Courses

Offered Spring & Fall semesters

Gen-Ed: Art Form; Letters Category: History; Philosophy

From drawings on cave walls to modern masterpieces, art has been used throughout history to tell beautiful stories. As every artist has a story to tell, it is peculiar that many artists, ancient and modern, choose classical mythology as their playground. By illustrating how mythology has influenced art throughout time, this course will teach students to see sculptures as more than lifeless rocks and paintings as more than motionless pictures.

Offered Fall 25

Letters Category: History; Philosophy

This course examines the history and archaeology of the Roman army in times of war and peace, and in doing so provides an introduction to ancient history, classical studies, and Mediterranean archaeology. Drawing on a diverse range of materials, including art, artifacts, and primary source documents, this course explores warfare from Pre-Roman times to Late Antiquity.

This course serves as an introduction to ancient Egyptian society, culture, and political history from the agricultural revolution to the Arab conquest, concentrating on the three periods of stable Pharaonic rule: the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. In addition to coverage of this chronological narrative, the course will elucidate the various ancient sources and historical methods employed in its reconstruction.

In the last several decades, the study of women, gender and sexuality has become one of the most significant and exciting sub-specialties within the field of Classics. By reading ancient writings in translation, we will address the following questions: How did ancient Greek and Roman societies understand and use the categories of male and female, masculine and feminine? How may we derive from the Greeks and Romans the ideological bases of Western attitudes toward sex/gender categories? How are notions of gender represented in the surviving literature of ancient Greece and Rome?

Admit it — you wanted to be an archaeologist when you grew up. This course builds on that enthusiasm while exploring the world of classical archaeology: the art, architecture and material culture of the ancient Mediterranean world. We will study the long history behind the archaeological discovery of Greece and Rome (and others), while also learning how the field has radically changed and expanded over time. We will experience archaeology’s hands-on nature using class exercises, case studies and museum visits. Our goal by the end of the course is to have you ‘thinking like an archaeologist’ and fully aware of the often-fraught present-day politics behind the archaeology of the ancient world.

This course is an introduction to the world of Greek and Roman mythology. By reading both poetry and prose we will explore the traditional stories of the Greeks and Romans and how they reveal the values and beliefs of the people who told and retold them over the centuries. Through this extensive reading, students will develop both an appreciation for Classical mythology and their abilities to analyze both primary and secondary sources.

Offered Spring, Fall & Winter session 

Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

Designed to be of special use to students planning a career in the Allied Health professions. Study of the basic Greek and Latin elements of medical terminology through the analysis of select vocabularies and word lists.

The well-known satirical publication, The Onion, once reported that ancient Greek civilization was a complete modern fraud, since obviously no single culture could have invented so much stuff (http://www.theonion.com/articles/historians-admit-to-inventing-ancient-greeks,18209/). All that Great Art? The Olympic Games? Literature that is never out of print and plays that are never off the stage? Democracy? The front door of OU’s Carnegie Building? It seems impossible! But they did.

This course will explore the world of ancient Greece, from the monumental (the Parthenon!) to the mundane (who did the dishes?), and everything in between. And we will think on — and argue over — whether or not our ongoing modern fascination with the ancients Greeks is always a good thing.

Examines the development and dissemination of Roman civilization in ancient times and its influence on the modern world. Aspects of Roman culture such as literature, law, religion, art and architecture, education, intellectual life, popular entertainment, and the role of women are emphasized

The focus of this course is the social, political, and economic history of Eastern Mediterranean from the Late Bronze Age through the Iron Age. Beginning ca. 1300 BCE, we will explore the archaeological and textual evidence for Mycenaean Greece, the empires of Hatti, Mitanni, and Assyria, the Levantine city-states, and Egypt, tracing developments in their social structure, belief-systems, and technologies

A survey of early Christian history that aims to set the Christian scriptures in their cultural and political context. Canonical, non-canonical, Jewish, and pagan sources are read alongside one another in order to consider the interrelationships among various religious ideas in the Roman world.

This course concerns three of the most important and influential literary works from the ancient world: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Vergil’s Aeneid. These stories have it all: romance, adventure, heroes, villains, magic, prophesy, heroism, sacrifice, and more.

Lectures on the development of the ancient Greek and Roman drama. Lectures with readings and discussion from the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plautus, Terence, and Seneca and from Aristotle's poetics. The influence of ancient drama on European literature.

