ARBC: Arabic
Winter 2019ARBC101 Beginning Classical Arabic I Sections
Classical Arabic, with an introduction to vocabulary and grammar and the reading of simple Qur'anic texts and wisdom sayings in the original.
Instructor(s): GHAZI, BUSHRA SEEMI YASMIN
ARBC102 Beginning Classical Arabic II Sections
Classical Arabic, with further introduction to vocabulary and grammar and the reading of Qur'anic texts in the original.
Instructor(s): GHAZI, BUSHRA SEEMI YASMIN
ARBC201 Intermediate Classical Arabic I Sections
Classical Arabic. Designed to enrich vocabulary and grammar and to enhance fluency in reading and interpreting a range of Qur'anic texts.
Instructor(s): GHAZI, BUSHRA SEEMI YASMIN
ARBC202 Intermediate Classical Arabic II Sections
Classical Arabic. Designed to further enrich vocabulary and grammar and to enhance fluency in reading and interpreting longer texts from Qur'an, Hadith and other genres.
Instructor(s): GHAZI, BUSHRA SEEMI YASMIN
CLST: Classical Studies Undergraduate Courses
Winter 2019CLST105 Greek and Roman Mythology Sections
Greek and Roman mythology and its interpretation. Emphasis on ancient texts read in English translation.
Classical Studies 105 offers a broad introduction to the vibrant world of Greek and Roman mythology and its influence today. Because myth touched every aspect of ancient life, this course will also shed light on the literature, art, and lived experience of the Greeks and Romans. The goals of the course are to familiarize students with the myths, with the primary texts in which they are told, with the place of myth-telling in ancient culture, and to introduce students to the chief interpretive theories of myth that have been developed over the past century. The course also touches on the transformation of ancient myths in modern storytelling – for instance in film and music. Emphasis will be placed on reading primary sources in English translation, and as a result students will become familiar with a variety of ancient literary genres. This course also develops valuable transferable skills in academic reading...
Read More... CLST110 Golden Age of Athens Sections
The history and culture, values, and achievements of fifth-century Athens.
This course concentrates on the remarkable political and cultural achievements of fifth century Athens addressing topics such as the development of democracy and how it functioned, the meaning of citizenship, gender and sexuality, social values and daily life, and the role of drama, art, and architecture in Athenian society. We will examine how some of the basic tenets of western culture were established during this formative period of European history, while also reflecting on how the culture and society of ancient Athens differed from our own.
Prerequisites: None
Read More... CLST111 Late Republican and Early Imperial Rome Sections
The history and culture, values, and achievements of Late Republican and Early Imperial Rome.
CLST 111 Introduction to the history, culture, society of ancient Rome, with a focus on the period between 63 BCE and 14 CE, covering the collapse of the Roman Republic, the dictatorship of Julius Caesar, and the reign of Augustus.
Special attention will be paid to literature and art.
Read More... CLST211 Greek Philosophy I Sections
The Pre-Socratics; Socrates; Sophists; Plato. Recommended as preparation for CLST/PHIL 212 and PHIL 310.
The Presocratics; Socrates; Sophists.
“The unexamined life is not worth living”: this is how the seminal Athenian philosopher Socrates explained his way of life to the jury that sentenced him. How did this attitude – and with it the complex of Western philosophy, medicine and science – first emerge in ancient Greece? In this course, we will piece together fragmentary evidence for the birth of rational speculation between the poets Homer and Hesiod (8th century BC) and Plato and Aristotle (4th century BC). Through the origin story of Western philosophy, we will encounter the original articulations of Greece’s most enduring and provocative ideas, among them atomism, materialism, the dialogue of science and religion, the notion of a universe governed by regular mathematical laws, the possibility of knowledge, and the goals of human life.
Equivalent: PHIL 211ARead More... CLST212 Greek Philosophy II Sections
Aristotle; selections from Hellenistic and Late Antique Philosophy. Recommended as preparation for PHIL 310 and PHIL 311.
Plato; Aristotle; Stoics; and later Greek and Roman philosophers.
Is it possible to be sure that we are living a good human life, come what may? What would it be like to “succeed at” being a human being, at being ourselves? In the period under consideration in this course (c. 399 BCE–c. 529 CE), the nascent traditions of Greek logic, science, and ethics were turned to the exploration of such fundamental questions as these and spread across the Mediterranean world in the wake of Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire, laying the groundwork for the subsequent development of Western intellectual history. Over this term, we will study Aristotle, the great Hellenistic schools of ancient Athens (Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics) and the later ancient synthesis of Greek philosophy under the banner of Plato (Neoplatonism), and their influence on subsequent thought. Focus: Aristotle, Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics, and Neoplatonists (4th century BCE-3rd century...
Read More... CLST231 Ancient Greece Sections
A survey of the ancient Greek world from the Minoan and Mycenaean (about 2000-1000 BCE) to the Hellenistic Period (323-30 BCE).
