Faculty
David Boden
Associate Professor of Sociology
Chair of Classical Studies
Linda Horwitz
Professor of Communication
Janet McCracken
Professor of Philosophy
Anna Trumbore Jones
Professor of History
Richard Pettengill
Associate Professor of English and Theater
Ahmad Sadri
Gorter Professor of Islamic World Studies and Professor of Sociology
PLEASE NOTE: the Greece program is currently under review. In the review interim, students may complete the Classical Studies minor through a combination of credits from a study abroad program in Greece and elective courses on campus. For example, a student might obtain 3-4 credits from a study abroad program in Greece and 2 credits from on-campus electives (for electives, see ‘COURSE DESCRIPTIONS’ and below). Students may also obtain 1 on-campus credit through tutorial work or a research project (these options require approval of program chair).
For study abroad programs in Greece, please see Alexandra Olson, Coordinator of the Global Engagement Office, Stuart Commons, Room 200.
Minor in Classical Studies
The Minor in Classical Studies has a six-credit requirement that is fulfilled through an innovative combination of on-site study in Greece and course work on campus. No major exists in this program area.
The on-site component is provided by the College’s unique Program in Greece, which explores the art and culture of Greek civilizations from the Bronze Age, through the Classical Period, and into the Byzantine Era. As a traveling program, classes are held at archaeological sites and in museums, which range from Agamemnon’s citadel at Mycenae and the Minoan palace of Cnossos, to the Acropolis of Periclean Athens, the Agora where Socrates engaged in philosophical debates, Apollo’s oracle at Delphi and the Orthodox monasteries of Meteora and Mistra.
An on-campus track offers exposure to the literature, history and thought of Greece and Rome, combined with an on-campus survey of the art of these periods. Please consult the program chair for details.
Requirements for the Minor:
Students completing the minor receive 4 credits for participation in the Lake Forest Program in Greece and 2 credits from elective courses taken on campus. There is no language requirement for the minor, but for interested students and those with prior classical language study familiarity with either ancient Greek or Latin is encouraged.
Students pursuing the minor in Classical Studies should apply to participate in the Lake Forest College Program in Greece during their sophomore or junior year. The program takes place every year during (and beyond) the spring semester. The program consists of a six-week on-campus preparatory course, and three courses conducted during travels throughout Greece from mid-March until the end of May.
Program in Greece On-Campus (prerequisite) course:
- Greek Civilizations 201: Ancient Greece: Life, Thought, and the Arts
Program in Greece On-Site component (in Greece):
- Greek Civilizations 202: Greece in the Bronze Age
- Greek Civilizations 203: Greece in the Classical-Roman Ages
- Greek Civilizations 204: Greece in the Byzantine-Medieval Ages
On-Campus elective courses:
- In addition to these 4 credits from the Program in Greece component, students obtaining the minor in Classical Studies select 2 additional courses from the following list:
- Art 210: Ancient Art
- History 204: Roman History
- History 210: Greek History
- Philosophy 290: Ancient Philosophy
- Classical Studies 250: Classical Rhetorical Tradition (Cross-listed as Communication 250)
- Classical Studies 275: Greek Greats
- Sociology and Anthropology 216: Introduction to Archaeology
- An appropriate tutorial or research project, approved by the Classical Studies program chair
- Other, less frequently offered courses may also fulfill the elective requirement. Please consult the program chair to determine which courses are appropriate for this credit.
Learning Outcomes
The expected Student Learning Outcomes for the Classical Studies Program are:
1. The Classical Studies minor student will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the major epochs of Greek and/or Roman antiquity, including the broad span of either or both of these cultures as distinct and unique cultural-historical entities among other ancient civilizations in the Mediterranean area and Near East, and within specific areas of student disciplinary specialization (e.g. art, history, archaeology, politics, philosophy, religion, sociology, anthropology, museum studies & etc.), and the defining characteristics of ancient Greek and/or Roman civilization in antiquity.
