Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Classics
Courses of Instruction
Classics (CLAS)
The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.
Knowledge of Greek or Latin not required for courses numbered 499 and below.
CLAS 101g The Ancient World (4, FaSpSm) (Enroll in HIST 101g)
CLAS 150g The Greeks and the West (4, Fa) A historical and cultural survey of ancient Greece, 1100–300 BCE. Emphasis will be on the reading and interpretation of literary texts, with extensive use of visual matter.
CLAS 151g Civilization of Rome (4, Sp) Studies of Roman civilization through the major literary works of ancient Rome. All reading in translation.
CLAS 202 Archaeology: Our Human Past (4) (Enroll in ANTH 202)
CLAS 212L Archaeology: Interpreting the Past (4, Sp) Methods and techniques employed in modern archaeological research, including the tools and principles of allied scientific fields and the impact of analytical and technological advances.
CLAS 280g Classical Mythology (4, FaSp) Origin, development, and transmission of mythology in Greek and Latin literature, with parallels from other traditions.
CLAS 300 Women in Antiquity (4) Theoretical approaches to women’s history; evidence for the daily life, legal status, and religion of ancient Greek and Roman women; the female in literature and art.
CLAS 301abcd Cross Registration with UCLA (21/2-21/2-21/2-21/2)
CLAS 305 Roman Law (4) History and elements of Roman law, including persons, property, obligations, and inheritance, in context of social structure (family, gender, class, slavery, empire). Recommended preparation: CLAS 151 or HIST 101.
CLAS 307 Law and Society in Classical Greece (4) Investigations of the legal culture of classical Greece, focusing on regulation of social practices and on the role of social values in defining crime.
CLAS 310 Pagans and Christians (4) The Christian reception and transformation of pagan religious and philosophical thought.
CLAS 315 Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World (4, FaSp) The role of athletic training and competition in ancient society, from the Greek Olympic games to Roman gladiatorial combat and modern recreations.
CLAS 320gm Diversity and the Classical Western Tradition (4, Sp) Political, ethical, and ideological aspects of classical Western attitudes towards human diversity. Relationship between classical tradition and contemporary discussions of diversity and unity.
CLAS 321 Greek Art and Archaeology (4, Fa) (Enroll in AHIS 321)
CLAS 322 Roman Art and Archaeology (4, Sp) (Enroll in AHIS 322)
CLAS 323 Aegean Archaeology (4, FaSp) Survey of the Bronze Age Aegean societies of Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece; emphasis on archaeological theory and method in a prehistoric context.
CLAS 324 Late Antique Art and Archaeology (4) Investigation of the transformation between classical antiquity and the middle ages through examination of cities, buildings, images and artifacts of the 3rd–8th-century Mediterranean.
CLAS 325 Ancient Epic (4) Representative epics of the Greek and Roman world; development of the character of the hero; later influences.
CLAS 328 Archaeology of Religion in the Greco-Roman World (4) Examination of ancient objects, images and archaeological sites as evidence for religious practice and ideas about the sacred in the Greco-Roman world. Recommended preparation: AHIS 120, AHIS 201.
CLAS 333 Cult and City in Ancient Greece (4) Explores the relationship between civic and religious institutions in ancient Greece: city planning, warfare, mystery cults, drama, sacrifice, and women’s rituals.
CLAS 337 Ancient Drama (4) Tragedies and comedies of the ancient world; later influences.
CLAS 338 Warfare, State, and Society in the Ancient World (4) War, warriors, and their relationship to politics and culture in the ancient world. Mobilization, socioeconomic status of soldiers, discipline, organization, and hierarchy. Memory of war.
CLAS 339 Ancient Science (4) Cross-cultural investigation of aims, origins, and transmission of various scientific traditions in antiquity. Relationship between science and philosophy, scientific thought and practice.
CLAS 340 Ethics and Politics in Ancient Rome (4) Introduction to ethical and political thought of classical Roman writers. Relationship between theory and practice. Implications for contemporary society. Recommended preparation: Basic familiarity with Roman history.
CLAS 348 The Athenian Century (4) Democratic concepts and values of fifth century B.C. Athens utilizing rhetorical, historical, dramatic, and biographical sources.
CLAS 349g Ancient Empires (4, FaSpSm) History and cultures of the ancient empires of southwest Asia, from Cyrus the Great to the establishment of Islam. (Duplicates credit in former CLAS 149g.)
CLAS 360 Classical Arabic Literature in Translation (4, Irregular) Introduction to Classical Arabic literature and culture of the period 500 to 1500 A.D. Focus on continuity of ancient traditions in Arabic. In English translation.
