Fall 2024
Beginning Ancient Greek
Nadav Asraf PhD, Preceptor in Classics, Harvard University
This course is the first of a four-part sequence intended to introduce the student to the language and world of classical Greece. The main goal of the course is to provide the student with a comprehensive introduction to the classical Greek language. Students develop a foundational understanding of morphology and syntax while reading texts inspired by or adapted from authors such as Aristophanes, Demosthenes, Herodotus, and Plato. Grammatical concepts covered include the declension of nouns and adjectives; pronouns (demonstrative, indefinite, and interrogative); the function of the cases; the conjugation of verbs in the present, imperfect, and future indicative; and the present participle. In addition, this course provides an introduction to ancient Greek literature and culture.
Spring 2025
Beginning Ancient Greek
Nadav Asraf PhD, Preceptor in Classics, Harvard University
This course is the second of a four-part sequence intended to introduce the student to the language and world of classical Greece. The main goal of the course is to provide the student with a comprehensive introduction to the classical Greek language. Students improve their understanding of morphology and syntax while reading texts inspired by or adapted from authors such as Aristophanes, Demosthenes, Herodotus, and Plato. Grammatical concepts covered include the conjugation of verbs in the aorist indicative; the aorist participle; the conjugation of verbs in the present and aorist optative (active and middle voices); the potential optative; comparative and superlative adjectives; relative clauses; particles; indirect statements; and the principal parts of common verbs. In addition, this course provides an introduction to ancient Greek literature and culture.
Prerequisites: CGRK E-1a or the equivalent.
Fall 2024
Intermediate Classical Greek I
Nadav Asraf PhD, Preceptor in Classics, Harvard University
This course is the third of a four-part sequence intended to introduce the student to the language and world of classical Greece. The main goal of the course is to provide the student with a comprehensive introduction to the classical Greek language. Students improve their understanding of morphology and syntax while reading texts inspired by or adapted from authors such as Aristophanes, Demosthenes, Herodotus, and Plato. Grammatical topics covered include the perfect tense, the conjugation of verbs in the passive voice, the conjugation of athematic verbs, the genitive absolute, indirect statements, conditional clauses, clauses of effort, the subjunctive mood, articular infinitives, and indefinite constructions. In addition, this course provides an introduction to ancient Greek literature and culture.
Prerequisites: CGRK E-1b or the equivalent.
Spring 2025
Intermediate Classical Greek II
Nadav Asraf PhD, Preceptor in Classics, Harvard University
This course is the fourth of a four-part sequence intended to introduce the student to the language and world of classical Greece. The main goal of the course is to provide the student with a comprehensive introduction to the classical Greek language. Students improve their understanding of morphology and syntax while reading texts inspired by or adapted from authors such as Aristophanes, Demosthenes, Herodotus, Homer, and Plato. Grammatical topics covered include the conjugation of verbs in the pluperfect and future-perfect indicative (active, middle, and passive voices); the conjugation of athematic verbs; fear clauses; purpose clauses; result clauses; subordinate clauses in secondary sequence; deliberative and hortatory subjunctives; correlatives; and the dialects and syntax of Herodotus and Homer. In addition, this course provides an introduction to ancient Greek literature and culture. At the end of this sequence students are able to read original texts in ancient Greek, either in an academic setting or on their own.
Prerequisites: CGRK E-2a or the equivalent.
Spring 2025
Hesiod and the Homeric Hymns
Jeremy Rau PhD, Professor of Linguistics and of the Classics, Harvard University
This course is intended to provide a thorough introduction to the poetry of Hesiod¿s Works and Days and the Homeric Hymns for students who have completed at least two semesters of Greek. Topics covered will include epic language and dialect, meter, formula, compositional technique and the historical and cultural background of Hesiodic and Homeric poetry. The course is paced for a gradual increase in reading per week, culminating at roughly 200 lines a week. Over the course of the semester students will become proficient in reading the Works and Days and The Homeric Hymns and will gain an understanding of the history, historical context, language, and linguistics of Hesiodic and Homeric poetry.
Fall 2024
Aeschylus's Agamemnon
Jeremy Rau PhD, Professor of Linguistics and of the Classics, Harvard University
This course is intended to provide a thorough introduction to Aeschylus's tragedy Agamemnon for students who have completed at least two semesters of Greek. Topics covered include Aeschylus's language and meter and the historical and cultural background of Greek tragedy. The course is paced for a gradual increase in reading per week, culminating at roughly 200 lines a week. Over the course of the semester, students become proficient in reading Aeschylus and gain an understanding of the history, historical context, and language and meter of Greek tragedy.
Prerequisites: CGRK E-1a or the equivalent.