The Olympics, theater, a general obsession with entertainment spectacles: our modern society can trace the origins of all these directly to Ancient Greek and Roman societies. Like our world, ancient Mediterranean cultures were engrossed by competitions of strength, speed, stamina, and skill. Their languages gave us terms such as theater, stadium, orchestra, chorus, and arena. Their art, homes, and public spaces were filled with images of athletes and gladiators. This class will provide you with an introduction to competition in the ancient world and encourage you to think critically about the relationships with modern competition.

Want to explore how this course connects with the modern world? Check out our blog posts inspired by this course.

Fun Facts:

• GEC Cultural Understanding
• offered online asynchronous
• can be applied to the Classical Studies Minor
• 3 credits

Coming Next: Spring 2025

Recent Offerings

Spring 2024

• 2 sections, online asynchronous (Prof. Melissa Trahyn)

Spring 2023

• online asynchronous (Prof. Melissa Trahyn)