Why are Greeks still today, just like their ancient ancestors, known for their shipping companies and business interests? Why were ancient Greeks apparently always warring among themselves and with others? Was democracy the most common form of government in ancient Greek communities? If not, why not, and what was the most common form of government? Is the “Greek Miracle” the best lens today through which to understand the development of the ancient Greeks? The answers to these and other topical questions of our times can be found in studying ancient Greek history. Come and explore them with me.
Prerequisites: None
Read More... CLST232 Ancient Rome Sections
A survey of the ancient Roman world from the foundation of the city to the death of Constantine.
"There can surely be nobody so petty or so apathetic in his outlook that he has no desire to discover by what means and under what system of government the Romans succeeded in less than fifty-three years in bringing under their rule almost the whole of the inhabited world, an achievement which is without parallel in human history." - Polybius, Universal History 1.1.5
A survey of the ancient Roman world. The course consists of a series of lectures on the world of Rome from the foundation of the city to the death of Constantine. Lectures treat the Roman monarchy, the foundation of the Roman republic and its expansion, the social, economic and political problems that led to its fall, the reorganization of government under Augustus, and the Roman empire under the emperors. Brief consideration of the reforms of Diocletian and the unsolved problem of the decline of the Roman...
Read More... CLST260 Gladiators, Games, and Spectacle in the Greek and Roman World Sections
History, development, and social function of various forms of spectacle in ancient Greece and Rome, from the Olympic games to the Roman arena.
Fame and shame. Blood and guts. Glory and death. Ancient games and spectacles promised all these and more to the people of ancient Greece and Rome. Spectacles united societies and divided them too. Ancient fans fanatically supported their favourites, but rivalries sometimes led to riots. Ranging from the competitions at the Olympic games in Greece to the spectacles of the Roman Coliseum and the Circus Maximus, this course will examine how spectacles and games functioned in the ancient world, their costs and rewards, and the costs to the humans and animals caught up in them. Over the course of the semester we will investigate the how and why of ancient games, the mechanics of how they were staged and organized, and who fought and competed in them.
Prerequisites: None
Read More... CLST301 The Technical Terms of Medicine and Biological Science Sections
Acquaints the student with the Greek and Latin elements from which most specialized terms of modern medicine are constructed. Intended primarily for students planning to enter the medical, pharmaceutical, or biological sciences.
Classical Studies 301 helps students understand the language of medical and biological terminology by learning the Greek and Latin elements from which it is composed. You learn how to deconstruct biological and medical words into everyday English in order to more easily understand and remember the language used in those fields, and you also learn the principles behind the construction of the terminology.
The course is designed primarily for science students, particularly those studying biology or those planning careers in any field of the medical sciences, but students from other areas of study are also very welcome. No knowledge of the Greek or Latin languages is required, and no specialised knowledge of anatomy or physiology is needed. The course additionally provides relevant material from ancient literary, mythological, historical, and medical sources, in order to furnish a cultural context for the language of biology and medicine.
The course...
Read More... CLST306 Ancient Technology: Greece and Rome Sections
The origins, achievements, and social impacts of applied technology in the Greek and Roman world from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity (c. 1500 BCE - 400 CE), with special attention to archaeological evidence.
This course introduces the technologies developed and exploited in the Greek and Roman worlds, c. 1000 BCE to 400 CE, with an emphasis on their impact. Rather than focusing solely on the technological achievements of the Greeks and Romans, this course will instead explore ancient technologies in context: their intellectual, social, institutional, and economic backgrounds and effects. Throughout, we will test our modern experiences and ideas about technology and its impacts against ancient evidence to see whether we can make universal claims about technological achievement, or whether innovation is socially and culturally contingent. We will explore a number of topics that resonate in modernity, including: the relationship between human and machine labor; and the effects of mechanization; the social, economic, political, and environmental impact of innovation; the role of educational practices in shaping the development of new technologies ; the interrelationship of innovations in different “industries”; attitudes towards “progress” and the...
Read More... CLST307 Greek Law Sections
The study of Greek legal theory, practice, and institutions from their origin in self-help, through the early lawgivers and their codes, to the developed system of Athens in the fifth and fourth centuries. A variety of test cases from the works of the Greek orators will be explored.
Instructor(s): MARSHALL, CHRISTOPHER WARREN
CLST312 Women in the Roman World of Republican and Imperial Times Sections
Women in the Roman world in the culture of the Republic and the Empire. Literary, artistic, and mythological sources are compared and contrasted to historical, legal, and archaeological records.
CLST 312 Matron, Mother, Mistress, Merchant, Murderer.
Women played a variety of roles in ancient Roman society and in this course we will examine the evidence that we have for women’s lives as well as how they were perceived by their male contemporaries and what value to society they were believed to have. Through a critical analysis of the material and visual culture and inscriptional, legal, and literary sources we will explore the realities and ambiguities of Roman women’s lives from imperial wives to household slaves and also consider the roots of modern conceptions and perceptions of women in the Western world today.
Prerequisites: Second-year standing or above.
Read More... CLST313 Greek Epic Sections
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, in translation.
CLST317 Classical Tragedy Sections
The plays of the Greek and Roman tragic dramatists, in translation.
