Joshua Renfro

This summer the globe is disappointed: the Olympics are postponed.  Sport fascinates Everyfan. It does so in a literal way. It fixates the eyes, attracts, and implies no explanation for its attraction. It doesn't seem to need one. Understanding may even damage the viewer's fascination. But Everyfan should, as this class will, keep open the possibility that understanding would intensify pleasure and perhaps allow for more apt praise of athleticism.

Moreover, sport (and spectacle) is interwoven intricately into every civilization. Hence it tells us, or can, about society, human nature, culture. Conversely, to understand sport we must look not just at its own athletic threads but to try to view other relevant surrounding threads in the culture and maybe even get a fragmentary picture of the whole tapestry. Therefore, this class will not be a sports history but a sport history. We won't learn about individual sports as ends-in-themselves but will rather try to make sport tell us about ancient Greece and Rome, and occasionally vice versa. Along the way, there will be time to reflect on how ancient sport and spectacle illuminates us today.

This introductory-level course covers the cultural and political history of Ancient Rome, from the city’s origins in the Iron Age (c. 800 BCE) to the rise of Augustus and the rule of emperors in the 1st century CE/AD. Students will have the opportunity to learn about Rome’s evolution from a small, hilltop settlement to the head of a world empire. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the most important buildings, artistic works, events and historical figures of Ancient Rome.

Fulfills the Visual and Performing Arts requirement.

Carries the Global Cultures flag.