100-level

CLAS120
People, Places and Histories of the Graeco-Roman World
Description
In this course we will survey events in antiquity from Homer through to the Roman Emperor Constantine. On the way we will explore the world of fifth century Athens, gaining an insight into the society that established democracy and move on to appreciate Alexander's campaigns and the formation of the Hellenistic kingdoms after his death. We will also turn to the west of the Mediterranean Sea and investigate the development of Rome from a small town to the capital of a large Empire, its constitutional transformations and the social impact of those changes on people's sense of place and identity.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Semester One 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Restrictions
CLAS111; CLAS112; CLAS113
CLAS122
Myth, Power and Identity in the Graeco-Roman World
Description
In this course students will consider how the Greeks and the Romans thought of themselves and others in their mythology and social power structures. Students will gain an understanding of ancient cosmic world-views, gender issues, colonisation and identity in Archaic and Classical Greece and Augustan Rome, and the relevance of such ideas now. Students will read, analyse and interpret ancient literary texts (selections from epic, tragedy, etc.) and material culture (art and architecture) that depict Greek and Roman myths as well as expressing ancient political and social views.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Semester Two 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Restrictions
CLAS104; CLAS105
CLAS135
Beginner's Greek
Description
An introduction to Ancient Greek grammar and to the reading of Ancient Greek texts, building on from the material learnt in CLAS151. Students, in this course, concentrate on Ancient Greek only, learning the language of fifth century Athens through the reading of texts. The dialect we learn is Attic Greek, which, when learnt, will enable access to other Greek dialects including New Testament Greek.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
CLAS151, or by approval of the Head of Department.
Restrictions
CLAS131
CLAS145
Beginners' Latin
Description
An introduction to Latin grammar and to reading Latin, following on from CLAS151.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Semester Two 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
CLAS151 or by approval of the Head of Department
Restrictions
CLAS143
CLAS151
Greek and Latin for Absolute Beginners
Description
This course introduces Greek, Latin grammar to students by way of English grammar. At the end of the course students will understand the most important basic grammatical concepts in Greek and Latin and will have a working vocabulary of about 75 words in each language. They will be prepared to continue more intensive study in Greek and/or Latin.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Semester One 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Restrictions
CLAS134, CLAS144, CLAS 143, CLAS 131

200-level

CLAS208
Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean World
Description
This course introduces the basic principles of archaeology as a discipline. It will focus on the main categories of evidence for Classical Archaeology and will use examples drawn from sites in the Mediterranean basin from 3000 BCE- 400 CE. The course will also use artefacts in the collections of the Teece Museum and the Canterbury Museum.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points from 100 level in CLAS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or 60 points at 100 level from any other bachelor's degree.
CLAS213
Alexander the Great
Description
A survey of the career of Alexander the Great (336 to 323 BC) with special attention to problems of source interpretation.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from CLAS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
CLAS313
CLAS219
Sport and Leisure in the Ancient World
Description
A study of the impact of sport and leisure on various aspects of ancient life and their modern reconstructions. Note: course requirements in this combined 200 and 300-level course will be appropriate to the level at which the student is enrolled.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from CLAS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
CLAS319
CLAS224
Greek Philosophy
Description
The intellectual rigour, which informed the Greeks’ speculations on life, the universe and everything, changed our understanding of the world forever. In this course we survey the origins and development of western philosophy in the Greek world, focusing on the 6th to the 4th centuries BC when many areas that preoccupy philosophers today were analysed and explored by the Greeks, including cosmology, physics, ethics, politics, psychology and more. Figures such as Socrates, Plato and many others before and after them will feature.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from CLAS or PHIL, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
CLAS324; PHIL314; PHIL224
CLAS234
Intermediate Greek Authors 1
Description
A study of selected Greek texts and unseen passages, with emphasis on the development of knowledge of the language.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024 (The Arts Centre Christchurch)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
CLAS135, or subject to approval of the Head of Department.
Restrictions
CLAS231
CLAS235
Intermediate Greek Authors 2
Description
Continued study of Greek literature and unseen passages, with emphasis on the development of knowledge of the language. This involves reading important texts by authors such as Sophocles, Euripides, Thucydides, Homer and others, as well as analysing these more fully in their cultural and literary context.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024 (The Arts Centre Christchurch)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
CLAS234, or subject to approval of the Head of Department.
Restrictions
CLAS231
CLAS244
Intermediate Latin Authors A
Description
The aim, by the end of the course, is to equip students with the skills and knowledge to enable them to read actual Latin texts and great authors such as Catullus, Vergil, Ovid, Cicero, Tacitus and others who remain amongst the most influential and important literary figures of the ancient world.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024 (The Arts Centre Christchurch)
Semester One 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
CLAS145, or subject to approval of the Head of Department.
Restrictions
CLAS241
CLAS245
Intermediate Latin Authors B
Description
Continued study of selected Latin texts and unseen passages, with emphasis on the development of knowledge of the language.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024 (The Arts Centre Christchurch)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
CLAS244, or subject to approval of the Head of Department.
Restrictions
CLAS241

