Courses in Literature, Culture & Thought

Study of English words of Latin and Greek origin, focusing on etymological meaning by analysis of component parts (prefixes, bases, suffixes) and on the ways in which words have changed and developed semantically. All texts are read in English translation.

Introduces students to writing about the ancient world, with special attention to the possibilities and the limitations of ancient source-material. Taught as a writing workshop, with emphasis on critical thinking, analysis, argument and inquiry. While the course reads foundational ancient texts, the skills acquired will be broadly useful among humanities disciplines.

Develops three related themes: the emergence in antiquity of a peculiarly scientific mode of thinking: the place of religious belief within this developing scientific world view and the force of ethical speculation within the culture and political climates of ancient Greece and Rome. All texts are read in English translation.

  • 3 credits
  • Equivalent to (duplicate degree credit not granted).
  • This is a Guaranteed Transfer (GT) Pathways course in the area of .
  • Satisfies the College of Arts & Sciences’ in Historical Context.

Surveys the development, evolution and impact of sport and spectacle in the Greco-Roman world through the deconstruction of games during the Christian era of the Roman Empire. Examines, among other relevant topics, games in the Homeric tradition, the development of the Greek Olympics and Roman spectacles including the circus, amphitheaters and gladiators.

  • 3 credits

Covers Greek and Roman myths as expressions of religious experience and imagination, of Greek and Roman culture and society, and as part of the fabric of Western cultural tradition. Of particular interest to students of literature and the arts, psychology, anthropology, and history. All texts are read in English translation.

  • 3 credits
  • Satisfies the College of Arts & Sciences’ in Literature and the Arts.

Read about mythological heroes and historical individuals from Achilles to Socrates.  Explore why Greek authors told stories the way they did and what those stories might have meant to them and might mean to us.  All texts are read in English translation.

  • 3 credits
  • Satisfies the College of Arts & Sciences’ in Literature and the Arts.

Read about mythological heroes and historical individuals from Romulus to Catiline and the emperors Augustus and Nero.  Explore why Roman authors told stories the way they did and what those stories might have meant and might mean to us.  All texts are read in English translation.

Surveys the outstanding achievements of Roman culture and society as reflected in literature, philosophy and art, private and official religion, and legal and political thought. All texts are read in English translation.

Covers the development of scientific modes of thought, theory, and research from mythological origins (e.g., Hesiod's poetry) through pre-Socratic philosophers. Culminates in theories and research of Plato and Aristotle, including the Roman Empire. Students read original sources in translation. All texts are read in English translation.

  • 3 credits

Students learn the meaning and use of the Greek and Latin roots in modern medical terminology; they gain an appreciation of ancient Roman and Greek medicine history and culture in their relation to the modern practice of Western medicine and the sciences; they become familiar with common ancient bioethical principles that govern the ancient practice of medicine and the sciences and learn to appreciate how these principles inform and influence modern medicine and the sciences.

  • 3 credits

Examines evidence of art, archaeology, and literature of Greek antiquity from a contemporary feminist point of view. Focuses on women's and men's roles in art, literature, and daily life. All texts are read in English translation.

Uses art, archaeology, and literature to study, from a contemporary feminist point of view, the status of women and men in works of Roman art and literature, the development of attitudes expressed toward them, and their daily life. All texts are read in English translation.

Offers a cultural history of Greek and Roman religion. Students read ancient texts in translation and use evidence from archaeology to reconstruct the shift from paganism to Christianity in antiquity. All texts are read in English translation.

  • 3 credits
  • Equivalent of (duplicate degree credit not granted).
  • Satisfies the College of Arts & Sciences’ in Ideals and Values.

Special Topics: Imperial Propaganda.

  • 3 credits
  • May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours for different topics.
  • Multiple enrollment in the same term is allowed when the course is offered with multiple topics in the same term.

Examines an advanced topic in classical language, literature, history, philosophy, art, or culture. Combines the techniques of philology with a critical approach to the literary and material legacy of the past.

  • 3 credits
  • Recommended: second year proficiency in Latin and/or Greek.
  • Repeatable for up to 6 total credit hours for different topics.

Students read in English translation the major epics of Graeco-Roman antiquity such as the Iliad, Odyssey, Argonautica, Aeneid, and Metamorphoses. Topics discussed may include the nature of classical epic, its relation to the novel, and its legacy. All texts are read in English translation.

  • 3 credits
  • Concurrent with and (duplicate degree credit not granted).
  • Satisfies the College of Arts & Sciences’ in Literature and the Arts.

Intensive study of selected tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca in English translation. All texts are read in English translation.

  • 3 credits
  • Concurrent with and (duplicate degree credit not granted).
  • Satisfies the College of Arts & Sciences’ in Literature and the Arts.

Studies Aristophanes, Plautus, and Terence. All texts are read in English translation.

  • 3 credits
  • Concurrent with and (duplicate degree credit not granted).
  • Satisfies the College of Arts & Sciences’ in Literature and the Arts.

Studies a number of complete Greek and Roman novels from Classical Antiquity, and their predecessors and contemporary neighbors in the genres of Greek prose fiction.  Ancient texts in English translation.

  • 3 credits
  • Concurrent with and (duplicate degree credit not granted).

All texts are read in English translation.

  • 1-4 credits
  • May be repeated for up to a total of 7 credit hours.
  • Counts towards any Classics major or minor track.
  • Like all Independent Studies, this course does NOT satisfy any Gen Ed requirement.

Arts & Sciences Honors Course

  • 1-6 credits
  • Repeatable for up to 6 total credit hours.
  • Counts towards any Classics major track.
  • Like all Independent Studies, this course does NOT satisfy any Gen Ed requirement.

ALL CU Classics courses (but no Independent Studies) satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences’ Gen Ed Arts and Humanities distribution requirement. Further College requirements satisfied by individuals courses are noted in the description of the course in question.

Graduate Courses

CLAS 5110 (3). Greek and Roman Epic.
Same as CLAS 4110. Restricted to graduate students only.

CLAS 5120 (3). Greek and Roman Tragedy.
Same as CLAS 4120. Restricted to graduate students only.

CLAS 5130 (3). Greek and Roman Comedy.
Same as CLAS 4130.  Restricted to graduate students only.

CLAS 5140 (3). The Greek and Roman Novel.
Same as CLAS 4140. Restricted to graduate students only.

CLAS 5840 (1-3). Graduate Independent Study.
No Greek or Latin required. May be repeated for a total of 7 credit hours.

CLAS 7840 (1-3). Graduate Independent Study.
No Greek or Latin required. May be repeated for a total of 7 credit hours.