Greco-Roman Heritage

This course will examine the key contributions of Greek and Roman cultures to the
development of Western civilization. We will start with the 6th century B.C.E., at the start of
Ancient Greece, up to the 6th century C.E. with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476.
A cultural and interdisciplinary approach will be taken. Greco-Roman cultures will be
defined in the first part of the course by inter-relating political, social, economic, and
cultural developments. Through the students’ engagement with a wide variety of textual
and visual sources, students will gain an understanding of the term “classical antiquity.”
In the second half of the course, students will apply their knowledge of the Greco-Roman
heritage to later developments and contexts from post-classical to contemporary times.
This course complements the first-semester courses, Thinking of Religion and Ancient
Philosophy.