Instructor(s): MARSHALL, CHRISTOPHER WARREN
This course will guide students through the earliest plays of the European tradition, reading a range of Greek and Roman tragedies in translation. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca will be studied in their intellectual, historical, and performance contexts. We will consider how classical tragedy has shaped the whole tradition of Western drama, while paying particular attention to what makes classical tragedy unique, including the chorus, the integration of speech and song, and the innovative use of mythological tradition. We will also study borderline cases between tragedy and comedy, including examples of satyr drama, prosatyric tragedy, and “tragicomedy”, to explore how we define tragedy and the tragic.
Read More... CLST318 Classical Comedy Sections
The plays of the Greek and Roman comic dramatists: Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus and Terence, in translation.
Instructor(s): MARSHALL, CHRISTOPHER WARREN
This course, reading plays in English translation, will explore the theatrical comedy of ancient Greece and Rome. From the ancient Greek world we will read a selection of Old Comedy plays by Aristophanes and the New Comedy of Menander. From the Roman world we will read selected plays by Plautus and Terence. We will examine the nature of comedy in the theatre in ancient Greece and Rome, exploring each play that we read from a number of perspectives. We will look at issues of dramatic and literary style (what is unique to each author's style of writing and sense of the theatrical); stagecraft (actors, costumes, theatrical resources); and social context (how are the plays responding to the political and social context for which they were written and what differences do we see between plays written for 5th and 4th-century BC Athens, or between 4th-century BC Athens and 2nd-century BC Rome)....
Read More... CLST320 Slavery in the Ancient Greek and Roman World Sections
The study and history of slavery in the Greek and Roman worlds as a political, legal, economic, social, and cultural phenomenon.
CLST329 Ancient Greek Warfare Sections
Ancient Greek methods and tactics of war plus underlying social, religious and philosophical concepts relating to warfare, through sources in translation.
CLST331 Greek Art and Architecture Sections
The visual culture of the ancient Greek world in the second and first millennia BCE, especially from c. 1000 to 30 BCE.
This course explores the art and architecture of the Greek world from about 7000 to 30 BCE. We’ll begin with the first farmers of the Neolithic and the trace the rise of Mycenae, Knossos and other legendary palaces of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. We then examine the emergence of the Greek city states, focusing on the great Panhellenic sanctuaries of Olympia and Delphi and, of course, Athens and the famous monuments of its Acropolis and Agora that embody the rise of the world’s first democracy. We’ll end with the spread of Greek art and architecture eastward with the conquests of Alexander the Great and the powerful Hellenistic kingdoms of his successors. In each case we’ll consider the social, political, economic and ideological context of Greek material culture, its relationship to identities and the impacts of interactions with other cultures. We’ll also consider the legacy and reception of Greek art...
Read More... CLST332 Roman Art and Architecture Sections
The visual culture of the ancient Roman world from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE.
CLST 332: Roman Art & Architecture
The social, cultural, political, and visual history of Roman art from the eighth century BCE to the fourth century CE. Topics include the power of images to shape society; identity construction; cultural exchanges and borrowings across the ancient world; the impact of the Roman Empire on local visual traditions; and the complex relationships between subject and representation.
Read More... CLST333 Greek Religion Sections
A survey of both traditional and exoteric religious practices from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period. Some knowledge of ancient Greece is recommended.
CLST353 The Early Roman Empire Sections
Roman imperial history during the Julio-Claudian and Flavian periods (30 BC-96 AD).
The course focuses upon the Roman empire during the first century AD following its consolidation by the founding emperors Augustus and Tiberius. The performance of certain of their successors is discussed. But the emphasis is upon social, administrative and economic themes. There is investigation of how the provinces and cities of the empire were taxed and governed, and of how certain significant services were provided such as transport and supply of food staples. The nature and values of society are probed through exploration of such varied topics as the status and role of slaves and ex-slaves; the work undertaken by men and women; entertainment; and Roman funeral and burial practices. The fascinating world of Rome is likely to emerge as both less familiar, and more impenetrable and mysterious, than might have been anticipated.
Sensitive exploitation of original source material, both literary and non-literary (all in translation), is an important element throughout....
Read More... CLST355 The Athenians and their Empire Sections
The sources (literary, epigraphical and other) for Athens' emergence as one of the two leading city-states in late archaic and classical Greece and the stages by which her empire grew.
Classical Studies 355 (CLST 355 [3]): The Athenians and their Empire
The sources (literary, epigraphical and other) for Athens’ emergence as one of the two leading city-states in late archaic and classical Greece and the stages which her empire grew. Prerequisite: CLST 231.
Aims of this course:
examine the history and nature of the Athenian Empire
gain familiarity with ancient sources of the period and some contemporary scholarship
ancient and modern perspectives and representation: how history is imagined and created (affected by ideology and ontology)
the nature, objectivity and purpose of history
consider the following:
the development and nature of the empire from the 6th century BCE on
competing representations of that empire in ancient and modern sources
the empire and its effect on 5th century Greek culture
the relationship between the empire and Athenian democracy
Read More... CLST356 Alexander the Great and his Empire Sections
The rise of Macedon under Philip II leading to its domination of Greece and the overthrow of the Persian Empire by his son, Alexander; the subsequent spread of Greek civilization in the East.
