[MGSA-L] Princeton Hellenic Studies Courses: Spring 2016

[Dimitri H. Gondicas]

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies

COURSES: Spring 2016


FRESHMAN SEMINAR

FRS 126 Empires of the Ancient World
There were many empires in antiquity, but the three largest and most famous (apart from Han China) will be the subject of this seminar. These are the Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great; the empire of Alexander the Great, who conquered the Persian Empire; and the Roman Empire, which encompassed the entire Mediterranean world. In addition to examining these particular empires as case studies, we will address some important general questions throughout the semester: What makes an empire an empire (as opposed to a hegemony or an alliance)? Do all empires necessary follow the same trajectory of birth, growth, decay, and death? Or is it possible, through wise polices and good luck, to break out of this pattern? Is an empire always a bad thing for those who are the subjects? The rulers are usually seen as exploiters, but does an empire also bring negative consequences for them as well? Are some empires more benevolent than others — or is it paternalistic even to speak of a "benevolent" empire? And finally, can something useful be learned from the successes and failures (economic, social, and military) of these ancient empires that can guide today's superpowers?
Instructor: Michael A. Flower



UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

HLS 102/MOG 102 Elementary Modern Greek
To provide the basis for acquiring a command of written and spoken Modern Greek.
Instructor: Vasiliki Kantzou

HLS 107/MOG 107 Intermediate Modern Greek
Advanced composition and oral practice aimed at developing idiomatic written and spoken style. Discussions entirely in Greek. Introduces students to contemporary Greek culture and literature through the study of works by Cavafy, Sikelianos, Seferis, Elytis, Ritsos, and Anagnostakis, among others. Readings from articles on current Greek topics.
Instructor: Vasiliki Kantzou

ART 206/HLS 206 Byzantine Art and Architecture
This course introduces the student to the art of the Byzantine Empire and its aftermath from ca. 800 to ca. 1600. Byzantine art has often been opposed to the traditions of western naturalism, and as such has been an undervalued or little known adjunct to the story of medieval art. In order to develop a more sophisticated understanding of our visual evidence, this course will stress the function of this art within the broader setting of this society. Art theory, the notions of empire and holiness, the burdens of the past and the realities of contemporary praxis will be brought to bear upon our various analyses of material from all media.
Instructor: Charles E. Barber

CLA 217/HIS 217/HLS 217 The Greek World in the Hellenistic Age
The Greek experience from Alexander the Great through Cleopatra. An exploration of the dramatic expansion of the Greek world into Egypt and the Near East brought about by the conquests and achievements of Alexander. Study of the profound political, social, and intellectual changes that stemmed from the interaction of new cultures, and the entrance of Rome into the Greek world. Readings include history, biography, and inscriptions.
Instructor: Marc Domingo Gygax

CLG 240/HLS 240 Introduction to Post-Classical Greek from the Late Antique to the Byzantine Era
This course focuses on the debate among pagans and Christians about Homer and the value of pagan literature in Late Antiquity. We will look at how authors opposed Homer to the Bible as a guiding text for society and thought by reading Christian and pagan texts that criticize Homer and the Bible to understand the larger Late Antique debate on intellectual trends in society. This course offers both an understanding of intellectual history, education, and the pagan/Christian debate as well as a survey of various genres and authors in Late Antiquity. Texts read in Greek and in translation.
Instructor: Joshua D. Fincher

PHI 300/HLS 300 Plato and His Predecessors
We shall investigate Plato's views on knowledge, metaphysics, and the nature of the soul, including moral psychology. We will read and discuss Plato's dialogues philosophically - for their philosophical content - rather than from a literary or cultural point of view. Only those interested in reading Plato this way should enroll.
Instructor: Benjamin C. Morison

HIS 308/HLS 308 Toward an Environmental History of the Mediterranean
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the central themes of medieval and modern environmental history and to the types of evidence that historians and scientists use to address the questions that arise. It will also serve as an introduction to a significant emerging cross-disciplinary field, that of "science and history." Focusing on the Mediterranean world from the Romans to the end of the Ottoman empire, the course provide students with a thorough overview of the environmental problems of the Mediterranean world and will also have a strong methodological focus.
Instructor: Adam Azdebski

CLA 326/HIS 326/REL 329/HLS 329 Topics in Ancient History: Athenian Democracy and Its Critics
This course will examine the origins, evolution and organization of the democratic system in Athens, and address some of the most controversial questions about the topic: To what extent was Athens democratic? What were the links between Athenian democracy and its aggressive imperialism? What are the similarities and differences between ancient and modern ideas of democracy?
Instructor: Marc Domingo Gygax

CLA 345/HLS 344 Ancient Greco-Roman Medicine: From Hippocrates to Galen
This course is for undergraduates from all backgrounds with an interest in ancient Greco-Roman medicine and the historical roots of contemporary biomedicine. We will examine how a medical tradition forms around the body as an object of knowledge and therapy, paying close attention to socio-historical context. We also explore issues that remain relevant to medicine, such as the construction of scientific authority, pain and knowledge, error and chance in medicine, narrative and disease, the "naturalization" of cultural categories, the privileging of anatomy, and body-mind interaction. Reading from primary and secondary sources in translation.
Instructor: Brooke A. Holmes

HIS 345/HLS 345/MED 345 The Crusades
The Crusades were a central phenomenon of the Middle Ages. This course examines the origins and development of the Crusades and the Crusader States in the Islamic East. It explores dramatic events, such as the great Siege of Jerusalem, and introduces vivid personalities, including Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. We will consider aspects of institutional, economic, social and cultural history and compare medieval Christian (Western and Byzantine), Muslim and Jewish perceptions of the crusading movement. Finally, we will critically examine the resonance the movement continues to have in current political and ideological debates.
Instructor: Teresa Shawcross

