Law, Personhood, and Democracy, Ancient & Modern
CLST 321
Spring 2026
| Section:
01
|
| Crosslisting:
COL 369 |
Legal texts -- law codes, decrees, and edicts, juristic discussions, law court cases -- help us understand the history of legal thinking and strategy, and the construction of constitutional frameworks. Yet Greek legal sources offer something more than a history: Although these texts in many ways served as the foundation for European legal systems, they nonetheless offer radically different ways of thinking about concepts such as private and public, personhood in law and ethics, rights versus responsibilities, and the possibility of freedom and happiness -- some more progressive than our own. In an era when many of our democratic institutions and conventions are challenged, the classical sources offer alternate legal and social ways of thinking, and new tools for rethinking our own time. This course will provide an introduction to legal thinking in classical antiquity and, drawing from a range of sources, will speak to the intersection of constitutional frameworks with political theory. Through narratives and case studies, we will examine Greek approaches to thorny legal issues that are still contested today: women's rights, freedom of gender and sexual expression, the right to trial, torture and coerced confession, immigration and the right to citizenship, foundational "myths" (and lies), and conspiracy theories, among others. The ancient sources will be brought into dialogue with US supreme court opinions and debates on these issues. We will also explore how constitutional frameworks are constructed and deployed alongside religious and moral beliefs -- whether that be overtly or covertly --0 to cultivate "civic thinking." For CLST Major requirements, this course falls under the History, Politics, and Social Justice track. |
|
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CLST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
|
Fulfills a Requirement for: (Classical Studies) |
|
Past Enrollment Probability: 75% - 89% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
|
Examinations and Assignments:
|
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
- This course satisfies the History, Politics, and Social Justice requirement for the Classical Studies major. |
| Instructor(s): Visvardi,Eirene Times: .M.W... 01:20PM-02:40PM; Location: FISK410; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 16 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 8 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 2 | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
|
|