GRST 301 - Seminar in Classical Civilization

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2019/20a: Social Justice and Greco-Roman Antiquity. The discipline of Classics was founded in the 19^thcentury as a “scientific” field but there is a growing recognition of the political implications of narratives about the past. Nazi Germany took inspiration from ancient Sparta, Italian fascism from the Roman empire. In the contemporary world misogynists, white nationalists, and xenophobes continue to invoke the classical past to authorize their hateful politics. At the same time antiquity has been invoked by voices calling for revolution and liberation, including abolitionists, Victorian women, and post-apartheid artists in South Africa. This course examines the different political movements that Greco-Roman antiquity has been made to support in an effort to discover ways to talk about the classical past that contribute to inclusive and liberatory politics. Participants in the seminar have the opportunity to work with, and contribute to Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics (pharosclassics.vassar.edu), an ongoing project to document and respond to appropriations of Greco-Roman antiquity by hate groups. Curtis Dozier.

Prerequisite(s): Previous course work in Greek and Roman Studies or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS