Greek
The Department of Classics offers courses in ancient Greek to allow students to pursue deeper study of Greek history, literature and culture. Students may choose between two beginning Greek tracks that will allow them, within four semesters, to master the grammar and to read Plato and Homer. Thereafter, students have the opportunity to study numerous Greek authors and texts, including poetry, drama, history, novels, the New Testament and inscriptions. They also have the opportunity to do their own research and to assist with faculty members’ research projects. The Department of Classics offers a variety of courses in Greek and Roman history, literature, archaeology and culture to build students’ broader knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world. Resources on campus that support the study of ancient Greek and the Greeks include collections of Greek papyri and art and the Wulfing Coin Collection.
Additional Information
Study Abroad: Washington University is associated with both the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (a.k.a. "The Centro") in Rome and the College Year in Athens program. Interested students should contact Professor Luis Salas. Some other study abroad programs also allow students to obtain credit in Greek.
Contact Info
| Contact: | Luis Alejandro Salas |
| Phone: | 314-935-5183 |
| Email: | classics@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://classics.wustl.edu |
Endowed Professor and Chair
Timothy Moore
John and Penelope Biggs Distinguished Professor of Classics
Department Chair
PhD, University of North Carolina
Professor Moore's work concentrates on several areas of classical antiquity, including the comic theater of Greece and Rome, Greek and Roman music, and Roman historiography. Current projects include a database and book on music in Greek and Roman theater and articles on music and poetic rhythm in ancient Rome. He also has interests in the history of theater, especially American musical theater and Japanese Kyogen comedy.
Professor
Catherine Keane
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Professor Keane's interests range broadly over Greek and Roman literature and culture, but her research centers on the comic genres and their engagement with moral, social, and literary problems, particularly the Roman verse satirists Lucilius, Horace, Persius, and Juvenal and the epigrammatist Martial.
Associate Professors
William Bubelis
Curator of the Wulfing Coin Collection
PhD, University of Chicago
Professor Bubelis' research in Greek history focuses on the intersection of economy, religion and public institutions. His work utilizes the evidence of inscriptions (epigraphy), coins (numismatics) and other material remains alongside the literary texts of ancient historians, poets, orators and the like. While most of his scholarship has engaged with classical Athens, Professor Bubelis avidly explores the societies of the eastern Mediterranean across antiquity, including Iron Age Cyprus and the Achaemenid Persian Empire to Hellenistic Egypt.
Thomas Keeline
Director of Graduate Studies
PhD, Harvard University
Professor Keeline works primarily on Latin literature, the history of classical scholarship and education from antiquity to the present, rhetoric, textual criticism, lexicography and metrics.
Luis Alejandro Salas
Director of Undergraduate Studies
PhD, University of Texas
Professor Salas specializes in Greek and Roman medicine, philosophy and intellectual history. He is also interested in Aristotelian psychology. His research focuses on medical and philosophical sectarianism, especially in the work of Galen of Pergamum.
Zoe Stamatopoulou
PhD, University of Virginia
Professor Stamatopoulou's research and teaching encompass several aspects of ancient Greek literature and culture, but her work focuses primarily on archaic and classical poetry (Homer, Hesiod, lyric poetry, drama). She is also interested in the symposium, ancient biographies of poets, and the reception of archaic Greece in Imperial Greek literature (especially Plutarch).
Assistant Professors
Nicola Aravecchia
PhD, University of Minnesota
Professor Aravecchia's research interests encompass the art and archaeology of Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt. He has taught courses in classical languages, ancient history, and art and archaeology in the United States, Egypt and Australia. His current work focuses on the origins and development of Early Christian architecture in rural Egypt. Since 2005, he has been involved in archaeological projects in the Dakhla Oasis, located in the Western Desert of Upper Egypt.
Ian Hollenbaugh
PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
Professor Hollenbaugh's research interests include Indo-European linguistics, Homeric Greek, Old Latin, Vedic Sanskrit, and Germanic languages. He focuses particularly on the tense and aspect systems of Indo-European languages from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives.
Senior Lecturers
Lance Jenott
PhD, Princeton University
Professor Jenott teaches courses on the New Testament, studies in Christian origins, and Coptic language and literature. His other interests include Second Temple Judaism, Greco-Roman philosophy, classical civilizations, and theories and methods in the study of religion. Dr. Jenott is the author of The Gospel of Judas: Coptic Text, Translation, and Historical Interpretation of the 'Betrayer's Gospel', and he is the co-author of The Monastic Origins of the Nag Hammadi Codices. He is currently working on a commentary on the Gospel of Judas for the Hermeneia Series by Fortress Press.