CLAS 370 Leaders and Communities: Classical Models (4, FaSp) Examination of political and moral leadership in classical republican, democratic, and imperial communities; consideration of how these models are useful to contemporary democracies.
CLAS 375 Alexander the Great: Leadership, Personality and World Conquest (4) Ancient sources on Alexander’s life, personality and conquests. Modern evaluations of his achievements as a prototype for autocracy and empire-building from antiquity to today.
CLAS 378 Ptolemaic Egypt (4) Social, cultural, and political history of Egypt from Alexander to Cleopatra; state formation; immigration and cultural interaction between ethnic groups.
CLAS 380 Approaches to Myth (4) Advanced study of uses and interpretations of myth. Approaches include myth and ritual; psychology; gender; myth in literature, film and art. Recommended preparation: CLAS 280.
CLAS 390 Special Problems (1–4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
CLAS 401abcd Cross Registration with UCLA (21/2-21/2-21/2-21/2)
CLAS 410ab Research in Classical Studies (2–2) (a) Current approaches to study of the ancient world. Research methods and resources. (b) Supervised independent research and writing of project developed in CLAS 410a. Open only to Classics majors.
CLAS 415 Object-Worlds: Histories and Theories of Things (4) (Enroll in AHIS 415)
CLAS 425 Interdisciplinary Studies in Classical Art and Archaeology: Research and Methodology (4, max 8, Irregular) (Enroll in AHIS 425)
CLAS 454 Classical Arabic (4, max 20, FaSp) (Enroll in MDES 454)
CLAS 461 Topics in Ancient Iranian Languages and Cultures (4, max 20) (Enroll in MDES 461)
CLAS 465 Archaeology and Society (4, FaSpSm) The interaction of archaeology and contemporary societies through political and moral claims; archaeologists’ role as stewards and interpreters of ancient cultures and their remains. Capstone course for the Interdisciplinary Archaeology major. Recommended preparation: background in archaeology, classics, or related field.
CLAS 470 Democracies Ancient and Modern (4) Democratic and republican governments in Athens and Rome; their influence on republicanism in early modern Italy and 18th-century America; their relevance for contemporary democracies.
CLAS 485 Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin (4) A systematic comparative and historical linguistic study of the phonological, morphological and syntactic components of the grammars of the ancient Greek and Latin languages.
CLAS 490x Directed Research (1–8, max 12) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.
CLAS 495x Honors Research (4) Individual research for honors in the major leading to a substantial paper or other project. Not open to graduate students.
CLAS 499 Special Topics (2–4, max 8)
All of the following courses require a knowledge of Greek or Latin.
CLAS 500 Proseminar (2, Sp) Introduction to classical scholarship; research methods; bibliography.
CLAS 501abcd Cross Registration with UCLA (21/2-21/2-21/2-21/2) Special studies in selected areas of classical civilization and literature.
CLAS 510 Seminar in Classical Philology (4, 3 years, Fa) Close study of the Greek and Latin languages and linguistic theory.
CLAS 511 Sanskrit I (4) Introduces the student to the fundamentals of Sanskrit grammar, the ancient Indo-European language most closely related to Greek.
CLAS 512 Sanskrit II (4) Completes the acquisition of the fundamentals of Sanskrit grammar and enables the student to read a variety of Vedic and classical Sanskrit texts.
CLAS 515 Topics in Classical Scholarship (4, 3 years, Fa) Intensive study of individual authors, genres, periods, or areas of classical scholarship.
CLAS 520 Approaches to Antiquity (4, 3 years, Sp) Study in the history and theory of classical scholarship.
CLAS 525 Studies in Ancient and Pre-Modern Cultures (4, 3 years, Sp) Investigation of cultural interaction among Greeks, Romans and other ancient peoples. Includes a comparative study of pre-modern cultures.
CLAS 540 Seminar in Early Greek Literature (4, 3 years, Fa) Homer through Aeschylus.
CLAS 545 Seminar in Theoretical Approaches to Greek Culture and Literature (4, 3 years, Fa) Introduces students to the study of Greek culture and to the range of theories useful for modeling that culture and its literature.
CLAS 550 Seminar in Classical and Hellenistic Literature (4, 3 years, Sp) Tragic poetry, comic poetry, Hellenistic poetry.
CLAS 555 Seminar in Greek History, Culture, and Society (4, 3 years, Sp) Develops a historical framework for Greek culture from the Mycenaean period through the Hellenistic world. Emphasis on prose texts: historians, philosophers, orators.
CLAS 560 Seminar in Republican Latin Literature (4, 3 years, Fa) Early Latin literature through Virgil.
