Courses in English at the Department of Classical Studies

Autumn 2020

KR027 Historical and Critical Introduction to the New Testament

Every week of the semester

KR027 Historical and Critical Introduction to the New Testament

The course is intended to provide a historical and critical introduction to the New Testament, arguably the single most influential collection of written texts in European history.
No previous knowledge of the New Testament or earliest Christianity is presupposed. The lectures are open to students from different fields of study that will benefit from the deeper knowledge of the New Testament literature (esp. Religious Studies, History, Fine Arts, National Literatures etc.). The lectures are likewise well suited for incoming Erasmus students.

KR023 Hellenistic Philosophy

Every week of the semester

KR023 Hellenistic Philosophy

The course serves as an introduction to the Greek philosophy of the Hellenistic period. Lectures are complemented with readings and discussions of the primary texts.
Following the successful completion of the course, studnents will have obtained an orientation in the works of the most important figures of Hellenistic philosophical schools (Epicureism, Skepticism, Stoicism). Some attention will be dedicated also to the Roman authors writing in Latin (Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca).
Reading of the primary literature will serve as an introduction to the fundamental fields of systematic philosophy (ontology, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy).

Spring 2020

Reading Homer's Odyssey

Every week of the semester

Reading Homer's Odyssey

Students will become familiar with the contents and the genesis of the work ("Homeric question"), its metrical and linguistic features, as well as basic notions of Homeric society, morality, religion, warfare and politics.

Saints and Holy (Wo)Men in Byzantine Literature and Art

Every other week of the semester. Christodoulos Papavarnavas, Ph.D. (Universität Wien)

Saints and Holy (Wo)Men in Byzantine Literature and Art

This course will introduce students to the Byzantine concept of sanctity through the examination of depictions of saints and holy (wo)men in hagiographical texts (saints’ Lives), manuscript illustrations, icons, wall paintings and other cult objects. Saints’ Lives (vitae) vividly describe various episodes of the life of holy persons and endeavour to sketch the holiness of the protagonists, while other cult objects mostly relate to only some specific and characteristic episodes of their life. All topics will be investigated from several aspects based on critical theories of narrative, gender, performance, space, emotions and the senses.

Autumn 2019

Reading Homer's Iliad

Every week of the semester.

Reading Homer's Iliad

...introduces students to the Homeric world by close reading of selected portions of the foundational text of Western literature, ancient Greek epic Iliad.

Animals in Antiquity: from Everyday Life to Magic

Every week of the semester.

Animals in Antiquity: from Everyday Life to Magic

The course offers the overview of the presence of animals in various areas of ancient life (economy, gastronomy, ancient literature, mythology, religion, medicine, art...). The course is suitable to students from various disciplines, particularly then to majors in ancient history and history, classical languages, classical archeology and mediterranean studies...

Mothers and Daughters in Arab Women's Literature

Every week of the semester.

Mothers and Daughters in Arab Women's Literature

This course focuses on a key relationship forged between women in Arab families and its effects on the shaping of self and gender roles in a broader family dynamics that also affects men, especially fathers and sons. We will explore this relationship from various perspectives; psychological, feminist, cultural as well as political, based on how it is represented in Arab women's literature.

The Etruscan Civilisation: History, Language and Culture

14/10 - 18/10 2019 dr. Riccardo Massarelli, dr. Paolo Vitellozzi (Perugia)

The Etruscan Civilisation: History, Language and Culture

The aim of the course is to provide the students with an overview of history of the Etruscan civilization (first part) and a deeper insight into the Etruscan language (second part of the course).
Mon 14. 10. 16:00–17:40 A21 
Tue 15. 10. 16:00–19:40 A21 
Wed 16. 10. 16:00–19:40 B2.21 
Thu 17. 10. 16:00–17:40 C33

Introduction to the problem of linguistic Romanisation and Latinisation of the Roman Empire

29/10 - 31/10 2019 Dr. Béla Adamik (Budapest)

Introduction to the problem of linguistic Romanisation and Latinisation of the Roman Empire

The aim of the course is to provide Latinists with a reasonably comprehensive introduction to the problem of linguistic Romanisation and Latinisation of the Roman Empire in the Imperial Age. 
Meeting 1 (29/10 10-11:30, room D41)
Meeting 2 (30/10 10-11:30, room A21)
Meeting 3 (31/10 10-11:30, room A21)

Selected Issues in the History of the Nabataean Kingdom

18/11 - 22/11 2019 dr. Mohammed Al-Nasarat (Ma'an, Jordan)

Selected Issues in the History of the Nabataean Kingdom

The course will focus on the origin of the Nabataeans, and trace the rise of this civilization in Jordan. The course will examine how the people of the Nabataeans were able to develop their society. The course will explore the social and religious history of the Nabataeans. We will also explore the Petra church archive that was discovered in 1993.

Urban Farming and the Environmental History of Istanbul

09/12 - 12/12 2019 Aleksandar Shopov

Urban Farming and the Environmental History of Istanbul

This course uses an interdisciplinary approach to educate students from diverse academic backgrounds (such as history, biology, environmental studies, public policy, heritage management, archaeology) about the context and history of urban farming practices and water management in Istanbul.

