Vassar College Classics Department

I. Introductory

105a-106b. Elementary Greek (1)

Introduction to the language. Readings in the New Testament and Plato.

Open to all classes; four 50-minute periods. Ms. Friedman.

II. Intermediate

215a. Fifth- and Fourth-Century Literature (1)

Authors may include Sophokles, Euripides, Xenophon, Lysias, and Plato. In addition to consolidating knowledge of grammar, the selection of passages brings into focus important aspects of Athenian culture. Ms. Holland.

Prerequisite: Greek 105-106 or by permission of the instructor.

230b. Greeks and Foreigners on the Euripidean Stage (1)

Topic for 2009-10b: Greeks and Foreigners on the Euripidean Stage. Questions of ethnicity and nationality consume much of the political, dramatic, and philosophical discourse of 5th century Athenian society. Figures like Medea, Xerxes, and Andromache well embody the varied ways in which Classical Greeks envisioned foreigners-as seductive but dangerous enchantresses, ruthless barbarian invaders, or occasionally sympathetic victims of Greek imperialism. Few genres explore these plentiful-if conflicting-archetypes so richly as the Athenian stage, particularly the plays of Euripides. Through close readings of the Medea, the Trojan Women, and the Helen, this course explores the ways in which Euripides constructs, amplifies, or subverts Greek conceptions of the exotic and the foreign. Ms. Olsen.Prerequisite: Greek 215 or by permission of instructor.

298a or b. Independent Work (1/2 or 1)

III. Advanced

Greek 301 is offered every year, 302 and 303 in alternation; the topic of 301 changes annually. Prerequisite for all advanced courses: 2 units in 200 level courses in the language or by permission of instructor.

301b. Topics in Greek Literature (1)

This course involves close reading of texts from a single genre or author or texts which have a common thematic interest. Study of the texts and of secondary material allows us to explore various features of ancient society; for example, the course might take as its topic a genre such as Greek history or comedy, the oeuvre of a single author such as Pindar or Plato, or a theme such as the depiction of foreigners, the Greek sophists, or the tradition of the funeral oration. Since the topic changes every year, the course may be taken for credit more than once.

Topic for 2009/10: Greeks and Foreigners on the Euripidean Stage. Questions of ethnicity and nationality consume much of the political, dramatic, and philosophical discourse of 5th century Athenian society. Figures like Medea, Xerxes, and Andromache well embody the varied ways in which Classical Greeks envisioned foreigners—as seductive but dangerous enchantresses, ruthless barbarian invaders, or occasionally sympathetic victims of Greek imperialism. Few genres explore these plentiful—if conflicting—archetypes so richly as the Athenian stage, particularly the plays of Euripides. Through close readings of the Medea, the Trojan Women, and the Helen, this course explores the ways in which Euripides constructs, amplifies, or subverts Greek conceptions of the exotic and the foreign. Ms. Olsen.

[ 302a. Greek Tragedy ] (1)

A reading of a play by Sophokles or Euripides. Careful study of the text helps us to understand the playwright's style. We also consider how the play examines and responds to the historical, social and political conditions of Athens in the fifth century BCE. Ms. Friedman.

Alternate years; not offered in 2009/10.

303a. Homer (1)

Extensive selections from the Iliad, the Odyssey, and/or Homeric Hymns with attention given to oral theory, thematic structure, and social issues raised by the poems. Ms. Friedman.

305a or b. Senior Project (1)

306a-307b. Senior Project (1/2, 1/2)

399a or b. Senior Independent Work (1/2 or 1)