The Greeks enjoy a special place in the construction of western culture and identity, and yet many of us have only the vaguest notion of what their culture was like. A few Greek myths at bedtime when we are kids, maybe a Greek tragedy like Sophokles' Oidipous when we are at school: these are often the only contact we have with the world of the ancient Mediterranean. The story of the Greeks, however, deserves a wider audience, because so much of what we esteem in our own culture derives from them: democracy, epic poetry, lyric poetry, tragedy, history writing, philosophy, aesthetic taste, all of these and many other features of cultural life enter the West from Greece. The oracle of Apollo at Delphi had inscribed over the temple, "Know Thyself." For us, that also means knowing the Greeks. We will cover the period from the Late Bronze Age, c. 1500 BC, down to the time of Alexander the Great, concentrating on the two hundred year interval from 600-400 BC.

The Greeks enjoy a special place in the construction of western culture and identity, and yet many of us have only the vaguest notion of what their culture was like. A few Greek myths at bedtime when we are kids, maybe a Greek tragedy like Sophokles' Oidipous when we are at school: these are often the only contact we have with the world of the ancient Mediterranean. The story of the Greeks, however, deserves a wider audience, because so much of what we esteem in our own culture derives from them: democracy, epic poetry, lyric poetry, tragedy, history writing, philosophy, aesthetic taste, all of these and many other features of cultural life enter the West from Greece. The oracle of Apollo at Delphi had inscribed over the temple, "Know Thyself." For us, that also means knowing the Greeks. We will cover the period from the Late Bronze Age, c. 1500 BC, down to the time of Alexander the Great, concentrating on the two hundred year interval from 600-400 BC.

What's the relationship between politics and laughter? What do ancient Greek comedians and Roman satirists have in common with today's stand-up comics and other ranters and ravers? Many things, in fact, but perhaps most fundamental is the ways they shock audiences and test social norms. This course will examine the various arts (including textual, video, and musical media) that transgress the boundaries of taste and convention in the cultures of Greece and Rome and our own era. We will consider, among other topics, why communities feel compelled to repudiate some forms of scandalous art, while turning others - especially those that have come down to us from remote historical periods - into so-called classics.

This advanced Ukrainian course is addressed to the students who have taken SLAV592 and SLAV593 or can already speak and read Ukrainian. The course emphasizes on the advanced vocabulary building, conversation and reading skills. It also includes the advanced grammar review with the use of Ukrainian grammar terms. Students will learn more about Ukrainian literature, history, and modern life through the authentic materials, poems and parts literature extracts.

This is a first-semester intermediate-level Ukrainian language course which is designed to make students practice reading, speaking and writing in Ukrainian. Current issues of Ukrainian newspapers, especially the weekly , will serve as the basic source for the study of the contemporary Ukrainian idiom. Reading, translation and discussion of featured articles on such topics as business, education, politics, science, sports et al. including advertising and horoscope style and terminology will not only be used to hone the language skills and build up vocabulary but also to acquaint the student with the latest linguistic developments in Ukraine, such as the loan-words and loan-translations, abbreviations and acronyms, ancient folk proverbs and sayings as well as contemporary technical terms.

An introduction to the fundamentals of the Ukrainian language, acquisition of conversational, reading and writing skills. This course is designed for students who have no or little background in studying Ukrainian. Students will be able to develop the base for the further study of the Ukrainian language. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to modern Ukrainian language and culture for those who would like to speak Ukrainian or use the language for reading and research. The course stresses all four major communicative skills (speaking, listening comprehension, reading, writing).

Emphasis on vocabulary building, conversation and reading skills. Grammar review.

An introduction to the fundamentals of the Czech language, acquisition of conversational, reading and writing skills.

The course is addressed to students who have spoken Polish at home and seek to achieve proficiency in the language. The main goal of this course is to provide instruction directed at students continued development of existing competencies in the Polish language. Students will acquire skills that range from learning grammar and spelling, and developing vocabulary, to interpretation and analysis of different literary genres. Students will explore a broad variety of cultural themes. Topics will include: Polish literature - classic and modern, social life, contemporary affairs and films. Upon completion of the Polish for Heritage Speakers course, students are expected to confidently understand, read, write and speak Polish with an increased vocabulary and a better command of Polish grammar. They will increase their reading skills through interpretation and analysis of different Polish literary genres. Students will be able to organize their thoughts and write in a coherent manner. They will increase their writing skills by writing personal essays, compositions and others. Students will further their knowledge of the Polish language and will engage in class discussion on various topics. Students will gain a better understanding of the Polish culture.

This is a first-semester intermediate -level language course that emphasizes the development of the four basic skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) within a culturally based context. Class time will focus on communicative activities that combine grammatical concepts, relevant vocabulary, and cultural themes. Students will learn through classroom exercises based on a modern textbook: Hurra Po Polsku 2, completion of individual and group assignments and work with various audio and video materials. Major course goals include: the acquisition of intermediate-level vocabulary, the controlled use of the Polish cases; the aspect of the verbs, the development of writing skills.