The role of the Iseum in Savaria in the religious life of Pannonia between the 1st and 4th centuries A. D.

06/11 2019 Dr. Otto Sosztarits (Museum Savaria)

The role of the Iseum in Savaria in the religious life of Pannonia between the 1st and 4th centuries A. D.

06/11 14:00, room A21

Expert Lectures

Block lectures.

Expert Lectures

The course is built from the lectures delivered by some prominent specialists in the relevant fields of study from abroad.

Alexander the Great

E-learning course.

Alexander the Great

The subject concentrated on the life, youth, reign and campaigns of Alexander the Great. The goal of the subject is to introduce the students to the history, reforms, politics, wars and personality of Alexander of Macedonia. After finalization of this subject, the students will be orientated in the Alexander´s personality and career on the background of historical events.

Spring 2019

Love, Wine, and Muses: Central themes in archaic Greek poetry

Every week of the semester.

Love, Wine, and Muses: Central themes in archaic Greek poetry

Students will acquire good knowledge of all leading figures of archaic Greek poetry, appreciation of the peculiar nature of preservation of their works and the ability to interpret foundational pieces of European poetical tradition.

Reading Homer's Odyssey

Every week of the semester

Reading Homer's Odyssey

Students will become familiar with the contents and the genesis of the work ("Homeric question"), its metrical and linguistic features, as well as basic notions of Homeric society, morality, religion, warfare and politics.

Ethnographic field research methods

Every week of the semester.

Ethnographic field research methods

As research activity staged in the host community ethnographic field research cannot be done without at least some self-reflection, restraint and wariness. As part of a preparation for the practical aspects of ethnoarchaeological research, the lecture part aims to make the students familiar with the ethics and best practices of ethnographic field-work.

A Theoretical History of Byzantium

Every other week of the semester. Matthew Kinloch, Ph.D. (ÖAW, Wien)

A Theoretical History of Byzantium

This course will introduce students to late Byzantine history and historiography through the examination of critical theoretical approaches to its study. The class set text is the Chronikē syngraphē or History of George Akropolites. In each class, we will examine a different theoretical approach to historiographical analysis, with reference to key passages of the Chronikē syngraphē. These topics will include Postmodernism, Narratology, Gender and Queer Theory, Social History, and Postcolonialism.

Special Topics of the Cultural Anthropology

Block lecture.

Special Topics of the Cultural Anthropology

The course should be both a means to brief students about the most recent discourses & and serve as a ‘think tank’ for the Centre of Prehistoric Archaeology of the Near East. The main accent, however, will lay on media culture, the popularization of anthropological content, ethics of journalism, applied gender study, cultural heritage protection, minority politics and topics that point towards developmental cooperation & advocacy. 

The Middle and Late Bronze Age in Syro-Palestine

Block lecture. Dr. phil. Arnulf Hausleiter, Priv.-Doz. (Berlin)

The Middle and Late Bronze Age in Syro-Palestine

The objective of this course is to provide its students with a basic overview of historical development since middle Bronze Age IIC until the end of late bronze age (1200 BC) in Syro- Palestine area, as well as with information about relevant written and archaeological material.

Palaeolithic Stone Industries of the Near East and the Mediterranean

18. - 23. 2. 2019 Francesca Romgnoli, Ph.D. (Madrid)

Palaeolithic Stone Industries of the Near East and the Mediterranean

The course is designed to present the current data about Palaeolithic evidences in Near East and Europe and to show how multidisciplinary analysis of stone industry techniques can be used to understand and interpret past human activities within theoretical frames. Students will learn how to analyse knapped stone tools and how to relate knapped stone tools to socio-economic phenomena...

Theories in Archaeology

25. - 30. 3. 2019 Prof. Reinhard Berbeck, Ph.D. (FU Berlin)

Theories in Archaeology

The course is designed as chronological overview of the development of archaeological discipline. Its main topic is gradual development of theories and approaches to processing and interpretation of archaeological finds and situations. The aim is to explain and clarify development of the scientific discipline since oldest cultural-historical approach, through the development of processualist and post-processualist approach to the development of current theories. 

Political Economy of the Arab Uprisings

1. - 5. 4. 2019 Maher Hamoud, Ph.D. (Gent/Leuven)

Political Economy of the Arab Uprisings

A cross-examination of the political economy of Middle Eastern countries in relation to the wave of uprisings that broke out in late 2010 and still continues to unfold. The course breaks down the three elements; the political, the economic, and the social; explaining how each influences the other and how together they brought an ongoing regional unrest in.

Set in Stone. Art and Architecture in Iron Age Northern Mesopotamia

1. - 12. 4. 2019 Roberto Dan, Ph.D. (Rome)

Set in Stone. Art and Architecture in Iron Age Northern Mesopotamia

The course provides the introductory overview of the problems concerning visual culture and its architectonical heritage in Western Asia during Iron Age. In the lectures the students will be at first acquainted with the archaeological and socio- cultural aspects of this topic and they will eventually discover specific and relevant case studies. 

Previous semesters