These are courses in the literature and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.
All reading is done in English translation.
In this introductory course students read works by Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus, and Terence, discuss how the plays were produced in antiquity, and perform selected scenes. No prior acting experience is necessary. The course traces the development of classical comedy from the fifth to the second century B.C. and emphasizes its influence on the dramatic literature of later centuries. Using primary sources, archaeological evidence, and remains of art and architecture, students investigate the collapse of Roman authority and the rise of the Christian Church, gaining insight into an age of great transition and change. Oral traditions long predate and dwarf literary ones.