2. Classical Studies minors will demonstrate a familiarity with the principles and practices of archaeology; be able to understand archaeological sites and their schematic representations based on topographical site plans; and relate critical archaeological inquiry to other disciplines and courses of study fundamental to an understanding of ancient Greece or Rome, or, comparatively, other ancient cultures and civilizations.
3. The Classical Studies minor will demonstrate an understanding of the uniqueness, innovations and legacy of Graeco-Roman antiquity in relation to later civilizations (the ‘western tradition’ and its opponents), including subsequent Greek cultures and modern institutions, styles, principles and values dominant in the West and (where applicable) in non-Western cultures.
4. After participation in a study-abroad program in Greece, the Classical Studies minor will be able to demonstrate research skills, critical thinking and writing skills. He or she will be able to make cogent reflections on the experience in another culture as well as connections to her or his on-campus program of studies or other aspects of her or his academic career.
Classical Studies Courses
CLAS 201: Ancient Greece: Life, Thought, Arts
In this course, students gain an understanding of the ancient Greek world, in which so many modern Western humanistic values and ideas found their earliest expression. In particular, we study the story as it is presented by the ancient Greeks themselves—in their literature, written history, philosophy, art, and artifacts. As a prerequisite course for the Lake Forest College Program in Greece (during which students study actual artifacts of the ancient world on site in Greece), this course is interdisciplinary by design, both in what is studied and how it is studied. We, for instance, identify and discuss the importance of various areas on the city plans of ancient Greek polei, learn about the role of women in ancient Sparta vs. their role in ancient Athens, engage in deep literary analysis of Homer's epic poems, and learn the techniques, shapes, and uses appropriate to different Greek vases from the Bronze Age to the Classical period. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing (This course satisfies Humanities.)
CLAS 202: Greek Civ: Bronze Age to Byzantium
The classroom for this course is Greece itself. Students will travel to a variety of archeological sites, museums, and other important and beautiful places across Greece, including several Greek Islands, studying the history, art, and society of Greece from the Bronze Age (roughly 3000-1200 BCE), through the Classical Age (480-300 BCE) to the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire (330-1453 CE). Study sites may include the palace of Knossos on Crete (by legend, the home of the Minotaur), Agamemnon's palace at Mycenae, the Athenian Acropolis and Agora, or the Hagios Demetrios, where the the Patron Saint of Thessaloniki was martyred. Prerequisite: CLAS 201 or consent of the instructor. (This course satisfies Humanities and Global Perspective.)
CLAS 210: Greek History
This course uses ancient evidence to explore the issues that emerged in the course of early Greek history: the nature of interactions between Greeks and other ancient cultures and societies of the Mediterranean, Near East, and North Africa; political developments in Greek city-states (especially Athens and Sparta); religious movements, beliefs, and practices; advances in philosophical thought and rational inquiry; the tensions between local identities and a common Greek identity; gender and sexuality; freedom and slavery in Greek politics and society; the diffusion of Hellenistic culture throughout the Mediterranean world; and the expansion of Alexander the Great's empire. The course scrutinizes and reassesses modern interpretations of the ancient Greek past and its legacy. It better equips students to evaluate claims about ancient history and what the ancient Greeks might mean for us now. Students work extensively with primary documents in translation. No prerequisites. (This course satisfies Global Perspective and Writing Intensive.)
cross listed: HIST 210
CLAS 211: Roman History
This course examines the history of Italy and the Mediterranean world during the thousand-plus years of Roman rule. We begin with Rome's establishment as a small city-state, as recorded in both legend and archaeological evidence. We chart Rome's political development and imperial expansion under the republic, study the career of Augustus and the revolution by which he transformed Rome into an empire, and conclude with that empire's fragmentation into the Byzantine, Latin Christian, and Islamic worlds. The topics studied will include: key political institutions and leaders; war, imperialism, and their consequences, including slavery and social unrest; the work of authors such as Cicero, Vergil, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius; the varied Roman religious scene and the rise of Christianity and Islam; Roman social history, including class, marriage, and slavery. Students will work extensively with primary documents in translation. (This course satisfies Humanities and Global Perspective.)