300-level

CLAS325
Roman Social History
Description
A study of Roman society, focussing on the day-to-day life of Rome's inhabitants. Topics include familial relationships, health and wellbeing, urban infrastructure, floods, fires, travel, among others.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from CLAS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
CLAS307, CLAS407 (in 2003, 2008, 2010), CLAS425
CLAS326
Concepts of Art and Literature from Homer to Aristotle
Description
Today, all over the world, Greek dramas continue to be performed and adapted; Homer’s epics are forever finding new audiences through new translations, adaptations and interpretation on film and TV; and Greek art attracts millions of people worldwide to galleries, museums and archaeological sites. But what did these works mean to the ancients themselves? In what ways did the Greeks link visual and verbal artforms to other issues such as psychology, ethics, politics and desire? Are modern ways of viewing these ancient works compatible with ancient responses to them or are there vast differences in post-antique ways of reading ancient literary and material culture? If so, what are these differences? Some answers to these and other related questions can be found in looking at ancient writings about the visual and verbal arts in Archaic and Classical Greece and reconsidering these artworks in the light of such writings. This course analyses Greek views of visual imagery (primarily paintings and statues), poetry and rhetoric in the Archaic and Classical Greek world (c. 750-320 BC). Over this period many of the most influential developments in these media were achieved, and critical thinking about art, language and poetry first burgeoned, particularly in the fifth century. In fact, the very terms that have become central to our way of categorising and thinking about visual, verbal and aural artforms - music, poetry, lyric, epic, tragedy, comedy, drama, rhetoric, graphics, mimesis, icon, idol - are all Greek in origin and again indicate the importance of the Greeks’ achievements as practitioners and theorists in these areas, as well as raising issues that speak to us now in the 21st century.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024 (The Arts Centre Christchurch)
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from CLAS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
CLAS315, CLAS454
CLAS329
Ancient Laughter
Description
A study of Greek and Roman Comedy and Roman Satire in terms of the performability, thematics and characterization of the former and the social commentary and humour of both of these related genres.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from CLAS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
CLAS306, CLAS321, CLAS409
CLAS335
Advanced Greek Authors
Description
Continued study of Greek literature and unseen passages, with emphasis on the development of knowledge of the language. This involves reading important texts by authors such as Sophocles, Euripides, Thucydides, Homer and others as well as analysing these more fully in their cultural and literary context.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024 (The Arts Centre Christchurch)
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
CLAS235, or subject to approval of the Head of Department.
Restrictions
CLAS331
CLAS345
Advanced Latin Authors
Description
Continued advanced study of Latin texts and unseen passages.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024 (The Arts Centre Christchurch)
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
CLAS245, or subject to approval of the Head of Department.
Restrictions
CLAS341

