Infusing Theory into the Undergraduate Classics Curriculum: Examples from Haverford College’s Senior Seminar, Translation and Transformation, and History of Literary Theory

This article describes three courses at Haverford College in which theory is the object of attention: Translation and Transformation: Theory and Practice; History of Literary Theory: Plato to Shelley; and Senior Seminar. In the last of these, students survey a range of theoretical approaches in relation to classical literature and are thus encouraged to develop senior theses that are more sophisticated in their awareness and use of method. The theoretical focus of all three courses allows students to appreciate the capacities and limitations of theory for the critical analysis of texts and cultures.