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Seth Benardete’s Courses at New York University — 1966 to 2001
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Fall 1966 Sophocles
(G27.2965) Monday, 6:10-7:50
Readings of the plays of Sophocles as living theatre.
Spring 1967
Seminar in Greek Historians
(G27.3242) Monday, 6:10-7:50
The historians to be studied are Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon: the design and intention of their works and their understanding of what we call history.
Fall 1967
Euripides
(G27.1967) Wednesday, 6:10-7:50
An intensive study of the Bacchae of Euripides, its language, thought, character, and plot.
Spring 1968
Xenophon’s Socratic Writings
(G27.2935) Wednesday, 6:10-7:50
Study of Xenophon’s Memorabilia, Apology, and Symposium, in an effort to supplement and correct the Platonic picture of Socrates.
Fall 1968
Proseminar in Classical Philology
(G27.1001) Monday, 8-9:40.
A survey of the tools and methods used in classical philology: papyrology, paleography, stemmatization of manuscripts, editing of texts, source criticism (reconstruction of lost works, disentangling of diverse traditions), historiographical use of literary material. All topics are illustrated through specific examples, which are set as problems for the class to solve. Required of all candidates for A.M.
Spring 1969

Doctoral Seminar: Homer, The Iliad I
(G27.3902) Hours arranged

Doctoral Seminar: Homer, The Iliad II
(G27.3904) Hours arranged
Fall 1969

Doctoral Seminar: The Ancient Historians I
[co-taught with Prof. Haywood]
(G27.3903) Hours arranged

Doctoral Seminar: The Ancient Historians II
[co-taught with Prof. Haywood]
(G27.3905) Hours arranged
[semester/year
unknown]
(1967-1969) 		Ancient Political Theory (W27.0206)
Not open to freshmen.
An examination of the foundation of the ancient polis and its ancient interpretations. The course is centered on how political philosophy as a distinct subject emerged with Socrates, but the “pre-Socratic” and post-Socratic understanding of the city is neglected. As far as possible, only ancient sources are used, though they are supplemented by what modern scholarship has discovered, particularly in so far as these discoveries pertain to the religious foundations for the city. Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes is the first text studied, since it shows what the ancients from the start regarded as the problems inherent in political life that, in whatever way they were “solved,” always persisted beneath any apparent solution. Proceeding, then, through the Oresteia, as the first example of a solution, the course examines (among others) Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus, Aristophanes’ Knights, Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, Cicero’s Republic and Laws.
[semester/year
unknown]
(1967-1969)

Thucydides, Peloponnesian War (W27.0914)
The selected readings in Thucydides covered in this course are designed to show the full extent of the peculiarities of his style, and how far he diverges from both the “genius” of the Greek language and the historical trends of Greek prose writing. The differences, stylistic as well as conceptual, between the speeches and the narrative are studied intensively. An attempt is then made to connect Thucydides’ style with his intention, to be both a recorder of the Peloponnesian War and its interpreter. The student is expected to do a paper on some aspect of Thucydides’ style.
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Spring 1970
Homer
(G27.2981) Monday, 6:10-7:50
Essentially a reading course; as many books as possible are reviewed. Some glances, however, at the newly discovered world of the heroes and their ancestors.
Fall 1970

Proseminar in Classical Philology
(G27.1001)
A survey of the tools and methods used in classical philology: papyrology, paleography, stemmatization of manuscripts, editing of texts, source criticism (reconstruction of lost works, disentangling of diverse traditions), historiographical use of literary material. All topics are illustrated through specific examples, which are set as problems for the class to solve. Required of all candidates for A.M.

Doctoral Seminar: History and Archaeology I
(G27.3903) [co-taught with Prof. Trell]

Doctoral Seminar: History and Archaeology II
(G27.3905) [co-taught with Prof. Trell]
Spring 1971 [not available]
Fall 1971 [not available]

Spring 1972

 [not available]
Fall 1972 [not available]

Spring 1973

 [not available]
Fall 1973 [not available]

Spring 1974

 [not available]
Fall 1974 [not available]

Spring 1975

 The Greek Thinkers (U) (V27.0700)
Fall 1975

[not available]

Spring 1976

 Greek Drama: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides (U) (V27.0143)
Fall 1976

Herodotus (G)

Spring 1977

 Intermediate Greek: Herodotus (U)
Advanced Latin (U): Georgics and Eclogues (V27.0871)
Advanced Greek (U)
Horace, Odes & Epistles (G)
Fall 1977

Greek Drama (U)
Thucydides & The Age of Pericles (G)

Spring 1978

 Greek Drama (U)
Aeschylus (G)
Fall 1978

The Greek Thinkers (U)
Plato, Republic (G)
Advanced Latin (U): De Rerum Natura (V27.0878)

Spring 1979

 Ancient Political Theory (U)
Aristotle, Poetics (G)
Fall 1979

The Greek Thinkers (U)
Sophocles (G)
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Spring 1980

 Greek Drama (U)
Ancient Political Theory (U)
Tacitus (G)
Fall 1980 The Greek Thinkers (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Herodotus (G)

Spring 1981

 Greek Drama (U)
Ancient Political Theory (U)
Advanced Greek II (U)
Aeschylus (G)
Fall 1981 (none)

Spring 1982

 Greek Drama (U)
Ancient Political Theory (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Lucretius (G)
Fall 1982 Intermediate Latin: Cicero (U)
Greek Drama (U)
Sophocles (G)

Spring 1983

 Greek Drama (U)
Greek Thinkers (U)
Tacitus, Annales (G)
Fall 1983

Intermediate Greek: Plato (U)
Greek Drama (U)
Advanced Latin (U): Sallust, Bellum Catilinae; Tacitus, Agricola
Intro to Classical Studies (G)

Spring 1984

 Greek Thinkers (U)
Petronius & Apuleius (G)
Homer (G)
Fall 1984

Greek Thinkers (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Euripides (G)

Spring 1985

 Advanced Greek (U)
Cicero (G)
Fall 1985

Greek Thinkers (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Sophocles (G)

Spring 1986

 Intermediate Latin (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Fall 1986

Ancient Political Theory (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Virgil, Aeneid (G)

Spring 1987

 Advanced Greek (U)
Greek Lyric Poetry: Pindar (G)
Fall 1987

Intermediate Greek (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Plato (G)

Spring 1988

 Intermediate Greek (U)
Herodotus (G)
Fall 1988

Seminar in Classical Studies I (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Petronius, Satyricon (G)

Spring 1989

 Advanced Greek (U)
Sophocles (G)
Fall 1989 The Greek Thinkers (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Thucydides (G)
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Spring 1990

 Ancient Political Theory (U)
Plato (G)
Fall 1990 Advanced Greek (U)
Ovid (G)

Spring 1991

 Ancient Political Theory (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Aeschylus (G27.2963)
Fall 1991 Advanced Greek (U)
Thucydides (G)

Spring 1992

 Advanced Greek (U)
Fall 1992 Intermediate Greek (U)
The Greek Thinkers (U)
Advanced Greek (U)

Spring 1993

 Advanced Latin (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Hesiod (G)
Fall 1993 Advanced Latin (U)

Spring 1994

 (none)
Fall 1994 Ancient Political Theory (U)
Aeschylus (G)

Spring 1995

 Seminar in Classical Studies: Ancient Rhetoric (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Fall 1995 History of Ancient Law (U)
Latin Rhetoric/Stylistic (G)
Comment: The second half of the course focused on a close reading of style in Ammianus Marcellinus. -T.L.

Spring 1996

 Advanced Latin (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Fall 1996 Advanced Greek (U)
Petronius & Apuleius: Roman Novel (G)
Comment: [O]nly Apuleius’ Metamorphoses was taught. [The class] read the whole text from beginning to end. -T.L.

Spring 1997

 Ancient Political Theory (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Fall 1997 Intermediate Greek: Plato (U)
Advanced Greek (U)

Spring 1998

 Advanced Greek (U)
Caesar & Lucan (G)
Fall 1998 (none)

Spring 1999

 Greek & Roman Epic (U)
Aeschylus’ Persians (G)
Fall 1999 Ancient Political Theory (U)
Herodotus (G)
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Spring 2000

The Greek Thinkers (U)
Advanced Greek (U)
Greek Poetry from Homer to Hellenistic Period (G)

Fall 2000

Advanced Latin (U)
History of Ancient Law (U)
Sophocles, Philoctetes (G)
Spring 2001

Advanced Greek (U)
The Greek Thinkers (U; cancelled)
Fall 2001 Greek and Roman Epic (U)
Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Paradise Lost
Spring 2002 Vergil, Aeneid (G; cancelled)
Sources: N.Y.U. Classics Department, GSAS Bulletins (1966-1971), Washington Square College Bulletin (1967-1969), and the students of Seth Benardete. Special thanks to Nancy Smith-Amer and the Bobst Library N.Y.U. Collection for their help in assembling this list.


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