Not Offered Courses in 2024

100-level

CLAS104
Greek Mythologies
Description
This course focuses on one of the great mainstays of Western culture that has endured for over 3,000 years: myths told by the Greeks in their literature and art to explain everything from the origins of the cosmos to the end of the heroic age. Themes include: the rise of Zeus and the Olympians to power; Demeter and Dionysos; Prometheus and the origins of human technology; heroes such as Heracles, Oedipus, Achilles, Odysseus as well as figures such Medea and Helen of Troy. In addition to analysis of ancient material, there will also be discussion of the vast influence of Greek myth on subsequent western art, literature and film from Botticelli and Byron to Brad Pitt and more.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2018 , 2019
For further information see CLAS104 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS105
Roman Mythologies
Description
An introduction to Roman myths and the mythology of "Empire" and the way these are disseminated (or subverted) in literature and art. Topics include legendary figures (eg Aeneas and Romulus) as well as historical figures of legendary status (eg Spartacus, Cleopatra and Nero).
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2015 , 2016 , 2017 , 2018 , 2019
For further information see CLAS105 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS106
Ancient Egyptian Art
Description
An introduction to Egyptian Art from the pre-dynastic to the Roman period.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see CLAS106 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS111
Greek History
Description
The history of the Greek world from Homer to the Hellenistic age.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2014 , 2015 , 2016 , 2018 , 2019
For further information see CLAS111 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS112
Roman History
Description
The history of the Roman world from the Etruscans to the late Roman Empire.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2014 , 2015 , 2017 , 2018 , 2019
For further information see CLAS112 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS134
Beginners' Greek A
Description
An introduction to Greek grammar and reading Greek. Students learn the language and literature of primarily Athens of the fifth and fourth centuries BC, and focus on texts closely modelled on authors such as Plato, Aristophanes and more. The course involves some study of the cultural background of these texts, including the philosophy of Socrates, life during wartime and the role of women in ancient Greece.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2018 , 2019 , 2020 , 2021
For further information see CLAS134 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS144
Beginners' Latin A
Description
An introduction to Latin grammar and to reading Latin.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2017 , 2018 , 2019 , 2020 , 2021
For further information see CLAS144 course details
Points
15 points

200-level

ARTH216
Greek Art: The Power of Images in Archaic and Classical Greece
Description
We focus on the brilliant achievements of the Greeks in architecture, figurative painting, sculpture and other media that have been influential for centuries. We see what these meant in their broader cultural context, including Greek myth and history, as well as Greek interaction with cultures of Egypt and the Middle East. Students in this course have a chance to work directly with the splendid artefacts from the James Logie Memorial Collection (including Greek vases) now housed in the Teece Museum.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see ARTH216 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS201
Theatre and Performance in the Ancient World
Description
A study of selected Greek and Roman tragic plays (in translation) and of aspects of performance and rhetoric.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2012 , 2014 , 2016 , 2018 , 2020
For further information see CLAS201 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS206
Greek Art: The Power of Images in Archaic and Classical Greece
Description
We focus on the brilliant achievements of the Greeks in architecture, figurative painting, sculpture and other media that have been influential for centuries. We see what these meant in their broader cultural context, including Greek myth and history, as well as Greek interaction with cultures of Egypt and the Middle East. Students in this course have a chance to work directly with the splendid artefacts from the James Logie Memorial Collection (including Greek vases) now housed in the Teece Museum.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2021 , 2023 , 2025
For further information see CLAS206 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS207
Roman Art and Architecture
Description
A survey of Roman art, architecture and material culture from 753 BC to the 2nd century AD, with particular reference to objects in the James Logie Memorial Collection.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2011 , 2013 , 2015 , 2017 , 2020
For further information see CLAS207 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS214
Imperial Rome
Description
Roman history, society and culture under the early emperors as represented by the literary sources and material remains.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2016 , 2018 , 2021 , 2023 , 2025
For further information see CLAS214 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS220
Troy and Ancient Epic
Description
No cycle of myths has had a stronger grip on the western imagination than the saga of the Trojan War and its aftermath. This course focuses on Homer’s vast epic poems Iliad and Odyssey (eight-seventh centuries BC) and Vergil’s Roman epic Aeneid (first century BC) - three poems which remain among the very greatest and most influential literary works of all time, and which feature such famous figures as Achilles, Hektor, Helen, Odysseus (aka Ulysses), Dido and Aeneas, among many others.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2021 , 2023 , 2025
For further information see CLAS220 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS222
Wealth, Work and Wages in the Ancient Mediterranean World
Description
This course will provide insights into one of the most important topics of ancient social history: the ancient economy. We will investigate where, when and why the Greeks and Romans developed and adopted coins. We will analyse the ancient Roman labour market, investigating occupations and industries from prostitution to the fullers, from agriculture to urban bars. We will ask how much labourers earned and how much it cost to live, could Roman workers actually survive in Rome? In addition to understanding more about the daily reality for individuals we will also look at macro issues, such as Roman trade with India and China, Roman state expenditure, taxes, and slave markets.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2023
For further information see CLAS222 course details
Points
15 points
CLAS223
Sex, Love and Gender in the Ancient World
Description
This course investigates ancient attitudes towards sex, conceptualisations of love and the construction of gender through analyses of mythic, literary and artistic representations of men and women, and their interactions. The investigation will be accompanied by reflections on the impact of Graeco-Roman perceptions of sex, love and gender on Western views in terms of changes and continuities.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2018 , 2020 , 2022 , 2023 , 2025
For further information see CLAS223 course details
Points
15 points
PHIL224
Greek Philosophy
Description
Historical and analytical introduction to the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see PHIL224 course details
Points
15 points

