Ancient Studies

Prerequisites: the director of undergraduate studies permission. Program of readings in some aspect of ancient studies, supervised by an appropriate faculty member chosen from the departments offering courses in the program in Ancient Studies. Evaluation by a series of essays, one long paper, or oral or written examination(s).

Directed Readings in Ancient Studies.

The stories of the Greek and Roman gods and heroes are at the root of countless works of art, philosophy, literature, and film, from antiquity to the present. Many familiar phrases from the English language also derive from myth: an Achilles heel (and Achilles tendon!), a Trojan horse, Pandora’s box, and so forth. This course will introduce you to the broad range of tales that make up the complex and interconnected network of Greek and Roman mythology.

It might come as a surprise, but the ancients were obsessed with superficiality. Image, style, reputation, gossip, and slander: all were fundamental parts of the cultural and political life of ancient society, particularly in the context of the city. In this class we will investigate and historicize the phenomenon of celebrity in the Ancient World - from Classical Athens to the Roman Empire - and in particular the relationship between democratic institutions, popular politics, and the outsized role played by political and cultural celebrities in ancient society. Although celebrity is often viewed as a phenomenon projected from above on a passive audience, we will approach it as a dynamic of negotiation and contestation involving equally powerful participants: public(s) and celebrities.  We will apply a diverse range of critical methodologies in approaching these questions, and we will likewise read broadly from ancient authors both well known (Thucydides, Plato, Aristophanes) and less commonly approached in undergraduate courses (from the celebrity orator Dio Chrysostom and the enigmatic satirist Lucian of Samosata to the 3rd century dream interpreter Artemidorus). A general familiarity with the broad strokes of ancient history is helpful, but not required. There are no prerequisites.

In this course, we will look critically at the broadly-defined field of Digital Classics—the meeting point of Digital Humanities (DH) and the study of cultures of the ancient Mediterranean—from its origins in the late 1940s through to the present day. In addition to becoming familiar with a range of Digital Classics projects and gaining hands-on experience with some of the core tools that make Digital Classics possible in the present day, we will read theoretical scholarship in both Digital Classics and DH more generally, to think about not just what has been and can be done, but also what should (and should not) be done. We also will think about where (and whether!) to define the boundaries of “Classics” and the boundaries of “digital.” There are no prerequisites: it is NOT NECESSARY for students to have a background in coding or the field of Classics (although knowledge of either or both is welcome!). This course, like the field itself, is multidisciplinary.

This course is designed as an accompaniment to the Greek or Latin
play that is put on by the Barnard and Columbia Ancient Drama Group each year, though
it is open to any student interested in the aesthetics and politics of theater and drama.
Course focus and some content will rotate year to year, calibrated to serve the play or
plays chosen by the student director. We will read these and other relevant other plays or
similarly adjacent texts, as well as scholarly literature on topics centered around the body
in performance, including ancient theaters and stage space, costumes and masks,
deportment and gestures, proxemics, and so on. We will also explore aspects of ancient
drama and theatricality that relate to translation and reception, as well as inflections of
gender and status. Other topics may include the mythic background (e.g., in epic and/or
lyric), politics of aesthetics in ancient Athens, and gender-genre dynamics.
Each component will extend over three or four classes and consider the ancient
plays through readings of primary texts (in translation) and conceptual / contextual
backgrounds. There will be an additional class hour for those who wish to read the play
in the original language (signed up for as a 1-point directed reading).

Proseminar is designed to offer beginning MA and PhD students an overview of (i) the major sub-disciplinary areas that are gathered under the umbrella term ‘classics’, making it a fundamentally interdisciplinary field of enquiry, and (ii) the diverse methodologies that are standardly applied in many subfields of classical research and publication.

Proseminar is designed to offer beginning MA and PhD students an overview of (i) the major sub-disciplinary areas that are gathered under the umbrella term ‘classics’, making it a fundamentally interdisciplinary field of enquiry, and (ii) the diverse methodologies that are standardly applied in many subfields of classical research and publication.

This seminar explores the relationship between literature, culture, and mental health. It pays particular emphasis to the poetics of emotions structuring them around the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance and the concept of hope. During the course of the semester, we will discuss a variety of content that explores issues of race, socioeconomic status, political beliefs, abilities/disabilities, gender expressions, sexualities, and stages of life as they are connected to mental illness and healing. Emotions are anchored in the physical body through the way in which our bodily sensors help us understand the reality that we live in. By feeling backwards and thinking forwards, we will ask a number of important questions relating to literature and mental health, and will trace how human experiences are first made into language, then into science, and finally into action.

The course surveys texts from Homer, Ovid, Aeschylus and Sophocles to Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, C.P. Cavafy, Dinos Christianopoulos, Margarita Karapanou, Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke, Katerina Gogou etc., and the work of artists such as Toshio Matsumoto, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Anohni.

