This class examines one of the major issues faced by people throughout history, whether and under what circumstances an individual should act against the wishes of society. The great philosophical and historical works of the ancient world shed light not only on how the Greeks and Romans approached the idea of personal responsibility but also on the assumptions we today make about human nature and the relationships on which society depends. No prior knowledge of the ancient world required. All readings are in English.

Survey of representative archaeological sites, architecture, and objects produced by the cultures surrounding the Ancient Mediterranean. The course will focus on the structure, form, and symbolic content, or sanctuaries, cities, tombs, housing, as well as material culture such as pottery and sculpture. In addition to the overarching narrative of the history of classical archaeology, further topics include cross-cultural influences, materials and building technologies, archaeological theory and practice, and aesthetic principles.

Storytelling has long been one of the primary means to preserve and transmit cultural ideas and traditions. In this course students read and analyze the earliest epic tales from the Greek and Roman period with a view toward understanding the roots and nature of epic, the myths it told, and the influence it has had on subsequent literature. No credit earned if credit received for CLAS 444B.

Students explore the different ways slavery developed in the Greek and Roman worlds with an emphasis on the connections to other historical developments such as the practice of warfare, changes in political systems, and ancient views about human rights. To better understand the development of Greek and Roman slavery, we look at how the ancient systems compare to slavery in the American South and modern human trafficking.