A Scene from Acropolis - Athens

Greek and Roman Studies - Undergraduate Program

Introduction

Student performance is assessed throughout the semester and at the semester-end examination. Each course carries three (3) credits.

Undergraduate Syllabus

100 Level

Semester ONE

GRS 101 - Literature, Language and Culture of the Ancient Greeks

Course Code	GRS 101
Course Title	Literature, Language and Culture of the Ancient Greeks
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core
Objectives	Students will be able to identify extracts from prescribed texts, to comment on their significance, to evaluate the works as literature and to observe them within their historical, social, mythological background and their reception in subsequent ages and their impact on Western literary traditions.
Course Description	This course provides an introduction to the literature, language and culture of the ancient Greeks and lays the foundation for future classical studies through a reading of Homer’s Odyssey, Euripides’ Medea, Plato’s Apology, Longus’ Daphne and Chloe, a selection of Lucian’s Satirical Sketches, main features of the Greek Language and an introduction to the Parthenon.
Select References	Euripides: Medea, Tr. Philip Vellacot. Homer: Odyssey, Tr. E.V. Rieu. Longus: Daphnis and Chloe, Tr. Paul Turner. Lucian: Satirical Sketches, Tr. Paul Turner, (pp.38-78). Plato: Apology, from The Last Days of Socrates, Tr. Hugh Tredennick.

Semester TWO

GRS 102 - Literature, Language and Culture of the Ancient Romans

Course Code	GRS 102
Course Title	Literature, Language and Culture of the Ancient Romans
Prerequisites	GRS 101
Core/ optional	Core
Objectives	Students will be able to identify extracts from prescribed texts, comment on their significance, evaluate the works as literature and examine them in the light of their historical, social and mythological background, their reception in subsequent ages and impact on Western literary traditions.
Course Description	This course provides an introduction to the literature, language and culture of the ancient Romans, and affords a foundation for future classical studies through a reading of Plautus’ Pot of Gold, Sallust’s Conspiracy of Catiline, Apuleius’ The Golden Ass, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the socio-cultural life of the city of Pompeii, and the main features of the Latin Language and its impact on European Languages.
Select References	Apuleius: The Golden Ass, Tr. W. Adhington, (Books V-VI -Cupid and Psyche). Catullus: Love Poems, Tr. Frank O. Copley, (5 Selected Poems). Plautus: Pot of Gold, Tr. E. F. Watling. Sallust: Conspiracy of Catiline, Tr. S. A. Handford. Ovid: Metamorphoses, Tr. Mary M. Innes, (Books 1 and VIII).

200 Level

Semester ONE

GRS 201 - Drama I: Greek and Roman Tragedy

Course Code	GRS 201
Course Title	Drama I: Greek and Roman Tragedy
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core
Objectives	Students will be able to evaluate the works as literature and to discuss aspects of the art and genius of the individual dramatists, the origin and development of Greek tragedy and its form and content, its conventions, the social and cultural background to which they belong, and their reception in subsequent ages and impact on Western literary traditions.
Course Description	This course undertakes a fuller study of the theatre and tragic drama of the Greeks and the Romans through a reading of prescribed texts and a study of the origin and development of Greek tragedy, Greek theatre and the stage, Aeschylus’ Persians, Sophocles’ King Oedipus, Euripides’ Trojan Women, the development of Roman Tragedy and Seneca’s Hercules Furens.
Select References	Aeschylus: Persians from The Prometheus Bound and Other Plays, Tr. P. Vellacott. Euripides: Iphigenia in Taurus from Alcestis and Other Plays, Tr. Philip Vellacot. Euripides: Trojan Women from Bacchae and Other Plays, Tr. John Davie. Seneca: Hercules Furens from Four Tragedies and Octavia, Tr. E.F. Watling. Sophocles: King Oedipus from The Theban Plays. Tr. E.F. Watling. Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus from The Theban Plays. Tr. E.F. Watling.

