The Department of Classics offers course work in the language, history, literature, archaeology and culture of the ancient Greek world. At the heart of these courses are classes in the Greek language. Students of beginning Greek master the grammar in two semesters and go on immediately, starting in the third semester, to read Plato and Homer. Thereafter, students have the opportunity to study numerous Greek authors, including the great tragedians, the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, and the New Testament, as well as ancient inscriptions. We maintain a strong program in Greek, from the textbook to graduate seminars, where our most advanced undergraduates are often working alongside graduate students in our vigorous and growing graduate program; they also have the opportunity to do their own research or to assist with faculty members' research projects. It is a remarkable and dynamic environment that students find both rewarding and stimulating.
Resources on campus that support the study of ancient Greek include collections of Greek papyri and art and the Wulfing Coin Collection, one of the largest collections of ancient coins owned by an American university. The Department of Classics also offers a variety of courses in Greek history, literature, archaeology and culture, addressed both to the general undergraduate population and to those pursuing majors and minors within the department.
Additional Information
Study Abroad: Washington University is associated with both the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (ICCS) in Rome and the College Year in Athens (CYA). Interested students should contact Timothy Moore. Some other study abroad programs also allow students to obtain credit in Greek.
| Contact: | Amelia Goldsby |
|---|---|
| Phone: | 314-935-5123 |
| Email: | classics@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://classics.wustl.edu |
For a list of faculty who teach Greek, please visit the Department of Classics faculty page.
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 301 Intermediate Greek: The New Testament in Context
A reading of texts from the New Testament as well as others of relevance to the religions of the Roman Empire. Prerequisite: Greek 317C or permission of the instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS BU: HUM
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L09 Greek 316C Intermediate Greek II
Readings in various forms of Greek poetry and prose as foundation for advanced study of Greek literature. Prerequisite: Greek 215D or permission of the instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM
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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: Greek 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 350W Writing about Greek Literature
Greek courses at the 300 level 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, LCD, WI EN: H
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L09 Greek 418 The Epic Tradition
Intensive readings in Greek epic, including Homer, Hesiod, Apollonius Rhodius and a sampling of later hexameters (The Orphic Argonautica, Nonnus). The emphasis is on the continuities and the discontinuities in the evolution of the genre.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS 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.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS EN: H
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L09 Greek 436 Attic Prose of the 4th Century BC
Selected texts of Attic orators Xenophon, Plato or Aristotle; specific readings for each semester in course listings. May be repeated for credit for study of a different author or text.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Art: HUM
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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 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 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 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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