Classics (CLAS)

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Explanation of Course Descriptions, Symbols, and Terms

CLAS 210 Introduction to Greek and Roman Literature (Units: 3)

Introduction to the main genres of Greek and Roman literature (e.g., epic, lyric, historiography, drama, philosophy, letters, pastoral, etc.) through close readings of select examples of each. Emphasis on the social and cultural context of these works of literature.

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.

CLAS 230 Ancient Epic Tales (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: GE Area A2.

Epic literature of the ancient Mediterranean world. Mythic and heroic themes, narrative techniques, historic and social backgrounds, and cross-cultural influences.

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.

CLAS 240 Greek and Roman Drama (Units: 3)

Introduction to masterpieces of Greek and Roman tragedy and comedy with an emphasis on close reading and appreciation of historical and performative context.

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.
  • Social Justice

CLAS 260 Greek and Roman Mythology (Units: 3)

Classical myths that furnish background material for Western literary and cultural traditions; nature, function, and interpretation of myth.

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

CLAS 280 The Ancient World in Film (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent.

Examination of how ancient Greek and Roman myth and history are represented in film, often as a way of looking critically at modern society and its values.
(This course is offered as CLAS 280 and CINE 180. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities

CLAS 410 Ancient Greek Literature (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Introduction to ancient Greek literature in its social and historical context.
(This course is offered as CLAS 410 and HUM 401. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities

CLAS 415 Ancient Roman Literature (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Introduction to ancient Roman literature in its social and historical context.
(This course is offered as CLAS 415 and HUM 402. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities

CLAS 420 Classics and the Environment (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Examination of the duality of humanity and the natural environment through Classical texts and reception. Development of the ability to analyze the origin and history of human discourses about nature in literary, social, cultural, political, economic contexts; understanding mutual dependency of human perspective and natural environment. (Not for students who have completed CLAS 421.) (Plus-minus letter grade only)

Course Attributes:

  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Global Perspectives

CLAS 430 Ancient Greek and Roman Religion (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Examination of ancient Greek and Roman religions and religious practices, including superstition from the Greek Archaic through the Roman Republic and Imperial periods. Study via primary and secondary texts, art, and material culture.
(This course is offered as CLAS 430 and HIST xxx. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

CLAS 450 The Ancient World and Video Games (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Explore the reception of the ancient world in video games; analysis of modern cultural impact and consideration and comparison to original sources; examination of ancient sources of history, text, and material culture; and modern theory, gaming environments, to explore the role in modern thought, identity, practice, and entertainment.

CLAS 490 History of Ideas in the Ancient Classical World (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

The intellectual and cultural history of the ancient classical world of Greece and Rome from its beginnings to the death of Saint Augustine. Evolution of ideas, their origins, interconnections, impact, and influence.

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities

CLAS 510 The Byzantine Empire (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: GE Area E.

The political, social, economic, and cultural history of the Byzantine Empire from 7th to 15th centuries A.D. and the relations of Byzantium with its Germanic, Slavic, Arabic, and Turkic speaking neighbors.
(This course is offered as MGS 510, CLAS 510, HIST 326. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

CLAS 530 Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Role of gender and sexuality in the ancient world. Areas of inquiry: women's bodies and social roles; homosexuality; and the socialization of adolescents into adult gender and sex roles.
(This course is offered as CLAS 530 and SXS 530. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities

CLAS 582 Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

Study of ancient Indian (Hindu and Buddhist) culture, religion, and literature. Examination of epics, plays, devotional, and love poetry from Sanskrit and other Indian languages. Examination of family, gender, and patriarchy, kingship and power, heroism, love, war, and ethics, and devotion.
(This course is offered as HIST 370 [Formerly HIST 582], HUM 582, and CLAS 582. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

CLAS 690 Editing and Publishing the Classics Journal (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: Classics majors or minors or permission of the department.

Supervised experience in editing and production of journal of student work. Credit not applicable to major/minor fields in classics. May be repeated for a total of 6 units. (CR/NC grading only.)

CLAS 699 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: Permission of the major adviser and supervising faculty member.

Study is planned, developed, and completed under the direction of a member of the department. Open only to students who have demonstrated ability to do independent work in Classics. May be repeated for a total of 6 units.

