The subject of this course will be medieval Greek Romantic fiction. We will read translations of the four surviving novels written in twelfth-century Constantinople in a bid to answer questions about the link between eroticism and the novel, truth and invention in the middle ages, who read fiction and why, and what role, if any, did the medieval or Byzantine Romances have in the story of the European novel. Above all, we will seek to recover some of the pleasure felt by the medieval readers and audiences of these novels.
Topics in Medieval Greek Literature
Professor/Instructor
Emmanuel C. BourbouhakisClassical Historians and Their Philosophies of History
Professor/Instructor
Marc Domingo GygaxMajor classical historians, especially Herodotus and Thucydides, are studied in connection with the theory and practice of the art or science of history. Lectures and preceptorials treat the development of historical writing and its relationship to philosophy, politics, literature, and science, and problems such as that of fact and interpretation in historical writing. Two lectures, one preceptorial.
The Classical Tradition
Professor/Instructor
Leonard BarkanClassical mythology in the arts from Ovid to Shakespeare, from Zeuxis to Titian, with a particular emphasis on the subject of love. Introductory discussions on the nature of myth in its relation to the literary and visual arts. Readings will include major literary works from antiquity to the Renaissance integrated with the study of mythological painting, principally from 15th- and 16th-century Italy, including the works of Botticelli, Correggio, and Titian. One three-hour seminar.
Tragedy
Professor/Instructor
The tragic vision as expressed by Greek, Renaissance, and modern writers who dramatize the relationship between human suffering and human achievement. Readings in Aeschylus, Sophocles, the Old Testament, Shakespeare, Milton, Chekhov, Ibsen, Sartre, Brecht, Beckett, and T. S. Eliot. One lecture, one two-hour seminar.
Topics in Ancient History
Professor/Instructor
A period, problem, or theme in ancient history or religion with critical attention to the ancient sources and modern discussions. The topic and instructor vary from year to year. Format will change each time, depending on enrollment.
Studies in the Classical Tradition
Professor/Instructor
Katerina StergiopoulouA classical genre or literary theme will be studied as it was handed down and transformed in later ages, for example, the European epic; ancient prose fiction and the picaresque tradition; the didactic poem. Two 90-minute seminars.
The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1800
Professor/Instructor
Molly GreeneAn analysis of political, economic, and social institutions with emphasis on the problems of continuity and change, the factors allowing for and limiting Ottoman expansion, and Ottoman awareness of Europe. Two 90-minute classes.
Greek Ethical Theory
Professor/Instructor
Hendrik LorenzThe development of moral philosophy in Greece. Intensive study of the moral theories of such philosophers as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, the early Stoics, and Sextus Empiricus. Two 90-minute lecture-discussion classes.
Greek Law and Legal Practice
Professor/Instructor
Marc Domingo GygaxThe development of Greek legal traditions, from Homer to the Hellenistic age. The course focuses on the relationship between ideas about justice, codes of law, and legal practice (courtroom trials, arbitration), and the development of legal theory. Two 90-minute seminars.
The Formation of the Christian West
Professor/Instructor
Helmut ReimitzA study of the emergence of a distinctive Western European civilization out of Christian, Greco-Roman, and Germanic institutions and ideas from the decline of the Roman Empire to about A.D. 1050. Two lectures, one preceptorial.
The Crusades
Professor/Instructor
Teresa ShawcrossThe 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
The Icon
Professor/Instructor
Charlie BarberIn this class we will examine the history, function, theory and meaning of the icon. We will also examine the icon's influence upon the discourses of Modernism. A more practical aspect of this class is that participants in the course will work with the Princeton University Art Museum's icon collection and with its collection of icon painter's preparatory drawings. The class will provide participants with a broad grounding in questions pertaining to the icon.
History of the Balkans
Professor/Instructor
Molly GreeneExamines the rise of nationalism in the Balkans, beginning with an examination of Balkan society under the Ottomans and continuing up through the establishment of nation-states in the 19th and 20th centuries. Case studies will include Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Albania. Themes covered: social organization, prenational politics, imperialism, cultural and economic elites, the Ottoman heritage. One lecture, two preceptorials.
