Note: This is the 2017–2018 eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or .
Program Requirements
The Honours Classics program is designed for students who plan to pursue graduate studies in Classics or related discipline. The program is highly interdisciplinary. It emphasizes the study of ancient Greek and Latin, requiring proficiency in both languages and advanced coursework in at least one, combined with a strong foundation in ancient history, literature and material cultural studies. Honours students are encouraged to begin coursework in both Greek and Latin as soon as possible, and to meet with the classics program adviser to map out their courses and program.
According to Faculty regulations, Honours students must maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.00 and maintain a minimum program GPA of 3.00.
Required Courses (24 credits)
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CLAS 201 Greece and Rome (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Introduction to ancient Greek and Roman civilization, focusing on key themes, problems, and methods of the discipline of classical studies.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
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CLAS 301 Ancient Greek Literature and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Survey of ancient Greek literature in translation, covering the key genres and texts in their social and historical contexts. The material to be discussed includes Archaic epic, lyric, and elegy; Classical tragedy, comedy, and historiography; Hellenistic poetry, and literature of the Roman Imperial period.
Terms: Winter 2018
Instructors: Sirois, Martin (Winter)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 200.
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CLAS 302 Roman Literature and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : An exploration of Roman texts written during the Republican and Imperial periods (200 BCE-400 CE) and the study of social contexts in which they were written.
Terms: Winter 2018
Instructors: Kaloudis, Naomi (Winter)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 208.
- CLAS 310 Intermediate Latin 1 (3 credits)
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CLAS 312 Intermediate Latin 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Continued mastery of the language, with emphasis on translation of Latin texts.
Terms: Winter 2018
Instructors: Sirois, Martin (Winter)
Prerequisite: CLAS 310 or permission of the instructor.
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CLAS 320 Intermediate Ancient Greek 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Review of grammar, vocabulary, and syntax of Ancient Greek through translation of selected ancient texts.
Terms: Fall 2017
Instructors: Sirois, Martin (Fall)
Prerequisite: CLAS 220 or permission of instructor
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CLAS 322 Intermediate Ancient Greek 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Continued mastery of the language, with emphasis on translation of ancient Greek texts.
Terms: Winter 2018
Instructors: Sirois, Martin (Winter)
Prerequisite: CLAS 320 or permission of the instructor
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CLAS 500 Classics Seminar (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Seminar on a topic in ancient Greek or Roman literature and society. Translation and analysis of texts in ancient Greek and Latin emphasized. Topic varies by year.
Terms: Winter 2018
Instructors: Fronda, Michael (Winter)
Restriction(s): Open to Honours and MA students or by permission of instructor
This is a language course. Some reading knowledge of both Ancient Greek and Latin is expected.
Complementary Courses (30 credits)
30 credits classics (CLAS) or related courses according to the following stipulations:
Minimum 6 credits advanced ancient Greek and/or Latin.
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CLAS 410 Advanced Latin: Authors (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Translation and discussion of selections from ancient Latin literature written by a single author or several authors closely linked by genre or historical period. Emphasis on developing reading proficiency. Texts change from year to year. Course may be taken more than once.
Terms: Fall 2017
Instructors: Kozak, Lynn (Fall)
Pre-requisite(s): CLAS 312 or permission of instructor
This is a language course. Reading knowledge of Latin is expected.
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CLAS 412 Advanced Latin: Themes (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Examination of a theme or problem in Roman literature, culture or history through the translation and discussion of ancient Latin texts. Emphasis on close reading and analysis of ancient Latin. Texts change from year to year. Course may be taken more than once.
Terms: Winter 2018
Instructors: Gladhill, Charles (Winter)
Pre-requisite(s): CLAS 312 or permission of instructor
This is a language course. Reading knowledge of Latin is expected.
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CLAS 419 Advanced Latin: Post-Classical (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Translation and examination of Latin text(s) from the Late Antique, Medieval or Renaissance period.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credits of 300-level Latin or permission of instructor.
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CLAS 420 Advanced Ancient Greek: Authors (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Translation and discussion of selections from ancient Greek literature written by a single author or several authors closely linked by genre or historical period. Emphasis on developing reading proficiency. Texts change from year to year. Course may be taken more than once.