HIS 358/HLS 358 History of the Balkans
Southeastern Europe has always possessed a distinct regional identity. To say "the Balkans" is to conjure up a place that, while part of Europe, seems somehow apart from European history. What is it that has given southeastern Europe its distinctiveness? In this course we will answer that question by exploring the historical experience of the area stretching from Hungary to Crete, and from the Adriatic to Istanbul. We will start in the medieval period and take the story up until the twentieth century.
Instructor: Molly Greene

THR 365/HLS 365 Re: Staging the Greeks
Re: Staging the Greeks, a collaboration between the Theater Program of the Lewis Center for the Arts and the Program in Hellenic Studies, will begin with this acting/directing workshop investigating how to stage ancient Greek plays on the contemporary stage. On Tuesdays, we will study some of the plays, the contexts in which they were first performed, and approaches taken by theater directors over the last few decades. On Fridays, we'll be on our feet, exploring the play's performative possibilities for ourselves. Over midterm break here will be a trip to Greece where students will attend performances, visit sites, and participate in master classes and seminar offered by leading Greek artists and scholars.
Instructor: Bryan Doerries
 
COM 374/HLS 374/ECS 374 The Afterlives of the Iliad
What possible relevance could Homer's Iliad have today? Yet for nearly three millennia the epic has
inspired countless re-writings, from ancient and early modern drama, to modern translations and
continuations, to Hollywood blockbusters and contemporary avant-garde theater. This course traces the influence of the epic across languages, media, and time. Together we will ask vital questions about the formation and reformation of literary canons; the role of translation in the transformation of literary works; and the social, political, and ethical impulses that often motivate our encounters with literary Texts.
Instructor: Karen Emmerich


GRADUATE COURSES

PHI 501/CLA 519/HLS 508 The Philosophy of Aristotle: DeAnima Book II
An exploration of Aristotle's De Anima book II, with special attention to his definition(s) of the soul, and discussion of perception.
Instructor: Hendrik Lorenz, Benjamin C. Morison

REL 504/HLS 505 Studies in Greco-Roman Religions: Authority, Ritual, and Politics in Early Christianity
Our seminar investigates several major topics (c. 70 C.E.- 500 C.E.), including the following: Authority, "Scriptures," and leadership, seen in comparison with Jewish groups; Rituals, especially exorcism, in context of Greco-Roman cosmology and practices; Constantine's "Christian empire"; Discoveries of "heretical" texts.
Instructor: Elaine H. Pagels

CLA 513/COM 516/HLS 513 Ancient Literary Criticism
A close reading of Aristotle’s “Poetics” with selections from related texts.
Instructor: Andrew L. Ford

CLA 520/PAW 520/HLS 521 Greek History: Methods and Problems
A comprehensive introduction to central topics and methods of Greek history, offering a chronological overview of periods and significant developments; a survey of research tools and specialized sub-disciplines (e.g., epigraphy and numismatics); as well as important theoretical approaches to the study of the past (e.g., positivism, or the Annales School).
Instructor: Nino Luraghi

CLA 526/HLS 527 Problems in Greek and Roman Philosophy: Cynicism
In this seminar we shall read the sources that tell us about the origins of cynicism in antiquity (Antisthenes, Diogenes and Crates), discuss the problems connected with the interpretation of the evidence, and ponder the possible social and political function of this movement. We shall then survey the vibrant echoes and imitations of cynicism in the first centuries CE (Demetrius of Corinth, Peregrinus Proteus, Julian). If there is time, the seminar also explores the merits of modern manifestations of philosophical cynicism, for example in Michel Onfray.
Instructor: Christian Wildberg

ART 537/MED 500/HLS 534 Seminar in Medieval Art: Byzantine and Medieval Manuscripts
The course explores the fields of Byzantine and western manuscript illumination through categories of medieval books that offer scope for dissertation in both traditions. Case studies of key examples structure the sessions and the reading list. Course bibliography includes both fundamental and recent works; an emphasis on method and historiography in art history's approach to manuscript studies is a focus of the class. The course concludes with a formal colloquium and will include time in both Princeton and New York collections.
Instructors: Charles E. Barber, Beatrice E. Kitzinger

HIS 542/HLS 542/MED 542  Problems in Byzantine History: Rethinking the 11th Century in Byzantium
The eleventh century is now generally seen as a period of economic expansion in the Byzantine and east Mediterranean world, on the one hand, but of military and political collapse on the other, chiefly as a result of the defeat at the battle of Manzikert in 1071 at the hands of the Selcuk Turks. Is this picture justified? How do contemporary sources view the empire and its politics at this time? What is the nature of the evidence for both the economic and social and political history of the empire? This course will re-examine key sources for the period to see how far the currently-accepted view is justified.
Instructor: John F. Haldon

HUM 595/ENG 598/CLA 595/HLS 595 Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities: Cosmopoiesis: Worldmaking from the Presocratics to Deleuze
What is the world? What does it mean to make, unmake, and remake a world? This course on Cosmopoiesis seeks to answer these questions in its study of early forms of premodern world-making in Greco-Roman natural philosophy and their afterlives in medieval, early-modern, and modern philosophy. In this course we will imagine the cosmos at every possible scale, from the infinitesimally small to the infinitely large, and reflect on the ethical stakes of such a practice. We will also attend to the problems of mereology, teleology, dialectics, and figuration, and seek to rethink the philosophical and historical grounds of "theory".
Instructors: Andrew Cole, Brooke A. Holmes


COURSES OF INTEREST: http://www.princeton.edu/hellenic/courses/#comp00004a54efd800000038cd76aa

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