GRS 202 - Greek Philosophy I: Thales to Socrates

Course Code	GRS 202
Course Title	Greek Philosophy I: Thales to Socrates
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	Students will be able to familiarize themselves with the relevant original texts on which the teachings of pre-Socratic Greek Philosophers, the Sophists and Socrates have been re-constructed, and discuss general questions on the teachings, and compare and contrast excerpts set for comment.
Course Description	The course provides the students with a knowledge of pre-Socratic philosophy and sophistry through an in depth study of the origin of philosophical speculation in Greece, the pre-Socratic philosophers Thales, Anaximenes, Anaximander, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Pythogoras, the later Pythogreans, Parmenides, Zeno and Melissus, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Leucippus and Democritus, and the Sophists and Socrates himself based on the fragments and writings of these thinkers and the relevant doxography.
Select References	~

GRS 203 - Pre Historic Civilizations of the Mediterranean

Course Code	GRS 203
Course Title	Pre Historic Civilizations of the Mediterranean
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	The students will be able to familiarize themselves with the economic, social, cultural and political developments of early Western civilization, and comment on their respective contribution to the growth of Western culture.
Course Description	This course introduces students to the most important early Western civilizations such as the Minoan, Mycenaean and Etruscan civilizations of the Greeks and the Romans through a study of their life, art, architecture, trade and commerce. This study also focuses on archaeology and Cycladic art.
Select References	~

GRS 204 - Basic Language 1: Greek OR Latin

Course Code	GRS 204
Course Title	Basic Language 1: Greek OR Latin
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	The students will be able to master the fundamental grammar and syntax of the chosen language, and will be competent to translate easy sentences and passages from Greek into English and vice- versa, or from Latin into English and vice-versa. They will be able to examine the elements of the language through the study declensions and conjugations, and explain fundamental points of grammar and syntax.
Course Description	This is a beginner’s course in Greek or Latin that provides knowledge of the fundamental syntax and grammar of the chosen language through a study of the elements of the language, verb forms, noun and adjective declensions, pronouns, adverbs and their comparison, prepositions and expressions of place, time, and space, the uses of the indicative mood.
Select References	Greek: Either Chase, A. H. and Phillips, H. Jr., A New Introduction To Greek, chapters 1-20 Or Reading Greek (The Joint Association of Classical Teachers’ Greek Course) sections 1-10 Latin: Either Jones, P. V., and Sidwell, Keith, Reading Latin, sections 1-3 Or Wheelock’s Latin (6th edition) chapters 1-20

GRS 205 - Greek History from 8th Century B.C. to 322 B.C.

Course Code	GRS 205
Course Title	Greek History from 8th Century B.C. to 322 B.C.
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The students will be able to assess the background, the use of sources and the development of political ideology so that they may be able to critically evaluate the historical context concerned.
Course Description	This course offers an introduction to the central period of Greek history from the age of colonization to Alexander the Great with a reading of available sources on the reasons for colonization in Archaic Greece, the age of Greek tyranny, ‘Lycurgan’ reforms, the rise of Sparta, the reforms of Solon, the Peisistratids, the reforms of Cleisthenes, the development of Athenian Democracy, the Persian Wars, the Delian league, the democratic reforms of Ephialtes and Pericles, the ‘hegemony’ of Thebes, the rise of Macedon, diplomacy and warfare under Philip II and the career of Alexander the Great.
Select References	~

Semester TWO

GRS 206 - Drama II: Greek and Roman Comedy

Course Code	GRS 206
Course Title	Drama II: Greek and Roman Comedy
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	Students will be able to comment on the subject matter of set passages, and evaluate and appreciate the works as literature, and discuss aspects of the art and genius of the individual dramatists and their reception in subsequent ages, and their impact on Western literary traditions.
Course Description	This is a fuller study of the theatre and Comic drama of the Greeks and the Romans through a reading of prescribed texts such as Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, Menander’s The Bad Tempered Man, Plautus’ Amphitryon, Terence’s The Brothers. This study includes the origin and development of comedy of the individual dramatists, its form and content, conventions and the social and cultural background to which they belong.
Select References	Aristophanes: Lysistrata from Lysistrata and Other Plays, Tr. R. H. Dillard. Menander: The Bad Tempered Man from Theophrastus the Characters: Menander, Plays and Fragments, Tr. P. Vellacot. Plautus: Amphitryon from The Rope and other Plays, Tr. E.F. Watling. Terence: The Brothers from The Comedies Tr. B. Radice.

