21st century Classics

Catalog description

The changing face of Classics, the study of Greek and Roman culture and literatures, and their receptions, has never been more turbulent than in the early 21st century. Why do we study these cultures, and what do they mean to us? Who is us? This course grapples with these questions of relevance and has been designed with input from Brown undergraduate and graduate students to try to bridge the multiple divides that can separate those who are already engaged in Classical studies from the majority who may never have thought about studying these cultures. This introductory course considers: literature, art, fine arts, history, and culture; embraces historiography and ideology, critical race theory and meets head on the exclusive past with which Classics has been associated.