Classics Undergraduate Courses SPRING 2027
This Spring, the Classics Department offers elementary and intermediate language courses (Latin and Greek), advanced courses in Greek and Latin, courses on Modern Greek language and culture, and courses on Classical Civilization, Classical Reception, and Hellenic Studies (in translation). In addition, the advanced reading classes in preparation for the survey are open to undergraduates upon application to the instructors. We also list courses in related areas that may satisfy departmental requirements. Please do not hesitate to contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies (nk2776@columbia.edu), if you have any questions.
Greek
GREK UN1102 Elementary Greek II/MWF 1:10-2:25/Brandwood, Steven
Prerequisites: GREK UN1101 or the equivalent, or the instructor or the director of undergraduate studies permission. Continuation of grammar study begun in GREK UN1101; selections from Attic prose.
GREK UN1121 Intensive Elementary Greek/TRF 8:40-9:55/Stine, Brett
Covers all of Greek grammar and syntax in one term. Prepares the student to enter second-year Greek (GREK UN2101 or GREK UN2102).
GREK UN2101 Intermediate Greek I: Prose/TRF 1:10-2:25/Stine, Brett
Prerequisites: GREK UN1101-GREK UN1102 or the equivalent. Selections from Attic prose.
GREK UN2102 Intermediate Greek II: Homer/TRF 1:10-2:25/Spiliotopoulos, Georgios
Prerequisites: GREK UN1101- GREK UN1102 or GREK UN1121 or the equivalent. Detailed grammatical and literary study of several books of the Iliad and introduction to the techniques of oral poetry, to the Homeric hexameter, and to the historical background of Homer.
GREK UN3310 Greek Literature Selections II: Imperial Poetry - Quintus' Posthomerica/TR 1:10-2:25/Andujar, Rosa
Prerequisites: GREK UN2101 - GREK UN2102 or the equivalent. Since the content of this course changes from year to year, it may be repeated for credit. What happened between the Iliad and the Odyssey? In this course we will read selections from the Posthomerica, the 14-book epic poem by Quintus of Smyrna written in the 3rd or 4th century CE. Quintus aims to fill the gap between the two Homeric epics, telling the story of the remaining events of the Trojan War while closely imitating Homeric diction, style, and meter. To enhance our exploration of this fascinating text – one of a few epic poems in Greek that survive after Apollonius’ Argonautica (3rd century BCE) – we will read scholarship on creative adaptation, fanfiction, and literary imitation.
GREK UN3997 Directed Readings in Greek Literature
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.
GREK UN3998 Supervised Research in Greek Literature
Prerequisites: the director of undergraduate studies permission. A program of research in Greek literature. Research paper required.
GREK GU4010 Selections from Greek Literature/TR 11:40-12:55/Ma, John
Prerequisites: GREK UN2101 - GREK UN2102 or the equivalent. Since the content of this course changes each year, it may be repeated for credit. In this course, we will look at examples of ancient Greek biographical writing, including mini-biographies in historiography; Isokrates, Evagoras; Xenophon, Agesilaos; Hellenistic honorific decrees; Plutarch; Philostratos; Diogenes Laertius. Topics of interest include the history and function of the genre, its "usability" as historical source, its conventions and limits, and its reception.
GREK GU4106 History of Greek Literature II/MW 4:10-6:00/Scharffenberger, Elizabeth
The chief aims of the Greek GU4105-4106 sequence are to improve students’ reading skills and familiarize them with some of the canonical works in the principal ancient genres, both poetry and prose, with an overview of the genres themselves. Students will also be introduced to particularly influential and/or original discussions of the primary texts in secondary literature, and become acquainted with a variety of recent methodological approaches through the secondary reading assigned each week. The course is particularly designed to help Ph.D. candidates in the Department of Classics prepare for their Greek M. Phil. translation examination, and texts will be drawn from the reading list posted on https://classics.columbia.edu/reading-list. Greek GU4106 typically focuses on prose works of the 5th-4th centuries BCE (Gorgias, Thucydides, Lysias, Isocrates, Plato, Xenophon, and Aristotle), plus later prose texts (Plutarch, Lucian, Longus) and poetic texts of the late classical and Hellenistic periods (Menander, Callimachus, Theocritus). The specific content varies from year to year, depending in part on what has been covered in the first semester of the sequence (Greek GU4105) and the preferences of instructors and students.