Kathryn Wilson
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Professor Wilson's research interests focus on the intersection of poetry and science. She is especially interested in Hellenistic literature and the relationship between different intellectual enterprises occurring during that time. She is also interested in the evolution of the genre of didactic poetry.
Lecturer
Rebecca Sears
PhD, University of Michigan
Professor Sears' research interests include ancient music, papyrology, Latin poetry (particularly Ovid's Metamorphoses) and ancient magic. She is currently working on a textbook for the University of Michigan Press that will discuss important technical and cultural features of both Greek and Roman music as well as the reception and reconstruction of ancient music. In addition to her love of classical languages and cultures, she is a violinist who has performed in benefit concerts throughout New England.
Professors Emeriti
Carl W. Conrad
PhD, Harvard University
Robert D. Lamberton
PhD, Yale University
Susan I. Rotroff
Jarvis Thurston & Mona Van Duyn Professor Emerita
PhD, Princeton University
Students interested in Greek should explore either the major in Classics or the major in Ancient Studies offered through the Department of Classics.
Students interested in Greek should explore either the minor in Classics or the minor in Ancient Studies offered through the Department of Classics.
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L09 Greek.
L09 Greek 101D Beginning Greek I
An introduction to Classical Greek (Attic), which will prepare the student to read texts in Greek history, philosophy, and medicine as well as the New Testament. This course builds the foundations for readings in Greek tragedy, comedy, and lyric poetry. Our goal will be to develop reading knowledge as rapidly and efficiently as possible. By the end of the year the student should be reading continuous Greek prose.
Credit 4 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 102D Beginning Greek II
Continuation of the program begun in Greek 101D. Students will complete their initial study of Classical Greek grammar and will begin reading selections from ancient Greek authors. Prerequisite: Greek 101D or permission of the instructor.
Credit 4 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 190D Intensive Beginning Greek I
An intensive study of Attic Greek.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 210 Intensive Beginning Greek II
Completion of work begun in Greek 190D followed by readings in original Greek poetry and prose. Successful completion of Greek 210 will allow the student to proceed directly to Greek 318C. Prerequisite: Greek 190D or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 317C Introduction to Greek Literature
Introduction to Attic prose through the reading of Plato's "Apology" and related texts. Prerequisite: L09 102D or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 318C Introduction to Greek Literature
Introduction to epic poetry through the reading of selections from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Prerequisite: Greek 210, Greek 316C or Greek 317C.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 416 Hesiod
In this course, we will read substantial passages from the works attributed to Hesiod, an archaic period Greek poet whose style and subject matter are often contrasted to Homer, and whose influence on Greek literary culture was second only to Homer's. Hesiod's two major poems - Theogony and Works and Days - form important evidence for the Greek rhapsodic tradition, and the mythological content and compressed styles of these mini-epics strongly influenced later Hellenistic Greek and Roman poets. Through discussion of readings from recent scholarship, we will consider topics including the authorship and dating of the Hesiodic corpus, Hesiod's Near-Eastern influences, oral poetics, mythography, genre studies, and narratology. Preparation of substantial Greek reading assignments will be supplemented with frequent practice of scansion (both written and oral) and the parallel development of sight translation skills. Students will be responsible for the development of a portfolio consisting of written translations, creative and interpretive mini-projects, a commentary, and an original research project.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 421 Sophocles
In this course, we will read closely two plays by Sophocles: "Oedipus Rex" and "Trachinian Women."
