Courses by semester
Courses for
Complete Cornell University course descriptions are in the Courses of Study .
| Course ID | Title | Offered |
|---|---|---|
| CLASS1332 |
Elementary Sanskrit II
An introduction to the essentials of Sanskrit grammar. Designed to enable the student to read classical and epic Sanskrit as soon as possible.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS1531 |
FWS: Greek Myth
This course will focus on the stories about the gods and heroes of the Greeks as they appear in ancient literature and art. We will examine the relationship between myths and the cultural, religious, and political conditions of the society in which they took shape. Beginning with theories of myth and proceeding to the analysis of individual stories and cycles, the material will serve as a vehicle for improving your written communication skills. Assignments include preparatory writing and six essays focusing on readings and discussions in class.
|
Fall, Spring. |
| CLASS1699 |
English Words: Histories and Mysteries
Where do the words we use come from? This course examines the history and structure of the English vocabulary from its distant Indo-European roots to the latest in technical jargon and slang. Topics include formal and semantic change, taboo and euphemism, borrowing, new words from old, "learned" English loans from Greek and Latin, slang, and society.
Full details for CLASS 1699 - English Words: Histories and Mysteries |
Spring. |
| CLASS1702 |
Great Discoveries in Greek and Roman Archaeology
This introductory course surveys the archaeology of the ancient Greek and Roman Mediterranean. Each week, we will explore a different archaeological discovery that transformed scholars' understanding of the ancient world. From early excavations at sites such as Pompeii and Troy, to modern field projects across the Mediterranean, we will discover the rich cultures of ancient Greece and Rome while also exploring the history, methods, and major intellectual goals of archaeology.
Full details for CLASS 1702 - Great Discoveries in Greek and Roman Archaeology |
Spring. |
| CLASS2352 |
Intermediate Sanskrit II
Review of grammar and reading of selections from Sanskrit epic poetry and narrative prose.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS2613 |
New Testament/Early Christian Literatures
This course provides a literary and historical introduction to the earliest Christian writings, especially those that eventually came to be included in the New Testament. Through the lens of the Gospel narratives and earliest Christian letters, especially those of Paul, we will explore the rich diversity of the early Christian movement from its Jewish roots in first-century Palestine through its development and spread to Asia Minor and beyond. We will give careful consideration to the political, economic, social, cultural, and religious circumstances that gave rise to the Jesus movement, as well as those that facilitated the emergence of various manifestations of Christian belief and practice. The course will address themes like identity and ethnicity, conversion and debate, race and slavery, gender and sexuality, and the connections between politics and religion.
Full details for CLASS 2613 - New Testament/Early Christian Literatures |
Spring. |
| CLASS2630 |
Drinking through the Ages: Intoxicating Beverages in Near Eastern and World History
This course examines the production and exchange of wine, beer, coffee and tea, and the social and ideological dynamics involved in their consumption. We start in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and end with tea and coffee in the Arab and Ottoman worlds. Archaeological and textual evidence will be used throughout to show the centrality of drinking in daily, ritual and political life.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS2689 |
Roman History
This course offers an introduction to the history of the Roman empire, from the prehistoric settlements on the site of Rome to the fall of the Western empire in the fifth century and its revival in the East with Byzantium. Lectures will provide a narrative and interpretations of major issues, including: empire building, cultural unity and diversity, religious transformations, changing relations between state and society. Discussion section will be the opportunity to engage with important texts, ancient and modern, about Rome.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS2700 |
Introduction to the Classical World in 24 Objects
Did the Greeks really paint their marble statues? Did the Romans make wax death masks? Should the British Museum return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece? Come and explore all these questions and more in "An Introduction to the Ancient World in 24 Objects". Each class will focus on a single artefact, showing how it is exemplary of key trends and historical moments in Greek and Roman culture, from the temples of ancient Athens to the necropoleis of Roman Egypt and the rainy outposts of Hadrian's Wall. In addition to the history of Greco-Roman art in antiquity, we will explore the influence of Classical art on later Western culture, paying special attention to its complex (and often problematic) political ramifications. While focusing on major monuments from Classical antiquity in class, we will also examine Cornell's collection of plaster casts, ancient objects in the Johnson Museum, and the Greek and Roman collections in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Full details for CLASS 2700 - Introduction to the Classical World in 24 Objects |
Spring. |
| CLASS2806 |
Roman Law
This course presents a cultural and historical perspective on ideas of agency, responsibility, and punishment through foundational texts of western law. We will primarily focus on three main areas of law: (1) slavery and (2) family (both governed by the Roman law of persons), and (3) civil wrongs (the law of delict or culpable harm). Through an examination of the legal sources (in translation) and the study of the reasoning of the Roman jurists, this course will examine the evolution of jurisprudence: the development of the laws concerning power over slaves and women, and changes in the laws concerning penalties for crimes. No specific prior knowledge needed.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS2810 |
Wine Culture
This course explores the complex interactions between wine and culture. From a source of nutrition to an enduring cultural symbol of the good life, a religious ritual to a forbidden substance, an artistic muse to a political pawn, the role of wine has varied through time and among cultures. Through lectures, readings, discussions, and activities, students will analyze how wine has impacted civilizations throughout history and how, in turn, cultures impact the production and consumption of wine.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS3391 |
Independent Study in Sanskrit, Undergraduate Level
To be taken only in exceptional circumstances. Must be arranged by the student with his or her advisor and the faculty member who has agreed to direct the study. To be approved by the DUS.