Special Topics in Modern Greek Civilization
Professor/Instructor
An aspect or period of modern Greek civilization since the War of Independence (1821) as it is illuminated by literary, historical, and other relevant sources. Emphasis will be given to the cross-cultural context of the topic, including the relation of modern Greece to Western, Eastern, or Balkan cultures, or the Hellenic diaspora in America and elsewhere.
Special Topics in Byzantine Civilization
Professor/Instructor
An aspect of the civilization of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, from 312 to 1453, as illuminated by literary, historical, and other relevant sources. Emphasis will be given to the cross-cultural context of the topic, including relations of the Byzantine Empire with Sassanid Persia, the Arabs, the Slavs, and Western Europe. Two lectures, one preceptorial.
Special Topics in Hellenic Studies
Professor/Instructor
The diachronic development of a theme, genre, or institution, with emphasis on the continuities and discontinuities between successive periods of Hellenic culture--ancient, Byzantine, and modern. The approach will be interdisciplinary and cross-cultural.
Modern Transformations of Classical Themes
Professor/Instructor
A special topic concerning the adaptation of one or more classical themes in contemporary culture through media such as literature, film, and music. Two 90-minute seminars.
Topics in Classical Thought
Professor/Instructor
Mirjam Engert KotwickThe ancients were fascinated by dreams and debated a variety of views about the nature, origin, and function of dreams. Are dreams divine messages about the future, our souls' indications of impending diseases, or just distorted versions of earlier thoughts? Do dreams have meaning and if so, how can we understand them? We will explore ancient approaches to dreams and their enigmas in literature and philosophy, medical texts, and religious practices. Although our focus will be on Greek and Roman texts, we will also pay attention to earlier Near Eastern sources as well as modern dream theories from Freud to scientific dream research.
Beyond Crisis Contemporary Greece in Context
Professor/Instructor
Karen Renee EmmerichThis course examines an emergent historical situation as it unfolds: the ongoing financial, social, and humanitarian "crisis" in Greece, including the "refugee crisis." It offers a comparative approach to current Greek cultural production, through literature and film of the past decade and writings drawn from history, anthropology, political science, economics, news sources, and political blogs. We also probe terms like "crisis," exploring how language shapes our understanding of events and how our perceptions of an unfamiliar culture, history, and society are mediated not just by linguistic translation but by market forces and media spin.
Topics in Ancient History
Professor/Instructor
Caroline CheungA period, problem, or theme in ancient history or religion with critical attention to the ancient sources and modern discussions. The topic and instructor vary from year to year. Format will change each time, depending on enrollment.
Introduction to Archaeology
Professor/Instructor
Nathan Todd ArringtonIntroduces students to the methods and thinking of archaeologists and prehistorians. Topics include the concept of prehistory; ethnographic analogy and the interpretation of material remains; relating material culture to texts; schemes of cultural interpretation; and how to read an excavation report. This seminar is required for the Certificate in Archaeology. One three-hour seminar.
Seminar. Greek Art
Professor/Instructor
Nathan Todd ArringtonTopics of Greek art and architecture that will normally deal with the Hellenistic period (323-31 B.C.). Depending on student interest, special subjects may also be treated in relation to the Hellenistic period, such as classicism, or the course may concentrate on thematic studies, such as architectural sculpture. Two 90-minute seminars. Prerequisite: a course in ancient art or instructor's permission. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 1 distribution requirement. Offered in alternate years.
Empire and Catastrophe
Professor/Instructor
Teresa ShawcrossCatastrophe reveals the fragility of human society. This course examines a series of phenomena--plague, famine, war, revolution, economic depression etc.--in order to reach an understanding of humanity's imaginings of but also resilience to collective crises. We shall look in particular at how political forces such as empire have historically both generated and resisted global disasters. Material dealing with the especially fraught centuries at the transition between the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period will be set alongside examples drawn from antiquity as well as our own contemporary era.
Seminar. Medieval Art
Professor/Instructor
Charlie BarberTopics in medieval art and/or architecture. Prerequisite: a course in the art of this period or instructor's permission. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 2 distribution requirement. One three-hour seminar.
Imperialism and Reform in the Middle East and the Balkans
Professor/Instructor
M. Sükrü HaniogluThe major Near Eastern abd Balkan diplomatic crises, the main developments in internal Near Eastern history, and the Eastern Question as perceived by the Great Powers. The focus will be on the possible connections between diplomatic crises and the process of modernization. One three-hour seminar.