Focusing on a canonical author is an immensely productive way to explore translation research and practice. The works of Sappho, Dante, Rilke, Césaire or Cavafy raise the question of reception in relation to many different critical approaches and illustrate many different strategies of translation and adaptation. The very issue of intertextuality that challenged the validity of author-centered courses after Roland Barthes’s proclamation of the death of the author reinstates it if we are willing to engage the oeuvre as an on-going interpretive project. By examining the poetry of the Greek Diaspora poet C. P. Cavafy in all its permutations (as criticism, translation, adaptation), the Cavafy case becomes an experimental ground for thinking about how a canonical author can open up our theories and practices of translation. For the final project students will choose a work by an author with a considerable body of critical work and translations and, following the example of Cavafy and his translators, come up with their own retranslations. Among the materials considered are commentary by E. M. Forster, C. M. Bowra, and Roman Jakobson, translations by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard, James Merrill, Marguerite Yourcenar, and Daniel Mendelsohn, poems by W.H. Auden, Lawrence Durrell, and Joseph Brodsky, and visual art by David Hockney, and Duane Michals.

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Topics chosen in consultation between members of the staff and students.

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Topics chosen in consultation between members of the staff and students.

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Topics chosen in consultation between members of the staff and students.

This course will enable students to complete a research study of considerable length that will (i) enable them to explore a given area of research in substantive detail; (ii) put them on the path to true competence as independent researchers; and (iii) provide those who go on to apply to PhD programs with a substantial writing sample that shows off their technical abilities to the best advantage.

For students who have never studied Greek. An intensive study of grammar with reading and writing of simple Attic prose.

For students who have never studied Greek. An intensive study of grammar with reading and writing of simple Attic prose.

Covers all of Greek grammar and syntax in one term. Prepares the student to enter second-year Greek (GREK UN2101 or GREK UN2102).

Prerequisites: GREK UN1101- GREK UN1102 or the equivalent. Selections from Attic prose.

Since the content of this course changes from year to year, it may be repeated for credit. The topic that will be taught in Fall 2018 is Plato.

This seminar aims to provide students in the post-baccalaureate certificate program with opportunities 1) to (re-)familiarize themselves with a selection of major texts from classical antiquity, which will be read in English, 2) to become acquainted with scholarship on these texts and with scholarly writing in general, 3) to write analytically about these texts and the interpretations posed about them in contemporary scholarship, and 4) to read in the original language selected passages of one of the texts in small tutorial groups, which will meet every week for an additional hour with members of the faculty.

Prerequisites: junior standing. Required for all majors in classics and classical studies. The topic changes from year to year, but is always broad enough to accommodate students in the languages as well as those in the interdisciplinary major. Past topics include: love, dining, slavery, space, power.

Prerequisites: the director of undergraduate studies permission. A program of reading in Greek literature, to be tested by a series of short papers, one long paper, or an oral or written examination.

Prerequisites: GREK V1201 and V1202, or their equivalent. Since the content of the course changes from year to year, it may be taken in consecutive years.

This course is designed to provide incoming first-year graduate students in Classics with a small reading class that will allow a faculty instructor to assess students’ needs before they advance further into the graduate program.

Prerequisites: at least four terms of Greek, or the equivalent. An intensive review of Greek syntax with translation of English sentences and paragraphs into Attic Greek.

This seminar explores a set of interrelated ideas, puzzles, problems, and assumptions that Aristotle’s Politics presents concerning human flourishing, community, and political organization. It seeks to historically situate Aristotelian conceptions of the polis and of citizens (politai), both as products of actual circumstances in Hellenic city-states during the classical period and as responses to theoretical speculations by contemporaries such as Plato. Its overarching goal is to examine in detail Aristotle’s conception of the polis as the exclusive setting in which individual human beings can achieve their full potential as deliberators on matters of importance who exercise authority over others and are simultaneously subject to the determinations of others. We account for the assumptions and prejudgments that shape and limit his conceptions of who is able to participate in the activities of deliberation that are critical to the mature flourishing of individuals as well as the functioning of the polis. As we consider the emphases Aristotle places on political and social significance of economic factors and his interest in the individual household as a crucial building block of the polis, we investigate Politics’ sustained interest in the means by which senses of community, trust, “friendship,” and common interest are either fostered or inhibited, and its recurrent concerns for phenomena of factionalism, division, and distrust that render political communities dysfunctional. The seminar aspires to afford opportunities for thinking critically about Aristotle’s Politics and its legacy, and for considering the paths it might open up for creative engagement with the challenges we face today.

This is the first semester of a year-long course designed for students wishing to learn Greek as it is written and spoken in Greece today. As well as learning the skills necessary to read texts of moderate difficulty and converse on a wide range of topics, students explore Modern Greeces cultural landscape from parea to poetry to politics. Special attention will be paid to Greek New York. How do our, American, Greek-American definitions of language and culture differ from their, Greek ones?

