The specific aim of this seminar is to provide a research experience in one of the disciplines included within Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies. This seminar will therefore give students an overview of the scope and nature of the ancient evidence (literary, documentary, material [archaeological]), the history and historiography of modern study of that evidence and the ways in which research methodologies and techniques have evolved in a specific discipline of CAMS.
In Fall 2026, Gonzalo Rubio will teach CAMS 560. His special topic will be “Rebuilding the Tower of Babel: Language, History & Ideology.”
This course will examine the history and methods of historical linguistics as a discipline: how language families are identified; how language diversity came about; how and why languages evolve. These subjects will be approached with a particular focus on their scholarly development and the ideological frameworks that have often shaped them (e.g., the Aryan Myth, the polemics of Orientalism).
Whereas particular attention will be given to Indo-European and Semitic languages, other language families and areas will also be studied (Asia, Africa, the Americas). The goal of the course is to provide students with a general understanding of the mechanics and functions of language comparison and reconstruction, as well as a theoretical awareness of the implications of these studies in regard to matters of identity and ideology across different cultures and periods.
Instructor:
