Courses

Study of the literary, philosophical, and political themes that are explored in the Iliad of Homer and in the tragic plays of Homer’s intellectual heirs, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides of classical Athens.

Study of the literary, philosophical, and political themes that are explored in the Iliad of Homer and in the tragic plays of Homer’s intellectual heirs, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides of classical Athens.

Study of the literary, philosophical, and political themes that are explored in the Iliad of Homer and in the tragic plays of Homer’s intellectual heirs, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides of classical Athens.

The evolution of Greek society from the Bronze Age of the Trojan War through the Archaic and Classical periods, including the development of democracy in Athens, the geopolitics of the war between Sparta and the Athenian Empire, and the political significance of new literary genres, such as epic poetry, historiography, and comedy.

Origins of South Asian civilization from prehistory to the beginnings of colonial rule in the eighteenth century. The development of religious systems like Hinduism and Buddhism, the arrival of Islam, the relations between different religious communities, and the creation of the first states and empires in South Asia.

This course explores the pre-industrial technologies underpinning human evolution and the great majority of human societies, past and present. Information from archeology, ethnography, and history is synthesized to provide context for key innovations, such as stone tools, hafting, fire, weaving, and pottery. Students learn these technologies through hands-on class experiments and an in-depth final project where they recreate one of these ancient innovations on their own.

A close study of some influential classical texts, exploring their understanding of the human condition and its ethical and political consequences as well as the relation of gods and mortals and the limits of knowledge.

A close study of some influential classical texts, exploring their understanding of the human condition and its ethical and political consequences as well as the relation of gods and mortals and the limits of knowledge.

A course exploring themes and authors important in English-language fiction from Africa and examining the critical debates that have enlivened this fiction’s production and interpretation. Authors may include Aboulela, Achebe, Armah, Dangarembga, Ngugi, and Tutuola. Topics may include post-colonial narrative strategies; innovation and cultural hybridity; African cosmopolitanism; and the construction of national, racial, and gender identities, among others.

Study of animal behavior. Topics include the description, evolution, development, physiological basis, and ecological significance of behavior. Includes one field trip to a natural area such as Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to witness wild animal behavior and a second field trip to a place such as the Bronx Zoo to observe behaviors in captive organisms that illustrate concepts presented in the course.