Full details for CLASS 3391 - Independent Study in Sanskrit, Undergraduate Level |
Fall, Spring. |
| CLASS3396 |
Advanced Sanskrit II
Selected readings in Sanskrit literary and philosophical texts.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS3645 |
The Tragic Theatre
Tragedy and its audiences from ancient Greece to modern theater and film. Topics: origins of theatrical conventions; Shakespeare and Seneca; tragedy in modern theater and film. Works studied will include: Aeschylus' Agamemnon; Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, Philoctetes; Euripides' Alcestis, Helen, Iphigeneia in Aulis, Orestes; Seneca's Thyestes, Trojan Women; Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, Othello; Strindberg's The Father; Durrenmatt's The Visit; Bergman's Seventh Seal; Cacoyannis' Iphigeneia.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS3661 |
Hellenistic Philosophy
An examination of the doctrines of the Greek philosophers working in the three centuries after the death of Aristotle. Emphasis on Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Skepticism.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS3686 |
Independent Study in Classical Civilization, Undergraduate Level
May be taken upon completion of one semester of work at the 3000-level. To be taken only in exceptional circumstances. Must be arranged by the student with his or her advisor and the faculty member who has agreed to direct the study. To be approved by the DUS.
Full details for CLASS 3686 - Independent Study in Classical Civilization, Undergraduate Level |
Fall, Spring. |
| CLASS4604 |
Animal Power
The modern world relies on a vast array of natural resources to drive its activities, but for most of human history, animals have provided energy to people. Animals were, and often still are, the energy fueling human transportation, agriculture, nutrition, and even entertainment. This course examines Classical and modern representations of animals as workpower, food and fuel, and raw materials for manufacture. We will read a wide array of sources that depict the work of animals in Classical antiquity and the modern world; we will also look at texts that attempt to describe how the animal body creates energy. For longer description and instructor bio, visit societyhumanities.as.cornell.edu/courses
|
Spring. |
| CLASS4644 |
Sound, Silence, and the Sacred
From the ringing of Tibetan singing bowls to the quiet of desert monasticism, religious imagination and ritual is replete with sound and silence. Cityscapes resound with church bells and calls from the minarets. Music, chanting, recitations, incantations, mantras, gongs—the world of religion is intimately tied to ritualistic uses of sound. But sound goes even beyond ritual to the realm of the imaginary, which frequently contrasts the music of the gods with the noise of the demons. Sound and silence in such contexts are inherently tied to desire, temptation, and even salvation. In addition, environmental sounds—the sounds of thunder, water, wind, animals, and so forth—are important for religious history and literature and contemporary practices. This course will draw upon a wide array of sources—from texts to recordings, videos, and performances—to address the function and meaning of sound (and silence) within diverse religious traditions. Our goal will be to read selections from the field of sound studies, listen and read closely in texts and music coming from diverse religious traditions, and to make some of our own recordings for a Cornell (and beyond) religious soundscape.
Full details for CLASS 4644 - Sound, Silence, and the Sacred |
Spring. |
| CLASS4662 |
Topics in Ancient Philosophy
Advanced discussion of topics in ancient philosophy.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS4721 |
Honors: Senior Essay I
See "Honors" under Classics front matter.
|
Multi-semester course (Fall, Spring). |
| CLASS4722 |
Honors: Senior Essay II
See "Honors" under Classics front matter.
|
Fall, Spring. |
| CLASS7173 |
Topics in Ancient Philosophy
Advanced discussion of topics in ancient philosophy.
|
Spring. |
| CLASS7345 |
Graduate TA Training
Pedagogical instruction and course coordination. Requirement for all graduate student teachers of LATIN 1201-LATIN 1202 and first-year writing seminars.
|
Fall, Spring. |
| CLASS7634 |
Topics in Ancient Society
Topic: Ancient Slavery. In this course we will predominantly examine the Athenian and Roman institutions of slavery. Special attention will be devoted to the different approaches employed in the study of slavery (from Marxist and comparative to demographic and archaeological to "doulology" and "critical fabulation").
|
Spring. |
| CLASS7689 |
Roman History: Approaches and Methods
Offers a survey of Roman history, 700 BCE-500 CE in the lectures and both an introduction to the different disciplines studying the non-literary sources for Roman history (epigraphy, archaeology, among others) and a discussion of important topics relevant to Roman social history (travel, voluntary associations, death and burial, etc) in the discussion section.
