Classics
Classics at Concordia offers innovative and multidisciplinary programs of study in the cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome and their broader context within the Ancient Mediterranean and Ancient Near East.
CMLL has given me the opportunity to explore my ultimate dream. I am currently studying at Cambridge University in Great Britain, reading in Egyptology. Without the wonderful mentors, program fundamental and always supportive department, I would not be where I am today.
Allison Williams
BA Honours Classics (Classical Civilization), 2010
Far from exclusively backward-looking, the study of Antiquity provides a unique and holistic paradigm through which to study questions of relevance to the contemporary moment. From migration and population movement, colonization, Great Power politics, climate change and its impacts, gender, class, and identity, technological innovation and its pitfalls—the mechanisms that have driven societal developments for millennia have fundamentally changed very little, and through detailed study of where we’ve been before, we can gain a clearer understanding of the world around us and where we’re heading.
We offer an expansive approach to the study of Mediterranean antiquity and its legacy. Core areas of focus include the teaching of Ancient Greek and Latin from the Introductory to Advanced levels, Greek and Roman Archaeology, Ancient History, and Greek and Latin Literature in translation. Special topics courses aligned with faculty research interests are offered each year. Recent examples include the archaeology of empires; the Hittites; the Etruscans; ceramic analysis; ancient urbanism; pandemics and climate change in antiquity; industry, crafting and technology in the ancient world; prejudice and marginal identities in Greece and Rome; and the relationship between written versions of myth and representation of myth in art. Beyond this, and in partnership with our colleagues within the Department of Classics, Modern languages, and Linguistics, regularly offered courses include Mycenaean Greek, Ancient Egyptian Language, Sanskrit, Hittite, Indo-European Linguistics, Late Latin, Humanism and the reception of Classical Antiquity in the Italian renaissance.
Our faculty have expertise over a wide area, from the archaeology of Greece and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Late Antique period, from Homeric Greek to the Latin of Boethius, Greek literature and linguistics, Roman social and economic history, gender studies, and the reception of antiquity in the modern world. Innovative research and teaching methodologies are combined in introducing students to the use of digital approaches to the study of material remains, macroscopic pottery analysis, and the use of Machine Learning in the reading of ancient papyri. Our annual Study Abroad program sees students and faculty travel to Greece together for a three week-long intensive for-credit course, with curated visits to key ancient sites and museums including Athens, Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi, and Knossos on Crete. Multiple faculty members have received awards for excellence in teaching over the past few years.
About the BA program
We offer undergraduate degrees at the Honours, Major, and Minor levels. Under the auspices of Concordia’s INDI program, students have the option to undertake graduate work at the MA and PhD level in areas of study that Classics is integrated with.
The 60-credit BA Honours in Classics and the 42-credit BA Major in Classics both programs offer concentrations in Classical Languages and Literature and Classical Civilization.
At both the Honours and Major level, students have the option to specialize in either Classical Languages and Literature, or Archaeology and Ancient History. Irrespective of which concentration is followed, the Honours and Major cores provide an introductory grounding in the discipline as a whole, and students are encouraged where possible to pursue further Classics and CMLL courses outside their area of concentration. Students hoping to apply to graduate school are encouraged to take both Ancient Greek and Latin to the advanced level.
The Concentration in Classical Languages and Literature foregrounds study of both ancient Greek and Latin to an advanced level, enabling students to read ancient texts under their own supervision and preparing students for the often language-heavy work at the graduate level.
The Concentration in Archaeology and Ancient History focuses more broadly on the history, archaeology, and material culture of the Ancient World. At the Honours level, there is a requirement of twelve credits of study in Ancient Greek and / or Latin. There is no ancient language requirement at the Major level.
Minors
The department offers three 24-credit minor programs:
- Minor in Classical Languages and Literature
- Minor in Classical Civilization
- MInor in Classical Archaeology
Program requirements and course descriptions for all programs can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.