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Classical Studies

This is an archived copy of the 2018-2019 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.iastate.edu.

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The cross-disciplinary program in Classical Studies engages students with the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome and their influence, both past and present, on western and world cultures.  The Classical Studies minor and interdisciplinary-studies major include an integrated curriculum of courses in the cultures, literatures, history, languages, archaeology, and art of ancient Greece and Rome from prehistoric times to the reign of the Emperor Constantine. Current information about the Program may be found at: http://language.iastate.edu/academic-programs/classical-studies/

Courses in Classical Studies provide a classical context for students whose major fields of study or career interests include History, Anthropology, English, World Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Women’s Studies, material culture, law, medicine, political science, the life sciences, and related fields.

Interdisciplinary Studies Major in Classical Studies

Students interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary studies major in Classical Studies should consult the Program Chair (see "Program Faculty" at  http://language.iastate.edu/academic-programs/classical-studies/) or the Academic Adviser in the Department of World Languages and Cultures (http://language.iastate.edu/students/).

A student who wishes to declare a minor must successfully complete the following requirements:

a) One of the following sets of courses in ancient language:
Elementary Ancient and New Testament Greek I
and Elementary Ancient and New Testament Greek II
or
Elementary Latin I
and Elementary Latin II
b) One of the following introductory courses:3
CL ST 273Greek and Roman Mythology (or )3
CL ST 275The Ancient City3
c) One course in ancient history (not used to meet other requirements) from those listed below or approved by the program committee (3 crs.):
CL ST 304Cultural Heritage of the Ancient World3
CL ST 402Greek Civilization.3
CL ST 403Roman Civilization.3
d) Two additional courses (not used to meet other requirements) from those listed below or approved by the program committee. One of these classes (3 crs.) must be at the 300-level or above.6
Greek and Roman Mythology
The Ancient City
Cultural Heritage of the Ancient World
Ancient Philosophy
Rhetorical Traditions
World Literature: Western Foundations through Renaissance
Christianity in the Roman Empire
CL ST 368Religions of Ancient Greece and Rome3
CL ST 372Greek and Roman Tragedy and Comedy3
Heroes of Greece, Rome, and Today
Sex, Gender, and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean World
Classical Archeology: Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Greece
Classical Archeology: Archaic through Hellenistic Greece (ca 700-30 BCE)
CL ST 376CClassical Archaeology: Roman Archaeology (ca 1000 BCE-400 CE)3
Greek and Roman Art
CL ST 384Roman Italy: An Introduction2
CL ST 385Study Abroad: Roman Italy: Building the Empire3
The Archaeology of Greece: An Introduction
Study Abroad: The Archaeology of Greece
Greek Civilization.
Roman Civilization.
Foundations of Western Political Thought
Seminar in Classical Studies
Independent Study
Readings Seminar in European History: Ancient
Research Seminar in European History: Ancient
Intermediate Classical Greek
Introduction to Classical Greek Literature
Independent Study
Intermediate Latin
Introduction to Latin Literature
Independent Study

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Courses

Courses primarily for undergraduates:

(3-0) Cr. 3.


Survey of the legends, myths of the classical world with emphasis on the principal gods, and heroes, and their relation to ancient social, psychological, and religious practices; some attention may be given to important modern theories.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(4-0) Cr. 4.


Survey of the legends, myths of the classical world with emphasis on the principal gods, and heroes, and their relation to ancient social, psychological, and religious practices; some attention may be given to important modern theories.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(3-0) Cr. 3.


Examination of ancient urban life, including historical context, physical space, material culture, religion, literature, and art; examination of civic identity (the "polis"). Contrast between the concepts of urban and rural. Examples drawn from specific ancient cities; some attention to modern methods of recovering the conditions of ancient urban life and the fundamental concept of the city in European history.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with HIST). (3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: Sophomore classification
Historical examination of art, literature, thought, and religious beliefs of major civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean countries until the end of the 8th century.