Full details for CLASS 7689 - Roman History: Approaches and Methods |
Spring. |
| CLASS7758 |
Archaeology of Greek Religion: Theory, Methods, and Practice
What is "religion," and how can we use material culture to investigate ancient beliefs and rituals? This course (1) explores major themes and problems in the archaeology of ancient Greek religion, and (2) compares and critiques selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the "archaeology of cult" more generally. Students will consider and analyze ritual artifacts, cult sites, and other aspects of religious material culture, as well as primary textual sources (in translation).
Full details for CLASS 7758 - Archaeology of Greek Religion: Theory, Methods, and Practice |
Spring. |
| CLASS7808 |
Methods and Practices in Classics
Topic: Classics and Cognitive Science. This course will introduce a variety of cognitive science methodologies which have recently come into use in Classics scholarship and elsewhere in the humanities, as well as exploring ancient theories of cognition. Featured topics will include cognitive linguistics, mental representation, and distributed and social cognition.
Full details for CLASS 7808 - Methods and Practices in Classics |
Spring. |
| GREEK1102 |
Elementary Ancient Greek II
Continuation of GREEK 1101, prepares students for GREEK 2101.
|
Spring. |
| GREEK2103 |
Homer
In this course we will read selections from the Odyssey in Greek, with a focus on Homeric poetics, dialect, and meter.
|
Spring. |
| GREEK3185 |
Independent Study in Greek, Undergraduate Level
May be taken upon completion of one semester of work at the 3000-level. To be taken only in exceptional circumstances. Must be arranged by the student with his or her advisor and the faculty member who has agreed to direct the study. To be approved by the DUS.
Full details for GREEK 3185 - Independent Study in Greek, Undergraduate Level |
Fall, Spring. |
| GREEK6102 |
Advanced Readings in Greek Literature
The readings will include at least Gorgias' Helen, and Plato's Symposium.
Full details for GREEK 6102 - Advanced Readings in Greek Literature |
Spring. |
| GREEK6112 | Advanced Readings in Latin and Greek | |
| GREEK7161 |
Greek Philosophical Texts
Reading and translation of Greek Philosophical texts.
|
Fall, Spring. |
| LATIN1202 |
Elementary Latin II
Continuation of LATIN 1201, using readings from various authors; prepares students for LATIN 1205.
|
Spring. |
| LATIN1205 |
Intermediate Latin I
Introduces students to reading original Latin text (fall, Livy's Rome; spring, Cicero's Letters ). Covers complex syntax and reviews the grammar presented in LATIN 1202, LATIN 1204.
|
Fall, Spring. |
| LATIN2205 |
Virgil
Students in this course will read selections of Virgil's Eclogues and the Aeneid in Latin.
|
Spring. |
| LATIN2210 |
Conversational Latin II
This course allows students to practice and perfect the active skills learned in Conversational Latin I (although sufficiently advanced students may enroll without having taken that course) in order to increase reading, speaking, and writing fluency.
|
Spring. |
| LATIN3220 |
Rapid Reading in Latin
Building on the intermediate level to acquire a literary vocabulary and syntactic structures, this course prepares students for independent reading of major authors entirely in the original language. It is accompanied by intense discussion and analysis leading to a mentored research project informed by secondary literature but based on close textual study.
|
Fall, Spring. |
| LATIN3286 |
Independent Study in Latin, Undergraduate Level
May be taken upon completion of one semester of work at the 3000-level. To be taken only in exceptional circumstances. Must be arranged by the student with his or her advisor and the faculty member who has agreed to direct the study. To be approved by the DUS.
Full details for LATIN 3286 - Independent Study in Latin, Undergraduate Level |
Fall, Spring. |
| LATIN4452 |
Latin Comparative Grammar
The prehistory and evolution of the sounds and forms of Classical Latin as reconstructed by comparison with the other Indo-European languages.
|
Spring. |
| LATIN6202 |
Advanced Readings in Latin Literature
The department teaches various topics which may vary by semester.
Full details for LATIN 6202 - Advanced Readings in Latin Literature |
Spring. |
| LATIN6212 | Advanced Readings in Latin and Greek | |
| LATIN7201 |
Latin for Teachers of Latin
A systematic treatment of the phonological, morphological and synyactic structure of Classical Latin intended to give prospective teachers of the language additional tools for explaining its forms and constructions to students in the elementary course. Attention also to strategies for initial presentation of various aspects of the basic grammar of the language to a class of beginners.
|
Spring. |
| LATIN7222 |
Latin Paleography
This course is an introduction to and survey of Latin scripts from Roman antiquity through the early Renaissance, with an emphasis on the identification, localization, and reading of scripts. Class meetings will combine practical study of Latin scripts through medieval manuscripts in the Kroch library, facsimiles, and online digital reproductions with instruction in the cultural-historical background to manuscript production, library practices, and bibliographical resources. Students will also be introduced to basic techniques for codicological description and the principles of textual criticism.
|
Fall. |
| LATIN7262 |
Latin Philosophical Texts
Reading and translation of Latin philosophical texts.
|
Fall, Spring. |
| LATIN7452 |
Latin Comparative Grammar
The prehistory and evolution of the sounds and forms of Classical Latin as reconstructed by comparison with the other Indo-European languages.
|
Spring. |