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.

A broad historical exploration of Roman civilization. Topics include: architecture, art, law, literature, philosophy, poetry, politics, religion, society, warfare, and the Romans? legacy to the modern world. Open to all students. No prior knowledge of the ancient world assumed; all readings are in English. Ideal background for students of English, philosophy, history, Latin, Greek, the arts, music, modern languages.

We frequently use the terms "democracy" and "republic" to describe our own political system, but where did these words and ideas originally come from? This course examines the historical development of the original democracies in Greece (primarily Athens) and the Roman Republic, as well as the particular institutions and practices that were associated with each. Course will also cover the development of democratic and republican institutions in the modern world.

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.