Latin
LATN UN1101 Elementary Latin I/MWF 10:10-11:25/Brandwood, Steven
For students who have never studied Latin. An intensive study of grammar with reading of simple prose and poetry.
LATN UN1102.001 Elementary Latin II/TRF 10:10-11:25/Krasne, Darcy
Prerequisites: LATN UN1101. A continuation of LATN UN1101, including a review of grammar and syntax for students whose study of Latin has been interrupted.
LATN UN1102.002 Elementary Latin II/MW 6:10-8:00/Stine, Brett
Prerequisites: LATN UN1101. A continuation of LATN UN1101, including a review of grammar and syntax for students whose study of Latin has been interrupted.
LATN UN1121 Intensive Elementary Latin/TR 6:10-8:00/Spiliotopoulos, Georgios
Covers all of Latin grammar and syntax in one term. Prepares the student to enter second-year Latin (LATN UN2101 or LATN UN2102).
LATN UN2101 Intermediate Latin I/TR 4:10-6:00/Brandwood, Steven
Prerequisites: LATN UN1101 & UN1102 or LATN UN1121 or equivalent. Selections from Catullus and Cicero.
LATN UN2102.001 Intermediate Latin II/TRF 10:10-11:25/Howley, Joe
Prerequisites: LATN UN1101 & UN1102 or LATN UN1121 or equivalent.
LATN UN2102.002 Intermediate Latin II/MW 6:10-8:00/Spiliotopoulos, Georgios
Prerequisites: LATN UN1101 & UN1102 or LATN UN1121 or equivalent.
LATN UN3310 Latin Literature Selections/TR 8:40-9:55/Krasne, Darcy
Prerequisites: LATN UN2101 - LATN UN2102 or the equivalent. Since the content of this course changes from year to year, it may be repeated for credit. Our only complete surviving work of narrative prose fiction from ancient Rome, the eleven-book Metamorphoses (aka Asinus Aureus) is a complexity of stitched-together tales and structural integrity, of scurrilous affairs and religious conversion, telling the story of the accidentally-assified Lucius as he tries to regain his human form. Written by the Numidian philosopher and rhetorician Apuleius in the 2nd c. CE, its precise character remains a heavily-debated enigma: Satire or serious? Near-translation of a Greek original, or an innovative reworking? Over the course of this semester, we will read most of Book 1, the central fairytale-like story of Cupid and Psyche, and a few additional highlights, along with a range of secondary literature that sheds light on various aspects and issues of the novel itself and the contemporary culture of the Roman empire under which it was composed.
LATN UN3997 Directed Readings in Latin Literature
*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.
LATN UN3998 Supervised Research in Latin Literature
*Prerequisites: the director of undergraduate studies permission. A program of research in Latin literature. Research paper required.
LATN GU4010 Selections from Latin Literature/MW 2:40-3:55/Williams, Gareth
Prerequisites: LATN UN3012 or the equivalent. The topic is Satire.
LATN GU4106 History of Latin Literature II/MW 4:10-6:00/Williams, Gareth
This course provides a survey of Latin literature. It aims to improve students’ reading skills, familiarize them with some of the most canonical works of Latin literature, afford them a sense of Latin literary history, and introduce them to modern methodological approaches. Readings are drawn from the Classics Ph.D. reading list.
LATN GR4152 Medieval Latin Literature/TR 2:40-3:55/Franklin, Carmela
This course provides a survey of the large and varied corpus of Latin writing during the Middle Ages in both highly Romanized areas of north Africa, Italy, and Spain, and in the newly established national kingdoms of France, Germany, and the British Isles. We will read examples of the principal genres of medieval Latin literature, and consider both their traditional features deriving from classical and biblical models, but also their innovations, reflecting new cultural, religious and linguistic contexts. Our reading list will include selections from the Latin Bible, Augustine, the hymns of Prudentius and Ambrose, the epic of Proba, Bede’s History, biographies of Charlemagne and of Anselm of Canterbury, the historians of the Crusades, the lyric poetry of the 12th century, the letters of Abelard and Heloise, and satirical poetry from the 13th century.
