Classics Minor
For Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science
Classics is the study of a region stretching from Gibraltar to Afghanistan and from Ethiopia to Britain over the course of several thousand years, that focuses on the experiences, texts, and objects of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Classicists, ancient historians, and classical archaeologists look at myths and religions, literary and documentary texts, the development of ancient political theories and systems, philosophies, sciences, and medicine, as well as the “things” of everyday life: houses and public architecture, cooking and eating utensils, clothing, jewelry, weapons, toys and game pieces, and the accumulated detritus of human life.
Classics students can study these cultures by learning ancient Greek and Latin as well as learning to analyze literature, history, and material culture. Through their study, students confront the question of what it means to be human, in all of its glory and terror, and develop an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others. The journey begins with the injunction on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi of γνῶθι σεαυτόν: “know yourself,” gnothi seauton.
A Classics minor can supplement majors across the BA and BSc degree. Students learn how to read texts and objects critically, to collate evidence, to create persuasive arguments and assess the arguments of others, and to write clearly and compellingly. Upper-level courses teach students project management skills through research assignments, and across the degree, students learn to approach issues by considering multiple perspectives and by incorporating the experiences of others into the problem-solving process. Classics is a degree with a wide-ranging set of careers it can support, from accounting to archaeology, journalism, law, medicine, and from social work to education, public service, (arts) management and beyond. But more importantly, it is a degree that stretches beyond the workforce to inculcate life-long learning and appreciation of the wider world.
The Classics Minor requires 18 senior-level credits with a minimum of six credits at the 300- or 400-level in CLAS, LATN, or GREK (CLAS 355 does not satisfy this requirement).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Minor Requirements | ||
| Choose 9 credits from senior-level CLAS, GREK, or LATN. 1 | 9 | |
| In addition to the 9 credits listed above, students are required to select 3 credits from each of the three streams below. | ||
| History and Civilisation | 3 | |
| History of Ancient Greece | ||
| History of Ancient Rome | ||
| Greek and Roman Religion | ||
| Women in the Ancient World | ||
| Byzantine Civilization | ||
| The Hellenistic World | ||
| Identity and Belonging in Antiquity | ||
| The Roman Provinces | ||
| Topics in Ancient Greek History | ||
| Topics in Roman History | ||
| Topics in Greek and Roman Religion | ||
| Ancient Family | ||
| Race & Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
| Material Culture | 3 | |
| Digging in the dirt: Introductory Classical Archaeology | ||
| Ancient Art and Architecture | ||
| From Diet to Dionysus: Food and Drink in the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
| Topics in Classical Archaeology and Material Culture | ||
| Languages and Literature | 3 | |
| Intermediate Greek | ||
| Reading Ancient Greek Prose | ||
| Reading Ancient Greek Verse | ||
| Intermediate Latin | ||
| Reading Latin I | ||
| Reading Latin II | ||
| Literature of Greece and Rome | ||
| Greek and Roman Drama | ||
| Comparative Mythology | ||
| Ancient Biography | ||
| Topics in Greek and Latin Literature in Translation | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- 1
Students may use PHIL 230, with permission, to fulfil this requirement.