GRS 207 - Philosophy II: The Philosophy of Plato with Special Reference to the Republic

Course Code	GRS 207
Course Title	Comparative Philology Philosophy II: The Philosophy of Plato with Special Reference to the Republic
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	Students will be able to critically evaluate, comment on and appreciate a major philosophical work of Plato, and study its reception in subsequent ages and its impact on Western culture and thought.
Course Description	This course involves a detailed study of Platonic philosophy including an in-depth study of the Republic through an in depth study of Plato’s life and work: the theory of Ideas: good and evil: Plato’s theology: form and content of the Republic.
Select References	Plato: The Republic Tr. H.D.P. Lee.

GRS 208 - The Ancient Near East

Course Code	GRS 208
Course Title	The Ancient Near East
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	The students will be able to outline historical events, assess and appreciate the complexity of human development two thousand years and more before the beginning of the Common Era and to see the achievement of later ages in perspective.
Course Description	The course aims to provide current knowledge of ancient Egypt, ancient Mesopotamia (the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Hittites), and Syria-Palestine (including ancient Israel and Judah) through an outline study of Mesopotamian civilization, Persia and the Ionian Greeks, Egypt, the Nile, Dynasties, Old kingdom, the royal burials, Hieroglyphs. This study also includes the works of Herodotus and Diodorus etc on Egypt, and topics such as the Middle Kingdom rock-cut tombs, the New Kingdom, the Amarna Period, Greek contacts with Egypt, Alexander and Egypt, Ptolemaic Egypt and Egypt under Roman Rule.
Select References	~

GRS 209 - Basic Language II: Greek or Latin

Course Code	GRS 209
Course Title	Basic Language II: Greek or Latin
Prerequisites	GRS 204
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	At the end of the course students will be competent to translate more difficult sentences and passages from Greek into English and vice versa or from Latin into English and vice-versa, and to translate abridged and unabridged passages from Greek or Latin prose and poetry.
Course Description	The course aims to provide further knowledge of the background of the chosen language through a study of more complex grammar and syntax such as the uses of the subjunctive, the optative mood in Greek or the deponent in Latin, verb formations, clauses expressing purpose, consequence, condition, concession, indirect speech, the uses of the gerund and gerundive in Latin, numerals and dates, and points on translating Greek or Latin.
Select References	Greek: Either A New Introduction to Greek, chapters 21-40 Or Reading Greek (The Joint Association of Classical Teachers’ Greek Course) Reading Greek, sections 11-17 Latin: Either Jones, P. V., and Sidwell, Keith, Reading Latin, sections 4-5 Or Wheelock’s Latin chapters (6th edition) 21-40.

GRS 210 - Roman History from the Beginnings to 31 B.C.

Course Code	GRS 210
Course Title	Roman History from the Beginnings to 31 B.C.
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	Students will be able to examine the main historical events and political, social and economic developments in the Roman world from the foundation of the city to the end of the republic. The students will be competent to comment on historical events of the period under study, and discuss and examine them in the light of their socio-political contexts.
Course Description	This course examines the main historical events, and political, social and economic developments in the Roman world from the foundation of the city to the end of the republic such as the early inhabitants and the foundation of the city, the sources, the expansion of Roman power in Italy, the foundation of the Republic, the wars of overseas conquest, Patricians and the Plebeians, Rome’s relations with allies and subjects, Roman foreign policy, the economic effects of Roman imperialism, the changing nature of Roman society and politics, and the civil wars which ended the republic, their causes and consequences.
Select References	~

300 Level

Semester ONE

GRS 301 - Greek Literature

Course Code	GRS 301
Course Title	Greek Literature
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core
Objectives	Students will be able to identify and comment on extracts taken from the prescribed texts, evaluate and appreciate these works as literature and assess them for the light they throw on the authors themselves and on the times in which they lived. They will also be able to comment on the reception of these works in subsequent ages and their impact on Western literary traditions.
Course Description	The course aims to provide a detailed study of the the origin and development of the particular genres of literature such as historiography, philosophical dialogue and rhetoric through a detailed reading of the prescribed texts: Herodotus’ The Histories, Thucydides’ The Peloponnesian War, Plato’s Phaedo, Xenophon’s Oikonomikos, and Theocritus’ Idyls.
Select References	Herodotus: The Histories, Tr. A. De Selincourt, (Books: 1-3 OR 7-9). Plato: Phaedo, From The Last Days of Socrates, Tr.H. Treddenick. Theocritus: A Selection: Idyls, Richard L. Hunter (ed.). Thucydides: The Peloponnesian War, Tr. R. Warner, (Books: 1-2). Xenophon: Oikonomikos, Tr. S. Pomeroy.