300-level

CLAS307
Topics in Ancient History: Athens: From city to empire and back again
Description
This course covers the history of the wealthiest and most powerful Greek city-state, Athens, from the legislation of Solon through the "Periclean Age" down to the advent of Alexander the Great.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2021
For further information see CLAS307 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS310
Writing in Chains: Latin Literature and Roman Slavery
Description
An examination of Roman slavery from a literary and cultural-historical perspective.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2012 , 2015 , 2019 , 2021
For further information see CLAS310 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS314
Art and Archaeology of Ancient Mediterranean Cities
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see CLAS314 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS315
Special Topic
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see CLAS315 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS316
Topics in Classical Literature and Culture: Roman Law
Description
This course surveys the key features of Roman law that have become essential to modern European legal systems and considers the impact of law on Rome's development as a city-state and capital of a large empire.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2014 , 2017
For further information see CLAS316 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS319
Sport and Leisure in the Ancient World
Description
A study of the impact of sport and leisure on various aspects of ancient life and their modern reconstructions. Note: course requirements in this combined 200- and 300-level course will be appropriate to the level at which the student is enrolled.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2014 , 2016 , 2018 , 2020 , 2022
For further information see CLAS319 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS322
Roman Architecture
Description
This course explores the tremendous architectural and engineering achievements of the Romans from the 2nd century BC - 4th century AD. The course will focus on a variety of architectural buildings, forms, techniques and materials, and will also examine some of the cultural and historical factors underlying the Romans' success as architects. This course is suitable for Civil Engineering students as well as Arts students.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2018 , 2020 , 2021 , 2023 , 2025
For further information see CLAS322 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS324
Greek Philosophy
Description
The intellectual rigour, which informed the Greeks’ speculations on life, the universe and everything, changed our understanding of the world forever. In this course we survey the origins and development of western philosophy in the Greek world, focusing on the 6th to the 4th centuries BC when many areas that preoccupy philosophers today were analysed and explored by the Greeks, including cosmology, physics, ethics, politics, psychology and more. Figures such as Socrates, Plato and many others before and after them will feature.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2021
For further information see CLAS324 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS332
The Hellenistic East and the Coming of Rome
Description
The History of the Hellenistic World from 323 to 30 B.C.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2017 , 2018 , 2020 , 2023 , 2025
For further information see CLAS332 course details
Points
30 points
CLAS336
Greek Art: The Power of Images in Archaic and Classical Greece
Description
We focus on the brilliant achievements of the Greeks in architecture, figurative painting, sculpture and other media that have been influential for centuries. We see what these meant in their broader cultural context, including Greek myth and history, as well as Greek interaction with cultures of Egypt and the Middle East. Students in this course have a chance to work directly with the splendid artefacts from the James Logie Memorial Collection (including Greek vases) now housed in the Teece Museum.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2021 , 2023 , 2025
For further information see CLAS336 course details
Points
30 points
PHIL314
Greek Philosophy
Description
This course will survey the origins of Western philosophy in the ancient world, from the Milesians to the Stoics. We will focus on the emergence of rationality and the development of philosophical themes first articulated by the Presocratics, then in turn, by Plato and Aristotle, and beyond. Emphasis will be placed on the structure of knowledge, the nature of reality, aesthetics, and the contemplation of the good life.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see PHIL314 course details
Points
30 points