CLAS 565 Seminar in Theoretical Approaches to Roman Culture and Literature (4, 3 years, Fa) Introduces students to the study of Roman culture and to a range of theories useful for modeling that culture and its literature.
CLAS 570 Seminar in Imperial Latin Literature (4, 3 years, Sp) Latin literature from the Augustan period to that of the Antonines.
CLAS 575 Seminar in Roman History, Culture, and Society (4, 3 years, Sp) Introduces students to research in Roman history and historiography.
CLAS 590 Directed Research (1–12, FaSp) Research leading to the master’s degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
CLAS 593 Practicum in Teaching the Liberal Arts (2, FaSp) (Enroll in MDA 593)
CLAS 594abz Master’s Thesis (2-2-0, FaSp) Credit on acceptance of thesis. Graded IP/CR/NC.
CLAS 599 Special Topics (2–4, max 8, FaSpSm) Special topics in classical language, literature and culture.
CLAS 790 Research (1–12) Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
CLAS 794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0, FaSp) Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.
Greek (GR)
GR 120 Greek I (4, FaSp) Essentials of classical Greek grammar and vocabulary.
GR 150 Greek II (4, FaSp) Essentials of classical Greek grammar and vocabulary, continued. Basic reading skills. Prerequisite: GR 120.
GR 220 Greek III (4, FaSp) Reading Greek literature. Introduction to reading and translation of classical Greek prose and poetry. Extensive grammar review. Prerequisite: GR 150.
GR 345 Greek Tragic Poets (4) Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
GR 353 Plato (4) Readings from the Republic or other dialogues.
GR 354 Greek Historians (4) Selections from such representative historians as Herodotus and Thucydides.
GR 355 Aristophanes (4) A study of at least three comedies.
GR 362 Homer and the Greek Epic (4) Selections from the Iliad and/or Odyssey. Problems of oral composition and transmission.
GR 365 Greek Lyric Poetry (4) Readings from Archilochus, Sappho, Alcaeus, Pindar, and other lyric poets. Prerequisite: GR 220.
GR 375 Plutarch (4) Readings of selected works by the Greek author Plutarch. Prerequisite: GR 220.
GR 390 Special Problems (1–4, FaSp) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
GR 450 Readings in Greek Literature (4, max 12) Readings in various authors and genres of Greek literature. Prerequisite: 300-level Greek course.
GR 490x Directed Research (1–8, max 12, FaSp) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.
GR 499 Special Topics (2–4, max 8)
Latin (LAT)
LAT 020x Latin for Research (2) For students who wish to use Latin in their research, or who need help in meeting the reading requirement for the Ph.D. Not available for degree credit.
LAT 120 Latin I (4, FaSp) Essentials of Latin grammar and vocabulary.
LAT 150 Latin II (4, FaSp) Essentials of Latin grammar and vocabulary, continued. Basic reading skills. Prerequisite: LAT 120.
LAT 222 Latin III (4, FaSp) Reading Latin literature. Introduction to reading and translation of classical Latin prose and poetry. Extensive grammar review. Prerequisite: LAT 150.
LAT 310 Latin Elegiac Poetry (4, Irregular) Selected poems of Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid; meter, style, and themes. Prerequisite: LAT 313, LAT 314, LAT 315, or LAT 316.
LAT 312 Roman Satire (4, Irregular) Selected satires of Horace and Juvenal; history of the genre.
LAT 313 Ovid and Classical Mythology (4) Selections from the Metamorphoses and Fasti; collateral reading on classical mythology.
LAT 314 Catullus and Horace (4) Selected poems of Catullus and Odes of Horace.
LAT 315 Cicero (4) Representative philosophical, oratorical, and rhetorical works; selected letters.
LAT 316 Roman Comedy (4) Selected plays of Plautus and Terence.
LAT 320 Vergil (4) Studies in the Aeneid or Eclogues and Georgics.
LAT 322 Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura (4) The didactic epic as a vehicle of Epicurean philosophy.
LAT 325 Roman Historians (4) Readings from Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus. Prerequisite: LAT 222 or satisfactory completion of placement test.
LAT 365 Latin Literature of the Silver Age (4) Readings in Seneca, Martial, Pliny, and other representative writers.
LAT 385 Late and Medieval Latin (4) Selections from poets and prose writers from late antiquity to the 15th century.
LAT 390 Special Problems (1–4, FaSp) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
LAT 450 Readings in Latin Literature (4, max 12, FaSp) Readings in various authors and genres of Latin literature. Prerequisite: 300-level Latin course.
LAT 490x Directed Research (1–8, max 12, FaSp) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.
LAT 499 Special Topics (2–4, max 8)