CLA 111 - The Ancient World

An introduction to the world of heroes like Odysseus and Romulus, gods like Athena and Bacchus, rulers like Cleopatra and Augustus, historians like Herodotus and Livy, martyrs like the seven Jewish brothers and Perpetua. The Greco-Roman world saw the beginning of history and philosophy, tragedy and comedy, epic and epigram. It laid the foundations of democracy. If the Greeks lived around the Mediterranean Sea like frogs around a pond, as Plato said, the Romans conquered the pond and then some. Yet for all these achievements, millions of people in this world lived and died in slavery, and the average life expectancy was 35 years, due to an appallingly high infant mortality rate.

This course will introduce students to this diverse and influential world, paying particular attention to how we know what we know, resources (print, electronic, material) for studying the classical world, and connections between the classical world and our own. The course will be conducted online with a mixture of asynchronous and synchronous elements. Each week, you will watch short videos from the instructors, examine primary sources drawn from a wide range of both written and material evidence, complete individual and group activities based on those sources, and participate in a discussion forum with your classmates and professors. We will provide frequent feedback on your work, and we encourage you to meet with us outside of class - either in-person or digitally - throughout the semester.

Satisfies the Historical Thought requirement.
Counts towards the major in Classical Languages and Literature, the major in Classical Studies, and the minor in Classical Studies.
Counts as a pre-modern course in the History major and minor.

Prerequisites & Notes
Students at all levels welcome. (Offered annually, Fall only.)