Classics
Classics majors and minors study the language, literature, history, and culture of Greek and Roman antiquity. The department offers a wide range of topics and has strengths in Greek and Latin literature, mythology, Greek history, the ancient economy, and ancient philosophical writing. Students may also study the reception of classical antiquity in medieval through contemporary cultures by taking classical traditions courses offered by other departments. The wide range of choices includes philosophy, religion, political theory, art history, film studies, English, and comparative literature.
Classics majors may pursue a concentration in Latin, Greek, or both languages. For a classics minor, students may choose a concentration with readings in Latin or in Greek or a classical studies concentration with sources in English translation only. Additional information about classics programs and courses is available on the department website or in the department office.
The Teaching of Latin
For information about teaching careers in Latin and opportunities for mentoring and classroom observation, see the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Classics.
Study Abroad
The department strongly encourages students to undertake study abroad for a summer, a term, or the academic year at, for example, the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, the summer program at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, or Northwestern's own program Athens: Ancient Culture and Modern City. Interested students should consult with the director of undergraduate studies in fall of the previous year to ensure sufficient time to prepare applications and plan for appropriate credit toward the major.
Language Placement
Students must either complete the 100-level language sequence before enrolling in GREEK 201-1 Introduction to Greek Literature or LATIN 201-1 Introduction to Latin Literature or test into the 200-level courses. Completion of the 200-level series or permission of the instructor is a prerequisite for enrollment in 300-level language courses. Placement results may not be counted for credit toward the total number of courses required, e.g., the 6 additional courses for the major. More advanced coursework must be completed instead.
Classical Traditions Courses
Offered in departments other than classics, classical traditions courses give significant attention to ancient Greece or Rome, or to the use of Greek or Roman culture in some later tradition. They may be used to satisfy certain major and minor requirements. To determine which current courses meet the criteria, students should consult the director of undergraduate studies. Courses that have recently met the criteria include:
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| PHIL 210-1 | History of Philosophy - Ancient |
| PHIL 310-0 | Studies in Ancient Philosophy |
| POLI_SCI 301-0 | Classical Political Theory |
| THEATRE 373-1 | Acting II: Analysis and Performance |
See below for Courses with Readings in Greek, and Courses with Readings in English.
Courses with Readings in Latin
LATIN 101-1 Elementary Latin (1 Unit) Classical Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax with graded readings for translation. Course one of three.
LATIN 101-2 Elementary Latin (1 Unit) Classical Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax with graded readings for translation. Course two of three. Prerequisite: LATIN 101-1 or departmental placement.
LATIN 101-3 Elementary Latin (1 Unit) Classical Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax with graded readings for translation. Course three of three. Prerequisite: LATIN 101-2 or departmental placement.
LATIN 201-1 Introduction to Latin Literature (1 Unit) Grammar and vocabulary review. Readings in Cicero, Virgil, and Catullus; emphasis on literary analysis. Prerequisite: LATIN 101-3 or department placement.
LATIN 201-2 Introduction to Latin Literature (1 Unit) Grammar and vocabulary review. Readings in Cicero, Virgil, and Catullus; emphasis on literary analysis. Prerequisite: LATIN 201-1 or department placement.
LATIN 201-3 Introduction to Latin Literature (1 Unit) Grammar and vocabulary review. Readings in Cicero, Virgil, and Catullus; emphasis on literary analysis. Prerequisite: LATIN 201-2 or department placement.
LATIN 310-0 Readings in Latin Literature (1 Unit)
Selected topics and authors including Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Cicero, Tacitus, and Seneca.
Prerequisite: LATIN 201-3 or consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit with different topics.
Advanced Expression Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational DisciplineLATIN 313-0 Latin Prose Composition: Advanced Syntax & Composition (1 Unit) Rapid review of Latin morphology and basic grammar, followed by careful study of the syntax of Latin prose and by practice in prose composition. Prerequisite: LATIN 201-3 or equivalent.
LATIN 399-0 Independent Study (1 Unit) Individual program of study under the direction of a faculty member. For advanced students only. Permission of department required.
