Courses

An introduction to the essentials of Sanskrit grammar. Designed to enable the student to read classical and epic Sanskrit as soon as possible.

Full details for CLASS 1332 - Elementary Sanskrit II

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 essays focusing on readings and discussions in class.

Full details for CLASS 1531 - FWS: Greek Myth

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

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 - Archaeology-Great Discoveries

Readings from Sanskrit dramas and literary commentary.

Full details for CLASS 2352 - Intermediate Sanskrit II

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.

Full details for CLASS 2630 - Drinking through the Ages: Intoxicating Beverages in Near Eastern and World History

This course offers an introduction to the history of Christianity from the first century through the seventeenth and perhaps a bit beyond. Our emphasis will be on the diversity of Christian traditions, beliefs, and practices throughout history. We will explore the origins of Christianity within the eastern Mediterranean world, the spread of Christianity, the development of ecclesiastical institutions, the rise and establishment of monasticism, and the various controversies that occupied the church throughout its history. Throughout the course, we will supplement our reading of primary texts with art, archaeology, music, and manuscripts.

Full details for CLASS 2636 - Introduction to Christian History

In ancient Greece and Rome, government did little besides wage war and raise taxes, culture focused on war, warriors gloried in battle, and civilians tried to get out of the way. This course surveys the impact of war and the rarity of peace in the ancient world. Topics include: "why war?"; the face of battle; leadership; strategy, operations, and tactics; women and war; intelligence and information-gathering; diplomacy and peacemaking; militarism; war and slavery; the archaeology of warfare. Readings in translation include selections from Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Caesar, Livy, Tacitus, Josephus, and Ammianus Marcellinus. (pre-1800/non-US)

Full details for CLASS 2680 - War and Peace in Greece and Rome

An introduction to basic themes of military history, e.g., battle, strategy, tactics, war and society, as well as classic works, e.g. Sun Tzu, Thucydides, Clausewitz, Jomini.  Recent theories in scholarship will also be emphasized.

Full details for CLASS 2687 - Introduction to Military History

Following the conquests of Alexander, the ancient civilization of Egypt came under Greek rule. This period is best known for its famous queen Cleopatra, the last independent ruler of ancient Egypt. But even before Cleopatra's life and death, the Egypt that she governed was a fascinating place – and a rich case study in cultural interactions under ancient imperialism. This course explores life in Egypt under Greek rule, during the three centuries known as the Ptolemaic period (named after Cleopatra's family, the Ptolemaic dynasty). We will examine the history and culture of Ptolemaic Egypt, an empire at the crossroads of Africa, the Near East, and the Mediterranean. We will explore the experiences of both Egyptians and Greeks living in this multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-linguistic society. Finally, we will investigate the ways that Ptolemaic Egypt can shed light on modern experiences of imperialism, colonialism, and globalization.

Full details for CLASS 2688 - Cleopatra's Egypt: Tradition and Transformation

Ancient economies were very different to our modern economy: there were no banks, transport and communication were difficult, and the discipline of economics did not yet exist. Yet there are also striking similarities between the ancient and modern economic worlds: many people liked luxuries, production was increasingly standardized, and buyers and sellers came together on market days. This course introduces the key characteristics of ancient economies, with a focus on ancient Rome but also looking at classical Athens and further afield. It is structured around themes such as trade and exchange, craft, consumption, and money. Its aim is to probe the nature of the ancient economy, both for students interested in the ancient world and for students keen to put the modern economy in historical perspective.

Full details for CLASS 2712 - The Ancient Economy

An introduction to the history and theory of writing systems from cuneiform to the alphabet, historical and new writing media, and the complex relationship of writing technologies to human language and culture. Through hands-on activities and collaborative work, students will explore the shifting definitions of "writing" and the diverse ways in which cultures through time have developed and used writing systems. We will also investigate the traditional divisions of "oral" vs. "written" and consider how digital technologies have affected how we use and think about writing in encoding systems from Morse code to emoji.

Full details for CLASS 2812 - Hieroglyphs to HTML: History of Writing

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

Selected readings in Sanskrit literary and philosophical texts.

Full details for CLASS 3396 - Advanced Sanskrit II

We will study several of Plato's major dialogues, including the Apology, the Meno, Phaedo, and Republic. Topics include knowledge and reality; morality and happiness; and the nature of the soul.

Full details for CLASS 3669 - Plato

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

Have you ever been asked 'who are you' or 'which group do you belong to'? You would have noted how the answer shifts according to who is asking, in which context, etc. While everyone is unique, the possible replies in any one situation are largely defined at the level of society. What is less often realized, however, is that identity shows in particular in ways of doing: what and how one eats; what one wears and when; how one moves in a space. Archaeology is in a unique position to investigate these questions, and the Greek and Roman worlds offer a fruitful test ground, both because of their varied evidence, and because of their peculiar echoing in the modern world and its manifold identities. This course will address current theories about identity and its formation, discuss the various facets of identity (e.g. gender, citizenship, ethnicity) in the Greek and Roman worlds, and introduce tools for studying identity in the past.