"I suppose there was no race of men, no city at that time, no single person whom Alexander"s name did not reach." - Arrian,Anabasis 7.30.2.v
A study of Alexander the Great: the historical figure, his legend, and his legacy. It begins with his rise, tracing the nature of Macedonia, its culture and previous kings, especially Philip II on whose successes Alexander"s legend was built.This course first examines Alexander"s accession, campaigns and untimely death and places Alexander in his social and historical context.The second part of the course will examine the legacy of Alexander through the history of the Hellenistic kingdoms and the persistence of Greek culture in the East.This course addresses questions of cultural interaction, assimilation, and conquest through the reading of the ancient sources in order to assess Alexander"s achievements and to understand the unique place which he occupies in visions of the classical past.
Texts:
1.Romm, J. 2012. The Landmark Arrian:...
Read More... CLST360A Life and Society in Classical Antiquity - LF SOC CLAS ANTQ Sections
Topics in Greek and Roman life and society.
"Magic and Witchcraft in the Greek and Roman World". In this course we will look at the history, theory, and practice of magic in the ancient Mediterranean. Students will learn how the Greeks, Romans and others cursed their enemies, tried to get lost property back, attracted others, and fought ghosts with the aid of travelling demon-fighting philosophers, among other topics.
Read More... CLST402C Seminar in Classical Literature - SEM CLASSCL LIT Sections
Selected topics in Greek or Roman literature, with an emphasis on research. Restricted to majors and honours students in CLST, CLAS, CLAH, ARGR, GRNE, CNRS.
Instructor(s): MARSHALL, CHRISTOPHER WARREN
"Greek and Roman Stagecraft"
This course will introduce students to the range of practical considerations involved in the staging of theatre in Greece and Rome. Issues concerning performance space, music, masks, metatheatre, props, costumes, blocking, set, and choruses will all be discussed. Over the course of the semester, students will prepare two case-studies of plays (one from Classical Athens, one from Republican Rome), with short weekly assignments contributing to the final submission. Plays will be randomly assigned in the first class meeting. Additionally, we will summarize the transitions in theatre that took place between 340 and 280 BCE in the Greek world, as well as the function of theatre in the Roman empire, with particular attention to the genres of mime and pantomime. Artistic, epigraphic, and archaeological material will be used to illuminate the ancient scripts. No background in theatre is required, but students should have a willingness to undertake creative,...
Read More... CLST403A Seminar in Classical Art and Archaeology - SEM CLS ART&ARCH Sections
Selected topics in Greek or Roman art and archaeology, with an emphasis on research. Restricted to majors and honours students in CLST, CLAS, CLAH, ARGR, GRNE, CNRS.
"The Archaeology of Space and Place"
This course explores the role of built environments – from single rooms to urban landscapes – in past societies. Through participation in a series of lectures, seminar discussions, “hands-on” labs, and two research projects, students will come away with an understanding of contemporary (and past) approaches that archaeologists use to understand buildings, settlements and built landscapes. We’ll examine theories linking prehistoric and historic built environments to human and material agency, daily practice, power, identity and social reproduction, as well as concepts such as place, house and household, community and neighbourhood, cityscape, monumentality and memory. We’ll also emphasize the application of methods that can help us understand how various types of buildings affect human behavior, experience, and interaction by encoding and communicating meanings. This includes an introduction to emerging digital technologies for recording, 3D modeling and visualizing past built environments as well...
Read More... CLST403D Seminar in Classical Art and Archaeology - SEM CLS ART&ARCH Sections
Selected topics in Greek or Roman art and archaeology, with an emphasis on research. Restricted to majors and honours students in CLST, CLAS, CLAH, ARGR, GRNE, CNRS.
CNRS: Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies
Winter 2019CNRS104 Temples, Tombs, and Tyrants: The Archaeology of the Middle East, Greece, and Rome Sections
The rise of civilizations, cultural interconnections, and power dynamics in the ancient Middle East (including Egypt), Greece, and Rome (10,000 BCE - 300 CE). Archaeological methods and interpretation, and analysis of ancient artifacts in UBC collections.
CNRS370 Theories of Myth Sections
Origins, nature, and transmission of myth in the Western tradition, with particular attention devoted to the interpretation of myth from ancient times up to the present. Some background in myth is recommended.
This course will examine the origins, nature and transmission of myth in the Western Tradition. It will devote particular attention to the interpretation of myth from ancient times up to the present day. Modern theorists discussed may, among others, include Freud; Jung; the so-called "Cambridge Ritualists;" N.Frye; J. Campbell; C. Levi-Strauss; R. Girard; W. Burkett; E. Cassirer.
Prerequisites: None
Read More... CNRS449 Honours Essay Sections
GREK: Greek
Winter 2019GREK101 Beginning Ancient Greek I Sections
Classical and Hellenistic Greek, Part I.
