Modern ideas and beliefs about race and ethnicity have shaped and sustained systems of inequality and oppression, but how did we get here?
This course spotlights the rich diversity and multiculturalism of the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean (in particular: the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Persians). We'll examine how the racial and ethnic biases that they held have influenced our modern perspectives. We'll survey ancient evidence alongside modern scholarship to understand how interpretations and appropriations, primarily of ancient Greek and Roman ideas, have shaped modern racism, colonialism, and white supremacy from the 18th century CE to today. No background in the ancient world is required?just a curiosity to understand the past?s echoes in our present.
Gopher Grades is maintained by Social Coding with data from Summer 2017 to Spring 2026 provided by the University in response to a public records request