Concentration in the Classical Tradition. Established 2012.
The Classical Tradition concentration within the Classics BA shifts the participating students' primary attention fromt he study of the Ancient World to the legacy of that world in the centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire until the present day. The relevant courses will study the various ways that subsequent civilizations and movements have drawn on the classical world, for a wide range of purposes (some good, some nefarious), and with an equally wide range of effects. The Classical Tradition in its various manifestations has become an important area of study within Classics departments across the nation, in line with the emphasis on reception studies in general within the humanities, as well as the comparative aspect of global history (e.g., imperial histories). The program in Classical Tradition studies at CWRU draws on the expertise and research interests of several members of the departmental faculty, some of whom specialize in post-ancient culture in Europe and beyond. The emphasis of the courses is on the interdisciplinary study of literature and material and visual culture, including architecture and film. The program is designed to make extensive use of the rich resources of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Though CWRU and other universities are rightly concerned to challenge students to know more about cultures of “the Other,” there are many who wish to deepen their understanding of western culture, which from the perspective of many students is often as profoundly marked by alterity as anything else. We note too that a growing cohort of students comes from non-western cultural backgrounds and have a particular interest in understanding the historical dimension of the culture in which they and their families find themselves. Finally, the study of the ancient Greco-Roman world and of its literary and visual culture and built environments has been profoundly affected by, and has made significant contributions to, new intellectual developments in the academy in general, e.g., in the areas of post-colonial and gender studies.
CURRICULUM:
A. THE MAJOR
10 courses plus Sages Requirement
GREEK or LATIN |
CLSC |
CLSC Classical Tradition |
|---|---|---|
1 course or 3 |
2 courses
|
2 courses selected from the CT Intro courses (at 100 and 200 level) |
Plus: Sages requirement (2 courses)
CLSC 320 Department Seminar
(Note: if a student elects to take a departmental seminar outside Classics, CLSC 320 may count as an elective)
CLSC 381. Classics Senior Seminar – Sages Capstone
Classical Tradition Courses
Students must take 2 of the following 4 courses at 200 level:
· CLSC 220. Art & Literature in the Classical Tradition: Renaissance and Baroque (14th to 17th centuries).
· CLSC 221. Building on Antiquity: Classical Architecture from Athens to Cleveland
· CLSC 222. The Birth of Archaeology
· CLSC 224. Sword and Scandal: The Classics in Film.
Students must take at least one of the following courses at 300 level (not offered every year). Other courses may be taken subject to advisor’s approval.
· CLSC 311. Rome: City and Image
· CLSC 313. Thinking Communication in Ancient and Medieval Literature
· CLSC 315. Erotic Literature: Ancient to Modern.
· CLSC 317. Inspiration: The Topic of Creativity in Art and Literature--Ancient to Medieval
· CLSC 319. Epic: The Sublime and Terrible in Literature
· CLSC 340. Seminar in Enlightenment Art and Literature: Piranesi and Vico.
B. THE MINOR
5 courses selected from the list above or approved by the program advisor.
At least one must be at 300 level