January-Term Course) – CRE, GHS, ALS-A, HWC

This course introduces students to the history and art of ancient Italy, focusing on the city of Rome and the Bay of Naples area. It covers more than 1000 years of civilization, beginning with the Etruscans and ending with the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The itinerary includes extended stays in Civitavecchia, Rome, and Pompeii. When not visiting museums and archaeological sites, students have the opportunity to experience modern Italian culture as well. Offered in alternate years.

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Classics 260 – Sports and Recreation in the Ancient World – GHS, HWC

This course explores life, death, and entertainment in the ancient world, particularly Rome. We will focus especially on how and why people take part in sporting events and on how sport intersected with gender, social class, and economics. Topics include the history of sport, slavery and marginal groups, demography, gladiatorial events, and entertainment and politics. Our primary focus will be interpretation of ancient sources, but we will also evaluate modern views of ancient entertainment. Offered with Latin FLAC in Spring, 2023.

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Classics 370 – Topics in Classical Studies – CRE, WIM, ALS-L, WRI

This course combines close study of ancient texts (in English translation) with wide-ranging discussions of literary, historical, and cultural questions. Students have the opportunity to read selections from one or more genres of Greek and/or Latin literature while exploring a topic chosen by the instructor. Analytical writing assignments lead to a deeper understanding of the creative process and encourage thoughtful reflection on the re-creating and repurposing of the original texts by later authors and artists. Offered annually. Counts as an elective and satisfies WIM for Classics, Greek, Latin, and Ancient Studies majors. Topic in Spring, 2023: Tragic Heroines in Ancient Drama.