Reading and discussion of Plato's Apology of Socrates, Gorgias' Encomium of Helen, and selections from two major fourth-century orators, Lysias and Demosthenes. An introduction to Attic prose a review of Greek syntax, against the background of the rhetoric and procedures of the Athenian lawcourts in the classical period. This course is designed for students with little or no previous instruction in Latin who are seriously interested in making quick progress in the language. The course will cover all basic grammar and offer practice in reading continuous prose. Reading and discussion of Virgil's Aeneid, with consideration of its place in the tradition of epic poetry and of its status as an Augustan poem.
Emphasis is on improving reading skills.
Readings in translation include a representative selection of plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. A combination of close readings, discussions, and lectures. An examination of the later Roman Empire from the crisis of the third century to the formation of the Byzantine State. Topics will include social changes, cultural and religious formations, and the creation of new states inside the Roman Empire.