This course introduces the elements of classical Greek, the language of Homer, Greek tragedy and philosophy, as well as of the Christian New Testament. By the end of the term you will know the ancient Greek alphabet and be able to read simple sentences in the present tense, using vocabulary commonly found in ancient Greek texts. You will read adapted Greek but also some unadapted excerpts from classical authors and the New Testament.
Prerequisites: None.
Read More... GREK102 Beginning Ancient Greek II Sections
Classical and Hellenistic Greek, Part II.
Greek 102 continues introducing the grammar of classical Greek, extending in particular the verb system, as well widening the range of vocabulary. By the end of the term you will understand several additional tenses and be able to use these in reading both adapted and unadapted classical Greek and New Testament.
Read More... GREK201 Intermediate Ancient Greek I Sections
Completion of the grammatical foundations of Ancient Greek, Part I.
This course completes most of the required grammar and syntax of classical Greek, while students continue to read both adapted and unadapted texts from classical writers, such as Thucydides and Plato, as well as from the Gospel of John from the New Testament.
Read More... GREK202 Intermediate Ancient Greek II Sections
Completion of the grammatical foundations of Ancient Greek, Part II; introduction to the reading of unadapted passages of Greek literature.
The term begins with a final wrap-up of grammar and syntax, along with an introduction into the Ionic dialect through adapted readings from Herodotus. Students then proceed to the reading of an unadapted Greek text, either in full or from a substantial part of a larger text. Texts vary from year to year, but in recent terms the texts have been chosen from Xenophon, Plato, Lysias, and Lucian.
Read More... GREK351 Reading Ancient Greek: Prose Sections
Readings in the major authors in Greek prose.
This course is designed to introduce intermediate students to ancient Greek prose literature; the selection of authors to be read varies each year, but can draw from genres as diverse as history, philosophy, biography, satire, religious texts, or even romance or early science fiction. The works to be read will be entirely unadapted but students will have the assistance of a commentary and lexicon, as well as the support of the instructor, to assist them in making the transition to reading ancient Greek texts.
Read More... GREK352 Reading Ancient Greek: Verse Sections
Readings in the major authors in Greek verse.
This course is designed to equip students with the necessary tools for independent reading of unadapted Greek texts.
Read More... GREK401C Greek Prose - GREEK PROSE Sections
Studies in history, philosophy and/or oratory. It is recommended that the corequisite course be completed prior to GREK 401.
GREK 401C/501C: "Plato and the Search for Happiness"
In this course, we’ll read two of Plato’s most influential dialogues in Greek:
1. The Apology, a version of Socrates’ defence speech at his trial in 399 BCE, including his account of his own life and philosophy. We’ll compare excerpts from Xenophon’s portrayal of Socrates, and from the orator Isocrates.
2. The Phaedrus, an essential source for Plato’s theory of literature, cosmology, philosophy of love, and ethics.
Both dialogues present images of the human good life, and the role of philosophy in cultivating happiness and well-being.
Read More... GREK402B Greek Verse - GREEK VERSE Sections
Studies in epic, tragedy and/or comedy. It is recommended that the corequisite course be completed prior to GREK 402.
GREK 402B/502B: "Homer"
Students will read from both the Iliad and the Odyssey. The selection will depend on student interest, but will center either on a theme (i.e. human/divine interaction, hospitality), a structural element (i.e. assembly scenes, direct speech), or a character (i.e. Helen; Nestor/Priam/Laertes). We will also discuss general topics such as the Homeric question, the relation of epic to the "real world", and influences on and of Homer.
Note: Students may take Greek 402 more than once, since the content varies each year.
Read More... HEBR: Hebrew
Winter 2019HEBR201 Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I Sections
Biblical Hebrew. Devised to enrich vocabulary and grammar and enhance fluency in reading and interpreting a range of biblical texts.
HEBR202 Intermediate Biblical Hebrew II Sections
Biblical Hebrew. Devised to further enrich vocabulary and grammar and to enhance fluency in reading and interpreting a range of biblical texts.
LATN: Latin
Winter 2019LATN101 Beginning Latin I Sections
Classical Latin, Part I.
Latin 101
Latin was the language of the Romans and, at the height of the Roman Empire during the first three centuries of the common era, was spoken throughout the whole of Western Europe and a large part of North Africa. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the west in the fifth century, Latin continued to be spoken in a variety of local dialects that developed through time into the modern Romance languages, e.g., French, Italian, and Spanish. Latin itself survived as the common language of educated people in Europe through the church and universities until the eighteenth century.
A knowledge of Latin is essential to the study of the history, literature and archaeology of the Romans and for a serious understanding of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe. It is also extremely useful in the study of the Romance languages as well as the English language, which...
Read More... LATN102 Beginning Latin II Sections
Classical Latin, Part II.
Latin 102 continues with the basics of Latin grammar that we began in Latin 101, and illustrates these by a series of readings adapted from the major authors of classical Latin literature. Students will be reading passages from such famous authors and works as Julius Caesar’s memoir of his campaigns in Gaul, Pliny the Younger’s first-hand account of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, and the statesman Cicero’s letters to his family.