Courses with Readings in Greek
GREEK 115-1 Accelerated Elementary Ancient and Biblical Greek (1 Unit) This is the first in an accelerated two-quarter series designed to teach students to read ancient Greek texts, from the biblical New Testament to Homeric poetry and Platonic philosophy. These two quarters will teach all the fundamentals of grammar and vocabulary and lead students directly into a course dedicated to reading the Greek New Testament, and classical Greek texts thereafter. Usually taught in the Winter.
GREEK 115-2 Accelerated Elementary Ancient and Biblical Greek (1 Unit) This is the second in an accelerated two-quarter series designed to teach students to read ancient Greek texts, from the biblical New Testament to Homeric poetry and Platonic philosophy. These two quarters will teach all the fundamentals of grammar and vocabulary and lead students directly into a course dedicated to reading the Greek New Testament, and classical Greek texts thereafter. Usually taught in the Spring. Prerequisite: GREEK 115-1 or departmental placement.
GREEK 201-1 Introduction to Greek Literature (1 Unit) Review of basic grammar and vocabulary. Representative selections from Greek authors in their historical and cultural contexts. Prerequisite: GREEK 115-2, or departmental placement.
GREEK 201-2 Introduction to Greek Literature (1 Unit) Review of basic grammar and vocabulary. Representative selections from Greek authors in their historical and cultural contexts. Prerequisite: GREEK 201-1, or departmental placement.
GREEK 201-3 Introduction to Greek Literature (1 Unit) Review of basic grammar and vocabulary. Representative selections from Greek authors in their historical and cultural contexts. Prerequisite: GREEK 201-2, or departmental placement.
GREEK 301-0 Readings in Greek Literature (1 Unit)
Selected topics and authors including Homer, Plato, Euripides, and Greek lyric poetry.
Prerequisite: GREEK 201-3 or consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit with different topics.
Advanced Expression Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational DisciplineGREEK 399-0 Independent Study (1 Unit) Individual program of study under the direction of a faculty member. For advanced students only. Permission of department required.
Courses with Readings in English
These courses offer an understanding of classical culture and its influence in history, literature, and art. There are no prerequisites in Greek or Latin.
CLASSICS 101-7 College Seminar (1 Unit) Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and introducing skills necessary to thriving at Northwestern. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.
CLASSICS 101-8 First-Year Writing Seminar (1 Unit) Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and focused on the fundamentals of effective, college-level written communication. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.
CLASSICS 110-0 A Study of Scientific Vocabulary Through Classical Roots (1 Unit) Greek and Latin etymology in the vocabulary of the sciences. Designed primarily for science or medical students.
CLASSICS 210-0 The World of Homer (1 Unit) Introduction to the history and material culture of Iron Age Greece. Society, economy, art, and archaeology of the Greek world that gave rise to the Homeric epic. CLASSICS 210-0 and HUM 205-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both courses. Ethics Values Distro Area Historical Studies Distro Area Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro Area
CLASSICS 211-0 Greek History and Culture: From Homer to Alexander the Great (1 Unit) An introduction to the history, culture, and peoples of the ancient Greek world from the age of Homer (c. 7th century BCE) to Alexander the Great (323 BCE). Daily life; political, social, artistic, and intellectual developments. Special attention paid to Athenian democracy as well as the politics of other city-states, including Sparta. Primary sources include texts, art, and archaeology. Ethics Values Distro Area Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 212-0 Rome: Culture and Empire (1 Unit) Development and character of the Roman Republic and Empire, emphasizing political and social institutions. Roman origins of Europe's politics, religion, literature, and ideas. Ethics Values Distro Area Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro Area
CLASSICS 245-0 Classics and the Cinema (1 Unit) Analysis of how literary and social/political assumptions intersect in the reception of two related dramatic forms, one originating in 5th century Greece, the other in 20th century United States. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 250-0 Literatures of the Ancient World (1 Unit) Introduction to ancient Mediterranean literatures through study of thematically related texts from various cultures and periods and to interpretive techniques and debates about them. Content varies; may be repeated for credit with different topic. