"Homer's Iliad" - We'll read and discuss Homer's Iliad, with particular attention to the poem's representation of war and its ethical complexities. We'll also read and discuss Simone Weil's essay "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force" and poetry by W.H. Auden, Louise Gluck, Christopher Logue, and Alice Oswald that engages with the Homeric representation of war in light of "our" modern and contemporary wars. The seminar will meet on the first seven Fridays of the spring semester (January 22-March 4, 2016).

In this course we will seek understanding of the tradition of epic poetry in the world of ancient Greece and Rome. We will devote ourselves to careful reading and thoughtful interpretation of three complicated, significant, rewarding, and entertaining epics: the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey and the Aeneid of Vergil. All readings will be in English translation. No prerequisites.

"Etruscan & Roman Painting" Also: PIERACCINI, L

The fantasy of ascending to the heavens is found in many contexts in antiquity: mythological catasterism, apotheosis of the ruler, the philosopher's flight of the mind, the posthumous ascent of the soul, the skywards elevation of fame, the soaring flight of the poet. This course explores the religious, intellectual, aesthetic, and ideological meanings of journeys to the heavens in various authors, before turning to the post-classical world, in which ancient models compete and interact with the ascensions of the Bible and of Christian eschatology. The course will also look at images of ascent in Renaissance and baroque ceiling painting.

Also: PAPAZARKADAS, N

The aims of this class are to learn to read the Greek New Testament with understanding and enjoyment. By reviewing morphology, syntax, and vocabulary, to improve the reading knowledge of Greek acquired in previous classes. We will read selected passages from the Greek New Testament, including gospels and epistles.

An introduction to the reading of Latin prose. While we will devote some of our time in and out of class to a comprehensive grammar review, the main aim of this course is to develop the student's proficiency in reading Republican prose. We will read selections from Cicero's oratorical, philosophical, and epistolary works, as well as excerpts from Varro, Livy, Pliny, and others; in all our readings, we will focus on understanding the Latin grammar, developing an effective and idiomatic translation style, as well as analyzing specific social and literary aspects of the work. There will be some English-to-Latin translation. Also: MCCARTHY, K

In this course we will study some of the lyric poems of two major authors of ancient Rome, Catullus and Horace. At the same time as we work to improve our grasp of the Latin language, we will interpret our poems critically and discuss broader issues relevant to our interpretive work. Poems by Catullus and Horace will be read in the Latin original, not in English translation. The prerequisite is successful completion of Latin 100 or equivalent.