(Cross-listed with PHIL). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.

Prereq: PHIL 201
Survey of ancient Greek philosophy, focusing on the pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle. Questions concerning being, knowledge, language, and the good life are treated in depth.

(Cross-listed with ENGL, SP CM). (3-0) Cr. 3. S.

Prereq: ENGL 250
Ideas about the relationship between rhetoric and society in contemporary and historical contexts. An exploration of classical and contemporary rhetorical theories in relation to selected topics that may include politics, gender, race, ethics, education, science, or technology.

(Cross-listed with ENGL). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.

Prereq: ENGL 250
Representative works from the drama, epics, poetry, and prose of the Ancient World through the late sixteenth century. May include Homer, Aeschylus, Sappho, Catullus, Dante, Marie de France, Boccaccio, Christine de Pizan, Cervantes, and others.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with RELIG). (3-0) Cr. 3.


An historical introduction to the rise of Christianity in the Roman empire, with special attention to the impact of Greco-Roman culture on the thought and practice of Christians and the interaction of early Christians with their contemporaries.

(Cross-listed with RELIG). Cr. 3. S.


Nature, origins and development of religious beliefs and practices in ancient Greece and Rome from earliest times up to the rise of Christianity. Roles of divinities and rituals in lives of individuals and families and the governing of city-states and empires. Emphasis on historical contexts of the Graeco-Roman world and influences of neighboring cultures in Africa and Asia. None.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: CL ST 273 or CL ST 275 or one course in Latin or Greek or ENGL 250
Greek and Roman drama from the beginnings until today. Readings in English from authors such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus, Terence, Seneca. Course may cover performance, theories of comedy and tragedy, recent and current expressions of the comic and tragic in film and other media.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(4-0) Cr. 4.

Prereq: CL ST 273 or CL ST 275 or one course in Latin or Greek or ENGL 250
Greek and Roman drama from the beginnings until today. Readings in English from authors such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus, Terence, Seneca. Course may cover performance, theories of comedy and tragedy, recent and current expressions of the comic and tragic in film and other media.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: CL ST 273 or CL ST 275 or one course in Latin or Greek or ENGL 250.
Cultural and political significance of ancient epic, especially in Greece and Rome. Course may include study of the heroic code in antiquity and its modern expressions including in film. Readings in English from authors such as Homer and Vergil.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(4-0) Cr. 4.

Prereq: CL ST 273 or CL ST 275 or one course in Latin or Greek or ENGL 250.
Cultural and political significance of ancient epic, especially in Greece and Rome. Course may include study of the heroic code in antiquity and its modern expressions including in film. Readings in English from authors such as Homer and Vergil.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with HIST, WGS). (3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: Any one course in Cl St, W S, Latin, or Greek
Chronological and topical survey of the status of women and men, focusing on sex and gender issues in the Ancient Mediterranean world; study of constructs of the female and the feminine. Readings from ancient and modern sources. Emphasis on ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with ANTHR). (3-0) Cr. 3.


Chronological survey of the material culture of the ancient Greece-Roman world and the role of archaeological context in understanding the varied aspects of ancient Greek or Roman culture. Among other topics, economy, architecture, arts and crafts, trade and exchange, religion and burial customs will be explored.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with ANTHR). (3-0) Cr. 3.


Bronze Age (Minoan and Mycenaean palatial cultures) and Early Iron Age Greece. (ca 3000-700 BCE). Chronological survey of the material culture of the ancient Greece-Roman world and the role of archaeological context in understanding the varied aspects of ancient Greek or Roman culture. Among other topics, economy, architecture, arts and crafts, trade and exchange, religion and burial customs will be explored.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with ANTHR). (3-0) Cr. 3.


Chronological survey of the material culture of the ancient Greece-Roman world and the role of archaeological context in understanding the varied aspects of ancient Greek or Roman culture. Among other topics, economy, architecture, arts and crafts, trade and exchange, religion and burial customs will be explored.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with ANTHR). (3-0) Cr. 3.


