The legacy of the ancient Greeks and Romans has had a profound influence on virtually all aspects of Western civilization. We can trace the roots of our form of government and legal system back to the Greeks and Romans, as well as contemporary concepts of education, engineering, medicine, science, philosophy, art, architecture, and literature. In keeping with the mission of Christopher Newport University, a minor in Classical Studies will benefit all students who seek a solid background in the liberal arts by providing instruction in the Greco-Roman foundations of western culture and intellectualism and by challenging students to use their knowledge of the ancient world to evaluate critically the world in which they now live.

The curriculum is as follows:

- Language (3 credits): One LATN or GREK course at the 200-level or above, or the equivalent;

- Cultural Background (6 credits):

CLST 211 Democratic Ideology and Civic Identity in Fifth-Century Athens

or HIST 301 Ancient Near East and Greece; and CLST 212 Roman Culture

or HIST 302 Roman History; HIST 312 Ancient Egypt; HIST 415 The Byzantine Empire

- Electives (9 credits): Select three electives from the following:

CLST: any course at the 200 level or above, except those used to fulfill the Cultural Background requirement

COMM 249: History of Rhetoric and Communication

ENGL 321 Literature of the Ancient World

FNAR 395: Special Topics: Greek and Roman Art

GOVT 357: Classical Political Thought

HIST 301/401 Ancient Greece and Near East, unless used to fulfill the Cultural Background requirement

HIST 302/402 Roman History, unless used to fulfill the Cultural Background requirement

HIST 312/412: Ancient Egypt

HIST 315/415: The Byzantine Empire

LATN/GREK: 202 or any 300 or 400 level course

PHIL 201 Ancient Philosophy

PHIL 452 Great Ancient Philosophers

A minimum grade of C- is required in all courses that are to be counted toward the completion of the minor program in Classical Civilization.

The Curriculum in Classical Studies

The following courses do not require knowledge of Latin or Greek and are conducted entirely in English.

CLST 101. In the Shadow of Olympus: The Classical Roots of American Culture (3-3-0) WST

The institutions, ideas, and ideals of Classical Greece and Rome have had a profound influence on many aspects of American culture: in this course, students will engage with the words, ideas, and images of classical authors and architects and the role they played in shaping contemporary American culture. Each week, students will be introduced to a different aspect of classical culture—such as law, politics, medicine, architecture, and education—and its legacy in order to appreciate the considerable contribution to the American intellectual and cultural heritage made by antiquity.

CLST 195. Special Topics (3-3-0)

Topics vary, determined by the special interests and needs of students and the expertise of faculty.

CLST 201. The Mythic Imagination (3-3-0) WST

This course includes a thorough examination of the principal myths of Greco-Roman antiquity, in which students analyze the significance of ancient myth from anthropological, historical, philosophical, psychological, and sociological perspectives. We will also examine the influence of Greco-Roman culture upon western civilization as a whole, paying particular attention to the role of mythology in the development of early Christianity, the revival of Classical culture during the Renaissance, and the use of mythic themes in modern art, literature, and cinema.

CLST 202. Ancient Epic (3-3-0) WST

The most popular Greco-Roman myths (for ancient and modern audiences alike) treated the Trojan War—in particular, as they were shaped by the epic poets Homer and Vergil. In this course, we will read Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Vergil’s Aeneid in their entirety. For each poem, we will consider the literary and historical background, cultural significance, major characters and themes, and attempt to identify and explore the elements of these poems that continue to ensure their relevance and popularity—even though they were written over two millennia ago.

CLST 211. Democratic Ideology and Civic Identity in Fifth-Century Athens (3-3-0) WST

The fifth century at Athens witnessed the birth of democracy, the turbulent rise and fall of the Athenian Empire, and a Golden Age of intellectualism, literature, art and architecture that helped to shape western civilization. In this course students explore the rich cultural context that set the stage for Athenian achievement in the fifth century, focusing specifically on the political institution of democracy, the creation of civic identity, and the ideology behind the complex relationships among different segments of the Athenian population—male and female, citizen and metic (resident alien), mass and elite, Greek and barbarian, free and slave.

