CLA 370 RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN

How did the inhabitants of the Greco-Roman world think about ethnic identity, and how did its diverse peoples interact with one other? These questions form the starting point of this course, which examines ethnicity and multiculturalism in antiquity from the heroic age of Homer through the twilight of the Roman Empire. Studying literature and material culture alongside modern theory, we encounter ancient parallels to contemporary social concerns—citizenship, immigration, linguistic and religious diversity—and cautionary examples of racism and imperialism. Our exploration carries us across the ancient world, from the mythical lands visited by Odysseus, to the furthest frontiers of Alexander the Great’s empire, to the cosmopolitan capitals of Rome and Alexandria. This course sheds light on people, places, and themes often neglected in traditional histories, and contextualizes our own thinking about race and ethnicity today. Counts toward the Classical Studies minor.