Full details for CLASS 3738 - Identity in the Ancient World

This course explores the visual arts of the Mediterranean region from the court of Alexander the Great to the principate of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. During the first half of the semester we will explore the civic, domestic and religious uses of sculpture, painting, architecture, and other media in major settlements of the Hellenistic world such as Alexandria, Pergamon and Rhodes, focusing on the third to first centuries BCE. In the second half of the semester, we will turn to the rise of the Roman empire and the relationship between native Italian artistic traditions and those of the Hellenized Mediterranean, as Republican Rome drew influences (and booty) from its conquered territories. Throughout the course we will examine visual images alongside relevant literary and archaeological material, emphasizing the role of the visual arts within broader aesthetic, intellectual and political trends.

Full details for CLASS 3741 - Greco-Roman Art from Alexander to Augustus (c.350 BC - AD 20)

Introduction and training in dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) and its applications in archaeology, art history, climate and environment through lab work and participation in ongoing research projects using ancient to modern wood samples from around the world. Supervised reading and laboratory/project work. Possibilities exists for summer fieldwork in the Mediterranean, Mexico, and New York State.

Full details for CLASS 3750 - Introduction to Dendrochronology

What is "Gnosticism" and why has it come to be so hotly debated among scholars and in our contemporary media? What is the Gospel of Judas and are its ideas "heretical"? Who wrote the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary and why were these Gospels not included in the New Testament canon? To what extent did Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code draw from ancient Christian gnostic sources? This seminar will explore answers to these questions and many others by focusing on the complex array of literary sources from late antiquity-primarily from a cache of manuscripts found at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945-that have long been associated with a so-called "Christian Gnosticism". Church Fathers condemned the "movement" on a variety of grounds, but in this course we will not simply read the condemnations written by the opponents of gnostic thought; rather, we will focus our attention on reading (in English translation) substantial portions of the "gnostic" texts written by the adherents themselves. We will give special attention to the ways in which conflicts about Gnosticism connected with conflicts about gender, heresy, power, and authority. To set these texts within a socio-historical context, we will discuss the possible Jewish and hellenistic roots of early Christian Gnosticism and ties to Stoic and other ancient philosophical movements.

Full details for CLASS 4636 - Gnosticism and Early Christianity

This course will explore how contemporary artists and designers borrow, replicate, challenge, play with, and subvert the arts of Greco-Roman antiquity. We will survey the influence of classical multiples – from bronze series and plaster casts to digital imaging and 3-D printing; the use of classical objects in critiques of art-world institutions, especially by female photographers such as Louise Lawler and Sara VanDerBeek; subversions of classical monumentality by Black artists such as Kehinde Wiley and Kara Walker; and the influence of classicism upon constructions of European heritage in contemporary fashion and interior design. As a form of "critical reception studies", this course also examines the complex political legacy of classicism and the role it plays in contemporary discussions of race, from debates over the "whiteness" of classical sculpture to the relationship between state power and monumentality.

Full details for CLASS 4716 - Classicism and Contemporary Art

See "Honors" under Classics front matter.

Full details for CLASS 4721 - Honors: Senior Essay I

See "Honors" under Classics front matter.

Full details for CLASS 4722 - Honors: Senior Essay II

Situated at the crossroads between the Mediterranean in the West and the Anatolian plateau in the East, Sardis successively belonged to the Lydian, Persian, Seleucid, Roman, and Byzantine empires. An urban center from at least the 7th century BCE onwards, the city developed a very particular fabric of peoples and traditions over the long time of its existence. The seminar follows the history of the site and the changing relationship of city and hinterland from the bronze age to the Byzantine period, focusing on its major civic, religious, military and funerary monuments. Debates in heritage and a critical analysis of the site's exploration and excavation in modern times, including the first expedition organized by Princeton University and the current Harvard-Cornell led excavations, form an integral part of the class. The seminar includes excursions to the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Sardis Archive at Harvard University.

Full details for CLASS 4755 - Sardis, A City at the Crossroads

An introduction to the field of Dendrochronology and associated topics with an emphasis on their applications in the field of archaeology and related heritage-buildings fields. Course aimed at graduate level with a focus on critique of scholarship in the field and work on a project as part of the course.

Full details for CLASS 6755 - Archaeological Dendrochronology

Scholars of slavery have typically considered five historical contexts to be "slave societies". Two of those are the principal societies of what is called "classical antiquity": democratic Athens (c. 500-300 BCE) and imperial Rome (c. 200 BCE-500 CE). In a slave society, slavery permeates every aspect of life, economy, and culture. This course examines the contrast between the representation of enslaved people in different genres and media and the reality of how enslaved people were exploited to construct the society that underpinned this cultural imagination. Topics will include: physical and skilled labor, literary and artistic production, sex work, actors, and gladiators. For longer description and instructor bio visit The Society for the Humanites website.

