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Laughter erupts from many quarters of the Roman cultural landscape, from staged comic drama and jokes told at the expense of adversaries in political and legal speeches, through satire and witty poetry on all manner of subjects, to some of the world's first examples of the novel. In this course, students will expand and refine their knowledge and appreciation of the Latin language and Roman culture by reading selected passages of poetry and/or prose in the original as well as in English.

In this course students study the themes of social and political power and persecution as they relate to women. Roman texts on this many-sided subject typically involve learning about Roman gender roles across various categories of life, such as wealth status, inherited social rank, the public performance of emotion, among many others. Students consolidate their knowledge and appreciation of the Latin language and Roman culture by reading selected passages of prose and/or poetry in the original as well as in English.

In this course, students will deepen their understanding and appreciation of ancient Greek language and culture. Readings will consist of unadapted passages of the Iliad and/or the Odyssey. This course will cover a variety of topics such as Greek concepts of the hero, and representations of life, death, and interpersonal relationships in Homeric epics. Students will also explore art and archaeological remains that tell us more about the Homeric world, and the beliefs, values, lives, and fantasies that these earliest surviving poems reveal.