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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: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kozak, Lynn (Fall)
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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: Fall 2020
Instructors: Sirois, Martin (Fall)
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 2021
Instructors: Totten, Darian (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 2021
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 2020
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 2021
Instructors: Kleinman, Brahm (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. Topic varies by year.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Kozak, Lynn (Winter)
Restriction(s): Open to U2 or U3 Honours students and MA students or by permission of instructor
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 2020
Instructors: Totten, Darian (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 2021
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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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 2020
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: Winter 2021
Instructors: Kaloudis, Naomi (Winter)
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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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 2020
Instructors: Kaloudis, Naomi (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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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.
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CLAS 407 Ancient Lyric and Elegy (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : This course examines the Lyric and Elegiac genres from Greece (700 BCE) to Imperial Rome (100 CE). Authors such as Archilochus, Sappho, Alcaeus, Callimachus, Catullus, Propertius and Ovid will be situated in their social and historical contexts as the class addresses issues of poetics, politics, sexuality, and culture.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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CLAS 408 Greek and Roman Oratory (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Greek and Roman Oratory situates the works of authors such as Plato, Demosthenes, Aeschines, Cicero and Tacitus in their social and historical contexts, in addition to examining ancient oratorical theory, education, political science, and culture.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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CLAS 409 Ancient Didactic Poetry (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Ancient Didactic Poetry examines the works of authors such as Hesiod, Empedocles, Aratus, Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid and Manilius. The works are set in their original historical and social contexts while issues related to intellectual history, ancient cosmology, poetry and culture are considered.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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CLAS 461 Greco-Roman Religious
Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Examination of works of Greek and Roman literature that either deal extensively with theology and religion as themes or were implicated directly in religious practice. Authors or texts such as Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, Plato, the Derveni Papyrus, Varro, Cicero, Philo and Augustine will be considered.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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CLAS 304 Ancient Greek Democracy (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Examines the conceptual history of popular government in the context of Greek political culture, from the 6th century BCE to the Roman conquest of Greece.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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CLAS 305 Roman Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Approaches to and problems of Roman religion. The formation of religious topography, problems of religion and empire, the religious interaction between Rome and other Mediterranean peoples, the complex discourse between religion and philosophy, the reformulation of Roman religion during the imperial period, and the rise of Christianity within a pagan Roman world.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 381.
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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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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: Fall 2020
Instructors: Anastassiadis, Tassos (Fall)
Prerequisite: CLAS 202 or related courses or permission of instructor
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HIST 205 Ancient Mediterranean History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the history of the ancient Mediterranean world, focusing on Greek and Roman civilization.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kleinman, Brahm (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken HIST 275.
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HIST 275 Ancient Roman History (3 credits)
Overview
History : A survey of Roman history from the foundation of Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Fronda, Michael (Winter)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken HIST 205.
- HIST 368 Greek History: Classical Period (3 credits)
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HIST 369 Greek History: Early Greece (3 credits)
Overview
History : Historical study of the period from the Mycenean Age to the end of the Archaic Age.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
- HIST 391 Rise of Rome (3 credits)
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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: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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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: Winter 2021
Instructors: Kleinman, Brahm (Winter)
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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: 3 credits at the 300-level in Ancient history or permission of the instructor.
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HIST 469 Alexander and Hellenistic World (3 credits)
Overview
History : The history and culture of the Hellenistic period, from the Age of Alexander to the rise of the successor kingdoms and their interactions with Rome; discusses the development of a new sense of globality and its impact on the local horizon of cities across the Mediterranean and beyond.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): 3 credits in Ancient history at the 300-level or permission of instructor.
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken HIST 407 in winter 2015 or winter 2017.
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HIST 475 Topics: Roman History (3 credits)
Overview
History : In-depth examination of a selected topic, theme, or period of ancient Roman history.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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PHIL 345 Greek Political Theory (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of the ethical and political theories of ancient Greece, especially those of Plato and Aristotle.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken POLI 333
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PHIL 350 History and Philosophy of Ancient Science (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : Topics in ancient pure mathematics (geometry and number theory), "mixed mathematics" (astronomy, music theory, optics, mechanics), and/or natural science (including medicine), studied with a view to philosophical issues raised by the content of ancient science and/or by the logic of scientific argument.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Hallett, Michael Frank (Fall)
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PHIL 353 The Presocratic Philosophers (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of the surviving fragments of the presocratic philosophers and schools of philosophy, as well as later reports of their views.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Derome, Léa (Winter)
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PHIL 354 Plato (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of some of the philosophical problems (those in logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics, e.g.) found in a selection of Plato's dialogues.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Laywine, Alison (Fall)
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PHIL 355 Aristotle (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of selected works by Aristotle. The course considers issues in moral philosophy as well as those found in the logical treatises, the Physics and Metaphysics, and in the philosophy of mind.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Laywine, Alison (Fall)
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PHIL 452 Later Greek Philosophy (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of some of the major post-Aristotelian schools of philosophy. Texts from the Peripatetic, Stoic, Epicurean, Sceptical, Platonic, and medical traditions may be considered. Problems in logic, ethics, physics, epistemology, and metaphysics will be addressed.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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PHIL 453 Ancient Metaphysics and Natural Philosophy (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of central themes of ancient metaphysics and/or natural philosophy as treated by two or more contrasting philosophers or philosophical traditions - probably including Plato and/or Aristotle, and possibly including some Hellenistic or post-Hellenistic schools.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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PHIL 454 Ancient Moral Theory (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of central themes of ancient moral theory as treated by two or more contrasting philosophers or philosophical traditions - probably including Plato and/or Aristotle, and possibly some Hellenistic or post-Hellenistic schools.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Fraenkel, Carlos (Winter)
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RELG 210 Jesus of Nazareth (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A critical study of selected ancient and modern accounts of the aims and person of Jesus. Attention will be given also to the question of the historical sources and to the relationship between faith and history.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Fall)
Fall, Winter and Summer
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RELG 311 Formation of the New Testament (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the formation and interpretation of the New Testament, excluding the Gospels.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 312 The Gospels (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the critical study of the Gospels.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 326 Christians in the Roman World (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A social-historical examination of Christians within the complex cultural, political, ethnic and religious contexts of later Greco-Roman antiquity, focusing on changing relations among different varieties of Christian, as well as on interactions and conflicts among Christians, Jews and polytheists. Other topics to be considered include martyrdom, orthodoxy and heresy, and Gnosticism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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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 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 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: Winter 2021
Instructors: Totten, Darian (Winter)
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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: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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.
