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 1050 The Romans (3)
The Romans focuses on the social and cultural history of the ancient Roman world. We will examine Roman identity, institutions, society, technology, architecture, religion, and other aspects of Roman life using a variety of Roman texts alongside examples of material culture (i.e., archaeological objects, architecture, and art). The texts used in this course include excerpts of literary and historical works as well as inscriptions and graffiti.
CLAS 2330 Alexander the Great (3)
Alexander the Great (356-323) is justifiably one of the most celebrated figures of antiquity. Conquering all of the Greek world and Asia from the Mediterranean to the Indus River in Pakistan by the age of 30, he unquestionably changed the world, bringing Greeks, Macedonians, Persians, Egyptians and Jews into close contact and exchange. But who was the historical Alexander? Was he a charismatic strategist, a genius and visionary? Or a paranoid, alcoholic, and violent megalomaniac who brought about the end of his dynasty and left his empire, and much of the world, in chaos? Many wrote about his life in exploits, but the problematic nature if the ancient sources presents serious difficulties in reconstructing an account of the 'historical' Alexander. We will explore various genres (history, fiction, myth, biography) and sources (literary, visual, archaeological) to analyze critically the sources and uses of Alexander in various periods and places of history.
CLAS 2600 The Classical World in Film (3)
This interdisciplinary course investigates the use of themes from classical history, literature, and mythology in modern cinematography. Its focal point is the artistic appropriation of these themes in service of a fresh literary and cinematic vision. Films with classical themes are viewed as a part of the process of creative imitation and reinvention of a “classic”. Each segment of the course discusses a specific theme, starting with the thorough analysis of the relative ancient texts and material culture/archaeology. Reading assignments will include selections from Greek and Roman, such as epic, tragedy, history, lyric poetry, philosophy, and novel. The readings will be flanked by a selection of movies and clips that show modern adaptations of the same theme discussed in the readings.
CLAS 3060 Greek Drama (3)
In this class, we will read several ancient plays (in English translation) written in 5th century BCE Athens alongside a series of 20th and 21st century plays from Nazi-occupied France, apartheid-era South Africa, and Nigeria (during the Iraq War) that draw on these ancient plays for inspiration in radically different political and cultural climates.
CLAS 3090 Law & Society In Ancient Rome (3)
In this course we will focus on the law of the Roman family, covering such topics as personal status, marriage, divorce, and inheritance, as well as the situation of women and children within the Roman family.
CLAS 3160 The Aegean Bronze Age (3)
The civilizations that populated the Aegean during the Bronze Age were later remembered in mythology, fabulous tales, and epic poetry. Homer sang about the cultural wealth of those earlier kingdoms, from Crete to Mainland Greece. This course offers you the chance to explore their rich and varied archaeological remains. From the majestic palaces to the elaborate frescoes, the decorated pottery, the administrative records, and other material evidence, we will reconstruct the life and activities of the populations of the Aegean from the beginning to the end of the Bronze Age. In our journey, we will also stop and discuss the archaeological methodologies and the current topics of investigation on the Aegean Bronze Age.
CLAS 3180 Roman Art & Archaeology (3)
The Roman Empire encompassed the entire rim of the Mediterranean Sea and much of western Europe. This course will undertake an intensive analysis of the material culture of ancient Rome through its art and archaeology. In successfully completing the semester, you will gain a thorough knowledge of the art and archaeology of ancient Rome and its world, focusing especially on changes through time and on the political, social, and economic developments that are illuminated by material remains. We will also discuss current issues related to Roman antiquities and the preservation of world cultural heritage. Working together as a class, we will learn how to use the archaeological record to reconstruct the past, while at the same time examining our own culture and its role in human history.
CLAS 3230 Ancient Christianity (3)
In this course we examine the development of Christianity in the Roman Empire during the first four centuries CE. We will consider both the development of the Church from its beginnings as a religious movement to its becoming one of the dominant institutions in the Roman Empire. We will investigate how the Church gained converts, how it was structured, the relationship between orthodox Christianity and ‘heresies,’ the Church's conflicts with the Roman Empire, and the changes in the Church resulting from the conversion of Constantine in the early fourth century.