Prerequisites: GRKM UN1101 and GRKM UN1102 or the equivalent. Corequisites: GRKM UN2111 This course is designed for students who are already familiar with the basic grammar and syntax of modern Greek language and can communicate at an elementary level. Using films, newspapers, and popular songs, students engage the finer points of Greek grammar and syntax and enrich their vocabulary. Emphasis is given to writing, whether in the form of film and book reviews or essays on particular topics taken from a selection of second year textbooks.

This course examines the way particular spaces—cultural, urban, literary—serve as sites for the production and reproduction of cultural and political imaginaries. It places particular emphasis on the themes of the polis, the city, and the nation-state as well as on spatial representations of and responses to notions of the Hellenic across time. Students will consider a wide range of texts as spaces—complex sites constituted and complicated by a multiplicity of languages—and ask: To what extent is meaning and cultural identity, sitespecific? How central is the classical past in Western imagination? How have great metropolises such as Paris, Istanbul, and New York fashioned themselves in response to the allure of the classical and the advent of modern Greece? How has Greece as a specific site shaped the study of the Cold War, dictatorships, and crisis?

Designed for undergraduates who want to do directed reading in a period or on a topic not covered in the curriculum.

Designed for undergraduates who want to do directed reading in a period or on a topic not covered in the curriculum.

Designed for undergraduates who want to do directed reading in a period or on a topic not covered in the curriculum.

Designed for undergraduates who want to do directed reading in a period or on a topic not covered in the curriculum.

Designed for undergraduates who want to do directed reading in a period or on a topic not covered in the curriculum.

Designed for students writing a senior thesis or doing advanced research on Greek or Greek Diaspora topics.

All supervisors will be Columbia faculty who hold a PhD. Students are responsible for identifying their own supervisor and it is at the discretion of faculty whether they accept to supervise independent research. Projects must be focused on Hellenic Studies and can be approached from any disciplinary background. Students are expected to develop their own reading list in consultation with their supervisor. In addition to completing assigned readings, the student must also write a Hellenic studies paper of 20 pages. Projects other than a research paper will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Hellenic Studies is an interdisciplinary field that revolves around two main axes: space and time. Its teaching and research are focused on the study of post-classical Greece in various fields: Language, Literature, History, Politics, Anthropology, Art, Archaeology, and in various periods: Late Antique, Medieval, Byzantine, Modern Greek etc. Therefore, the range of topics that are acceptable as a Hellenic Studies seminar paper is broad. It is upon each supervisor to discuss the specific topic with the student. The work submitted for this independent study course must be different from the work a student submits in other courses, including the Hellenic Studies Senior Research Seminar.

All supervisors will be Columbia faculty who hold a PhD. Students are responsible for identifying their own supervisor and it is at the discretion of faculty whether they accept to supervise independent research. Projects must be focused on Hellenic Studies and can be approached from any disciplinary background. Students are expected to develop their own reading list in consultation with their supervisor. In addition to completing assigned readings, the student must also write a Hellenic studies paper of 20 pages. Projects other than a research paper will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Hellenic Studies is an interdisciplinary field that revolves around two main axes: space and time. Its teaching and research are focused on the study of post-classical Greece in various fields: Language, Literature, History, Politics, Anthropology, Art, Archaeology, and in various periods: Late Antique, Medieval, Byzantine, Modern Greek etc. Therefore, the range of topics that are acceptable as a Hellenic Studies seminar paper is broad. It is upon each supervisor to discuss the specific topic with the student. The work submitted for this independent study course must be different from the work a student submits in other courses, including the Hellenic Studies Senior Research Seminar.

All supervisors will be Columbia faculty who hold a PhD. Students are responsible for identifying their own supervisor and it is at the discretion of faculty whether they accept to supervise independent research. Projects must be focused on Hellenic Studies and can be approached from any disciplinary background. Students are expected to develop their own reading list in consultation with their supervisor. In addition to completing assigned readings, the student must also write a Hellenic studies paper of 20 pages. Projects other than a research paper will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Hellenic Studies is an interdisciplinary field that revolves around two main axes: space and time. Its teaching and research are focused on the study of post-classical Greece in various fields: Language, Literature, History, Politics, Anthropology, Art, Archaeology, and in various periods: Late Antique, Medieval, Byzantine, Modern Greek etc. Therefore, the range of topics that are acceptable as a Hellenic Studies seminar paper is broad. It is upon each supervisor to discuss the specific topic with the student. The work submitted for this independent study course must be different from the work a student submits in other courses, including the Hellenic Studies Senior Research Seminar.

