Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies

(previous semesters)

How to be Holy: Monks and Nuns in Historical Perspective
FRS 116
For nearly two thousand years, some men and women have chosen to live a life we call "monastic." In its primary meaning, this simply means that they live alone. In its secondary meanings, a "monastic" life is one of celibacy, fasting, and prayer. Monks and nuns are the religious specialists in a society of religious amateurs. As such, they have seemed heroic to their contemporaries, their prayers have been considered essential to the health of society as a whole, and they have both influenced the events of their times and been influenced by them. Such a general description of monasticism, however, disguises the ways in which monastic life has changed over time. This seminar will study the history and ideals of monasticism from the Egyptian monks of early Christianity, who lived in the desert, to the Flemish Beguines of the late Middle Ages, who lived communally but worked charitably in the world. We will be especially concerned with the evolution of different kinds of monasticism, and different monastic ideals, in different periods. We will seek the roots of such change in the interaction between monks and nuns and the people outside the walls of their monasteries. In sum, the members of the seminar will seek to answer questions like the following: What makes a person "holy"? Is renunciation of "the world" (wealth, food, sex, fame, success, family, etc.) necessary for holiness? How do people of different periods answer these questions differently? To what extent does each society devise its own definitions of "holiness"? How are those definitions connected to the other concerns and values of the society? What roles do "holy people" play in the world? Should they or do they remain in their monasteries and contribute to society only through prayers? Is it considered selfish of them to live thus in constant communion with God? Or do monks, nuns, and other people in their time believe that prayer in the monastery should lead to an urge to return to the world and serve other people?
Tia Kolbaba  Seminar: 1:30-4:20 p.m. Th

Elementary Modern Greek
HLS 102/MOG 102
A continuation of 101, aiming to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing modern Greek in a cultural context. Classroom activities include videos, comprehension and grammar exercises, and discussions. Auditors welcome with instructor's permission.
Dimitri Gondicas  Classes: 11:00-11:50 p.m. MTWTh

The Civilization of the Early Middle Ages
HLS 343/CLA 343
The course will focus on the emergence of medieval civilization from the hey-day of the Roman Empire to about 900 A.D. It will examine the transformation of Roman civilization under the impact of Christianity, and the symbiosis of barbarian and Roman in the west to form a new Christian society of very different culture, associated with radically new social structures and ideals. It will also set this development against that of the neighbors of Western Europe--Byzantium and, later, Islam. The goal is to understand this development and also to relive it.
Peter R. Brown Lecture: 11:00-11:50 p.m. TTh

Problems in Ancient History:
The Making of Modern Historiography of Ancient Greece
CLA 548
The Greeks invented history. But when and how did the moderns start to write their own history of ancient Greece? This is the central question of the seminar. Primary readings will include selections from ancient authors and from epoch making works in the last three centuries on Greek history and archaeology, but also travelers' and antiquarian writings. Reading and discussion will extend to recent secondary literature on history of classical scholarship and modern historiography. The focus will be on specific institutional and ideological contexts in which modern scholarly practices of writing histories of ancient Greece emerged.
Giovanna Ceserani Seminar: 1:30-4:20 W 

Courses of Interest

Fall 2002 course offerings
Spring 2002 course offerings
Fall 2001 course offerings
Spring 2001 course offerings
Fall 2000 course offerings
Spring 2000 course offerings
Fall 1999 course offerings