Text (required): Susan C. Shelmerdine, Introduction to Latin, 2nd ed., Focus Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-58510-390-4
Read More... LATN201 Intermediate Latin I Sections
Completion of the grammatical foundations of classical Latin, Part I.
Latin 201 continues the study of the fundamentals of Latin grammar and syntax that were begun in Latin 101 and 102. Grammar and vocabulary are illustrated through the reading of slightly adapted texts from Latin literature, such as Livy's legends of early Rome and Julius Caesar’s account of his campaigns in Gaul as well as selections from other Latin authors.
Read More... LATN202 Intermediate Latin II Sections
Completion of the grammatical foundations of classical Latin, Part II; an introduction to the reading of unadapted passages of Latin literature and discussion of thier cultural contexts.
Latin 202 completes the fundamentals of Latin grammar and syntax and continues the reading of slightly adapted texts from the major authors of Latin literature. We then introduce students to unadapted Latin by reading Eutropius’ summary of the events of the Second Punic War from Book III of his Ab Urbe Condita, as well as selections from other Latin authors. (These texts will be supplied).
Read More... LATN350 Latin Literature of the Classical Period (Prose) Sections
Readings in Latin Prose.
Third-year Latin aims to enhance students’ skills in reading unadapted Latin and to introduce them to some of the great authors of classical Latin literature.
Read More... LATN351 Latin Literature of the Classical Period (Verse) Sections
Readings in Latin Verse.
In this course we will read ‘real’ Latin–unadapted Latin–with the help of a commentary and vocabulary list. The selected textbook is ‘A Lucan Reader: Selections from Civil War’. Your Latin will improve massively as we read excerpts from the young poet Lucan’s thrilling epic poem about the conflict between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great.
Read More... LATN401B Latin Prose - LATIN PROSE Sections
Studies in history, oratory and/or philosophy. May be repeated for up to 12 credits. It is recommended that the corequisite course be completed prior to LATN 401.
LATN 401B/501B: “Reading and Writing Latin Prose”
The aim of this course is to improve your fluency in Latin and to introduce you to a wide range of Latin prose styles along with some of the key prose texts from Latin literature. The course will do more than can be imagined to improve your grasp of Latin vocabulary, grammar and syntax and your appreciation of Roman ideas and culture. It will also teach you how to use a dictionary properly and how to think yourself into a Roman frame of mind. It is not for the faint-hearted - but the brave will benefit hugely and have heaps more fun than they expect.
The course will consist of exercises in translation into Latin along with close study of a number of important Latin prose texts from several different genres. Assigned texts will include Cicero's beautiful philosophical "Dream of Scipio" (Somnium Scipionis) from his...
Read More... LATN402B Latin Verse - LATIN VERSE Sections
Studies in narrative verse, comedy, satire, elegiac and lyric poetry. May be repeated for up to 12 credits. It is recommended that the corequisite course be completed prior to LATN 402.
LATN 402B/502B: “Virgil's Aeneid Book 12”
The aim of this course is to improve your fluency in Latin and to acquaint you with the closing book of Virgil’s epic poem, the Aeneid (studied in Latin) and with the narrative arc of the entire poem (studied in English).
The Aeneid was at the centre of European culture from Virgil’s death in 19 BCE down to the 19th century. Because of this, it influenced generations of elite men who became political and military leaders. Virgil’s story concerns Trojan refugees, fleeing from the destruction of their city of Troy (in modern Turkey) and travelling westwards through the Mediterranean, repeatedly trying to settle until they reach Italy, their destined new home, which was no more an empty land (terra nullius) than were the Americas when the European colonists arrived. Virgil’s hero Aeneas is forced to fight the indigenous peoples, and he is told that after his...
Read More... NEST: Near Eastern Studies
Winter 2019NEST301 Early Empires of the Ancient Middle East Sections
A history from 3100-333 BC with emphasis on Mesopotamia.
Instructor(s): COOPER, ELISABETH
This course provides a general introduction to the political history, culture and religion of the ancient Near East, with particular emphasis on the high civilizations of Mesopotamia (Sumer, Babylonia andAssyria). Lectures will cover major developments, from the appearance of the earliest cities in the Tigris-Euphrates flood plain up to the time of the defeat of the Persian forces by Alexander the Great. A variety of topics will be examined in order to introduce to the student the incredible richness of culture and diversity of this important part of the world. Topics include the development of the cuneiform writing system and its decipherment, Mesopotamian political ideologies, the role of royal propaganda, warfare, trade, art and architecture. The course will also discuss Sumerian and Babylonian religion and mythology, and their role in Mesopotamian society.
Text: Van de Mieroop, Marc. A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000
Read More... NEST304 Ancient Egypt: The Archaeology of the Land of the Pharaohs Sections
The material remains of the ancient Egyptians from monumental tombs and temples to the artifacts of daily life; the development of Egyptian civilization from the rise of the first rulers to its incorporation into the Roman Empire.