GRS 302 - Philosophy III: The Philosophy of Aristotle with Special Reference to the Nicomachean Ethics

Course Code	GRS 302
Course Title	Philosophy III: The Philosophy of Aristotle with Special Reference to the Nicomachean Ethics
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	Students will be able to critically evaluate, comment and discuss the work and assess the text for the light it throws on the author himself and the times in which he lived. They will also be able to discuss its reception in subsequent ages and impact on Western culture and thought.
Course Description	This course involves a detailed study of the philosophy of Aristotle based on an in depth analysis of the Nicomachean Ethics which provides a comprehensive a study of Aristotle’s philosophy and ideology, his life and work, his views of the first philosophy, matter and form, potentiality and actuality, the four causes and the form and content of the Nicomachean Ethics.
Select References	Aristotle: Ethics Tr. J.A.K. Thompson.

GRS 303 - Greek and Roman Art

Course Code	GRS 303
Course Title	Greek and Roman Art
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	The students will be able to identify and discuss different elements of each type of art and discuss them in the light of respective socio-political and cultural contexts of Greece and Rome.
Course Description	This course is a study of the main aspects of Greek and Roman art, architecture, sculpture and painting and the light they throw on various aspects of Greek and Roman life. It provides an in depth study of the architectural monuments, art works, and material record of Greek Society, temples, funeral monuments and secular buildings, vase painting, sculpture, metalwork, frescoes and other minor arts such as gem engraving and figurines.
Select References	~

GRS 304 - Prescribed Texts I: Greek or Latin

Course Code	GRS 304
Course Title	Prescribed Texts I: Greek or Latin
Prerequisites	GRS 204, GRS 209
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	Students will be able to apply the knowledge of the fundamentals of the language acquired in GRS 204 and GRS209 and translate passages selected from the prescribed texts, and explain grammar, syntax and subject matter.
Course Description	This is a study of prescribed texts in the original Greek or Latin, and involves reading of the Greek or Latin languages with the basics of the language learned in GRS 204 and GRS 209. Students will practice the structure of the language through careful reading of passages from the prescribed texts. Given the nature of the course, the content is left to the discretion of the teacher concerned.
Select References	Greek Plato: Apology and Crito Latin Selections from Catullus and Horace

GRS 305 - The Hellenistic Age of Greek History from Alexander the Great to 31 B.C.

Course Code	GRS 305
Course Title	The Hellenistic Age of Greek History from Alexander the Great to 31 B.C.
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The students will be able to assess, critically and comprehensively, the sources pertaining to the historical period concerned, and comment on the relative merits of the era and, in particular, the contribution to philosophical and artistic developments.
Course Description	This course entails a study of the Hellenistic Age with a focus on the three 'Hellenistic Kingdoms' that were the centers of learning and artistic patronage: Seleucids in Asia Minor, the Ptolemies in Egypt, and the Macedonian (Antigonid) dynasty in Greece. This study undertakes an in-depth study of rule by kingship, the role of kingship in the eastern region of the Greek world including the Attalid dynasty in Pergamon, and includes topics such as the Libraries at Alexandria and Pegamon, the preservation and transmission of earlier scholarship and literature, the role and place of Athens and the philosophical schools in Athens.
Select References	~

Semester TWO

GRS 306 - Roman Literature

Course Code	GRS 306
Course Title	Roman Literature
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core
Objectives	Students will be able to identify and comment on extracts taken from the prescribed texts, evaluate the works as literature and study them for the light they throw on the authors themselves and the times in which they lived. They will also be able to comment on the reception of these works in subsequent ages and their impact on Western literary traditions.
Course Description	The course aims to provide knowledge of the origin and development of the particular genres of literature through a detailed reading of the prescribed texts (in translation) such as Lucretius On the Nature of the Universe, Virgil’s The Georgics, Juvenal’s Satires (selected), Cicero’s Against Verres, and Tacitus’ Annals.
Select References	Cicero: Cicero: Selected Works, Tr. M. Grant, (Against Verres I). Virgil: The Georgics, Tr. S.P. Bovie. Juvenal: The Sixteen Satires, Tr. P. Green, (Satires 1, 3, 6, 10) Lucretius: The Nature of the Universe, Tr. D. Latham. Tacitus: The Annals of Imperial Rome, Tr. M. Grant, (Chapters xiii-xvi)