CLST 212. Roman Culture (3-3-0) WST

This course explores the foundations of Roman civilization, the effects of Roman imperial expansion upon the Roman way of life, and the ways in which Roman art, architecture and literature reflect cultural ideologies. The course concludes with an examination of the (mis)appropriation of various aspects of Roman culture by later western nations, including the United States.

CLST 215. Borders and Bandits (3-3-0) GMP

This course examines the numerous interactions between the institution of Rome with its neighbors and its own citizens, focusing primarily on areas of social and political friction. Its subject matter comprises the words and deeds of marginalized groups themselves as well as those of the Roman authorities who had to confront their opposition. Evidence will include not only the poetic, historical, artistic, and architectural propaganda through which Rome presented its own message, but also the equally sophisticated tools of propaganda employed by those who lacked Rome’s influence and wealth. Students will study the impact of these groups upon the literature and artistic legacy of the Roman world, noting especially the Roman conceptions of those groups they considered different from themselves and their use of these conceptions to progressively redefine their own culture.

CLST 295. Special Topics (3-3-0)

Topics vary, determined by the special interests and needs of students and the expertise of faculty.

CLST 301. WI: Sacred Violence: The Cultural Context of Greek Tragedy (3-3-0) WST

Prerequisite: ENGL 123, ULLC 223.

In Sacred Violence students analyze selected Greek tragedies within their original socio-political context, focusing on such issues as the nature of justice, the inevitable conflicts that arise among the individual’s duty to himself, to his family and to his community, the ways in which gender shapes one’s view of the world and one’s place in it, and the role violence plays both on the tragic stage and in human existence. The writing-intensive requirements for this course include response papers, critiques, and a research paper on a subject of the student’s own choosing. Partially satisfies Writing Intensive Requirement.

CLST 313. Women in Ancient Greece and Rome (3-3-0) IIS

This course will introduce students to the highly structured world of Greek and Roman women: wealthy and poor, young and old, married and unmarried. Students will examine literary representations of women – their goals and strategies, motives and choices, personal and social concerns – and evaluate their experiences within the context of the historical documents of antiquity and in the light of contemporary values. Topics for consideration include: personal identity and social constructs, gender and sexuality, religion and politics.

CLST 314. Dictators, Demagogues, and Decline (3-3-0) WST

The last two hundred years of western tradition might suggest that democracy is a natural state of affairs, but the classical world demonstrates the fallacy of this view: representative governments like that in the Roman republic and democracies like fifth-century Athens are exceedingly rare exceptions to the norm. The writers of these exceptional societies were themselves usually members of the political elite, and so necessarily grappled with the social and political dangers that beset them. CLST 214 will study the persistent depiction of social decline in these authors, assess the validity of their analyses, and consider the great influence of their ideas upon our own society. Three guest lectures in the final week of the semester will complement the more literary material with historical analyses of two modern dictators and one modern demagogue, whom students will then be able to assess in light of their classical precedents.

CLST 370. CNU Seminar Abroad (3-3-0)
Prerequisite: ENGL 123 or consent of instructor.

The CNU Seminar Abroad is an intensive course structured around a cultural theme and taught on-site in a country where the instructor has academic expertise. Seminar activities may include classroom orientation, lectures, guided tours of sites, group attendance at performances, or other cultural events. The CNU Seminar Abroad also contains assignments commensurate with a typical 3-credit course, such as readings, presentations, tests, reaction papers, journals and/or a research project. Criteria for acceptance into the seminar may include an application process at the instructor’s discretion. The CNU Seminar Abroad usually occurs for two or more weeks in May, but scheduling and travel arrangements will be the instructor’s responsibility. In addition to tuition, there will be charges for travel, accommodations, and some activities, which will be published well in advance. Students enrolling in CLST 370 need not speak a foreign language.

CLST 395. Special Topics (3-3-0)

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Topics vary, determined by the special interests and needs of students and the expertise of faculty. Students may take this course multiple times for credit with the consent of the instructor.

CLST 495. Special Topics (3-3-0)

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Topics vary, determined by the special interests and needs of students and the expertise of faculty. Students may take this course multiple times for credit with the consent of the instructor.

CLST 499. Independent Study (credits vary)

Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing and consent of instructor required. Taught upon request and at the instructor’s discretion.

No student may present more than six credits of 499 toward the major program.

The Classics Club Hosts a Dramatic Reading of Herodotus - Einstein's Café, Fall 2007