CLAS 239 The Construction of Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome (Same as History 322 and Women's and Gender Studies 239) (Not offered 2006-2007)
The inferior political status and heavily circumscribed lives of women in ancient
Greek and Roman societies have received extensive study in recent decades. Yet
it is nearly impossible to understand women's lives without also studying the
often stringent cultural norms that governed men's lives as well. This course
seeks to understand these aspects of Greek and Roman societies over time as
expectations for the behaviors, priorities, and activities of both women and men
evolved. While the impact of these gendered expectations on the lives of men
and women often varied considerably in kind and degree, their interplay was at
the same time often intricate, and many that constructed women's lives could
only be articulated with reference to corresponding expectations for men. Others
emerged only during times of crisis and could even involve a reversal of the usual roles of men and women. Some norms gave men and women a shared experience that is rare in other societies.
We will explore these and related issues by reading widely in such ancient authors as Homer, Sappho, Herodotus, the Greek tragedians, Greek and Roman
philosophers, Vergil and other Latin poets, and Roman didactic writers. We will
also read modern scholarship on such subjects as the family, prostitution, the exposure of unwanted infants, demography, and the anthropology of gender in
both Greek and Roman societies.
Lecture and discussion. Evaluation will be based on class preparation and participation, two short 5- to 7-page papers, a midterm, and a final exam.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected: 15).