GRS 307 - Philosophy IV: Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy up to Marcus Aurelius

Course Code	GRS 307
Course Title	Philosophy IV: Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy up to Marcus Aurelius
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	Students will be able to critically evaluate principal doctrines of the Stoics, the Epicureans and various skeptical traditions from the death of Alexander the Great to 323 B.C., their reception in subsequent ages and impact on Western culture and thought.
Course Description	This course involves a detailed study of the philosophy of Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy up to Marcus Aurelius, and provides the students with a knowledge of Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy up to Marcus Aurelius through a reading of Pyrrhonism: Pyrrho of Ellis (c.360 BCE - c.270 BCE); Epicureanism: Epicurus (341 - 270 BCE); Stoicism: Zeno of Citium (c.335 - 263 BCE); Neoplatonism: Plotinus (204 - 270 BCE) etc.
Select References	~

GRS 308 - Science and Civilization

Course Code	GRS 308
Course Title	Science and Civilization
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General
Objectives	The students will be able to familiarize themselves with the aspects of Greek and Roman science and civilization so that they could appreciate better the socio-political and cultural contexts under discussion.
Course Description	This is a study of ancient Greek and Roman aspects of science and civilization and entails an in depth study of topics such as Greek and Roman geographical knowledge, education, athletic games, festivals, commerce, warfare, slavery, medicine and the status of women.
Select References	~

GRS 309 - Language IV: Prescribed Texts II: Greek or Latin

Course Code	GRS 309
Course Title	Language IV: Prescribed Texts II: Greek or Latin
Prerequisites	GRS 204, GRS 209 and GRS 304
Core/ optional	Core for Special Degree and Optional for General Degree
Objectives	The students will be competent to apply their knowledge of the syntax and grammar of the chosen language and to translate passages selected from the texts, and explain points of grammar, syntax and subject matter.
Course Description	This course provides the opportunity to read more works of ancient Greek and Latin in the original Greek or Lain through a thorough discussion and evaluation of the grammar, syntax and the nuances of the language. The texts are subject to change from time to time.
Select References	Greek: Euripides - Medea Latin: A selection of Elegiac Poems from Propertius, Tibullus and Ovid from Ovid OR Roman Drama: Plautus’ Captivi

GRS 310 - The Roman Empire

Course Code	GRS 310
Course Title	The Roman Empire
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The student will be able to analyze and evaluate the socio-political context of the Roman Empire, its rise and fall, and asses the contribution of various emperors to the economic, socio-political and literary culture of their times.
Course Description	This course examines the Roman state under the leadership of Caesar Augustus, and consists of topics such as the early empire, Julio-Claudian emperors, Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, the Flavian emperors, Vespasian, the Imperial cult, high empire, soldier emperors, peace and wealth, interior political instability, barbarian attacks and the decline and fall of the empire.
Select References	~

400 Level

Semester ONE

GRS 401 - History (Special Period)

Course Code	GRS 401
Course Title	History (Special Period)
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	Students will be able to acquaint themselves with the primary sources pertaining to this period and the critical evaluation thereof, and comment on general questions and passages from primary sources that may be set for comment.
Course Description	This is a detailed study of a special period of Greek or Roman history, as may be recommended from time to time. Recommended Periods include the Pentecontaetea from 479 to 431 B.C. in Greek history or the period from 63 B.C. to 44 B.C. in Roman history.
Select References	~

GRS 402 - Literary Theory I: Classical Greek Literary Theory

Course Code	GRS 402
Course Title	Literary Theory I: Classical Greek Literary Theory
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The students will be able to discuss and comment on the origin of concepts and general development of Greek literary criticism, and assess their impact on modern literary criticism.
Course Description	This course entails a critical and comparative inquiry into the Greek ideas of literary and artistic excellence, and studies in depth the beginnings of Greek literary theory, early Greek poets, Aristophanes’ Frogs, the sophists, relevant passages in Plato’s Republic; (more especially books 2, 3, and 10), the development of rhetorical theory, Aristotle’s Poetics and Rhetoric book 3.
Select References	~

