CLASS 1516

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  • Schedule of Classes - September 10, 2024 10:17AM EDT
  • Course Catalog - September 10, 2024 9:48AM EDT
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CLASS 1516
FWS: Are You Not Entertained: Gladiators in Ancient and Modern Society

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025. Courses of Study 2024-2025 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

Gladiators executed stunning fight sequences, defied death, oozed sex appeal, stole wives (and husbands), and even, in the case of Spartacus, attacked the heart of the Roman empire. But who were the real gladiators? What was it like to be one? What does the popularity of gladiatorial fights tell us about Roman society and our world today? We will examine ancient literature, art, and archaeology like the Colosseum alongside The Hunger Games, Gladiator, and other modern media. We will compare that to evidence for gladiators' lived experiences, including their graffiti, curses, weapons, living quarters, tombs, and skeletons. Students will write a diagnostic essay, close reading essay, an interpretation of archaeological evidence, a historical argument, a research paper, and a pitch for modern media about gladiators.

When Offered Fall.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 20240 CLASS 1516   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Taborski, S

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.