The Minor in Classical Civilization

Course Requirements for the Minor: 21-23 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this minor.

Core: 3 units

1 course required:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
HUMN 220	Arts and Ideas: Ancient/Medieval		3.0	FS	GE
An overview of the artistic and intellectual heritage of the cultures of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, India, China, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Medieval Europe, and Islam from their origins to 1500 C.E. Comparative analysis of music, art, architecture, and primary texts (theatre, philosophy and religion, literature, history, and political science). 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (015843)

Language: 0-8 units

If less than 8 units are taken or credit by prior experience is awarded, take additional units in Interdisciplinary Studies below to meet a minimum of 21 units for the minor.

0-8 units selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
GREK 101	First-Semester Greek	4.0	INQ	GE
Introduction to the ancient Greek language and culture. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of reading, pronunciation, and composition in ancient Greek. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020745)
GREK 102	Second-Semester Greek	4.0	INQ	GE
Continuation of GREK 101. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of reading, pronunciation, and composition of ancient Greek. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020746)

Interdisciplinary Studies: 9-15 units

3-5 courses selected from:

Choose 1 course from at least 3 different disciplines.

Art

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
ARTH 411	Greek Art	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ARTH 110. In-depth study of the art and architecture of the Greek world during the Bronze Age, Aegean, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. An emphasis will be placed upon understanding the development of the Greek artistic concepts, such as idealism and realism, within their cultural and political context. 3 hours lecture. (000858)
ARTH 412	Roman Art	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ARTH 110. In-depth study of the art and architecture of the Roman world covering the Etruscan, Republican, Early and Late Imperial periods. An emphasis will be placed upon understanding the Roman character of Roman art and architecture, as well as domestic life through the arts as found at Pompeii, Herculaneus, etc. 3 hours lecture. (000860)

English

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ENGL 354	Classical Literature		3.0	SP	GE
An introduction to the literature of ancient Greece and Rome. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (003411)

History

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
HIST 301	Ancient History: Greece	3.0	FA
Political and cultural developments in the Greek world from the time of the Trojan War through its transformations under Alexander the Great, and later, the Roman Empire. The "Classical" periods of the city-states Athens and Sparta are our particular focus. Key themes include transitions in economics, literature, art and architecture, society, and the various ways in which Hellenism spread throughout the Mediterranean. 3 hours lecture. (021305)
HIST 302	Ancient History: Rome	3.0	SP
Political and cultural development of Rome from its (legendary) foundation in 753 BCE through the transformation of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. The collapse of Rome's Republic, the rise of military dictators, and the imperial "Golden Age" are the main focus. 3 hours lecture. (021306)
HIST 404	Rise of Rome	3.0	INQ
Political, social, and cultural history of Rome from its origins (within the world of pre-Roman Italy) down to Rome's emergence as the dominant power of the Mediterranean world. Emphasis is on the development of the Roman Republic's government, the nature of Roman imperialism, and social and cultural changes of the Second Century B.C.E. Time from of the courses is ca. 800-146 B.C.E. 3 hours seminar. (015803)
HIST 406	Roman Empire	3.0	INQ
Political, social, and cultural history of the Roman Empire of the Caesars from the Julio-Claudian emperors (14-68 C.E.) to the end of the Severan Dynasty (435 C E.). Emphasis on the Julio-Claudian period, the achievements of Pax Romana, and the cultural transitions into Late Antiquity that emerged in the Second Century C.E. 3 hours seminar. (004587)

Philosophy

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
PHIL 201	History of Ancient Philosophy		3.0	FA
Western philosophical thought from the pre-Socratics through Stoicism, including movements and figures such as Pythagoreanism, Plato, Aristotle, and Epicureanism. 3 hours lecture. (007181)

Religious Studies

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
RELS 301	Greek Myth and Ritual	3.0	INQ
An introduction to Greek mythology and its ancient Near Eastern parallels. The course focuses on the analysis of ancient Greek art and literature (including epic, hymns, lyric poetry, tragedy, and historiography). Topics explored include dying and rising gods, athletics and warfare, hospitality and gift exchange, initiation rituals and the afterlife, and the sex and gender roles of men and women. In addition, students consider Roman, Jewish, and Christian approaches to Greek myth and explore the impact of myth on modern art and film. 3 hours discussion. (008135)
RELS 306	Roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam	3.0	FA
This course introduces students to the formation and early history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with a a special focus on the scriptural traditions of those three religions. 3 hours seminar. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (021561)
RELS 307	New Testament	3.0	INQ
This course covers the books of the Christian New Testament in the context of ancient Judaism and the world of the ancient Mediterranean. Who wrote the gospels and the epistles? Is there anti-Jewish prejudice in the New Testament? This class explores how Jesus was depicted, inquires whether the new Testament promotes or opposes Gnosticism, explains why the Christian apocrypha are not accepted as scripture, and also considers the relationship between the early Christian movement and ancient Greek mystery religions, the Dead Sea Scroll sect, Hellenistic Judaism, and/or Enoch traditions. 3 hours seminar. (008141)

Ancient Cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas: 3 units

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
ANTH 222	Archaeology and the Bible	3.0	INQ
Students examine the early civilizations of the Levant with foundations in the Early Bronze Age. The class focuses on Middle and Late Bronze Age period Canaan, the development of villages, towns, and societies during the periods of Canaanite and early Hebrew settlement. The focus of the course is with the cultural, demographic, political, and economic emergence of the nation of Israel with comparisons in the Old Testament and extra-biblical accounts of the period. Tools used in the examination include interpretation of evidence from archaeological excavations, historical materials, biblical and other textual sources, and area studies. 3 hours lecture. (020211)
ANTH 420	Origins of Early Civilization	3.0	INQ
An examination of the data and major theories concerning the rise of civilizations, using as case studies early Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Mexico, and Peru. The significance of food production, ecology, writing, and the centralized state in the evolution of complex societies. 3 hours lecture. (000561)
ARTH 471	Ancient Mexican Art	3.0	INQ
A survey of ancient Mexican art and culture of formative, classic, conquest, including the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Mxtec, Classic Gulf Coast, Toltec, and Aztec. Sites discussed include El Tajin, La Venta, Monte Alban, Milta, Tula, and Tenochtitlan 3 hours lecture. (000841)
ARTH 472	Maya Art	3.0	INQ
An investigation of the art of the ancient Maya of Mexico and Central America prior to European contact, from the Preclassic to Postclassic periods. The relationship of art to religious beliefs and practices will be explored, as well as the development of local styles associated with royal courts. Sites discussed include Tikal, Palenque, Copan, Uxmal, and Chichen Itza 3 hours lecture. (020618)
ARTH 474	Ancient Andean Art	3.0	INQ
An investigation of the art of Peru and adjacent regions prior to European contact. The relationship of art to religious beliefs and practices, political ideologies, and the significance of styles and technologies are examined. Cultures surveyed include Chavin, Paracas, Nasca, Moche, Tiwanaku, and Inka, as well as the Northern Andean civilizations such as San Agustin. 3 hours lecture. (020619)
RELS 303	Hebrew Bible	3.0	INQ
This course is also offered as MJIS 303. An introduction to the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament of Christianity and the Tanakh of Judaism) in English translation. Readings from the Pentateuch, the prophetic books, and the hagiographa. The course emphasizes the analysis of the biblical books in their ancient Near Eastern contexts, the documentary hypotheses, Israelite history and religion, the formation of the biblical canon, and early Jewish and Christian scriptural interpretation. 3 hours lecture. (005858)

For further information on the Minor in Classical Civilization, consult the coordinator for the minor.