Class Schedules

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the Roman world, which at its height stretched from Britain to Iran, from Germany to Africa, and lasted well over a thousand years. Students will develop critical thinking skills while working with Roman literature in translation, art, architecture and other archaeological remains. The structure of the course is chronological, but we will examine major themes across time and space, which may include the development of Roman literature out of and in response to Greek culture; the effects of the civil wars and the resulting political change from a republic to a monarchy; the cultural, religious and/or military aspects of the Roman empire and its immediate aftermath; Roman conceptions of gender, sexuality, slave and free status, citizenship and/or ethnicity, and how these social categories were used to legitimize or exercise power.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course will explore the filmic legacy of selected texts from the Greek and Roman traditions. We read and discuss a number of epic and dramatic sources from Mediterranean antiquity, and trace how those narratives are creatively appropriated and deployed in cinema. The films explored in this course will include not only direct adaptations of ancient stories, but also points of connection between antiquity and film along thematic and stylistic lines. This course will feature live film viewings and draw upon a broad array of genres from global film-making. The films that we will view and discuss in this course will include, among numerous others, Hayao Miyazaki’s captivating anime, Spirited Away; Aki Kaurismaki’s humanist immigration story, The Other Side of Hope; Denis Villeneuve’s expansive Quebecois/Lebanese mystery, Incendies; Kathryn Bigelow’s cinematic treatment of war trauma, The Hurt Locker; Akira Kurosawa’s groundbreaking samurai masterpiece, Yojimbo; Jean Cocteau’s surrealist adaptation of ancient myth, Orpheus.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course explores the masterpieces of Arabic literature (in translation): classical Arabic poetry, the Qur’an, 1001 Nights, humanistic prose, philosophical writings, and others. Students will read and discuss texts that came from different parts of the world and different times: from Mecca and Baghdad to Cordoba and Prague, and from the 6th until the 21st century. The structure of the course is chronological, but it examines major themes that have had crucial importance to humans across time and space, such as fate, love, and wonder. At the same time, this literature also sheds light on questions particular to its historical and social circumstances. We will therefore also learn through these texts about issues of religion, social class, gender among Arabic-speaking communities throughout the ages.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course will explore the filmic legacy of selected texts from the Greek and Roman traditions. We read and discuss a number of epic and dramatic sources from Mediterranean antiquity, and trace how those narratives are creatively appropriated and deployed in cinema. The films explored in this course will include not only direct adaptations of ancient stories, but also points of connection between antiquity and film along thematic and stylistic lines. This course will feature live film viewings and draw upon a broad array of genres from global film-making. The films that we will view and discuss in this course will include, among numerous others, Hayao Miyazaki’s captivating anime, Spirited Away; Aki Kaurismaki’s humanist immigration story, The Other Side of Hope; Denis Villeneuve’s expansive Quebecois/Lebanese mystery, Incendies; Kathryn Bigelow’s cinematic treatment of war trauma, The Hurt Locker; Akira Kurosawa’s groundbreaking samurai masterpiece, Yojimbo; Jean Cocteau’s surrealist adaptation of ancient myth, Orpheus.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A thorough review of Latin grammar followed by a study of a Roman prose author or authors. Students build reading skills while gaining an appreciation for the literary and cultural aspects of Latin prose. Particular texts to be studied may include Petronius' Satyricon , the letters and/or speeches of Cicero, letters of Pliny, or Livy's History of Rome. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 212 or its equivalent.

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Course Materials

Hebrew prose selections from the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls and Rabbinic parables. Translation of texts will be supplemented with grammar review. Students will gain facility with such tools as the lexicon, commentary and critical apparatus and will become familiar with critical trends in contemporary research. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 218 or its equivalent.

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Course Materials

This course focuses on expanding vocabulary and grammar through simple texts, dialogs and stories. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 214 or equivalent.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course focuses on expanding vocabulary and grammar through simple texts, dialogs and stories. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 214 or equivalent.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course focuses on expanding vocabulary and grammar through simple texts, dialogs and stories. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 214 or equivalent.

General Education Requirements:

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Course Materials

​This course surveys the visual and material culture of Europe, the Middle East and the broader Mediterranean world from prehistory through the late Medieval period, including early Christian, Jewish and Islamic cultures. We consider the artistic and archaeological remains from the Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Greece, Etruria, Rome, and western Europe from a contextual perspective in order to understand each culture's ideologies, and the diverse social and artistic purposes for which art and architecture was created and used.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The Senior Seminar caps the experience of being a Classics major. Students in all three tracks (Archaeology, Civilization, and Languages) join together to explore the history of the discipline and its relationship to their own histories and future plans. Students learn about, draft and critique documents useful for their next steps, including resumes, personal statements and cover letters, along with discussing selected readings in a seminar setting. Each student also works with an advisor from the department to develop and execute a major piece of work in their chosen field, Majors who have completed the Senior Seminar have thus executed a substantive independent project and can articulate the place of their Classics major within their personal and professional development. Prerequisite(s): Must be a declared Classics major