Terms: Fall 2017
Instructors: Menn, Stephen (Fall)
Prerequisite(s): CLAS 322 or permission of instructor
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CLAS 422 Advanced Ancient Greek: Themes (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Examination of a theme or problem in ancient Greek literature, culture or history through the translation and discussion of ancient Greek texts. Emphasis on close reading and analysis of ancient Greek. Texts change from year to year. Course may be taken more than once.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Prerequisite: CLAS 322 or permission of instructor
This is a language course. Reading knowledge of Ancient Greek is expected.
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CLAS 429 Medieval Greek (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Readings by Greek authors writing during the Late Imperial through Byzantine periods
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): CLAS 312 or permission of instructor
Minimum 3 credits advanced classical literature courses:
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CLAS 400 Ancient Drama and Theatre (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : A synchronic study of ancient Drama from Greece to Rome with a focus on historical and performance context in addition to literary interpretation.
Terms: Fall 2017
Instructors: Gladhill, Charles (Fall)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 300.
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CLAS 401 Ancient Comedy (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : A study of ancient Greek and Roman comedy, including authors such as Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus, and Terence. Issues connected to performance, textual interpretation and the social role of comedy will be explored.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 307.
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CLAS 402 Hellenistic Literature and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : The cultural legacy of Hellenistic Alexandria, with focus on scientific, mathematical, literary, philological, philosophical, and religious developments and innovations.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
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CLAS 403 The Greek and Roman Novel (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : A study of the ancient novel, including Petronius, The Satyricon, Apuleius, The Golden Ass and Longus, Daphnis and Chloe. Issues connected to the novel's development and generic formations, its social and historical contexts, and influence will be discussed.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 309.
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CLAS 405 The Epic Tradition (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : The course covers major epics of the Mediterranean world such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Apollonius' Argonautica, Vergil's Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Lucan's Bellum Civile, and Statius' Thebaid. Issues connected to social and cultural context, performance, literary theory, and interpretation will be discussed.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 371.
Texts taught in translation, no knowledge of ancient Greek or Latin required.
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CLAS 406 Greek and Roman Historiography (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Seminar on the works of the Greek and Roman historians (in translation) who founded a new literary genre for the exploration of past and present events; interpretation of their approaches towards history and theories for their study.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): 3 credits in Classics at the 300 level or up or permission of instructor.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 490.
Minimum 3 credits courses in ancient history or classical civilization:
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CLAS 303 Ancient Greek Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Focus on the history of Greek religion in the Classical Period. Particular attention will be paid to the Greek concept of divinity, local pantheons, civic festival calendars, the topography of myth and ritual, ideas concerning the afterlife, mystery cults, oracles and games and the literary representations of religion.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
- CLAS 304 Ancient Greek Democracy (3 credits)
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CLAS 305 The World of Alexandria (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : The cultural legacy of Hellenistic Alexandria, with focus on scientific, mathematical, literary, philological, philosophical, and religious developments and innovations.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
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CLAS 306 Classics in Modern Media (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Receptions of the classical paradigm of Ancient Greece and Rome in modern media, the classical tradition, and current scholarship.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 206.
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CLAS 308 Gender in the Ancient World (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : An exploration of gender roles in the Ancient Mediterranean world.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 370.
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CLAS 404 Classical Tradition (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Examines the evolution of Classical Antiquity's social and cultural status from the 17th c. to the present day. Particular consideration is given to the processes of the ongoing professionalization of history and archeology as academic disciplines, the emergence of new political usages of the past, the transformation of cultural practices from the Grand Tour to the modern museum and tourism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Prerequisite: CLAS 202 or related courses or permission of instructor
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HIST 205 Ancient Mediterranean History (3 credits)
Overview
History : A survey of Mediterranean history from the Bronze Age until the 6th century AD, focusing on Greek and Roman civilization.
Terms: Winter 2018
Instructors: Fronda, Michael; Straub, Corey; Fu, Wentian; Christopher, Jordan (Winter)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken HIST 209 prior to September 2006.
