How should a citizen react to injustice? To violence? corruption? What impact do problems like imperialism, poverty, slavery, and intolerance have on a society, and can they ever be escaped? These are some of the questions raised by ancient Roman authors two millennia ago, and which we will explore ourselves in this class. We will read a selection of texts in translation, as well as examine art and artifacts from the Roman world. Along the way, we will also cover the key points of Roman history and social development.

Class will be a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous lectures, discussion, and writing assignments. You will write frequent short responses to the readings and lectures, as well as two longer (3-5 page) essays. All readings are in English—no knowledge of Latin required—and all are welcome!

Meets L&S Breadth in Arts & Literature, Historical Studies, or Philosophy & Values.