All supervisors will be Columbia faculty who hold a PhD. Students are responsible for identifying their own supervisor and it is at the discretion of faculty whether they accept to supervise independent research. Projects must be focused on Hellenic Studies and can be approached from any disciplinary background. Students are expected to develop their own reading list in consultation with their supervisor. In addition to completing assigned readings, the student must also write a Hellenic studies paper of 20 pages. Projects other than a research paper will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Hellenic Studies is an interdisciplinary field that revolves around two main axes: space and time. Its teaching and research are focused on the study of post-classical Greece in various fields: Language, Literature, History, Politics, Anthropology, Art, Archaeology, and in various periods: Late Antique, Medieval, Byzantine, Modern Greek etc. Therefore, the range of topics that are acceptable as a Hellenic Studies seminar paper is broad. It is upon each supervisor to discuss the specific topic with the student. The work submitted for this independent study course must be different from the work a student submits in other courses, including the Hellenic Studies Senior Research Seminar.

All supervisors will be Columbia faculty who hold a PhD. Students are responsible for identifying their own supervisor and it is at the discretion of faculty whether they accept to supervise independent research. Projects must be focused on Hellenic Studies and can be approached from any disciplinary background. Students are expected to develop their own reading list in consultation with their supervisor. In addition to completing assigned readings, the student must also write a Hellenic studies paper of 20 pages. Projects other than a research paper will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Hellenic Studies is an interdisciplinary field that revolves around two main axes: space and time. Its teaching and research are focused on the study of post-classical Greece in various fields: Language, Literature, History, Politics, Anthropology, Art, Archaeology, and in various periods: Late Antique, Medieval, Byzantine, Modern Greek etc. Therefore, the range of topics that are acceptable as a Hellenic Studies seminar paper is broad. It is upon each supervisor to discuss the specific topic with the student. The work submitted for this independent study course must be different from the work a student submits in other courses, including the Hellenic Studies Senior Research Seminar.

For students who have never studied Latin. An intensive study of grammar with reading of simple prose and poetry.

For students who have never studied Latin. An intensive study of grammar with reading of simple prose and poetry.

Prerequisites: LATN UN1101. A continuation of LATN UN1101, including a review of grammar and syntax for students whose study of Latin has been interrupted.

Prerequisites: LATN UN2101 or the equivalent. Selections from Ovids Metamorphoses and from Sallust, Livy, Seneca, or Pliny.

Prerequisites: LATN UN2101 or the equivalent. Selections from Ovids Metamorphoses and from Sallust, Livy, Seneca, or Pliny.

This course condenses the second semester of Intermediate Latin (2102) into a sixweek summer session. Its goal is to further develop reading and interpretation skills in Classical Latin through engagement with Roman authors while continuing to review the essentials of Latin grammar. In the first half of the course, we cover selections from Ovid’s epic poem, the Metamorphoses; in the second, we take up the prose writings of Seneca the Younger including selections from his Epistulae Morales and the philosophical dialogue De vita beata.

Prerequisites: LATN UN2101 or the equivalent. Selections from Ovids Metamorphoses and from Sallust, Livy, Seneca, or Pliny.

Prerequisites: LATN UN2102 or the equivalent. Selections from Vergil and Horace. Combines literary analysis with work in grammar and metrics.

Prerequisites: four semesters of college Latin or the instructors permission. This course offers an introduction to medieval Latin literature in conversation with its two most important traditions, classical literature and early Christian culture.  Illustrative passages from the principal authors and genres of the Latin Middle Ages will be read, including Augustine and biblical exegesis; Ambrose and poetry; Bede and history and hagiography; Abelard and Heloise and the 12th century Renaissance. The course is suitable both for students of Latin and of the Middle Ages.

Prerequisites: LATN UN2102 or the equivalent. Since the content of this course changes from year to year, it may be repeated for credit.

This seminar aims to provide students in the post-baccalaureate certificate program with opportunities 1) to (re-)familiarize themselves with a selection of major texts from classical antiquity, which will be read in English, 2) to become acquainted with scholarship on these texts and with scholarly writing in general, 3) to write analytically about these texts and the interpretations posed about them in contemporary scholarship, and 4) to read in the original language selected passages of one of the texts in small tutorial groups, which will meet every week for an additional hour with members of the faculty.

Prerequisites: junior standing. Required for all majors in Classics and Classical Studies. The topic changes from year to year but is always broad enough to accommodate students in the languages as well as those in the interdisciplinary major. Past topics include: love, dining, slavery, space, power.

Prerequisites: the director of undergraduate studies permission. A program of reading in Latin literature, to be tested by a series of short papers, one long paper, or an oral or written examination.

Prerequisites: LATN V3012 or the equivalent. Since the content of this course changes from year to year, it may be repeated for credit.

This course is designed to provide incoming first-year graduate students in Classics with a small reading class that will allow a faculty instructor to assess students’ needs before they advance further into the graduate program.