Survey of myths and sagas of ancient Greece and Rome. No classical preparation necessary. Background course for majors in English, the arts, music, history, modern languages, classics.

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.

How did the Greeks and Romans define happiness and was happiness considered an essential component of the "good life"? How do ancient concepts of the "good life" influence later views of human flourishing and how do specific historical circumstances alter utopian visions of a life well lived? This course traces the concept of the "good life" from ancient Greece to today and challenges students to create their own vision of a "good life".

This course examines positive and negative impacts of ancient technological advances: engineering (fire, metallurgy), writing technology (scripts, including the alphabet, the emergence of papyrus and vellum), military technology (shipbuilding, defensive and offensive technologies, and navigation), artistic (invention of dyes, lost-wax methods of bronze casting), infrastructure (roads, bridges, and aqueducts), and monumentality (Stonehenge, Greek temples, and the Roman Colosseum). Focus on the ways in which societal and environmental factors influenced technological development and vice versa.