Modern Greek
Modern Greek
GRKM UN1102 Elementary Modern Greek II/MW 12:10-2:00/Kakkoufa, Nikolas
A continuation of UN1101 but new students may be placed into it, after special arrangement with the instructor. The students are expected to be able to read texts containing high frequency vocabulary and basic structures; understand basic conversations or understand the gist of more complex conversations on familiar topics; produce simple speech on familiar topics; communicate in simple tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters; write short texts or letters on familiar subjects. In parallel, the students continue to explore Modern Greece’s cultural landscape and deepen their understanding of Greek culture.
GRKM UN2102 Intermediate Modern Greek II/MW 6:10-8:00/Filippardos, Chrysanthe
Prerequisites: GRKM UN2101 and GRKM UN1102 or the equivalent. Corequisites: GRKM UN2111 A continuation of UN2101, upon completion of the course, the students are able to read simple Greek newspaper articles, essays and short stories and to express their opinion on a number of familiar topics. In addition to these skills, students will be exposed to a number of authentic multi-modal cultural material that will allow them to acquire knowledge and understanding of the vibrant cultural landscape of Greece today.
GRKM UN3180 The Century of Mikis Theodorakis: Greece from the 20th to the 21st Century through the Life and Music of Mikis Theodorakis/W 4:10-6:00/Martzavou, Paraskevi
Mikis Theodorakis's passing in 2021 marked a pivotal moment in how this great composer is seen as an agent of social and political change, not only in Greece but also in Europe and on the international stage. In this course, we will explore the life and work of the great Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis in the context of the troubled passage from the 20th to the 21st century. This course aims to be an exploration of the historical circumstances in the early 20th-century Balkans, and the way literary production, notably poetry through the work of Theodorakis, expressed and shaped the social and political struggles worldwide. The focus will be on popular culture and popular music—and notably popular song-- as a means of political struggle through everyday life experience. We will focus on popular song as an artistic creation, as Theodorakis shaped it, using poetry brought to the masses through radio and popular concerts.
GRKM GU4040 Public Humanities/T 12:10-2:00/Antoniou, Dimitris
What does it mean to bring the humanities into the public sphere? How can scholars, archivists, curators, and communities work together to produce knowledge, and what challenges does such an endeavor entail? This course invites students to explore the field of public humanities and gain hands-on experience with its aims, methods, and outcomes. The course is structured around three components: (1) seminars exploring how partners inside and outside the university can work together to make knowledge accessible and meaningful; (2) workshops in which students are introduced to the methods and tools of public-facing research, including conducting oral histories, producing podcasts, and curating online exhibitions; and (3) contributions to existing projects of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Public Humanities Initiative (SNFPHI).
GRKMUN3997 Directed Readings
*Designed for undergraduates who want to do directed reading in a period or on a topic not covered in the curriculum. Instructor permission required.
GRKM UN3998 Senior Research Seminar
*Designed for students writing a senior thesis or doing advanced research on Modern Greek/Hellenic or Greek Diaspora topics. Permission required by the director of undergraduate studies.
Classical & Ancient Civilizations, Classical Reception, and the Program in Hellenic Studies [in translation]
CLCV UN1080 Power of Persuasion, Art of Speaking Well: An Introduction to Classical Rhetoric/MW 4:10-5:25/Stone, Rosalie
Composed of three interwoven strands, this course seeks to introduce students to the dynamic traditions of speaking—and theorizing about speaking—that developed in ancient Greek and Roman cultural milieus and whose legacies continued to influence literary prose and public discourse for centuries afterward. On Mondays we will undertake a historical survey of ancient rhetoric, supplementing George Kennedy’s A New History of Classical Rhetoric with excerpted primary readings from the sources it covers. On Wednesdays we will read and analyze Aristotle’s Art of Rhetoric to examine how a rhetorical treatise from Greek antiquity interacts with evidence from rhetorical practice (or competing works of rhetorical theory!) over the period under consideration. On select Wednesdays during the semester, we will intersperse our reading of Aristotle with six “spotlighted” speeches (by Demosthenes, Cicero, Gregory of Nazianzus, Elizabeth I, Thomas More, and Frederick Douglass) that draw on and contribute to the richness of the classical Greek and Roman rhetorical tradition and its afterlives.
