Fall 2026
This course provides an introduction to the literature, culture, and history of Ancient Greece, spanning the archaic through the Hellenistic periods (8th-3rd centuries BCE)—from the emergence of early Greek city-states to the transformation of the Mediterranean after Alexander the Great.
An in-depth introduction to the material culture of the Ancient Greeks where we will examine and discuss the architecture, sculpture, painting, and ceramics of the various periods chronologically from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic and will explore how archaeologists and art historians interpret this evidence.
Homeric and Classical Greece, Rome in its transition from republic to empire, and the world of the Old Testament. Lectures, discussions, and reading assignments will involve interdisciplinary approaches with an emphasis on the development of skill in writing.
The infamous story, the epic battles, the characters and conflicts that have spanned the ages – the Trojan War has inspired countless generations cross-culturally in so many areas. But was there ever an actual war between two powerful Bronze Age Aegean cultures? We will explore the evidence for the Trojan War, one of the greatest stories ever told: literary, historical, visual, and archaeological. The history of the search for the reality behind Homer's epic and its scholarship will be examined as well as detailed analyses of the theories currently in play. Through reading, visual analysis, discussion, and writing - students will discover for themselves the ancient world of the heroes and their legends.
History of ideas about the afterlife in the ancient Mediterranean world, focusing on Greece and Rome, but also the ancient Near East, the Hebrew Bible, and early Christianity. We'll study the threads that connect depictions of the underworld in their cultural contexts.
The first semester of study of Ancient Greek
The first semester of study of Ancient Greek
This course offers an introduction to the language and literature of Attic Greek prose.
Reading of Thucydides' History in ancient Greek.
The first half of a two-semester language sequence preparing students to read Classical Latin.
The first half of a two-semester language sequence preparing students to read Classical Latin.
Aims: To learn to read Latin with understanding and enjoyment. By reviewing morphology, syntax, and vocabulary,to improve the reading knowledge of Latin acquired in previous classes.
This course addresses the lyric poetry of Catullus and Horace. Readings are in Latin. The course fulfills the L&S Breadth requirement in Arts & Literature.
This is a graduate survey of the literature of the Roman republic.
This course will theoretical and methodological approaches to Roman craft production and industry, including potting and glassmaking, textile production, quarrying and stonework, and mining and metallurgy, among other crafts. Our goal will be to better understand the organization of production and the lived experiences of craftspeople and laborers in the Roman world. (Photo: John Singer Sargent; MMA 17.97.1)
This course focuses on pedagogy for the teaching of Classics and the pre-modern world more broadly. The course will balance practical help for your first semester teaching with consideration on the larger questions raised by teaching antiquity. The emphasis will be on becoming self-reflective teachers, both as GSIs at Berkeley and in future academic and non-academic careers (which often, explicitly or not, often involve teaching).
Seminar in problems of teaching. Required for all new graduate student instructors.