GRS 403 - Prescribed Texts III: Greek or Latin

Course Code	GRS 403
Course Title	Prescribed Texts III: Greek or Latin
Prerequisites	GRS 204, GRS 209, GRS 304 and GRS 309
Core/ optional	Core
Objectives	Students will be able to translate Greek or Latin poetry and prose respectively through passages selected from the prescribed texts, and explain the grammar, syntax and subject matter.
Course Description	This course entails a study of prescribed texts in the original Greek or Latin, and provides an in depth study of the chosen language through a detailed study of the grammar and syntax of the prescribed texts by reading the original works in class. Given the nature of the course, the Course Description may change from time to time.
Select References	Greek: Lyric Poetry. Latin: Cicero- Proarchia and Somnium Scipionis.

GRS 404 - Greek Law

Course Code	GRS 404
Course Title	Greek Law
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	Students will be able to evaluate the development of the Athenian legal system in comparative perspective with those of other cities at the time, and assess the development of legal ideology and its impact on the socio-political context of the historical period under study.
Course Description	This course is a study of Greek law from Homeric times through to the Classical era, and examines the Athenian constitution, the institutions of the Athenian democracy, the procedure in the law courts of Athens, forms of action: dikai and graphai, reward provisions, the anakrisis procedure, the role of logographers, voting procedure, law speeches of Demosthenes and Lysias, modes of argumentation in the law courts, Athenian substantive law, synthesized materials on personal status, family law, Greek law in literature, the impact and role of law in Greek society.
Select References	~

GRS 405 - Greek and Roman Warfare

Course Code	GRS 405
Course Title	Greek and Roman Warfare
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The students will be able to analyze ancient warfare in a comparative perspective and examine techniques and practices of Greek and Roman warfare through a variety of literary and archaeological sources.
Course Description	This course examines ancient Greek and Roman warfare covering a broad chronological period from the early warfare described in the Homeric poems through to Classical and Hellenistic eras, and includes topics such as the nature of violence and combat, the nature of ancient warfare and sources, military organization, logistics, land and sea operations, cavalry and hoplite warfare, warfare between Greeks and ‘barbarians’, the Roman phalanx and legions the Caesarean model, Roman military strategy, naval warfare, military tools and equipment, role of the soldier in Greek and Roman societies, war and religion, politics, and economy and ideology.
Select References	~

GRS 406 - Greek and Roman Religion and Mythology

Course Code	GRS 406
Course Title	Greek and Roman Religion and Mythology
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The students will be able to compare and contrast key concepts and analyze in depth the way in which the Greeks and the Romans related themselves to nature and their perspectives of life therein, and examine the belief in supernatural through an analysis of relevant archaeological, literary, and artistic evidence, and discuss their significance in the light of their socio-political contexts.
Course Description	This course examines the myths, rituals, and religious belief of the ancient Greeks and Romans based on a study of principal gods, traditional and mystery religions, religious institutions, concepts of survival, seers and sages, shrines and oracles, festivals, and myth and superstition. Also, some consideration will be given to the rise and early development of Christianity in the context of classical civilization.
Select References	~

Semester TWO

GRS 407 - Graeco-Roman World and South Asia

Course Code	GRS 407
Course Title	Graeco-Roman World and South Asia
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The students will be able to critically evaluate the evidence of classical texts, evidence from indigenous literature, numismatics and archaeology, and assess the cultural influence exerted by the Graeco-Roman world and south Asia on each other by means of commercial and other contacts, direct or indirect, in the light of the available evidence. They will be able to examine, in particular, Greek and Roman acquaintance with ancient Sri Lanka.
Course Description	This course offers a study of the Greek and Roman contacts with the Indian sub-continent and adjacent regions, and the knowledge of these lands as reflected in Greek and Latin authors. This study involves topics such as India in Early Greek Authors, Alexander the Great, Greeks and Maurya empires, Megasthenes, Indo Greeks, Indo Parthians, Sakas, and Kushans, the Roman Empire and the Kushans, art of Gandhara, Alexandrian trade with the south and east, development of trade between the Roman empire and the east under Augustus, Indian embassies to Augustus, Ptolemy and South Asia, Rome and South East Asia, Roman coins from India and Sri Lanka, philosophical, religious, and literary contact between Greece and India, and accounts of Sri Lanka through Greek and Roman eyes.
Select References	~

