Dear everybody,

GOHD Books is happy to announce the commencement of new Beginner’s Greek and Beginner’s Latin courses.

We’ve also started a new series of lectures entitled Introduction to the Classics, covering Ancient Greece & Rome, Ancient India, and the Narrative Arts of Indonesia.

This series is meant to give participants an in-depth look at each of the civilizations covered, and will be beneficial to anyone who is considering studying the language, travelling to those regions, or who wishes to acquire knowledge for either personal or professional reasons (artists, writers, researchers, etc).

All classes will be held at GOHD Books and are limited to 9 spaces each.

Details of the courses are below, and can also be found at http://www.gohd.com.sg/course

To sign up for the courses, you can either drop an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or sign up online (and pay via Paypal) at the abovementioned website, http://www.gohd.com.sg/course

Thank you, and Happy New Year!

With love,

GOHD Books

Greek I (4 weeks)

Commencing 14 January 2012, Saturday. 11am-1pm.
Every Saturday for 4 weeks.

Cost: $400

Latin I (4 weeks)

Commencing 14 January 2012, Saturday. 4pm-6pm.
Every Saturday for 4 weeks.

Cost: $400

Introduction to the Classics (Ancient Greece & Rome, Ancient India, Indonesian Narrative Arts)

Date: Every Tuesday and Thursday Commencing after Chinese New Year 2012

Time: 6.30-8pm, except classes on Indonesia (7-8.30pm).

Cost: $70 per lesson, $240 for a pack of 4 lessons.

GOHD Languages & Courses will be launching a 2-month series introducing the classical worlds of ancient Greece, Rome, India and Indonesia. This series will give the student an overview of the civilisations covered and is aimed at anyone with interest in the classical world.

The series will comprise 16 classes held weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning on 10 January 2012. Each class is independent, and does not require prior knowledge of the topic or attendance of previous sessions. Students are free to attend any class that interests them. 1 ticket entitles you to attend one class of your choice, whereas a package of 4 tickets entitles you to either 4 classes per person, or 1 class per 4 students, in case you want to bring your friends!

SCHEDULE: (POSTPONED TILL AFTER CHINESE NEW YEAR)

1. Ancient Greece & Rome

10 Jan (Tues) : Greek History part 1 (till the end of the Persian wars)

· Myceneans and Minoans

· The Trojan War and Homer

· The colonisation of the Mediterrenean

· Ionia and Persia

· The Persian Wars

17 Jan (Tues) : Greek History part 1 (till the rise of Rome)

· The rise of Athens and The Peloponnesian War

· Death of Socrates

· Rise of Macedon

· Death of Alexander and the rise of the successor states

24 Jan: Chinese New Year Break

9 Feb (Tues) : Roman History part 1 (till the end of Carthage)

· Founding of Rome: Aeneas and Romulus

· The expulsion of the kings

· The fight for rights for the plebs

· Domination of Italy

· Conflict with Carthage

16 Feb (Thurs) : Roman History part 2 (till the end of the republic)

· Defeat of the Greeks

· Land reform, and civil war

· Sulla and Marius

· Julius Caesar

· Octavian and the end of the Republic

23 Feb (Thurs) : Philosophy

· pre-Socratics

· Plato and Socrates

· Aristotle

· Cynicism

· Stoicism

· Epicureanism

28 Feb (Thurs) : Political Systems of the Greek and Roman World

· democracy

· monarchy

· republics

· tyranny

· oligarchy

2. Ancient India

31 Jan (Tues) : Philosophy & Religion I: The Hindu Epics & Religious Literature

· The four Vedas, the Vedangas, the Upanishads, the Puaranas

· The Ramayana, Mahabharata & The Bhagvad Gita

· Manusmriti

7 Feb (Tues) : Philosophy & Religion II

· The six orthodox schools of philosophy: Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and Vedanta

· Shankaracharya & the spread of Vedanta

· Jaininsm & Carvaka

· Modern Indian religious movements

14 Feb (Tues) : Indian Buddhism

· Life and Circumstances of Siddharta Gautama, a background on his main disciples

· Early Indian Buddhism

· The Ashokan Empire & the spread of Buddhism from India to East and South-East Asia

· Buddhist Art

21 Feb (Tues) : Dramatic & Visual Arts & Music

· A background on Vedic & Classical Sanskrit language

· Sanskrit drama & poetry

· Hindu & Jain sculpture & architecture

· The roots of Indian Classical Music

· Post-Islamic art in India

3. Ancient Indonesia

These four talks provide a general introduction to Gamelan music and related literary/ narrative forms. Three of the talks focus on Javanese Gamelan and its relation to Javanese Poetry, Javanese Wayang Kulit, and Javanese Dance Drama; the fourth will provide an introduction to Balinese music and its associated narrative arts. Along the way there’ll be sound clips and videos to give a better idea of the subject matter.

12 Jan (Thurs) : Introduction to Gamelan Music and Javanese Poetry

· Introduction to Gamelan Music

· Javanese Poetic Forms: Poetic metres, defining characteristics of poetic forms,Wangsalan (poetic riddles), Rujak-rujakan,

· Classical Poetry in Music

· Vocal parts

· other genres of singing and music

19 Jan (Thurs) : Wayang Kulit and Javanese Gamelan

· Brief introduction to wayang kulit

· Function of the Javanese Gamelan during wayang, including Patalon form and philosophy (overture)

· Wayang kulit stories: The Ramayana and Mahabharata (Javanese versions and their differences)

26 Jan (Thurs) : Introduction to Javanese Dance

· Introduction (drumming and dance, types of dances)

· The Ramayana at Prambanan and wayang wong

· The Darmawulan story cycle and the Lagendriya

· Masked dance (tari topeng)

· Court dances (bedhaya, serimpi)

· Sendratari

2 Feb (Thurs) : Balinese Gamelan and Theatrical Forms

· Introduction to Balinese music and dance

· Singing of Macapat poetry

· Balinese wayang kulit (Mainly Ramayana)

· Arja and Sedantari