Ancient Studies Saint Mary's University

Overview

Key facts and outcomes

The department offers a range of courses leading to a major (either Ancient Languages or Classical Civilization stream) or minor in Ancient Studies that encompass ancient Latin and Greek, as well as the history, archaeology, art, and literature of ancient Greece, Rome, and the Near East. 

The program at Saint Mary’s presents students with the core concepts, texts, and material culture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, including courses on ancient history, literature in translation, women and gender, and archaeology. The core of the program, however, is distinctive in that it reflects a developing trend in the study of the ancient Mediterranean which positions the ancient civilizations of the Greeks and the Romans within the context of wider trends in Mediterranean cultural, intellectual, religious, artistic, and historical change and development. Top this end, the program also includes courses on the ancient Near East, Egypt, the Iron Age, the Bronze Age, archaeological theory, the tradition of ancient imperialism, and the fruitful interaction among the various peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, the Near East, and Europe.  

Many of our courses are cross-listed with other disciplines, including History and Women and Gender Studies, and our upper-level courses present to students the latest in current theory and method with respect to the study of archaeology, history, and the history of art. As such, there is some overlap with disciplines such as History, Anthropology, Geography, Geology, and Environmental Studies, and many of our students pursue double-majors in Ancient Studies and these other subject areas.

Students majoring in Ancient Studies programme from Saint Mary's University  must study at least one of the ancient languages.  Entry to a graduate program in Ancient Studies normally means the successful completion of at least eighteen (18) credit hours at the undergraduate level in one ancient language (Latin or Greek) and twelve (12) credit hours in the other.  Latin is a valuable asset for students majoring in French, German or Spanish.