加州大学-伯克利

The major in Classical Civilizations is highly interdisciplinary and features many options. This major allows students to choose an area of concentration which may include some study of one of the languages (Greek language or Latin language) or may be done completely in English (classical archaeology & art history, classical history & culture). The major also requires some comparative study of a pre-modern culture other than Greco-Roman (e.g., Chinese, sub-Saharan African, Egyptian, Mayan).

The major in Classical Civilizations is ideal for students fascinated with the ancient world and with the humanities who are preparing for a variety of careers, including law, medicine, teaching, writing, and business, and it may also serve as preparation for graduate study in archaeology, history, and other fields. It will not, however, be sufficient preparation for direct entry into a PhD program in classics centered on Greek and Latin language and literature.

Honors Program

Students who are declared majors in Classical Civilizations and who have a GPA (both general and departmental) of at least 3.6 are eligible for honors in Classical Civilizations. The honors program consists of a two-semester course sequence — CLASSIC H195A and CLASSIC H195B that is designed to support the writing of a thesis. This thesis, which will be evaluated by an honors committee of three members, may either build on work in a previous upper division course used in fulfillment of the Classical Civilizations major or may be a newly conceived project. It is due the Monday of the 13th week of the semester in which Classics H195B is taken.

Learning Goals for the Major

• Acquire a basic understanding of ancient Greek and Latin texts (in translation) and/or material culture, including major monuments, sites, and works of art.
• Demonstrate a more advanced knowledge of a particular concentration within classics (classical art and archaeology, or classical history and culture, or Greek language, or Latin language).
• Learn to identify and understand key events, institutions, personalities, places, and concepts of ancient Greek and Roman culture.
• Gain a critical awareness of continuities and differences between and within cultures and of ideologies of gender, group identity, social status, and political organization.
• Demonstrate the ability to interpret texts and material culture and to understand the implications of interpretive methods.
• Demonstrate the ability to synthesize a well-organized argument from textual or other evidence and to express it in formal English prose.