C. Major in Classics
C1. What courses do I need for a major in Classics?
In the Classics program, you can take a major in
- Classical Studies, or
- Classical Language, or
- Classics
For a major, you need:
- no fewer than 30 credits, but no more than 48 credits, in courses at the senior level (i.e. 200 level or above),
including
- at least 6 credits at the 400 level (these courses may be CLASS, GREEK or LATIN courses depending on the major you choose).
For a major in Classical Studies, you must meet the requirements by obtaining the necessary credits in CLASS courses. (A major in Classical Studies does not require any specific courses; you can choose from the selection of courses offered each year).
For a major in Classical Language, you must meet the requirements by obtaining the necessary credits in GREEK and/or LATIN courses. (A major requires a sequence of language courses).
For a major in Classics, you must meet the requirements by obtaining the necessary credits in CLASS, GREEK or LATIN, or a combination of these. (A major in Classics does not require any specific courses; you can choose from the selection of courses offered each year).
You may not exceed the maximum of 48 credits in your major area of concentration. This means that if you choose Classical Studies as your major, you may not take more than 48 credits in senior CLASS courses. If you choose Classical Language as your major, you may not take more than 48 credits in senior courses GREEK or LATIN. If you choose Classics as your major, you may not take more than 48 credits in CLASS, GREEK or LATIN combined.
All senior-level courses in your major area of concentration taken towards Arts Faculty core requirements must be counted towards your major.
Whether you choose to take Classical Studies, Classical Language or Classics as your major, you must have a valid minor.
C2. If I major in Classics, can I take a minor in Greek and Latin?
For your major in Classics, you can choose one of three options:
- Classical Studies, or
- Classical Language, or
- Classics
If you choose Classical Studies as your major (meaning all courses are CLASS courses), you can take a minor in Classical Language (meaning GREEK or LATIN courses or both).
If you take a major in Classics, (i.e. a combination of Classics and Greek and Latin), you cannot take a minor in Classical Language. However, you may find that you can change your major to Classical Studies (requiring 30 to 48 credits at the 200 level or above in CLASS courses only). In this case you can take Classical Language (GREEK and/or LATIN) for your minor.
C3. If I major in Classical Studies or Classics, can I take options in Greek and Latin?
As noted above, there are three options for a Classics major. If you declare Classical Studies as your major (meaning all courses are CLASS courses), you can take options in Greek and Latin (meaning GREEK or LATIN courses or both).
If you declare Classics as your major (which permits a combination of CLASS and GREEK and LATIN), you cannot take options in Greek and Latin. However, you may find that you can change your major to Classical Studies (requiring 30 to 48 credits at the 200 level or above in CLASS courses only), in which case you can take Greek and Latin courses as options.
Unless you declare Classical Studies as your major and Classical Language as your minor (requiring, in practice, 12 credits at the 300 level or above), you must have a valid minor in another subject.
C4. I would like to specialize in one area of Classics (e.g. ancient history, literature, archaeology, languages, Roman studies, Greek studies). How can I plan my Classics program?
The program provides several options based on the extent to which you wish to include languages in your course of study.
You can choose Classical Studies (CLASS courses only) as your major or minor. This option requires no knowledge of Greek or Latin.
You can choose Classical Language (GREEK and/or LATIN courses only) as your major or minor. This option concentrates on the ancient languages.
You can choose Classics (CLASS and/or GREEK and/or LATIN courses) as your major. This option provides for a program that includes a combination of language courses and other courses that do not require a knowledge of Greek or Latin.
Classics is a multidisciplinary subject, with a number of recognized subdisciplines. You may choose to plan your program to include a range of areas or you may choose to concentrate on areas of special interest.
If you choose to concentrate on a narrow area of interest, you should bear in mind that your options for courses at the 400 level (required for a major) may be limited.