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 422 Euripides
The tragedies of Euripides are among the most powerful dramas ever produced. In this class we will read one or more plays of Euripides in Greek as well as scholarly works on the tragedies. Among the topics discussed will be language and style, meter and music, mythological and historical backgrounds, elements of performance, and Euripides' influence in the modern world. Prerequisites: Greek 318C or permission of the instructor and sophomore standing or above.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 423 Aeschylus
This course will focus on Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes and on Prometheus Bound; in addition, we will look at a few fragmentary plays. Readings will include relevant secondary literature.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 432 The Attic Orators
More than mere prose, Attic oratory consists of a rich body of literature in which style was paramount to its persuasive aims, and provides vital evidence for Athenian culture, politics, mores, institutions, thought, and history. This course will survey a representative-and important-sample of forensic, epideictic, and symbouleutic speeches from classical Athenian oratory, and will give special attention to the social, legal and political context of these speeches. In addition, the class will focus on improving students' command of syntax, vocabulary and idiom as the basis for further development as well as the study of different orators and their style. Prerequisites: L09 317C and L09 318C or equivalent.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 437 Topics in Greek Poetry
Reading in Greek and discussion of one or more texts by one or more ancient Greek poets. May be repeated for credit for study of different texts.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS Art: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 438W Topics in Greek Literature
Advanced Greek seminars with enhanced writing requirements may be taken under this designation as writing-intensive courses. Required: permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM
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L09 Greek 439 The Greek Novel
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 440 Lucian
Lucian's True Histories is neither true, nor a history, but it is often called the first science fiction novel. Lucian's voice is one of the most distinctive in antiquity: wry, sarcastic, and too clever by half. He feels distinctly modern but is steeped in the literary tradition before him. In this class, we will read his True Histories and several other of his works, with a focus on his questions about truth and fiction, and his engagement with other genres of writing, including historiography, epic, philosophy and rhetoric. We also read about the first journey to the moon.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L09 Greek 445 Greek Prose Composition
The tradition of writing in Attic Greek stretches from classical antiquity to the present. In this course, students will become connoisseurs of that tradition and enter into it themselves. In the process, they will become better Hellenists. Each week, students will review points of Greek grammar, compose Greek sentences illustrating those points, read and analyze the style of a Greek passage, and write an original Greek composition of their own device. We will focus not only on grammatical and idiomatic accuracy but also on elegance of style. In this course, students will develop a more nuanced understanding of the Attic Greek language in all its many-splendored glory. They will thereby increase their ability to read ancient Greek with depth, ease, and pleasure. Prerequisite: Greek 317C and Greek 318C or equivalent and sophomore standing or higher. Note: This course is required for MA and PhD students in Classics.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 451 Plato
This course will focus on a set of Plato's dialogues known as his Early Dialogues. We will read two and perhaps three of the Euthyphro, Protagoras, and Meno in Greek. We will accompany these readings with a relatively small sample of secondary scholarship in English that aims at contextualizing the dialogues in the broader scope of Plato's work. Our aim will be to gain familiarity with Plato as a prose author as well as a philosophical thinker.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 460 There Be Dragons: Greek Encounters with the Unknown in History and Legend
How did ancient Greeks imagine their world, both in terms of geography and ethnography? What did they know — or think they knew — about foreign cultures and faraway lands such as India, Persia, Africa, and the distant north? How have their representations of foreigners influenced European conceptions of the self and others, even into our own time? This course examines these questions by focusing primarily on two foundational authors: first, Herodotus, the "father of history," who provides a wealth of information about ancient geography and the customs and lifestyles of non-Greek peoples; and second, Apollonius of Rhodes, whose epic poem "The Argonautica" tells the legendary tale of Jason and the Argonauts' search for the Golden Fleece. We will read extensive passages of these books in ancient Greek and, we will read and discuss additional passages in English translation, along with modern scholarship and atlases with historical and modern maps.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L09 Greek 471 Galen's "On Prognosis": A Social History of Medicine in Second-Century Rome
Galen of Pergamum was a Greek physician, philosopher, and intellectual active throughout most of the second century CE. He was also a voracious reader and writer of Greek literature; his surviving work far exceeds the extant output of any other Greek author before the third century CE. In this course, we will be reading Galen's treatise "On Prognosis," in which he recounts his career in the city of Rome, from his arrival in the early 160s through his tenure as an imperial physician to at least the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. While ostensibly a medical account, "On Prognosis" has little to say on technical medical issues. Rather, Galen's story is a carefully constructed professional autobiography that pivots from searing denouncements of Roman life to tense public performances of medical expertise and finally to intimate case histories of Rome's rich and powerful. The text presents us a fascinating window through which to examine not only the social practice of elite medicine in Rome of the second century but also the complicated experience of a Greek intellectual navigating the corridors of the Imperial court. Course goals include improving accuracy and speed in reading Greek prose, acquiring greater familiarity with intellectual discourse of the Imperial Period, and training in methods of research and writing.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L09 Greek 497 Study for Honors
Students interested in pursuing honors should consult the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Classics. Prerequisite: overall GPA of 3.65.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L09 Greek 499 Study for Honors
Students interested in pursuing honors should consult the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Classics. Prerequisite: overall GPA of 3.65.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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