Discover A New World. We are your academic home for reading Greek tragedy or Latin love poetry, for digging ancient temples or surveying medieval harbors, for studying Christian saints and for investigating the complex histories and identities of the Mediterranean region. A major or minor in Classical and Mediterranean Studies can launch you on many career paths that call for an inclusive worldview, comparative research, critical evaluation, and skillful expression.
Major | Minors | Major/Minor Declaration
Classical and Mediterranean Studies Major
Majors in classical and Mediterranean studies pursue courses in the language, art and archaeology, history, religion, philosophy, society and culture of the Greek and Roman world and its broader Mediterranean context. Offerings for the major include a variety of lectures and seminars, as well as practical or research-based classes, opportunities for immersive learning, and summer trips for on-site study and field research in Greece, Israel, and Italy.
Majors choose their curriculum in one of three tracks which share content but offer unique viewpoints and training. These tracks offer different combinations of approved courses, listed below.
Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
This major track investigates one or more ancient to medieval cultural tradition(s) in the Greco-Roman and Near Eastern spheres by studying original texts and their historical setting. Students in this major track enroll in 30-34 total credit hours.
Course Requirements:
- One foundation course: CLAS 1010 (3 credit hours);
- Language/Literature: Five courses from Approved Course List A shown below (15 credit hours, or 19 credit hours if including ARA 1101-1102); and
- Culture: Four courses from Approved Course Lists B, C, and/or D numbered 2060 or above, shown below (12 credit hours).
Latin courses at the 1000-level do not count toward this major track. Students who fulfill their language/literature requirement by completing courses in one language must, in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, earn credit for at least one course in a different cultural tradition (e.g., Greek, Roman, Jewish, Christian, Islamic) or period (e.g., ancient, medieval).
Mediterranean Archaeology
This major track explores human diversity and experience from prehistory and classical antiquity to the Middle Ages through the study of material, visual culture, natural landscapes, and manmade environments. Students in this major track enroll in 30-34 total credit hours.
Course Requirements:
- Two foundation courses: CLAS 1010 and 1020 (6 credit hours);
- Language/Literature: Two courses from Approved Course List A shown below (6 credit hours, or 10 if including ARA 1101-1102);
- Method and Theory: One course from Approved Course List E shown below (3 credit hours);
- Three courses in the history and in the art, architecture, and archaeology of the ancient to medieval Mediterranean world, including one from Approved Course List B, one from Approved Course List C, and one from Approved Course List B or C, shown below (9 credit hours); and
- Electives: Two courses from Approved Course Lists A, B, C, D, or E (shown below) or from the following (6 credit hours): ANTH 1101, Introduction to Anthropology; 1201, Introduction to Archaeology; 1301, Introduction to Biological Anthropology; 1601, Introduction to Language and Culture; 2211, Archaeology; 2220, Human Landscapes; 2227, Food in the Ancient World; 2370, Death and the Body; 3160, Anthropologies and Archaeologies of Community; 3161, Colonial Encounter in the Americas; 3200, Ancient Cities; 3202, The Collapse of Civilizations.
With the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students may fulfill the method and theory requirement by completing a program of practical archaeology (e.g., CLAS 3710, 3720, ANTH 3866, participation in an excavation or field survey, or an internship in conservation or curation).
No more than 15 credit hours of courses numbered below 2050 may count toward this major track.
Mediterranean Studies
This is the most flexible major track for a broad range of interests; it allows engagement with a variety of ancient, medieval, or modern topics through focused or comparative study. Students in this major track enroll in 30 total credit hours.
Course Requirements:
- One foundation course: CLAS 1010 (3 credit hours);
- Historical basis: Four courses from Approved Course Lists A, B, C, and/or D shown below (12 credit hours); and
- Comparative perspectives: Five courses from Approved Course Lists A, B, C, D, E, and/or F shown below (15 credit hours).
Students may apply up to three semesters of one Mediterranean language toward the historical basis requirement, including either an Ancient to Medieval language in Course List A or Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish. French, Italian, Latin, and Spanish courses at the 1000-level do not count toward the major.
No more than 12 credit hours of courses numbered below 2050 may count toward this major track.
Approved Course List
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Classical and Mediterranean Studies Minors
Two minors are offered to allow students an abbreviated version of the associated major tracks.
Mediterranean Archaeology
Students in this minor complete CLAS 1010, 1020, and 12 additional credit hours in courses that count toward the mediterranean archaeology major track, of which at least nine credit hours must be from courses numbered 2060 or above.
Mediterranean Studies
Students in this minor complete CLAS 1010 and 15 additional credit hours in courses that count toward mediterranean studies major track, of which at least nine credit hours must be from courses numbered 2060 or above.
To Declare a Major or Minor
At the University Registrar Forms Website, click “Major/Minor Declaration/Change” top open a new Kuali form. Sign in and follow the prompts to select your major(s)/minor(s), complete the required information, and click “Submit.”
If you have any questions about our tracks or requirements, or if you have a particular adviser in mind, please reach out to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, otherwise an adviser will be assigned to you.