Focuses on Virgil's influence on Dante. Virgil celebrates, in both The Georgics and The Aeneid, the outcome of the struggle against external furor and passion and those elements within the individual. Dante, with Virgil as his spiritual guide in The Inferno, presents a series of spiritual exercises. 

Prerequisite: junior standing and permission of instructor.

Hellas examines the human factor dominating western history, philosophy, literature, and political science as Greek civilization chronologically evolves. Responsible behavior, balance, and control are the lessons of all Greek literature, art, philosophy, and social institutions. 

Lectures, occasionally illustrated and assigned readings. Survey of the architecture, sculpture, painting and minor arts in the Greek regions of the Eastern Mediterranean in the successive stages of their development; with analyses of dominant styles and detailed study of select masterpieces and monuments.

(Crosslisted with A HI 3223) Survey of Hellenistic art with particular attention to the individuality of style and diversity of matter. Early Etruscan and Roman art. The development of Roman art in native and assimilated forms; studies in domestic and national monuments.

Death and dying are universal experiences. But the attitudes and actions they provoke varies radically over time and space. This course considers current conceptions of the phenomena before diving into treatment and commemoration of the dead and dying in Greek and Roman antiquity. Paradoxically, death ends up providing a most revealing way to learn about the living, past and present.

Prerequisite: junior standing and permission of instructor.

This course surveys the Roman nation from its legendary origins in 753 BCE to the collapse of the Western Empire in 476 CE. Through readings from standard texts and historical fiction, students will learn about Roman history, literature, and philosophy and its influence on the modern world.

What is law? What is justice? This course explores these fundamental and timeless human questions in conversation with some of the greatest thinkers throughout human history. The readings will range from the earliest written law codes to contemporary Supreme Court decisions to inquire how notions of justice inform legal systems and how competing notions of justice have developed over the course of thousands of years.. With Aristotle's politics as the principal guide, the course follows the development of justice throughout the Greco-Roman experience.

Spies, surveillance, security - these concepts loom large today, but have their origins in the distant past. This course examines archaeological remains, material and visual culture, and ancient texts to understand espionage, border security, signals intelligence, and surveillance systems in ancient Greece and Rome. We examine intelligence activities from the perspective of ancient empires and resistance to them.

This class identifies the continuing importance of the classical tradition in modern literature, with an emphasis on the things that make us human.  Aspects of the human experience such as humor, food, death, and creation make up the content of the class, with readings taken from Ancient Greece and Rome to 21st century America.  May be repeated with change of content, maximum credit 6 hours.

Fall and Spring

With the aspiration of translating some of history’s most influential works, students will learn the foundational components of Attic Greek. Through the study of the core grammatical elements of the language, such as syntax, morphology, and pronunciation, students start the journey in this introductory course that culminates with the ability to read authentic texts written by ancient authors.

This course is designed to transition students from “textbook” knowledge of basic grammatical principles to translating authentic, unaltered texts. While thematic elements and historical context will not be ignored, greater attention will be given to linguistic constructions used by authors to reinforce basic concepts learned in 1000-level courses. Students will translate excerpts from various authors, such as Euripides, Plato, and Thucydides.

Inspired by epic poems from the past, Greek historians were at the forefront of exploring and defining the genre now simply known as "history". By reading various works from authors of Greek history, such as Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon, and even Greek historians of the Roman empire, students will observe how the genre evolved throughout antiquity. 

Extensive reading from the masterpieces of classical oratory, chosen both to illustrate the types and styles of public discourse and to provide some familiarity with the social and political milieu of the age. Authors include among others, Demosthenes, Lysias, Andocides, Aeschines, Antiphon, and Isocrates. Supplementary studies in Greek legal procedure, and the theory of rhetoric and its importance in antiquity. 

An introductory study of the vocabulary and grammar of the Latin language, with practice in the reading of sentences and connected prose from selected Latin authors.

An introductory study of the vocabulary and grammar of the Latin language, with practice in the reading of sentences and connected prose from selected Latin authors.

This course focuses on the reading and understanding of continuous prose passages in Latin. It begins with a review of word forms and then moves on to further practice with more complicated sentence constructions. Through this class, the student will begin to read Latin prose with increased proficiency and acquire a more thorough knowledge of Latin vocabulary and grammar. The readings include selections from the Vulgate, Caesar, and Livy. Roman history and culture will be an important part of the class.

