Salve! Welcome to the Classics at Arizona State University! χαῖρε!
Just getting started? Our lower-level Classical Civilization courses (in English translation)
SLC/GRK 142: Ancient Greek Civilization (15476, 15477)
Today the Greeks are probably best known for their myths. But they gave us so much more. the concepts of justice, law, and democracy. Great art and architecture like the Parthenon, elements of which you can see even around the ASU campus today. Canonical literature like Homer and Sophocles who have deeply influenced the literary tradition. When they defeated the Persians in 479 BC, they in effect created Western Civilization as a distinct culture from the East, leading to the United States today. Come learn what else we owe to them.
iCourse 3 credits
General Studies HU, H Sarah Bolmarcich
SLC/LAT 194: Roman Civilization (22967, 22968)
The Romans conquered the world. They ruled their empire for a thousand years, defending it from all comers, until it fell.
They influence us today still, every day. When you go to the gas station and have the option of unleaded gasoline…that’s due to the Romans. When you look at the US Constitution on your classroom wall…that document is partly due to the Romans. The path you took across campus to get here, the buildings you passed…all those owe something to the Romans.
So who were these men who still touch our lives today? How did they live, and what did they believe? Come learn the secrets of their greatness.
iCourse General Studies HU, H
Sarah Bolmarcich 3 credits
GRK/LAT/SLC 223: Introduction to Greek and Roman Myth (20376, 20375, 20374)
Do you really know Greek and Roman mythology? Sure, you know who Zeus was and you’ve heard of Hercules and his Twelve Labors. But do you know what myths mean? What purpose they serve? How to interpret them? Do you know how myth surrounds us in the world today—and is often wrong?
Come find out.
MWF 2-2:50 pm
General Studies HU
3 credits
GRK/LAT/SLC 294: Swords and Sandals: the Ancient World in Film (30797, 30587, 30588)
The purpose of this course is to examine how popular culture has projected Ancient Greek and Roman myth and history through the medium of Film and Television. We shall begin this journey with early Hollywood films like Cecil B. DeMille’s Cleopatra, and finish with the well-known, recent film projects Gladiator and Alexander. Some of the figures you may know -- men like Leonidas, Xerxes, Alexander and Julius Caesar, others you may be less familiar with -- figures like Petronius, Ptolemy and Ephialtes. We shall also read larger and shorter selections from primary sources in translation as we analyze how writers and directors have made decisions on how to utilize the primary sources in their projects.
iCourse (Session B) General Studies HU 3 credits Paul Arena
Want to learn Latin?
LAT 101: Elementary Latin (13687)
MWF 11:50 am-1:40 pm (Session A)
Basic Latin grammar with an emphasis on developing reading skills. For beginning students only.
LAT 102: Elementary Latin (12770. 13689)
MW 10:30-11:45 am (Session C), MWF 11:50-1:40 pm (Session B)
Continuation of LAT 101
LAT 202: Intermediate Latin II (10297)
MWF 12:20-1:10 pm (Session C)
Beginning reading of Latin authors.
General Studies HU
LAT 421: Roman Literature (20805)
MWF 10:10-11 am (Session C)
Readings in the Latin masterpieces. Authors read change each year in accordance with needs of the class. May be repeated for credit.
General Studies HU
Our upper-level Classical Civilization courses (all in English translation)
GRK/LAT/SLC/REL 394: Magic and Witchcraft in Antiquity (30559, 30560, 33349, 30561)
Welcome to Ancient Magic! We will be investigating the curses, love spells, divination, necromancy, ghost stories, and other elements of the occult and supernatural that survive from the world of the ancient Greeks and Romans. There is a surprising wealth of information about magic in these cultures, which raises questions about the nature of religion, how people think symbolically and make practical decisions, and express emotions. Magic played an important role in the development of ancient Greek and Roman religion and was important in the literary tradition of these cultures as well, in fiction, legal documents, and political discourse, just to name a few. We will explore these aspects of ancient magic and we will also use modern anthropological research to help make sense of what magic is and how it works, then and now.
TTh 12-1:15 pm General Studies HU 3 credits Britta Ager
GRK/LAT/SLC 444: Heroes, Ancient and Modern (30581, 30582, 30583)
We will explore the heroic literature of the ancient Greeks and Romans, then trace the classical tradition and reception of the hero in medieval and modern texts. Powerpoint lectures will incorporate history, images and material culture from the relevant societies to supplement our study of the texts involved. Small group discussions and short writing assignments will facilitate understanding of the heroic themes and encourage students to think critically about the reception of the classical characters and themes. The midterm research report and a final digital story project will provide a multimedia opportunity for students to critically analyze modern heroic mythology and engage in their own classical reception.
TTh 3-4:15 pm General Studies L or HU 3 credits Almira Poudrier
GRK/LAT 494 (30593, 30598) and LAT 598 (30598): Greco-Roman Ideas of Leadership and Politics
The purpose of this course is to examine Classical Greek and Roman leaders, the events surrounding their careers, and to understand their native political and cultural values. We shall begin this journey with Homer’s Iliad and finish with Republican Rome’s Mark Antony. Some of the figures you may know -- men like Socrates, Cicero, Pericles and Julius Caesar, others you may be less familiar with -- figures like Epaminondas, Regulus and Aspasia. We shall read larger and shorter selections from primary sources in translation as we analyze both theorists on Classical politics and leadership as well as a plethora of examples of its practitioners.
iCourse (Session A) General Studies H 3 credits Paul Arena
"...and Greek as a treat." -- Winston Churchill
GRK 201: Intermediate Ancient Greek (11765)
Ancient Greek syntax and grammar, equipping the student to read the foundational texts of Greco-Roman antiquity.
MWF 9:05-9:55 am
4 credits
GRK 302: Ancient Greek Literature II (11766)
Going to medical or PA school? Get a head start with our Medical Terminology course!
GRK/LAT/SLC/BIO 140: Greek and Latin Roots of Biomedical Terminology
iCourse
Session A: 25533, 25525, 25521, 25529
Session B: 25535, 25527, 25523, 25531
3 credits