cross listed: HIST 204
CLAS 228: Food Studies/Foodways of Greece
CLAS 228: Introduction to Food Studies and Foodways of Greece. Everybody eats, and every culture has developed cultural patterns and social norms around the production, preparation, and consumption of food and drink (foodways). This course offers an introduction to Food Studies, the cultural analysis of food and foodways. Students consider the models and methods of studying food, including the major anthropological, folkloristic, and sociological approaches. Since this course is taught in Athens as part of the Lake Forest College in Greece program, it takes Greek food and foodways as the major case study. During the course, students focus on the relationship of food to their areas of interest, such as agritourism, environmental concerns, politics, or religion. Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Corequisites: This course in taught in Athens. Participation in the Lake Forest College in Greece Program is required. (This course satisfies Experiential Learning and Global Perspective.)
CLAS 250: Classical Rhetorical Tradition
This course is an historical survey of theorizing about the role of public discourse in human affairs from ancient Greece and Rome. We consider how the functions and nature of public discourse is understood, whether its skillful use can be taught, and the relationship between public argument and reaching social consensus about issues of truth and ethics. We will apply these ancient concepts to contemporary ideas in order to explore how concepts from different periods in time can aid us in evaluating contemporary persuasive messages in public life. (This course satisfies Humanities.)
cross listed: COMM 250
CLAS 262: History of Social Thought
This course will examine some of the classical sources of social thought both in the East and the West. Texts by Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Aquinas, Alfarabi, Confucius, authors of the Vedas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Rousseau will be examined for the seeds of questions that were later to grow into the thicket of sociological problematics. Extensive weekly readings of original sources will be the basis of class discussions. No prerequisites. (This course satisfies Social Science.)
cross listed: SOAN 262, PHIL 262
CLAS 275: Greek Greats
Students will read canonical works at the core of classical Greek civilization and situate the imaginative appropriation of this rich literature in a cultural context that is both historical and contemporary. Students read Homer's epic Iliad (selections) and Odyssey (in its entirety), three plays each by the tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, two works of the satirical Aristophanes, and examples of lyric poetry ranging from Archaic to Hellenistic times. Immersion in primary sources provides ample historical perspectives as well as critical approaches to issues of our time. The course involves lectures but is principally a seminar. Ancient Greek drama and theater will be investigated utilizing film and interactive Web-based media and sources. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and a Lake Forest College literature course, or permission of the instructor.
CLAS 280: Cultivating Ancient Worlds
This course is a multi- and interdisciplinary undertaking, highlighting our two primary means of engaging the cultures of antiquity: the primary texts of literature and collections of artifacts in museums. Civilizations treated: Mesopotamia (Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian), Egypt, Persia, Greece, and China. Texts include everything from formulaic phrases, ritual incantation, epigraphy, and diplomatic reports to lyric poetry, philosophic dialogues, and vast epic narrative. We will read and discuss texts, and visit major collections in Chicago. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
CLAS 290: Ancient Greek Philosophy
The 20th century philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, once commented that all of Western philosophy has been merely a series of footnotes to Plato. What did he mean by this? As I see it, he meant that there are no questions or concerns in Western philosophy that were not at least anticipated in the Platonic dialogues. But Plato had formative influences in Socrates and the pre-Socratic philosophers. And his most famous pupil, Aristotle, criticized his views almost immediately. We explore in some depth the origins of Western philosophy in the ancient Greeks, particularly Plato and Aristotle. (This course satisfies Humanities and Writing Intensive.)
cross listed: PHIL 290
CLAS 302: Greek and Roman Religion
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