CLST 480S: Afterlife of the Classics

Our topic for this capstone seminar will be the Afterlife of the Classics. We will explore the appropriation of classical antiquity by later cultures, and its reinterpretation by different audiences and for different purposes. We’ll analyze the ways in which antiquity has been used to construct social and cultural identities, from the notion of “translatio imperii” in the medieval world, to “classical revivals” in the arts, e.g., architecture, opera, film, graphic novels, and digital games. We’ll also consider how the use and misuse of the classical past shapes modern institutions and discourses, whether political, social, historical, or cultural.