CLCV BC3002 Mapping Myth/MW 2:40-3:55/Krasne, Darcy
Greek mythology is inextricably bound to geography, from conceptual spaces to specific places. While their relationship is extensive and diverse, it can be divided into six main categories: the specific places that the narratives of myth were believed to have occurred; the metamorphic shaping and divine animation of landscapes; places that memorialize the events of myth in ritual; ties between the events and individuals of myth and real-world toponyms; places that myths are depicted in public and private spaces; and the harnessing and manipulation of myth in human activities and interactions, from poetic performance to civic propaganda to identity politics. In this course, we explore myth through the various spatial lenses that these categories afford, while learning to use the spatial systems software QGIS and some methods of spatial analysis. Suggested prerequisite: CLCV 1001 or CLLT S3310 or familiarity with Greek mythology.
CLCV BC3122 Classical New York/F 10:10-12:00/Andujar, Rosa
Since its establishment as a British colony in the 17th century, New York has been infused with various “classical” elements deriving from ancient Greece and Rome across many of its core features and institutions, including architecture, politics, and theater. This course will use New York City as a laboratory for thinking about the imprint and cultural capital of Greco-Roman antiquity in the modern world. We will examine a range of historical “case studies” from the 18th century to the present day that will enable us to analyze how the art, literature, and ideas of ancient Greece and Rome have been transported, adapted, and re-imagined in New York City. The course will give equal emphasis to how classical literature has been appropriated by activist and marginalized communities across the city from the twentieth century to the present. By the end of this course the students will be able to describe and analyze the distinctive traces of Greco-Roman antiquity in NYC architecture, art, and literature across a range of periods, while also being able to situate and contextualize these primary sources in their immediate historical and political context. Students will also demonstrate critical understanding of the history and culture of New York and the lives of its inhabitants across these selected periods.
CLCV GU4190 Philosophy in Classical Rome/TR 2:40-3:55/Volk, Katharina
This class provides an introduction to philosophical texts and practices of Rome's classical era (1st century BCE to 2nd century CE). Why study Roman philosophy? While for a long time, Roman contributions to philosophy were neglected and downplayed by comparison to those of the Greeks, recent scholarship has rightly stressed the vibrancy and importance of philosophy in Rome and its empire from the late Republic onwards. Even though perhaps few ancient Romans qualify as original philosophical thinkers, philosophy played a significant role in Roman culture, and knowledge of philosophical discourses is thus indispensable to our understanding of Roman society, history, and literature. Furthermore, owing to the vagaries of textual transmission, the majority of our sources for Hellenistic philosophy (most notably, Epicureanism and Stoicism) happen to be Roman, with the result that this important chapter of the history of philosophy cannot be studied without detailed attention to the Roman material. And finally, philosophical texts account for some of the most important and attractive works of Latin—and indeed world—literature. Readings will be in English translation and include works by Lucretius, Cicero, Horace, Ovid, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and others.
CLGM GU4600 Multilingual Worlds: Translation, Gender and the Greek Diaspora/T 10:10-12:00/Van Dyck, Karen
Moving between different languages and alphabets is a constitutive aspect of the diasporic experience. To remember or forget the mother tongue, to mix up two or more languages, to transcribe one writing system onto another are all modes of negotiating geographical displacement. Growing up, cross dressing, and other “Trans” actions also figure prominently. This course introduces students to literature about and by Greeks of the diaspora in Europe, the Balkans and America over the past two centuries exploring questions of migration, translation and gender with particular attention to the look and sound of different alphabets and foreign accents – “It’s all Greek to me!” Authors include Benjamin, Broumas, Chow, Conan Doyle, Kafka, Kazan, Morrison, Papadiamantis, Queen, Valtinos and Venuti. Films include The Immigrant, The Wizard of Oz, Woman of the Year and Eternity and a Day. An extra-credit directed reading is open to those reading texts in Greek and other source material languages.
CPLS GU4163 Comic Bodies/W 12:00-2:00/Worman, Nancy