Sex and Gender in Greco Roman Antiquity

In this course, we will explore how ancient Greeks and Romans thought about gender and sexuality. We will consider questions such as: which traits and behaviors did the Greeks and the Romans associate with masculinity and with femininity? What can we tell from our sources about those who did not fit neatly into this binary? How did ancient Greeks and Romans think about male and female anatomy and psychology? How did the Greeks and the Romans construct sexuality and how did they approach homosexual and heterosexual relationships? How did they think about erotic desire? How did ancient laws and institutions circumscribe the lives of men and women, and how did they contribute to the construction of gender and sexuality? How did class, ethnicity, and age intersect with ideas about gender and sexuality in antiquity? We will read an array of ancient texts in translation, we will consider various theoretical viewpoints, and we will move toward a better understanding of how gender and sexuality were constructed in antiquity. Ultimately, we will reflect on how our exploration of ancient ideas about these issues can help us understand better how we think about them today.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU BA; AS HUM; AS LCD; AS SD I; FA HUM; AS SC

Sex and Gender in Greco Roman Antiquity

HISTORY 3153

Section 01