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HIST 368 Greek History: Classical Period (3 credits)
Overview
History : The Classical period of Greek history, from the end of the Persian wars to the death of Alexandra the Great (479-323 BC).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
- HIST 369 Greek History: Early Greece (3 credits)
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HIST 375 Rome: Republic to Empire (3 credits)
Overview
History : Roman history from the Gracchi to the death of the emperor Nero, 133 BCE to 68 CE. The collapse of the Roman republic, the reorganization of the Roman state under Augustus, and the Roman empire and society under the early emperors.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
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HIST 376 Fall of the Roman Empire (3 credits)
Overview
History : Transformation of the Roman world, 1st-7th CE. Considers various perspectives and narratives of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire based on historical and material evidence.
Terms: Fall 2017
Instructors: Fabbro, Eduardo (Fall)
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HIST 391 Rise of Rome (3 credits)
Overview
History : Rome's rise from city-state to world power, 338 - 133 BCE, the nature Roman conquest, and the impact of empire on Roman society.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
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HIST 400 Ancient Greece, Rome and China (3 credits)
Overview
History : A comparative analysis of the political cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and China, c. 500 BCE to 500 CE, exploring societal distinctions through topics such as the role of historical traditions, power configurations, public oratory, elite representation, funerary rites and political spaces.
Terms: Fall 2017
Instructors: Beck, Hans; Vankeerberghen, Griet (Fall)
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HIST 407 Topics in Ancient History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An in-depth look at various topics in ancient history.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Prerequisite: 3 credits in Ancient history at the 300-level or permission of instructor.
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HIST 450 Ancient History Methods (3 credits)
Overview
History : Different methods and strategies employed by Ancient historians, including numismatics, epigraphy, and papyrology.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Prerequisite: 3 credits at the 300-level in Ancient history or permission of the instructor.
Other courses may be counted towards this requirement with the approval of the program adviser.
Minimum 3 credits in classical art or archaeology:
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ARTH 209 Introduction to Ancient Art and Architecture (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : Survey of ancient art and architecture: pre-historic Europe, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Focus is on issues of political power, gender, sexuality, race, the formation of individual and group identities, and the relation between the body and social space.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
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CLAS 240 Introduction to Classical Archaeology (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Introduction to the archaeology of the ancient Greek and Roman Mediterranean through a survey of major sites, artifacts and monuments. Emphasis on archaeological theory and methodology.
Terms: Fall 2017
Instructors: Totten, Darian (Fall)
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CLAS 345 Study Tour: Greece (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : A study of Greek history and culture through the sites and monuments of ancient Greece. Includes preparatory meetings, site and museum visits, and specialized lectures on site. A fee is charged of $2400 to cover certain travel expenses within Greece, accommodation including breakfast and entrance fees to all sites visited throughout the tour.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Prerequisites:Permission of instructor.
Course includes preparatory class meetings at McGill followed by study tour in Greece. Typically offered in alternating summers.
Students are responsible for all expenses associated with travel, accommodation, food, etc.
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CLAS 348 Topics: Classical Archaeology (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Study of a theme, subject, or question, concentrating on selected physical sites, monuments, artifacts, or other case studies in classical archaeology.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2017-2018 academic year.
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CLAS 349 Archaeology Fieldwork: Italy (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Field course offering an introduction to archaeological field methods and laboratory work, and discussion of theoretical interpretation of archaeological data in the context of an Italian archaeological site potentially across multiple time periods (prehistoric, pre-Roman, Roman, late antique and medieval). Taught in Italy.
Terms: Summer 2018
Instructors: Totten, Darian (Summer)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Taught in Italy during the summer. Course typically includes visits to cultural, historical or archaeological sites. Students are responsible for their own airfare to Italy.
There is a fee of $2660.96 for the McGill Salapia Field School in Italy associated with registration in CLAS 349. The fee includes shared apartment accommodation for groups of four students, meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner M-R and breakfast and lunch M-F), field tools and weekday transportation to and from the dig site. Students are responsible for their own travel arrangements to Puglia and travel insurance costs.
Other courses may be counted towards this requirement with the approval of the program adviser.
NOTE: Maximum 18 credits of complementary courses at the 200 level.
Note: a maximum total of 18 credits of non-CLAS McGill courses and/or classics courses not taken at McGill (transfer credits) may be counted toward the program.
Faculty of Arts—2017-2018 (last updated Aug. 23, 2017) (disclaimer)
