Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS)

This course establishes the historical, linguistic and cultural foundations of proto-Indo-European, the reconstructed ancestral language which underlies most of the languages of Europe and some of the languages of western Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In the first part of the course, a uniform reconstructed system for the protolanguage is developed, based on the comparative analysis of the major branches of the Indo:-European language family. Once the essential character of the protolanguage has been established, the course concentrates on the evolution of the two classical languages, Greek and Latin, as historical outcomes of the proto-Indo-European ancestral system. Special emphasis is laid on the systematic study of the vocabulary, the sound system and the system of word-formation, and on the similarities and differences which are evident in the two classical languages.

This course features advanced study of a particular ancient Mediterranean language or dialect, group of languages or dialects, or a specific language topic, such as philology, paleography, epigraphy, or linguistics in the Ancient Mediterranean, including Rome, Greece, Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Iran, Arabia, etc. The choice of primary topic in each iteration of the course is made by the instructor. The following are some examples of topics: "Seminar in Old Egyptian Texts" (or Middle Egyptian, or Late Egyptian texts); "Akkadian Dialects"; "Mishnaic Hebrew"; "Regional Greek Epigraphic Texts"; "Bohairic Coptic"; "Old Persian Inscriptions"; "Vulgar Latin"; "Imperial Aramaic," or others. As such, this course is repeatable by students. The aim of the course is to provide students with critical exposure to aspects of ancient Mediterranean language study as well as a solid grounding in scholarly research methods for ancient language study.

Advanced study of Sumerian grammar and cuneiform writing through the reading of Sumerian literary texts.

Advanced study of Akkadian grammar and the cuneiform script through the reading of texts in various dialects.

Overview of the Semitic language family and introduction to its comparative linguistic study.

This course offers rotating topics in the study of ancient Judaism. The choice of primary topic in each iteration of the course is made by the instructor. The course features advanced study of Judaism in a range of historical settings, from its beginnings in biblical Israel to the development of Jewish texts, traditions, and communities in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. By adopting a critical approach, this course offers students an opportunity to conduct and examine research on ancient Judaism in a theoretically informed, cross-disciplinary manner. The course brings methods, material, and insights from Jewish studies to bear on ongoing work in many fields, including history, philosophy, political theory, religious studies, and comparative literature. Course topics may be thematic, revolving around specific themes like diaspora, Jewish identity, Jewish experiences of empire, or questions of gender. They may be organized around specific places or periods, for example: the history of Jerusalem, Jews in Hellenistic Egypt, first-century Palestine, Roman-era Alexandria, or late antique Babylon. They may also include the analysis of Jewish literature or textual traditions within their social, political, religious, and cultural contexts. The aim of the course is to provide students with critical exposure to aspects of ancient Judaism as well as a solid grounding in scholarly research methods.

The specific aim of this proseminar is to provide a foundation for scholarly work in the disciplines included within Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies. This proseminar will therefore provide the student an overview of the scope and nature of the ancient evidence (literary, documentary, material [archaeological], the history and historiography of modern study of that evidence and the ways in which research methodologies and techniques have evolved. In addition, the proseminar will introduce students to the nature of contemporary academic presentation and publishing, thereby to assist them in preparing research papers for scholarly dissemination.

The specific aim of this seminar is to provide a research experience in one of the disciplines included within Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies. This seminar will therefore give students an overview of the scope and nature of the ancient evidence (literary, documentary, material [archaeological]), the history and historiography of modern study of that evidence and the ways in which research methodologies and techniques have evolved in a specific discipline of CAMS.

Creative projects, including nonthesis research, that are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.