Introduction to Classical Mythology

University of Toronto, 2014, 2018, 2019

This course will provide you with an introduction to the most important myths from the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. We will focus especially on myths in action: how myths were transmitted, performed, and changed over time, and the role that these myths played in shaping the societies that had created and adapted them. There will also be an introduction to the reception of classical myths in later Western cultures.

Latin Oratory I & II

University of Toronto, 2018

In Latin Oratory I, we will read portions of Cicero’s Pro Caelio and De Domo Sua, as well as Camillus’s speech in Livy 5.49–55. Latin Oratory II includes lengthier readings from these works, in addition to selections from the Ad Herenniam.

Latin and Greek in Scientific Terminology

University of Toronto, 2018

This course will provide you with a foundation in the Greek and Latin elements of scientific vocabulary; it is designed for students with no prior knowledge of the languages. The scientific community has utilized a huge variety of technical terms for centuries, and its multilingual members have required a way to effectively communicate with one another. In earlier periods, most students of the sciences learned Greek and Latin as a core part of their education, and thus these languages were used to form technical vocabulary that could be easily understood by international researchers.

In this course, you will acquire a working vocabulary of fundament Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes in order to understand scientific terms. You will develop competency in using unfamiliar words to communicate and comprehend scientific results in oral and written contexts. You will gain skills necessary to identify Greek and Latin elements of scientific terminology, which will allow you to use the roots to deduce the meaning of complex terms. Finally, you will be given an overview of the history of scientific communication, which will allow you to understand the historical processes that have led to the development of current scientific terminology, and to appreciate and improve upon current methodology for the dissemination of research.

Classical Sites and Monuments

University of Toronto, 2018

This course is designed for students with some knowledge of the Greco-Roman civilizations, but with little or no previous study of their monuments and architecture. During the term, we will centre our study on the cities of Athens and Rome as we examine an array of civic, religious, and private buildings and monuments, as well as the sculpture and ornaments that decorated them. We will focus not merely on material aspects of ancient monuments such as architectural details or building plans and techniques, but we will also study their function, significance, and preservation in the changing contexts of the societies that constructed them, and of the societies that inherited them.

Topics in the Study of Roman History: Time, Festival, and Memory

University of Toronto, 2017

In this course we will consider the relationship between time and religious festivals, the ways in which Romans constructed their calendars and chronologies, and decisions to preserve, alter, or destroy the memory of persons or events in a variety of contexts and media (funerary monuments, triumphal arches, religious records, coins, poetry, historical texts, etc.). We will examine primary source material from the Republic to Empire, supplemented by secondary source readings.

Intermediate Latin II

University of Toronto, 2017

This course forms the second half of our department’s full year sequence. In this course, we will do some review of grammar from your previous studies with Shelmerdine, and some new grammar will be introduced, but most of our time will be spent in the transition to read passages from a variety of ancient sources, including prose (e.g. Pliny the Younger, Livy, the Vindolanda tablets) and poetry (Vergil, funerary epitaphs). You will learn the basics of Latin metre and practice scanning dactylic hexameter. You will also be introduced to Latin epigraphy, allowing you to read inscriptions and graffiti at an elementary level, and you will contribute a translation of a previously untranslated inscription to the EAGLE database.

Augustus and the Julio-Claudians

University of Toronto, 2017

This class will provide an in-depth study of the Roman world in the age of Augustus and his dynasty (44 BCE to 68 CE). We will consider a number of issues, including the development of imperial self-representation and identity/ideology, the evolving role of the emperor, the importance of family and dynasty, the relationship between Rome and the provinces, and the growth of the so-called “imperial cult” throughout the empire. Participation in class discussions will form a substantial part of the final mark.

Introduction to Roman Society and Culture

University of Toronto, 2016, 2018, 2019

This course is designed for students with some knowledge of the Greco-Roman civilizations, but with little or no previous study of Roman society and culture. We will examine various aspects of Roman society, including government, family life, religion, entertainment, the military, gender, and sexuality. The point of this course is not simply to memorize dates or maps of houses; rather, we will pay close attention to methodological problems in the study of ancient cultures, particularly of groups underrepresented in surviving evidence (such as women, children, and slaves). We will consider a variety of primary sources (in translation) that contribute to our understanding of Roman civilization, while discussing the many issues that scholars face in reconstructing models of ancient societies.