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Why are Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and Latin all taught in the same department at Macalester? Today Islam and the Arab world are often presented in contrast with the West in a sort of timeless and unending 'clash of civilizations.' Classics 101 aims to counter this narrative by exploring the multiple deep, long-term connections among the languages, religions and peoples around the Mediterranean Sea. What were the relationships among speakers of these languages in the past? How did Judaism, Christianity and Islam develop among them? Why are Greek and Roman traditions sometimes seen as in tension with Christian or Arab traditions -- and has that always been the case? Readings include selections from Genesis, Exodus, Homer, Herodotus, Euripides, Plato, Vergil, the Gospels, Josephus, Imru Al-Qays, the Qur'an and 1,001 Nights. Legendary and historical figures include Moses, Helen of Troy, Cyrus, Darius, Pericles, Alexander, Cleopatra, Jesus, Augustus, Perpetua, Constantine, Muhammad, Fatima, Aisha and Omar. Suggested subtitles for the course include Before East and West, We Hear Dead People, Great Books Reimagined, and Hey, You Should Know This Stuff. Required for all majors in the Classical Mediterranean and Middle East.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course studies some of the world's great storytellers-the ancient Greeks. First, we read from translations of Greek poetry to become familiar with the key figures and events in mythology, including the Olympian gods and their origins, the major heroes, and the Trojan War. Then we explore more broadly the adaptable nature of these myths and the variety of forms in which the Greeks told stories, from epic and personal poetry to philosophy, drama, sculpture and vase painting. At the same time, we investigate the ways in which moderns have interpreted these stories. We analyze myths using Freud's psychoanalytical techniques, as folklore and ritual, and through theoretical perspectives including structuralism, new historicism and feminism. Finally, we investigate the later life of Greek myths, focusing on how and why these stories have been retold by the Romans, later European authors and artists, American film makers and playwrights, and science fiction writers.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Cosmopoleis is a study of six of the great cosmopolitan cities of the late antique world. These cities were the intellectual and cultural centers of the world in their time. How did these centers fashion such diverse, vibrant and culturally innovative environments? Analyzing these cities from the perspective of empire or imperial cities, students will discuss what these global and diverse civic centers can teach us about modern cities

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 111.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 111.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 113.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 113.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 113.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course introduces students to archaeology, the study of the material remains of human culture. Students will explore the history of the discipline and profession, its basic methods and theories, and the political and ethical dimensions of modern archaeological practice. Students learn to examine and interpret evidence using specific examples, from artifacts to sites to regions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 115 .

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 115 .

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 115 .

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Archaeology in the United States is no longer practiced exclusively by universities and museums. In fact, since the 1970s, the vast majority of archaeological projects undertaken involve individuals employed in either private industry or with the federal or state government. This shift toward cultural resource management (CRM) archaeology transformed the traditional role of archaeology practiced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So, what changed? This course explores the role of public archaeology in the United States through an examination of the laws and practices dictating the protection of historic properties, consultation with descendant communities, and the design of archaeological management plans.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This is a dialogical seminar focused on the years in the Middle East prior to the emergence of Islam through the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. Relations between the pre and early Islamic communities and the Greek Byzantine world is also a focus of the seminar. The intellectual centers of both the Caliphate and the Byzantine Commonwealth are discussed. The Seminar is very interested in the presence of these themes in contemporary Middle Eastern literature. Some familiarity with either Arabic or Greek is necessary - the two languages of this cultural dialogue.

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Course Materials

A course in the poetic literature of the Republican and/or Augustan Ages with concentrated study on one or two authors. Students work toward grammatical and lexical mastery while learning about the forms, styles and cultural aspects of Latin poetry. Authors to be studied may include Plautus, Catullus, Horace, Vergil, or Ovid. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 231or equivalent.

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Course Materials

The final semester in the two-year survey of the Hebrew language from ancient to modern. Students will read selections from the Biblical books of poetry such as Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Psalms. The second half of the semester is devoted to modern conversational Hebrew. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 237 or equivalent.

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Course Materials

This course introduces students to more authentic texts and samples a variety of authors and genres from around the Arab world. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 241 or equivalent.

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Course Materials

This course introduces students to more authentic texts and samples a variety of authors and genres from around the Arab world. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 241 or equivalent.

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Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course introduces students to more authentic texts and samples a variety of authors and genres from around the Arab world. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 241 or equivalent.

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Course Materials

In this course, students will deepen their listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills in Modern Standard Arabic, using a combination of textbook and authentic written and audiovisual materials. The authentic materials will span different genres: from classical poetry and medieval Islamic historiography to modern media and scholarly sources. The course will also encourage students to think critically about a variety of topics related to Arabic culture, both classical and modern.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials