Greek

New Testament Greek

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:20:53 +0000

New Testament Greek CLAS 0250 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/13/2020 - 16:20 Tutorials Classics Greek Religion Autumn 2022 Autumn 2023 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2025 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

This course covers the grammar, syntax and vocabulary of New Testament Greek. It is possible to take this at any language level, including beginner. Students’ level will be assessed as part of the pre-arrival process.

Ancient Greek

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:20:53 +0000

Ancient Greek CLAS 0200 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/13/2020 - 16:20 Tutorials Classics Greek Autumn 2022 Autumn 2023 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2025 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

Ancient Greek is offered at every level, including beginners. It involves the study of grammar, syntax and readings from classical Greek literature. The precise nature of the tutorial will depend on the skills and needs of each individual student.

Greek Historical Writing

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:20:53 +0000

Greek Historical Writing CLAS 0051 / HIST 0051 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/13/2020 - 16:20 Tutorials Classics Greek History Autumn 2022 Autumn 2023 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2025 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

The most influential ancient Greek historians are studied from a literary perspective, with the emphasis on the presentation of their narrative and the characters in it. Thucydides and Xenophon were writing about their own time, while Herodotus’ epic ‘Histories’ explores the Persian wars in the light of the distant past, with many suggestive parallels between past and present.

Texts

Herodotus, Histories Book 3

Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War Book 3

Xenophon, Anabasis Books 1-4

Sample topics:

Leaders and leadership in historical narrative
The function of digressions in history-writing
Historians’ understanding and presentation of war
Religious issues and the depiction of the gods
The use of speeches in historical narrative
Historians’ concept of research and their presentation of their sources
The extent to which women are a marginalised group in historical narrative
The treatment of foreign cultures by Greek historians

There is no language requirement for this tutorial: all texts are taught in English translation. However, if you do have the relevant language skills then it can be taught through the original texts: contact the Senior Tutor to discuss this.

Greek Epic

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:20:53 +0000

Greek Epic CLAS 0046 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/13/2020 - 16:20 Tutorials Classics Greek Autumn 2022 Autumn 2023 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2025 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

The earliest texts of Western literature were created in performance by illiterate bards, and yet they offer richness and complexity in their storytelling, characterisation and moral outlook. The Iliad explores the tragedy and glory of being a hero, with martial frenzy, but also pathos and forgiveness. The Odyssey responds to the Iliad and contrasts with it, incorporating fantasy, folktale and realism, and building up to the dramatic climax of Odysseus’s revenge against the suitors of his wife Penelope.

Texts:

The Iliad

The Odyssey

Sample topics:

Divine spectators and domestic dramas on Olympus
Foreshadowing, flashbacks and the structure of the Iliad
Gods, heroes and morality
Mortal women and goddesses
The heroism of Hector and Achilles
The epic simile and formulaic structures
Stories and story-tellers in the Odyssey
The Trojan War in history and archaeology

Greek Lyric

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:20:53 +0000

Greek Lyric CLAS 0043 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/13/2020 - 16:20 Tutorials Classics Greek Autumn 2022 Autumn 2023 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2025 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

The lyric poetry of the Greek city-states of the Archaic period embraces a great variety of styles, with performance ranging from the public realm to the intimate setting of the symposium. The poems address themes from the very personal and intimate to the great questions which face the state.

Texts:

Semonides, Sappho, Alcaeus, Theognis, Solon and Anacreon from M.L. West, Greek Lyric Poetry

Pindar Olympian 1 and Pythian 1

Sample topics:

Semonides portrayal of women in Fragment 7 in the context of its time
The personal and introspective nature of Sappho’s poetry
Sappho and Alcaeus’ use of Homeric themes
Theognis on men, gods and morality
Solon’s political poetry
Anacreon’s use of style, structure and form to convey experiences
The theme of excellence in Pindar’s victory odes
Pindar’s use of myths

Greek Tragedy

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:20:53 +0000

Greek Tragedy CLAS 0040 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/13/2020 - 16:20 Tutorials Classics Greek Autumn 2022 Autumn 2023 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2025 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

Greek tragedy is a genre that exemplified the artistic achievement of Athenian democracy in in the fifth century BCE, from the victory over the Persians at Marathon to the Peloponnesian War. The plays were performed to the citizens of this radical democracy and engaged with themes which were at the heart of the state. However, they went beyond politics to address fundamental questions about ethics, religion, and the gods. In the Frogs Aristophanes makes fun of Aeschylus and Euripides, but he makes a serious point, too: it is through watching plays and thinking about them that men become better citizens.

Texts:

Aeschylus, The Oresteia

Sophocles, Oedipus the King, Antigone

Euripides, Medea, Electra

Aristophanes, Frogs

Sample topics:

The theme of justice in the Oresteia
Mortals and gods in the plays of Euripides
The role of the chorus in Greek tragedy
The theme of leadership in Greek tragedy
Women in the family and state
The individual, family and the state
The mythical past and fifth-century Athens
The audience’s expectations of tragedy in the Frogs

Greek Literature of the Fifth Century BCE

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:20:53 +0000

Greek Literature of the Fifth Century BCE CLAS 0030 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/13/2020 - 16:20 Tutorials Classics Greek Autumn 2022 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

Through the genres of history, lyric and drama, this course explores the life and thinking of fifth-century BCE Greek city-states, with new ideas about morality and identity being introduced to Athens by the Sophists, while some hold on to the aristocratic values of the Homeric hero.

Texts:

Herodotus, Histories Books 1 and 7

Pindar, Pythian 1 and 9 and Olympian 1

Sophocles, Ajax

Euripides, Hippolytus

Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae

Sample topics:

Herodotus’ approach to the differences between Greeks and barbarians
Pindar’s use of myths and imagery to praise victors
The treatment of the themes of community and honour in the Ajax
Psychology and religion in the Hippolytus
Gender politics and the relationship between comedy and tragedy in the Thesmophoriazusae
How literature of the 5^th century BCE approaches religion