Knowledge of Greek and Latin is NOT required for these courses, and students majoring in other fields are encouraged to enroll. Tulane's Language Learning Center has language-specific instructions for placement testing, information about and registration for proficiency testing, links to presentation recordings, and more.
Use this list as a guide, but please verify all questions with our Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Classics (CLAS)
CLAS 1010 The Rise of Rome (3)
This course traces the history of Rome from its earliest foundations to the fall of the Roman republic. While learning about major historical events, we will also explore various aspects of Roman cultural and social history. Topics for discussion include politics, social status, gender roles, religion, warfare, murder and conspiracy, and ancient spectacle. No prerequisites. (Note: Not open to senior history majors)
CLAS 1030 The Greeks (3)
This course offers an introduction to the literature, history, culture, art and architecture of the ancient Greeks. Focusing on Greeks living throughout the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age down to the Hellenistic Period, the course is organized around targeted investigations that explore important aspects of ancient Greek civilization such as colonial expansion, the invention of alphabetic writing, the birth of drama, etc. The aim of the course is not to be exhaustive, but rather to introduce students to the study of antiquity. We will regularly delve into scholarly debate, consider what kinds of evidence underlie our knowledge, and examine the limits of interpretation all while developing our familiarity with the ancient Greeks.
CLAS 1040 Mythology (3)
This course will introduce you to the gods, heroes, and monsters of Greek and Roman mythology. The focus of the course involves reading and discussing selected works of ancient Greek and Roman literature in English translation, but we will also move beyond these narratives to examine how the Greeks and Romans portrayed their myths in other media, including art and architecture.
CLAS 2310 Tyrants & Democrats Anc Greece (3)
This course examines the origins and characteristics of basic Greek forms of government in their historical context, concentrating on tyranny and democracy in the archaic and classical periods. The course stresses the development of Greek political institutions and political thought.
CLAS 2400 Ancient Medicine (3)
This course traces the evolution of the practice of medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome via a multitude of ancient literary, documentary, and material sources. Topics include medicine in mythology, theories of medicine, pharmacology, military medicine, medical tools, women's health, and physicians in society. Students will not only gain a knowledge of the foundation of medicine, but also better understand the practice of medicine as it exists today through guest lectures and a field trip to the Pharmacy Museum in the French Quarter.
CLAS 3120 Etruscans & Early Rome (3)
From the Late Bronze Age until their assimilation into the Roman world, the Etruscans were building cities, decorating tombs, and establishing trade networks at home and abroad. While their literature and written history are lost, their extensive material culture survives. In this course, students will learn how to examine a culture known primarily from its artifacts and discover how it influenced early Rome.
CLAS 3170 Greek Art & Archaeology (3)
In this course, we will explore the archaeological remains and the development and use of specific artistic trends of the ancient Greek culture. Human inhabitation of Greece left the remains of a rich and complex society, with grandiose public architecture, elaborate vase painting, and a legacy that still lives on. Working together as a class, we will explore how to use these material remains to find the Greeks, interpret their lives, and understand their choices and the impact they had on their culture. By studying a variety of archaeological remains, from pottery to art and architecture, we will bring the Greeks back to life, in class, with us! We will cover aspects of Greek political organization, trade and contact with other civilizations in the ancient Mediterranean, funerary habits. At the same time, we will be discussing about our modern approach to the study of the Greeks, focusing on the use of art and archaeology in politics and propaganda, current problems and controversies in Greek archaeology, archaeological methods, and issues of archaeological ethics.
CLAS 4180 Knossos (4)
This seminar features topics in Greek art and archaeology where the analysis of material culture and what it can illuminate about Greek society are emphasized. Methods and scholarship from the social sciences are included. Students should expect to do close readings of second scholarship and perform independent research. Topics in this seminar may include Greek Pottery, Greece in the Iron Age, and Topics in Aegean Prehistory.
CLAS 4900 Utopia: Greece and America (4)
“Utopia” – that elusive, perfect society – has captivated people’s imaginations for at least three millennia, but was especially popular in the ancient Mediterranean and the early modern Atlantic world. This seminar investigates the literary, social, and political dimensions of such imaginary societies by surveying some of the genre’s most emblematic texts from Plato and Aristophanes to Thomas More’s Utopia and Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World. We will explore the ways in which producing alternate versions of reality fits into a broader discourse on important social issues such as gender, class, ethnicity, nationality, and politics. Students will develop research projects on a utopian/dystopian work (literary or cinematic) of their choosing alongside one of the core texts studied in class. This course can be used to fulfill the Tier-2 Writing Requirement and counts toward concentrations in Latin American Studies.
Greek (GREK)
GREK 1010 Elementary Greek (4)
The study of ancient Greek language offers students an exciting opportunity to gain a nuanced sense of how language works as well as develop the skills to read Homer, Plato, the New Testament, etc. without the filter of translation. Designed to get students reading Attic Greek with facility, this course follows a grammar-based approach that moves students from learning the alphabet to reading real Greek as quickly as possible.
GREK 2030 Attic Prose (4)
This course focuses on reading selections from a range of prose authors, e.g., Plato, Herodotus, Xenophon. In addition to improving their proficiency in reading Greek, students develop further familiarity with prose styles and begin to acquire skills in literary, historical, or philosophical analysis.
GREK 4060 Greek Historians (3)
This course offers students an in-depth study of one or more major figures in the Greek historiographical tradition, e.g., Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon.
Latin (LATN)
LATN 1010 Elementary Latin (4)
In this course, students learn the fundamentals of Latin grammar and syntax so that they can begin reading snippets of Latin literature.
LATN 2030 Intro to Latin Literature (4)
This course provides an introduction to Latin prose and poetry through readings from some of the great works of Latin literature. While reading a broad selection of Latin texts, we will consider how Roman literature evolved along with the changing culture and politics of the city. We will also learn about important authors, historical figures, and events that you are likely to encounter again later in your studies. The class emphasizes precise and accurate translation, vocabulary building, and grammatical understanding.
LATN 4130 Rom Historians of the Republic (3)
Readings in Livy's History or Sallust's Catiline and Jugurtha.