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Classics course catalog

2023-24 Academic Catalog Page

Augustana offers a wide variety of classes in Classics - the study of Greek and Roman antiquity - including courses in beginning through advanced Greek and Latin, along with related courses taught in English. See requirements for the Classics (Greek and Latin) major and minor and the Classical Studies (Greek or Latin) major and minor. The Classics Department also offers a minor in Biblical Languages.

KIRSTEN DAY, Professor, Chair 
B.A., Rice University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

NICHOLAS DOBSON, Adjunct Assistant Professor
B.A., Rice University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

MISCHA A. HOOKER, Continuing Lecturer
B.A. Calgary; M.A., Ph.D., Cincinnati

MAJOR IN CLASSICS GREK or LATN 191 and 192 or equivalent; four (2-credit) classes at the 200 or 300 level in GREK and/or LATN with at least one course at the 300 level; at least one (4-credit) course from each of categories I-III (below); four additional credits from GREK or LATN 200 or 300 levels or from courses in categories I-IV; and the Classics SI (CLAS 401).*

MAJOR IN CLASSICAL STUDIES Three (2-credit) classes at the 200 or 300 level in GREK or LATN with at least one at the 300 level; at least one (4-credit) course from each of categories I-III (below); eight additional credits from GREK or LATN 200 or 300 levels or from classes in categories I-IV; and the Classics SI (CLAS 401).*

*Students who complete a substantial SI in another major may substitute an additional 2-credit upper-level Greek or Latin course or a 300-level 4-credit Classics course from categories I-IV in consultation with their advisor.

MINOR IN CLASSICS GREK or LATN 191 and 192 or equivalent; three (2-credit) classes at the 200 or 300 level in GREK and/or LATN with at least one at the 300 level; and at least one (4-credit) course from two of categories I-III (below).

MINOR IN CLASSICAL STUDIES Three (2-credit) classes at the 200 or 300 level in GREK or LATN with at least one at the 300 level; at least one (4-credit) course from two of categories I-III (below); and four additional Classics credits taken from GREK or LATN 200/300-levels, or categories I-IV (below).

MINOR IN BIBLICAL LANGUAGES  Eight credits taken from GREK at the 200 or 300 level (2-credits each), NTGR 201 (1-credit), or HEBR 101 (4-credits); and eight additional credits taken from HIST 306, CLAS 360, RELG 201, RELG 202, RELG 214, RELG 273, HEBR 101, NTGR 201 (1-credit), or 200/300 level Greek language courses (2-credits).

CATEGORY I (History): HIST 305, HIST 306
CATEGORY II (Literature): CLAS 212/212W/312/312W, CLAS 222, CLAS 224, CLAS 226, CLAS 228/228W/328/328W
CATEGORY III (Culture & Society): CLAS 230/330, CLAS 240/340, CLAS 245/345, CLAS 258, CLAS 260/360, CLAS 310/311, CLAS 332, RELG 214
CATEGORY IV (Supporting Courses): ARHI 361, CLAS 250, CLAS 290, CLAS 334, PHIL 201

Students who entered the college before the 2019-2020 academic year should refer to the transition website for requirements that apply to their transition cohort.

Grade Point Average Notation: All courses listed in the catalog as required courses for any major and/or minor, including those courses outside of the department or with a different subject coding, are considered part of the major and will count in the grade point average. Some departments may have additional grade requirements for the courses offered within their department. Recommended supporting courses that are optional and not required may also count in the major depending on the program. For more information see your department chair or the degree requirements for Bachelor of Arts and information on Majors/Minors.

Courses in Classics (CLAS)

No knowledge of Greek or Latin is required for the following courses.

Courses in Greek (GREK) and (NTGR)

GREK courses numbered 200 and above are offered on a rotating basis and may be repeated for credit.

Courses in Latin (LATN)

Courses numbered  200 and above are offered on a rotating basis and may be repeated for credit.

Courses in Hebrew

Other supporting courses

ARHI-361 Greek & Roman Art (4 Credits)
(PP, G)Ancient Greek and Roman art and architecture from early Aegean culture to the fall of the Roman empire examined within political, social, religious and mythological contexts. May be team taught with faculty from Classics.

HIST-305 Ancient Greece (4 credits)
(PP) A survey of the history and culture of the ancient Greeks from the beginnings of their civilization in the Bronze Age down to the conquests of Alexander the Great in the late fourth century BCE, a span of well over a thousand years.  Special attention is given to the types of source material, both material and literary, used by historians to reconstruct Greek history, and also to the problems and limitations of these sources.

HIST-306 Ancient Rome (4 credits)
(PP) A survey of the history and culture of the ancient Romans from the beginnings of their civilization in the 8th century BCE through the fall of the western Roman Empire in the 5th c. CE, a span of over 1200 years.  Special attention is given to the types of source material, both material and literary, used by historians to reconstruct Roman history, and also to the problems and limitations of these sources.  

PHIL-201 Classical Philosophy (4 Credits)
(PP) Study of the beginnings of philosophical thought in Classical Greece, with particular attention to the fragments of the pre-Socratics, the dialogues of Plato, and the treatises of Aristotle. Topics will include early physics and metaphysics, theories of knowledge, human nature, happiness and virtue ethics.

RELG-214 Angels and Demons (4 Credits)
(REF) The interactions of paganism and Christianity are examined through Greek and Latin literature of the 4th-5th centuries CE — from Diocletian's Great Persecution to the triumph and establishment of Christianity, including the momentous and controversial reigns of Constantine the Great and Julian the Apostate. Study of the encounter highlights tradition and innovation in literary genres, dialogue, and conflict in the relations between the two traditions. In the end, the establishment of Greco-Roman paganism and Christianity as twin poles in an ongoing tension continues to produce new ways of thinking about their relationship.

2023 Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award winners announced

Carly Davis's poem "Seattle Song" won the 24th annual Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award at Augustana.

2022 Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award winners announced

Kaitlin Jacobson's poem "crooked smile"” won the 23rd annual Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award at Augustana.

Kira Banks

A Classics case of an award-winning liberal arts experience

Kira Banks '23 came to Augustana to study biology and public health and, as often happens at a liberal arts school, discovered a passion for a seemingly unrelated major — Classics. Read about her recent award.