Chronological survey of the material culture of the ancient Roman world and the role of archaeological context in understanding the varied aspects of ancient Roman culture. Among other topics, economy, architecture, arts and crafts, trade and exchange, religion and burial customs will be explored.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with ART H). (3-0) Cr. 3.


Greek art from Neolithic to Hellenistic periods. Roman art from the traditional founding to the end of the empire in the West.

(Cross-listed with ART H). (3-0) Cr. 3-4.


Greek art from Neolithic to Hellenistic periods. Roman art from the traditional founding to the end of the empire in the West.

(Cross-listed with HIST). Cr. 2. Repeatable, maximum of 4 credits.

Prereq: Enrollment limited to students participating in CL ST 385/HIST 385. Instructor permission required.
Introduction to the topography, history, archaeology, monuments, and art of Rome from the Regal period through late Antiquity; attention given to the culture of modern Italy, preparatory to study abroad in Rome.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with HIST). Cr. 3. Repeatable, maximum of 6 credits.

Prereq: CL ST 384/HIST 384 and instructor’s permission.
Supervised on-site instruction in the history, archaeology, monuments, and art of Rome and environs from the 8th center BCE to the 5th century CE; attention given to the culture of modern Italy.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(2-0) Cr. 2. Repeatable, maximum of 4 credits. S.


Introduction to the topography, history, archaeology, monuments and art of Greece from the Bronze Age through the Ottoman period; attention given to the culture of modern Greece, preparatory to study abroad in Greece (CL ST 395).
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

Cr. 2-6. Repeatable, maximum of 9 credits. SS.

Prereq: CL ST 394
Supervised on-site instruction in the archaeology, monuments, and art of Greece from the Bronze Age through the Ottoman period; attention given to the culture of modern Greece.
Meets International Perspectives Requirement.

(Cross-listed with HIST). (3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: Sophomore classification
Ancient Greece from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period; evolution of the Greek polis and its cultural contributions with a particular emphasis on the writings of Herodotus and Thucydides.

(Cross-listed with HIST). (3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: Sophomore classification
Ancient Rome from the Regal Period to the Fall of the Western Empire; evolution of Roman institutions and Rome's cultural contributions studied through original sources.

(Dual-listed with CL ST 530). (Cross-listed with POL S). (3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: 6 credits in political science, philosophy, or European history
Study of original texts in political thought ranging from the classical period to the renaissance. Topics such as justice, freedom, virtue, the allocation of political power, the meaning of democracy, human nature, and natural law.

(3-0) Cr. 3. Repeatable, maximum of 9 credits.

Prereq: 30 credits in Classical Studies or related courses, permission of Program Chair
Advanced study of a selected topic in Classical Studies. Research paper or project selected by the student.

Cr. 1-6. Repeatable, maximum of 9 credits.

Prereq: 7 credits in classical studies at the 200 level or higher; permission of the Program Chair
Designed to meet the needs of students who wish to study specific topics in classical civilization in areas where courses are not offered, or to pursue such study beyond the limits of existing courses.

Courses primarily for graduate students, open to qualified undergraduates:

(3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: Permission of instructor.
Readings in European history.

(Cross-listed with HIST). (3-0) Cr. 3. Repeatable.

Prereq: Permission of instructor
Readings in European history.

(Dual-listed with CL ST 430). (Cross-listed with POL S). (3-0) Cr. 3.

Prereq: 6 credits in political science, philosophy, or European history
Study of original texts in political thought ranging from the classical period to the renaissance. Topics such as justice, freedom, virtue, the allocation of political power, the meaning of democracy, human nature, and natural law.

(3-0) Cr. 3. Repeatable.

Prereq: Permission of instructor
Topics vary each time offered.

(Cross-listed with HIST). (3-0) Cr. 3. Repeatable.

Prereq: Permission of instructor
Topics vary each time offered.