CLAS 3810 Ancient Science (3)
What is science? What is the underlying principle of reality? How can we study the human body? Is mathematics discovered or invented? How can we explain the motions that we see in the sky? What makes a device a computer? These are some of the questions that we are going to address in this class. By reflecting on the investigations pursued, the methods used, and the outcomes reached in different scientific disciplines in the ancient world, not only will we learn about ancient science, but we will also acquire the tools to reflect on the status of modern scientific research.
CLAS 3891-11 Service Learning: CLAS3090-01 Law & Society in Ancient Rome
Optional 20 hour service learning component for CLAS 3090-01. This will fulfill either Tier I or Tier II of the Public Service requirement.
CLAS 4110 Classical Leadership Lab (3)
What can the ancient Mediterranean world teach us about leadership now? How can we apply the lessons of the past to modern communities and organizations, or even our own lives? This course will use a case-study approach to issues of leadership in across the ancient Mediterranean, including questions about becoming a leader, the role emotional intelligence plays in leadership, and navigating transitions in power. We will examine in depth the questions of how studying the humanities can be a method of leadership development, and what the limitations are to this approach to leadership
CLAS 4200 Monuments of Ancient Rome (4)
With its earliest remains dating to the Late Bronze Age, the city of Rome boasts an urban landscape that is more than 3,000 years old. In this course, we will examine the urban development of Rome from its foundation through the 4th century AD by undertaking a thematic study of its topography and monuments. Investigating the monuments of ancient Rome thematically allows us to think about where people lived, what they did, and how they interacted with the monuments and urban topography of Rome over several centuries
CLAS 4900 Athens and Persia (4)
The Persian invasion of Greece (490-479) represented a cultural watershed in how the Greeks defined themselves in relation to their non-Greek neighbors. The confrontation with the Persian empire informed Greek political thought, literature, architecture, and art. While a strong rhetoric of the Persians as the prototypical “Other” emerged in the Greek world, the reality was much more complex. This course examines the ideological discourse surrounding the Persian empire and the many ways in which Greeks embraced and idealized Persian culture. Focusing on Athens, which both prided itself on being the savior of the Greeks in the Persian Wars and subsequently developed an empire modelled in part on the Persian model, we will explore the interconnections between the Persian and Greek worlds over the course of the fifth and fourth centuries.
Greek (GREK)
GREK 1020 Intermediate Greek (4)
This course is a continuation of GREK 1010 in which students will continue to acquire greater facility in reading unabridged passages of ancient Greek. Prerequisite: GREK 1010 or equivalent.
GREK 4090 Love in Epic Poetry & Beyond (3)
Is there only one definition of love? What makes us fall in love? When we are in love, are we fully responsible for our actions? This course introduces the topic of love in ancient Greek literature. We will focus mainly on epic poetry, but we will also translate passages from other literary genres (lyric poetry, philosophy, and tragedy).
Latin (LATN)
LATN 1020 Intermediate Latin (4)
This course continues the introduction to the Latin language begun in LATN 1010, including pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, style, and translation. In addition to learning a lot of Latin, you can also anticipate learning about English grammar and vocabulary. Studying Latin is also an important way to learn about ancient Roman culture, especially Latin literature.
LATN 3070 Reading Roman Women (3)
Readings in Latin poetry and prose from authors such as Plautus, Cicero, Horace, Livy, Petronius, and others. In this course, students will read from a broad selection of Latin texts that illustrate the worlds of Roman women. Beyond reading against the male perspectives inherent in the comedies, satires, epics, and letters that survive from antiquity, students in this course will read the writings of Roman women themselves with an introduction to Latin epigraphy.
LATN 4110 Bad Emperors (3)
Readings in Latin from a Roman author.