CLAS 700 Proseminar in Classical Studies: Texts and Contexts (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

Classical studies: paleography, epigraphy, numismatics, archaeology, literary criticism, and their related research tools (e.g., inscriptions, coins, papyrus manuscripts, material remains).

CLAS 701 Greek Language and Literature (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate Classics students or permission of the instructor.

Survey of the major texts, key themes, and methods at the core of the study of Greek language and literature. Overview of the ways modern scholarship on Greek language and literature has evolved methodologically and theoretically, and how other, related disciplines inform and have been informed by such scholarship. Focus extends from Homer to the authors of the Common Era. Discussion of poetry in a range of meters, prose texts, contexts of composition and performance, and audience reception.

CLAS 702 Latin Language and Literature (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate Classics students or permission of the instructor.

Survey of the major texts, key themes, and methods at the core of the study of Latin language and literature. Overview of the ways that modern scholarship on Latin language and literature has evolved methodologically and theoretically, and how other related disciplines inform and have been informed by such scholarship. Focus extends from the Roman Republic in B.C.E to the 3rd Century C.E. Discussion of poetry in a range of meters, prose texts of Late Republic to Empire, contexts of composition and performance, and audience reception.

CLAS 703 Greek Art and Archaeology (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate Classics students or permission of the instructor.

Survey of the methods, key themes, and major artifacts at the core of the study of Greek archaeology. Overview of the ways archaeology has been professionally practiced and academically organized, and how field methods have progressed into the digital age. Analysis of material culture both synchronically and diachronically. Discussion of the contributions made by the subject to the study of other disciplines.

CLAS 704 Roman Art and Archaeology (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate Classics students or permission of the instructor.

Graduate foundational study of the discipline of Roman art and archaeology, including use of primary ancient sources (in original and translation), the historical framework, epigraphy, numismatics, ceramic analysis, major Roman archaeological sites in Italy and throughout the empire, and approaches to the study of artifacts and Roman ceramics. The use of 3D reconstruction, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), typology, and data management are explored. Includes hands-on practice of academic publication and conference presentation skills.

CLAS 720 Seminar in Classical Languages and Literature (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing in Classics or permission of the instructor.

In-depth exploration of one or more authors of or themes within Ancient Greek and Roman literature. Topics to be specified in the Class Schedule. May be repeated when topics vary.

Topics:

  1. Exile & Epistolography: Late Republic,Early Empire
  2. Seneca Philosophical Works
  3. The Sophists
  4. The Greek Iambic Tradition
  5. Studies in Greek Society
  6. Architecture and Identity in Ancient Rome
  7. Plato
  8. Reading and Writing the Ancient Greek Symposium
  9. Classical Linguistics
  10. Ovid Metamorphoses
  11. The Tradition of Nature in Greco-Roman Culture
  12. Classics, Translation, and Translation Theory
  13. Plato and Greek Sexuality

CLAS 894 Community Engagement Project (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Approval of a graduate advisor and the department chair, and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies.

A field project undertaken in conjunction with a community service organization, resulting in a written paper that discusses the project's significance, objectives, methodology, and conclusions. (CR/NC/RP grading only)

CLAS 896 Directed Reading in Classics (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Approved Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms must be on file in the graduate studies office.

Supervised study of primary texts and topics in classics, based on the departmental reading list and student's special areas of emphasis, in preparation for the comprehensive oral examination. Not open to M.A. candidates selecting the thesis option. (CR/NC grading only)

CLAS 896EXM Culminating Experience Examination (Units: 0-3)

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor, committee chair, and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies. ATC and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.

Enrollment in 896EXAM required for students whose culminating experience consists of an examination only. Not for students enrolled in a culminating experience course numbered 892, 893, 894, 895, 898, or 998, (or in some cases, courses numbered 890 - see program's graduate advisor for further information). (CR/NC, RP)

CLAS 898 Master's Thesis (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies. Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.

(CR/NC grading only.)

CLAS 899 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: Permission of the graduate major adviser and supervising faculty member.

Study is planned, developed, and completed under the direction of a member of the department. Open to graduate students who have demonstrated ability to do independent work. Enrollment by petition. May be repeated for a total of 6 units.