Religion in the Greek World

University of Toronto, 2016, 2018

This course is designed for students with some knowledge of the Greco-Roman civilizations, but with little or no previous study of Greek religions or other religions in the ancient Mediterranean. We will examine religious expressions, beliefs, and forms of worship in the Greek world from the Mycenaean period to the fourth century CE, including Greek polytheistic traditions, Judaism, and Christianity. The point of this course is not simply to memorize lists of gods and temples; rather, we will pay close attention to methodological problems in the study of ancient religions and cultures. We will consider a variety of primary sources (in translation), and students will have the opportunity to write a research paper on any subject relating to the course material.

The instructor will offer an optional tour of the Greek collections at the Royal Ontario Museum, highlighting objects of particular interest in the study of ancient religion.

Topics in Classics: Greek and Roman Drama and Theatre

University of Toronto, 2016

This course is designed for students with some knowledge of Greco-Roman civilizations and literature, but with little or no previous study of Greek and Roman theatre. We will read and examine a number of classical plays in translation, both tragedies and comedies, including the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus, Terence, and Seneca. The point of this course is not simply to memorize lists of characters or plot twists; rather, we will pay close attention to methodological problems in the study of classical theatre from both historical and literary perspectives, emphasizing details of their performance (staging, music, masks and costumes, theatres and audiences, etc.), literary analysis, dramatic structures, and socio-political contexts.

Introduction to Classical Studies

University of Toronto, 2015

This course will provide you with an introduction to ancient Greek and Roman civilizations from approximately 2000 BCE–4th century CE. We will study many facets of the ancient world, including literature, philosophy, art, theatre, politics, oratory, myth and religion, scientific and military developments. You will learn the basic methods and problems that classicists face in reconstructing models of Greek and Roman societies from ancient evidence, and will be able to discuss how the examination of a variety of genres and media (poetry, letters, biographies, histories, inscriptions, coins, works of art and architecture, etc.) can contribute to our understanding of these civilizations. There will also be a brief introduction to the reception of classical culture in later Western societies, and how classical texts and artefacts have been preserved and transmitted across the centuries.

Participation in class is crucial; in one project, for example, you will re-enact the debate between the Melians and the Athenians concerning the fate of Melos during the Peloponnesian War. For your text/object analysis paper, you have the option of selecting an ancient object at the Royal Ontario Museum. The instructor will offer an optional tour of the Greek and Roman collections at the ROM to help you select an object for your discussion.

Introductory Latin II

University of Toronto, 2015

This course forms the second part of an intensive introduction to Classical Latin, in which you will continue to develop and master a foundational knowledge of Latin grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, as well as your ability to translate short seen and unseen passages of prose from Latin to English, and vice versa. We will cover Chapters 16–32 of our textbook, Shelmerdine.

Introductory Ancient Greek II

University of Toronto, 2014

This course forms the second half of an intensive introduction to Classical Greek, in which you will continue to develop and master a foundational knowledge of Greek grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. We will cover Units 8–14 of our textbook, Hansen and Quinn. In addition, you will continue to improve your translation skills with short passages from Greek to English in different genres (including histories, tragedies, philosophical works, and inscriptions), and translations from English to Greek at sight.

Religion in the Roman World

University of Toronto, 2012

This course is designed for students with some knowledge of the Greco-Roman civilizations, and will provide you with an introduction the study of the most important religious traditions, practices, beliefs, and attitudes in the Roman world from the eighth century BCE to the fourth century CE. We will consider a variety of primary sources in translation (inscriptions, literation, coins, calendars, art, architecture, etc.) that contribute to our understanding of religion in the Roman world, in order to apply basic methods of religious studies and historiography to the study of ancient material. We will examine the many forms of religion in the city of Rome and the provinces, including traditional polytheistic practices, Mithraism, Isis cults, Judaism, and Christianity.

The instructor will offer an optional tour of the Roman collections at the Royal Ontario Museum, highlighting objects of particular interest in the study of ancient religion.

Introduction to Roman History

University of Toronto, 2012, 2016

This course is designed for students with little or no previous study of Roman civilization or history in general. We will examine over one thousand years of Roman history, from the city’s prehistoric foundations to the Empire of the fourth century CE. The point of this course is not simply to memorize lists of names and dates; rather, we will pay close attention to methodological problems in the study of history, ancient and modern. We will consider a variety of primary sources (in translation) that contribute to our understanding of the Roman world, while discussing the issues that historians face in reconstructing models of the past.

Introductory Latin I

University of Toronto, 2011, 2016

This course forms the first half of an intensive introduction to Classical Latin, in which you will develop and master a foundational knowledge of Latin grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, gaining the ability to translate short passages of prose from Latin to English, and vice versa. We will cover Chapters 1–22 in our textbook, Wheelock’s.