History Class (HIST365 and HUM250)

HIST365: In this course, we will investigate the histories and cultures of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean (ca. 2000 BCE-600 CE) through the lenses of sexuality and gender. We will consider ancient attitudes towards and views of sex and gender, and we will use these topics as ways to understand the lives and experiences of ancient peoples across a wide geographic and chronologic span. This course focuses on five specific case studies: 2nd millennium BCE in Mesopotamia and Egypt; 1st millennium BCE Persia and the archaic Greek world; 5th century BCE Athens and Sparta; ca. 1st centuries BCE/CE in late Republic and early imperial Rome; and 4th-6th centuries CE in the frontiers of the Roman empire.

We will explore what links the concepts of sex and gender across these empires and timelines, and also what distinguishes each culture. Throughout the course, students will read and analyze ancient primary sources and modern scholarly discussions. This course will use the past to interrogate modern assumptions about gender, sexuality, and the intersections of both with class, status, occupation, ethnicity, and cultural background.

HUM250: In this class, we will explore the societies, cultures, and experiences of the peoples who lived on and around the ancient Mediterranean basin (c. 1000 BCE – 500 CE). We will focus on interconnectivity, conflict, and exchange among the ancient Persians, Greeks, Romans, and other societies. We will also examine the interrelationships among history and literary works; the fine arts; philosophical and religious thought and intellectual contexts; archaeology and conservation; ancient sports and spectacle; the ancient environment; and military history. This course may be used for general education credit.