CLASC-306 Madness in Greek and Roman Literature

How did ancient Greeks and Romans conceive of madness? Was it a deviant behavior, a contagious disease, a divine punishment? What is the relationship between madness and music, madness and love, or madness and social control? How have understandings of madness changed from antiquity to the modern day? This course approaches these questions from multiple angles by reading from a range of genres, including ancient medical treatises, legal texts, comic and tragic plays, epic, and elegiac poetry. As we work to unravel the complex notion of madness in Greco-Roman antiquity, we will also scrutinize relevant modern phenomena, such as trauma, addiction, and deviance. All readings are in translation.

Maximum Enrollment

Writing-Intensive (18)

(Writing Intensive.)

Credits

1-1

Prerequisite

One course in CLASC, GREEK, or LATIN