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 260-0 Classical Mythology (1 Unit) Introduction to Greek and Roman traditional narratives. Emphasis on the social, political, and religious values that they engage. Ethics Values Distro Area Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 310-0 Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean (1 Unit) Content varies; may be repeated for credit with different topic. Recent topics: The Amazons - Warrior Women of Greek Myth and History; The Archaeology of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae. Advanced Expression Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 311-SA On-Site Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean (1 Unit) Study of Greco-Roman archaeological sites and objects conducted on site as part of the study abroad program, Athens: Ancient Culture and Modern City. Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 314-0 Topics in Ancient Science and Technology (1 Unit) This course introduces students to the origins and histories of today's physical and quantitative sciences. Students gain understanding not only of the ways in which scientific knowledge has been generated and transmitted from the ancient past to the present, but also of the specific technical and quantitative methodologies through which the sciences have been practiced. Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 320-0 Greek and Roman History (1 Unit) Content varies; may be repeated for credit with different topic. Recent topics: Sophokles and Athens, The Foundation of Rome through Legends and Objects. Advanced Expression Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 321-SA On-Site Greek and Roman History (1 Unit) Study of Greco-Roman history conducted on site as part of the study abroad program, Athens: Ancient Culture and Modern City. Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 330-0 Ancient Economy (1 Unit) Introduction to the preindustrial economy of the Roman Empire, highlighting its difference from postindustrial economies. Farming, transportation, demography, urbanism, technology, trade, and economic growth. Advanced Expression Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 340-0 Greek and Roman Drama (1 Unit)
Analysis of key works of ancient drama, chiefly tragedy and comedy; their material setting in the Greco-Roman Mediterranean; ancient drama's literary and performance aspects and social, political, and economic contexts.
Advanced Expression Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational DisciplineCLASSICS 350-0 Greek and Latin Literature (1 Unit) Content varies; may be repeated for credit with different topic. Recent topics include Love in Antiquity, Roman Comedy, and Roman Literature and Imperialism. Advanced Expression Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 360-0 Origins of Greek Democracy (1 Unit) Emergence of the world's first democracies in archaic Greece, 750-460 BCE. Topics include the rise of the city-state, tyranny, Sparta, the effects of military reform, the invention of written law, and the development and consequences of democratic ideology. Historical Studies Distro Area Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Social Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
CLASSICS 370-0 Greek and Roman Religion (1 Unit) History and analysis of pagan religions of Greece and Rome and religions of the Roman Empire. Literary and material evidence; ancient and modern theories about ancient religions. Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci Ethics Values Distro Area
CLASSICS 380-0 Classical Reception Studies (1 Unit) Content varies; may be repeated for credit with different topic. This course focuses on how Greek and Roman sources (texts, images, material objects, figures, practices) have been utilized by post-antiquity actors in a variety of media, such as art, architecture, literature, music, cinema, theater, popular culture, etc. to make meaning in and for their own times (later-antiquity to contemporary times). Advanced Expression Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
CLASSICS 390-0 Topics in Greco-Roman Civilization (1 Unit) Content varies; may be repeated for credit with different topic. Recent topics: Materiality of Art and Archaeology of Roman Metals, Comparative Approaches to Ancient Empires.
CLASSICS 395-0 Research Seminar (1 Unit) Fundamental research skills through hands-on learning, and in-class work on an individual project. Students will learn how to use reference tools, allowing them to search, analyze and interpret literary texts, inscriptions, papyri and visual material. Course reflects current developments in Classics, and emphasizes digital approaches. Required for the major. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing, or permission of the instructor.
CLASSICS 397-0 Exhibiting Antiquity: The Culture and Politics of Display (1 Unit) Examination of the construction of Mediterranean antiquity through modes of reception since 1750. Analysis of programs of collecting and display and the intersection of institutional and scholarly agendas. ART_HIST 318-0, CLASSICS 397-0 and HUM 397-0 taught together; may receive credit for only 1 of these courses. Historical Studies Distro Area Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro Area
CLASSICS 399-0 Independent Study (1 Unit) Individual program of study under the direction of a faculty member. For advanced students only. Permission of department required.