Classics Minor
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 all eligible degree programs. 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 program 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 program that stretches beyond the workforce to inculcate life-long learning and appreciation of the wider world.
The Classics Minor is available to students in eligible degree programs. Students in the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science must complete 18 credits in senior-level courses. Students in other degree programs may use one junior-level course toward the minor and must therefore complete 15 credits in senior-level courses. All students must complete at least 6 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, 2 | 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 | ||
| Pandora's Daughters: 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 Prose | ||
| Reading Latin Verse | ||
| 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.
- 2
Students in programs other than the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science may substitute a junior-level for one senior-level CLAS, GREK, or LATN.