Egypt has fascinated both scholars and the general public since ancient times, and not without good reason. We will, of course, discuss mummies, pyramids, and famous pharaohs from Hatshepsut, the female king, to Akhenaten, the so-called heretic king and first monotheist, and Tutankhamen the "boy king" whose intact tomb was found by Howard Carter in 1922--but they tell only part of the story. Egypt is one of the earliest civilizations and, despite its eventual conquest by a succession of imperial powers, it retained many aspects of its distinctive culture over a period of millennia, influencing the art, architecture, and culture of neighbours and conquerors alike. In this course we’ll trace the rise, development, and occasional collapse, of Egyptian society from its origins in the Neolithic period through to its incorporation into the Roman Empire. In exploring ancient Egypt, we’ll look at the incredible finds recovered by archaeologists (and others) and...
Read More... NEST313 Introduction to Middle Egyptian Sections
Language of Ancient Egypt and the main literary texts composed during the Middle Kingdom.
NEST402 The Archaeology of the City in the Ancient Near East Sections
The material manifestations of urbanism in the ancient Near East, from the 4th millennium BC up to the 1st millennium BC. Credit will be granted for only one of NEST 402 or 506.
"The Archaeology of Space and Place"
This course explores the role of built environments – from single rooms to urban landscapes – in past societies. Through participation in a series of lectures, seminar discussions, “hands-on” labs, and two research projects, students will come away with an understanding of contemporary (and past) approaches that archaeologists use to understand buildings, settlements and built landscapes. We’ll examine theories linking prehistoric and historic built environments to human and material agency, daily practice, power, identity and social reproduction, as well as concepts such as place, house and household, community and neighbourhood, cityscape, monumentality and memory. We’ll also emphasize the application of methods that can help us understand how various types of buildings affect human behavior, experience, and interaction by encoding and communicating meanings. This includes an introduction to emerging digital technologies for recording, 3D modeling and visualizing past built environments as well...
Read More... RELG: Religious Studies
Winter 2019RELG101 Introduction to the Western (Abrahamic) Religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Sections
An overview of the three main western monotheistic (Abrahamic) religions, together with the concepts used in studying religion, The focus will be on the origins and representative texts along with some historical development and current experience of each religion.
This course provides an overview of the three main western monotheistic (Abrahamic) religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—together with key concepts and issues in the study of religion. The focus will be on the origins, scriptures, histories, and contemporary varieties of each religion. We will explore several dimensions of religion, including identity, ritual, history, and authority as well as features of the texts and social structures associated with each tradition. This course consists of lectures by the instructor on Mondays and Wednesdays, and discussion or tutorial sessions on Fridays led by the Teaching Assistants.
Read More... RELG201 Near Eastern and Biblical Mythology Sections
An introduction to the world of Near Eastern mythology, from the Gilgamesh Epic to the Book of Genesis and beyond.
In this course we will probe the distinct but related corpora of biblical and ancient Near Eastern “mythologies.” The focus will be on Mesopotamian literature (i.e., literary texts that are the products of ancient Iraq), though we will also examine biblical texts, particularly those that demonstrate influence from Mesopotamia. Both sets of texts shed light on the cultures that produced them, and we will explore how these texts both reveal and conceal aspects of their respective cultures. We will also consider the ways in which media (i.e., the physical material that scribes used to write these texts) and context (e.g., literary, religious, archaeological, social, etc.) contribute toward our understanding of this ancient material. Although our main focus will be on what these texts might have meant to their ancient audiences, we will also reflect on their continued influence on modern beliefs and perceptions.
Prerequisites: None
Read More... RELG203 Scriptures of the Near East Sections
An introduction to the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
This course introduces students to the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur’ān—some of the foundational texts of both western and world culture, and the sacred scriptural basis for religious traditions originating in the Near East: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—and, more broadly, the social processes, textual practices, performance modes, and ideological constructs that, in various modes of synergy, constitute the phenomenon of ‘scripture’ in religious traditions. Through close, critical readings and discussions of primary literature (in English translation), this course considers each set of texts in terms of: its contents; confessional and historical-critical theories of its contexts, composition, and canonization; relationship to the other sacred texts; and reception in later religious traditions. The culminating part of the course explores cultural issues surrounding the generation and promulgation of competing character profiles within the scriptures and interpretive traditions of these kindred religions; characters of prominent interest include: Adam, Eve/Hawwāʾ, Satan/Iblīs, Noah,...
Read More... RELG209 Eden to Exile: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible Sections
An overview of the Hebrew Bible ("Old Testament"), with emphasis on its ancient Near Eastern context; its competing religious perspectives; and its limits as a historical source.
RELG 209 Eden to Exile: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
A beginner's guide to reading the Hebrew Bible ("Old Testament") from an academic perspective, with attention to how and why it came to be in its current form.
Read More... RELG306 Archaeology and the Bible Sections
The impact of archaeological research on understanding the history and religion of ancient Israel.