This course will introduce students to Latin poetry, Students begin with Catullus and move on to Vergil, Horace, and Tibullus, building up to readings from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, one of the most influential works in all of Roman literature

Indebted to the great historians of ancient Greece, the Romans built their historiographical tradition on more than just reporting the facts. By reading various works from Sallust, Livy, Suetonius, Pliny, and Tacitus in their original language, students will develop an understanding of how history was often used as propaganda to curb morality, educate children, and increase national pride. (Irreg.)

Fall 25

In this course, students will focus on selected readings from Latin epic poetry. Texts may include, among others, Vergil's Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Lucan's Pharsalia, and Statius' Thebaid. At the end of the course, students will also appreciate the generic conventions of epic and its place in Roman society.

Romans valued humor as a method of expressing social criticism. From the Greeks, they inherited the ribald and implausible conventions of comedy, but satire, the Romans claimed, was a genre of their own invention. By translating authors such as Horace, Juvenal, Plautus, and Terence, students will gain insight into the social concerns and preoccupations of ancient Romans.

Once widely spoken, Latin has long been considered a "dead" language. By first considering why Latin is still taught, students will investigate the evolution of Latin pedagogy, including objectives and methodology. Through this inquiry into how Latin is taught, students will reinforce and bolster their knowledge of the most complex aspects of Latin syntax.

This class explores the work of John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien, the English writer, scholar, and Oxford professor who authored the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, both set in Middle-earth. These and other works have influenced generations of writers and readers, including Ursula K. Le Guin and J.K. Rowling, and continue to shape modern fantasy literature.

Provides a broad introduction to the theory and history of constitutional governance. Includes the classical roots of constitutional thought, the contribution of the English common law tradition, the origins and structure of the U.S. Constitution, along with a sense of the constitutional basis of contemporary political controversies.

In this course we will read three of Jane Austen's most beloved novels together with several adaptations of her work from across the world. Austen's novels have inspired countless adaptations. Her novels have been reimagined with Muslim characters living in Canada today or with Haitian characters in Brooklyn or with marriage plots set in India and Pakistan.

A study of movements in poetry, with a special emphasis on political and socio-cultural issues. May be focused on a historical period or organized thematically, and may include authors outside of the European tradition.

The period commonly referred to as Classical Antiquity was a time of great blossoming of ideas.  Socrates never stopped asking questions, trying to get at the heart of matters such as justice, virtue, and wisdom. Plato proposed the existence of a world of perfect forms, and wrote on everything from art to government to the afterlife. Homer imagined leaders and heroes conquering the most ferocious beasts.  Juvenal took stabs and jabs (metaphorically) at leaders with his political satire.  Come learn why these and other ancient thinkers argued that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living.’

With the advent of artificial intelligence, large language models, and the automation of much of everyday life, are human beings in danger of losing their humanity? This class explores the impact of inventions and non-human interventions on humanity, by reading selections from myth and folklore, primary historical texts, and philosophical treatises from the ancient Mediterranean to the 21st century.

It is a strange fact of literary history that the "Age of Reason" becomes obsessed with monsters. The Gothic becomes a genre in its own right and the supernatural, the monstrous, and the magical permeate the modern imagination. The course considers works from various national literary traditions and periods. (F, Sp)

The dawn of modernity is often called the Age of Revolutions. This course examines the revolutionary sublime and its promise of freedom for some and its threat of chaos for others. We will focus on two contemporaneous revolutions in France and Haiti, as well as the earlier American Revolution. We will bring together excerpts from historical documents and study some philosophical and political writing. But the course will focus mostly on literary writing on freedom, the uncanny, and the sublime. We will read the work of Walt Whitman, Derek Walcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Aime Cesaire, Charlotte Brontë, Mary Wollstonecraft, and William Blake among others. Students will write short close reading papers and a final paper.

This is a genre course focused on the forms of drama as well as on how drama represents major social and political questions about the state, the nation, the family, colonialism, empire, and capitalism.

This course studies political and social theories of violence together with filmic and literary representations of various forms of violence in a variety of historical periods and artistic traditions. The course examines the work of theorists who consider the causes and forms of violence in relation to several major topics such as empire and revolution.

The First Amendment enshrines freedoms of the highest order--of religion, of speech, of the press, among others. This course delves into the history and current state of First Amendment law in America.