Full details for CLASS 6855 - Constructing Antiquity: The World the Slaves Made

We tend to think of emotions as private, unlearned, and biological. Though in much of antiquity, the emotions were primarily seen as public, performative, and cognitive. The cultivation and control of emotions were key concerns in ancient education, moral formation, gender roles, and ritual life in Mediterranean antiquity. This seminar focuses on Greco-Roman and Christian efforts to describe, direct, mix, and control the emotions in late antique moral philosophy and religious instruction. Following an introduction to ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish writings on the emotions, we shall turn our attention to ancient Christian efforts to foster, adapt, and redescribe emotions. For longer description and instructor bio visit The Society for the Humanities website.

Full details for CLASS 6856 - Religion, Emotion, and Imagination

This seminar inquires into the interrelations among three meanings of equality that initially appeared in the ancient world: equality of voice or participation, isegoria; equality before the law, isonomia; and equality of power, isokratia. Through legal, political theoretical, historical, philosophical, and poetic texts, we will explore how these different practices of equality circulate and interact in institutional settings marked by injustice, scarce resources, and asymmetries of wealth and power. For longer description and instructor bio visit The Society for the Humanities website.

Full details for CLASS 6857 - Making Equality

Pedagogical instruction and course coordination. Requirement for all graduate student teachers of LATIN 1201-LATIN 1202 and first-year writing seminars.

Full details for CLASS 7345 - Graduate TA Training

This course will explore how contemporary artists and designers borrow, replicate, challenge, play with, and subvert the arts of Greco-Roman antiquity. We will survey the influence of classical multiples – from bronze series and plaster casts to digital imaging and 3-D printing; the use of classical objects in critiques of art-world institutions, especially by female photographers such as Louise Lawler and Sara VanDerBeek; subversions of classical monumentality by Black artists such as Kehinde Wiley and Kara Walker; and the influence of classicism upon constructions of European heritage in contemporary fashion and interior design. As a form of "critical reception studies", this course also examines the complex political legacy of classicism and the role it plays in contemporary discussions of race, from debates over the "whiteness" of classical sculpture to the relationship between state power and monumentality.

Full details for CLASS 7716 - Classicism and Contemporary Art

Situated at the crossroads between the Mediterranean in the West and the Anatolian plateau in the East, Sardis successively belonged to the Lydian, Persian, Seleucid, Roman, and Byzantine empires. An urban center from at least the 7th century BCE onwards, the city developed a very particular fabric of peoples and traditions over the long time of its existence. The seminar follows the history of the site and the changing relationship of city and hinterland from the bronze age to the Byzantine period, focusing on its major civic, religious, military and funerary monuments. Debates in heritage and a critical analysis of the site's exploration and excavation in modern times, including the first expedition organized by Princeton University and the current Harvard-Cornell led excavations, form an integral part of the class. The seminar includes excursions to the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Sardis Archive at Harvard University.

Full details for CLASS 7755 - Sardis, A City at the Crossroads

Continuation of GREEK 1101, prepares students for GREEK 2101.

Full details for GREEK 1102 - Elementary Ancient Greek II

The study of selections from the Iliad and/or Odyssey in Greek, with a focus on Homeric grammar, dialect, meter, poetics and composition.

Full details for GREEK 2103 - Homer

Undergraduate seminar in Greek. Topic: Fall, Aeschylus and Aristophanes; Spring, Lysias and Antiphon.

Full details for GREEK 3120 - Seminar in Greek

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

The course will prepare students to read the texts that are on the Classics Reading List (https://classics.cornell.edu/phd#reading-lists).

Full details for GREEK 6112 - Advanced Readings in Latin and Greek

Reading and translation of Greek Philosophical texts.

Full details for GREEK 7161 - Greek Philosophical Texts

Topics for this course vary by instructor.

Full details for GREEK 7172 - Graduate Seminar in Greek

Continuation of LATIN 1201, using readings from various authors; prepares students for LATIN 1205.

Full details for LATIN 1202 - Elementary Latin II

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.

Full details for LATIN 1205 - Intermediate Latin I

The aim of the course is to present the poems of Catullus within their cultural and poetical context. The poems will be read and translated, and their significance both individually and in relation to the poetic context will be discussed in class. Some selections from the works of Catullus' contemporaries will be assigned in translation.

Full details for LATIN 2203 - Catullus

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.

Full details for LATIN 2210 - Conversational Latin II

Undergraduate seminar. Topic: Lucretius. Reading in Latin of selections from Lucretius's De Rerum Natura, his poetic exploration of Epicurean philosophy via atomic physics. We will approach this multifaceted work from many different perspectives, reading it as a philosophical text, a poetic experiment, and a guide to achieving tranquility of mind. We will read as much of the text as possible in Latin, and the remainder in Stallings' recent English translation, alongside secondary readings which will help us put this work in its literary and philosophical context.

Full details for LATIN 3203 - Roman Poetry

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

The course will prepare students to read the texts that are on the Classics Reading List (https://classics.cornell.edu/phd#reading-lists).

Full details for LATIN 6212 - Advanced Readings in Latin and Greek

This advanced Latin prose composition course is for graduate students.

Full details for LATIN 6216 - Advanced Latin Prose Composition

Reading and translation of Latin philosophical texts.

Full details for LATIN 7262 - Latin Philosophical Texts

Full details for LATIN 7920 - Independent Study in Latin