Instructor(s): MONROE, MARTIN WILLIS
Over the last two centuries, archaeologists (both professional and amateur) have extensively excavated the lands depicted in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Often digging with sacred texts in hand, they have uncovered a voluminous corpus of archaeological remains related to ancient Israel, early Judaism, and Christianity. This course introduces students to the comparative study of the material and literary production of the peoples who lived in ancient Palestine, from 1000 B.C.E. to 640 C.E. We will critically examine the ways that archaeological finds can - and cannot - contribute to our understanding of the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Dead Sea Scrolls, classical Rabbinic Literature, and related texts. In addition, we will uncover the major interpretive issues that face scholars today. In each unit, following an overview of the period"s material culture, we will examine two sets of primary sources - one textual, one archaeological; critically evaluate modern interpretations and...
Read More... RELG307 Sex, Lies, and Violence in the Hebrew Bible Sections
An exploration of the Bible's "dark side," with emphasis on texts that center on sex, deceit, and murder.
For all of its accounts of angels and miracles, the Bible features a staggering number of texts that deal with “real life,” including literature that deals with sex, deceit, and murder. Most of these texts never make it into a synagogue or church sermon, though some of them are persistently (mis-)used to justify the oppression and/or exclusion of women and LGBTQ individuals. Together we will probe these texts within their own ancient contexts, emerging both with a deeper appreciation of the Bible’s “dark side” and with a more sophisticated sense as to what these texts might have meant to their original audiences
Read More... RELG317 The Origins of Christianity: Social, Religious, and Political Milieux Sections
The origins of Christianity as reflected in early Christian literature of the first and early second centuries (including the New Testament).
Instructor(s): KEDDIE, GEORGE ANTHONY
The books of the New Testament represent the diverse views of ancient authors writing in the first two centuries of our era, yet for two millennia they have empowered the thoughts and actions of individuals and communities far removed from their original historical settings. Was Jesus a liberal socialist revolutionary or a conservative tax-protestor? Was Paul Jewish or anti-Jewish? Did early Christianity empower women or marginalize them? Does the Book of Revelation vilify the Roman Empire, Nazi Germany, or contemporary globalization? These types of questions and their answers influence contemporary religion and politics, but often rest on shaky historical foundations. In this course, students analyze the books of the New Testament and other ancient Christian writings in their original social, religious, and political contexts in the eastern regions of the Roman Empire.
Read More... RELG330 The Origins of Judaism Sections
Surveys the history of Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple era, from the destruction of the First Jerusalem Temple (586 B.C.E.) to the beginnings of the rabbinic movement (200 C.E.).
RELG 330 Origins of Judaism
This course surveys the history and literature of Jews and Judaism during the Second Temple era. It covers the formative age of Judaism, from the destruction of the First Jerusalem Temple in 586 B.C.E. to the Babylonian Exile, through the Hellenistic and Early Roman ages, to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E., and ends with the beginnings of the rabbinic movement (c. 200 C.E.). This course will also provide a broad context for the emergence of early Christianity and the so-called “parting of the ways” with Judaism. We will read from an array of primary sources (all in English translation), including the Hebrew Bible, Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hellenistic Jewish writings (e.g. Philo and Josephus), and end with a taste of early rabbinic texts (Mishnah). We will also closely examine archaeological finds from the era, including inscriptions, remains of ancient synagogues,...
Read More... RELG414 The Gospels and the Historical Jesus Sections
The canonical and apocryphal gospels and the life and teachings of the historical Jesus.
The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) are the historian's main source for his portrait of the historical Jesus. The focus of this course is the examination of various genres in the Gospels - parables, trial narratives, miracle stories, and so on, in order to understand the interplay of tradition and interpretation in the early decades of the Christian movement. The student will be encouraged to appreciate each Gospel as a unified composition, and to recognize each evangelist's principles of selection, arrangement and adaptation. A careful examination of the extra-canonical sources (Gospel of Thomas, Q, Apocryphal Gospels) to determine their relevance for historical Jesus research will be another feature of the seminar.
Prerequisites: None
Read More... RELG475A Topics in Religion - TPCS IN RELIGION Sections
Consult the course registration information each year for offered topics.
Instructor(s): KEDDIE, GEORGE ANTHONY
RELG 475A/500A: "Apocalypse and Empire"
In this course, students explore the origins of apocalypticism in the clash between subjected peoples and foreign empires in antiquity—especially, but not only, between Jews and Christians and the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman empires. The first unit of the course will focus on the origins and definition of apocalypse as a literary genre and apocalypticism as an ideology while examining the views of empire in apocalyptic texts written under the Persian and Hellenistic empires (e.g., Zechariah, 1 Enoch, Daniel, Sibylline Oracle 3, and the Egyptian Potter’s Oracle). The second unit will turn to the logics and practices of the Roman empire and the apocalyptic texts it inspired (e.g., the Psalms of Solomon, Revelation, material from the New Testament gospels, 4 Ezra, Sibylline Oracle 5, and Shepherd of Hermas). The third unit will consider the reception and revision of ancient apocalyptic visions from late antiquity to the...
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