GRS 408 - Literary Theory II: Hellenistic and Roman Literary Theory

Course Code	GRS 408
Course Title	Literary Theory II: Hellenistic and Roman Literary Theory
Prerequisites	GRS 402
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The students will be able to evaluate the Hellenistic and Roman views on literature and art, and examine various literary traditions and the development of literary criticism in antiquity and their impact on modern thinking.
Course Description	This course offers a critical and comparative inquiry into the Hellenistic and Roman ideas of literary and artistic excellence based primarily on a study of Longinus’ On the Sublime, Horace’s The Art of Poetry and Tacitus Dialogue on Oratory. Some consideration is also given to Demetrius’ views on style, the opinions of Dionysius of Halicarnessus (especially on history), and the views of Philodemus, Cicero and Quintilian on oratory.
Select References	~

GRS 409 - Prescribed Texts IV: Greek or Latin

Course Code	GRS 409
Course Title	Prescribed Texts IV: Greek or Latin
Prerequisites	GRS 204, GRS 209, GRS 304, GRS 309 and GRS 403
Core/ optional	Core
Objectives	The students will be competent to translate passages selected from the texts, and explain grammar, syntax and subject matter.
Course Description	This course offers a study of prescribed texts in the original Greek or Latin, and provides an in depth study of the chosen language through a detailed study of the grammar and syntax of the prescribed texts, and gives insight into the literary, historical and socio-political atmosphere of the times in which the prescribed authors lived. The texts are subject to change from time to time.
Select References	Greek: Homer- Odyssey Book 6 & 7 Latin: Virgil- Eclogues (Selections), Aeneid Book 4

GRS 410 - Roman Law

Course Code	GRS 410
Course Title	Roman Law
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	Students will be able to critically evaluate the works of major ancient writers on Roman Law, and assess the development of ideology pertaining to law and governance, and the role of law in the life of the Romans and its impact on modern legal systems.
Course Description	This course introduces the students to the main sources, fundamental concepts and procedures of Roman Law with emphasis on their relevance to the legal systems prevalent in modern Sri Lanka. The course introduces sources of Roman Law, divisions of Roman Law - jus civile/jus naturale/jus genrium, Law of Persons, Marriage, Law of Property, Law of Contracts, Law of Delict, and Law of Succession.
Select References	~

GRS 411 - Greek and Roman Slavery

Course Code	GRS 411
Course Title	Greek and Roman Slavery
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	Students will be able to analyze the ideologies held by main Greek and Roman writers and philosophers on slavery, sources of slavery and the conditions and, from a comparative perspective, the manner in which they gained freedom.
Course Description	This course provides an introduction to Greek and Roman social history and assesses the impact of political history in the formation of a Greek and Roman system of slavery as a dominant factor in the ancient societies. This course studies in Greek ideologies on slavery, sources of Greek slavery, conditions of Greek slavery, (according to their occupation and type), opportunities available for Greek and Roman slaves to obtain freedom and the status of Greek freed-slaves.
Select References	~

GRS 412 - Gender Issues and Position of Women in Ancient Greece and Rome

Course Code	GRS 412
Course Title	Gender Issues and Position of Women in Ancient Greece and Rome
Prerequisites	None
Core/ optional	Optional
Objectives	The student will be able to critically evaluate sources, pose meaningful questions, investigate multiple interpretations, and assess the types of evidence surviving from ancient Greek and Roman cultures. They will acquire the skills necessary to work with the evidence and communicate their conclusions effectively in written form.
Course Description	This course investigates contemporary approaches to studying women, gender and sexuality in history, and the particular challenges of studying these issues in classical antiquity from Homer and Hesiod in the 8th century B.C. to the martyrdom of St. Perpetua in the 3rd century A.D. The course offers perspectives also from Athens, Sparta, and Thebes to the wider empire of Alexander the Great, and Rome and the great expanse of Rome’s dominion. This course also examines the early evidence for the characteristic Greek views of the natures of men and women, Athenian society, women’s legal status, roles in marriage and inheritance, and informal power inside the household, Spartan society, Roman society, development in forms of marriage, guardianship and ownership of property, political and social power of elite women in the late Republic, the impact of Augustus’ regime and social legislation.
Select References	~

Department of Classical Languages, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
0094 81 239 2524-6 | classical.pdn@gmail.com