The objective of this course will be to expose the student to some of the literature and history of
Classical Antiquity, especially that of Ancient Rome, and to examine, within a modest scope, the
influence of Classical Antiquity on the educational, literary, artistic and architectural culture of early
America. The primary areas of influence which will be examined are:

    1. the "Classical" educational background of early America and Americans
    2. the appearance of that educational background in the writings and actions of some of
        America’s more famous Founders
    3. the reflection of ancient art and its architectural traditions in the American colonial and
        post-revolutionary art and architectural traditions.

    It is the expectation of the instructor that through an examination of these rather broad and
important cultural influences, which were brought to bear on individuals like ourselves 200+ years
ago, both in isolation and in collective units, that we will acquire a knowledge of and greater sensitivity
to the legacy of Classical Antiquity as one of the important, intellectual sources in the American
intellectual and cultural heritage.

 It is assumed that the average student in this course has no prior knowledge of the ancient
civilizations of Greece and Rome. Classics majors and those students who have already had the
equivalent of any Latin Literature in Translation course or any Greek/Roman history course will have some
familiarity with the subject matter but, in the opinion of the instructor, they will not have a
significant advantage over those students without such a background since the "Classical material"
will be considered from a rather novel perspective, and quite different from its presentation in
traditional Classics courses.

Reading List:

A) Required:

Grant, M.
"Cicero:  Selected Works"
1960 Penguin
ISBN# 0-14-044099-2

Padover, S. H.
"Jefferson"
1970 Mentor/Penguin
ISBN# 0451627970

Peterson, M. D.
"The Portable Thomas Jefferson"
1975 Penguin
ISBN# 0-14-015-080-3

Richard, Carl J.
"The Founders and the Classics"
Paperback, 1994, Harvard University Press
ISBN# 0-674-31426-3

Watkin, D.
"English Architecture"
2002, Norton
ISBN# 0-500-20338-5
 

B) Recommended:

Sellers, C.
"Synopsis of American History Through Reconstruction"
Vol. 1, (8th) 1997 Ivan Dee
ISBN# 1566631610