The Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies offers majors and minors in Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Religious Studies, as well as an affiliated but autonomous program in Classical Civilization. All of our majors are part of a rigorous and exciting liberal arts education that emphasizes critical reading and thinking skills, effective oral and written communication of information and ideas, and a thorough understanding of the methods by which society, culture, and language are studied. Our students are prepared not only for graduate work in related fields (such as archaeology, ancient Near Eastern studies, classics, or religious studies), but also for any professional training or career that requires critical thinking and communication skills. All of our majors provide a good foundation for law school or—with appropriate coursework—medical school, as well as any number of other careers. Our minor programs allow students to develop their knowledge and skills in an area of the Department beyond the intermediate level while they pursue majors and career goals in another field.

The Department, the College of Liberal Arts, and the University offer excellent resources for the study of Mediterranean and Near Eastern antiquity. The faculty in Classical and Near Eastern Studies includes nationally and internationally known scholars, several of whom are winners of teaching awards, both local and national. In addition, there are faculty members in several related departments whose teaching and research complement that of the Department's own faculty. Research resources range from the specialized collection of the Department's own library to the University's library holdings and to the museum collections of the Twin Cities. Every year a number of lectures are given by distinguished visitors in all of the fields represented in the Department. Many of our language students act as tutors for first and second year classes in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Archaeology students often participate in fieldwork through the University's own projects or through other approved projects.

The Department strives to be a vital and stimulating intellectual home to its students, staff, faculty, and friends.

Majors and Minors

All of the major fields below, with the exception of Ancient Mediterranean Studies, are also available as minor concentrations in other degree programs.


Ancient Mediterranean Studies (AMS)
This major allows students to concentrate on literary and material remains from the Near East and the Mediterranean basin dating from ca. 3000 B.C.E. through 650 C.E. This long era of human history witnessed the development of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome—cultures whose contributions remain fundamental to the modern western world. Students study the literature, history, and archaeology of these regions as a broad interconnected whole. They learn to evaluate and interpret a wide range of evidence from antiquity, as well as to appreciate the various methods by which meaning is extracted from the remains of other cultures and times.

The AMS major is appropriate for students who want to focus broadly on the vast source material of the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern world and to understand how modern interdisiplinary methods can be used to understand the phenomena of culture and civilization in any setting. It is a good choice as a second major for students who want to deepen their knowledge of ancient civilizations outside of language study or who want a broadly based and challenging liberal arts experience to augment another degree program. Since this program emphasizes critical thinking, evaluation of evidence, understanding the interaction between cultures, and the ability to read, write, and think effectively about a variety of topics, it furnishes a solid liberal arts preparation for any number of professions.

Students who want to pursue specialized graduate work in ancient history, ancient Near Eastern studies, classics, archaeology, or Biblical and religious studies are advised to choose the major below as appropriate.

For specific requirements, go to http://onestop2.umn.edu/programCatalog/viewCatalogProgram

Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology (CNEA)
Archaeology provides the material evidence for understanding past lives. Courses in the CNEA major help students understand the texture and reality of ancient life by focusing on material remains—not only the majestic and awe-inspiring, such as the Sphinx, the Parthenon, and the Colosseum, but also the small and humble, such as houses, kitchen pottery, and grave gifts. Students learn to "read" these and other remains to answer large questions about the past: how did different religious practices develop? how did the spread of literacy affect peoples' lives? when did ethnic differences come to matter? who had status, and how did they communicate it? Peoples throughout the Near East, Greece, and Italy lived in a deeply material world (sound familiar?); studying their objects and buildings tells us about their lives and values. In the process of learning to "read" their material world, you may also gain a better understanding of our own.

The CNEA major is a good choice for students who want to pursue graduate studies or careers in archaeology as well as for those interested in a solid liberal arts education with a focus on the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. The major requires two years of Greek, Hebrew, or Latin.

For specific requirements, please go to http://onestop2.umn.edu/programCatalog/viewCatalogProgram


Greek
Greek is the Western language with the longest continuous literary history, from the poetry of Homer, composed in the first millennium B.C.E., to the present. This program focuses on Greek language and literature from the earliest period through the golden age of the Greek city-state in the 5th century B.C.E. and into the Roman Empire. Greek students study Greek poets, historians, statesmen, and philosophers, as well as religious texts from pagan antiquity, early Christianity, and Hellenistic Judaism. Students also take non-language classes in ancient civilization, literature, history, and philosophy. Regular course offerings include classes in Attic prose, Homeric epic, Greek tragedy, New Testament Greek, prose composition, the history of the Greek language, and more.

As a rigorous liberal arts major, Greek is a good foundation for any career that requires critical thinking, attention to detail, and a rigorous language background. Greek majors who intend to pursue graduate studies in classics are strongly advised to major in Latin as well.

For specific requirements, please go to http://onestop2.umn.edu/programCatalog/viewCatalogProgram

Hebrew
This program enables students to study the full spectrum of the Hebrew language covering a span of 3,000 years, from biblical times to the present. The program gives students the tools for work in the fields of literature, social sciences, religious studies, linguistics, and law. Hebrew equips the student for cross-disciplinary learning in several fields—ancient, medieval, and contemporary. The undergraduate program in Hebrew is strongly related to those in Jewish Studies and Religious Studies. Related areas include Jewish studies, religious studies, Arabic, Greek, and the languages of the ancient Near East.

Hebrew majors often use their major to complement a second major in another field such as political science, sociology, journalism, history, religious studies, business, speech communications, or linguistics.

For specific requirements, please go to http://onestop2.umn.edu/programCatalog/viewCatalogProgram

Latin
The Latin major allows students to read and appreciate a large range of literature written over a period of more than 1500 years. It is concerned with the language and literature of the Roman Republic and Empire and later Latin literature from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, as well as with Roman religion, history, archaeology and art. It also has connections with the study of Greek and other ancient languages and cultures, as well as with the majors in classical civilization and religious studies and minors such as medieval studies. Regular course offerings include Latin prose authors, Vergil, Catullus and Ovid, later Latin, prose composition, the history of the Latin language and more.

A major in Latin is a good foundation for the study of classical antiquity, but also for many other sorts of study or work. Latin majors who intend to pursue graduate studies in classics are strongly advised to major in Greek as well.

For specific requirements, please go to http://onestop2.umn.edu/programCatalog/viewCatalogProgram

Affiliated Majors and Minors

Classical Civilization
The Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies also administers an affiliated major and minor in Classical Civilization. The director of this program is Professor Tom Clayton.

This interdisciplinary program encompasses the study of Greek and Roman cultures and their influence on Western civilization, and encourages study of related or parallel cultures such as those of Islam and the Indian subcontinent, with the purpose of communicating greater understanding of human culture in general as well as of the particular cultures directly concerned, including our own. It provides a broad and extended alternative to more specialized majors centering on one aspect or subject matter of classical antiquity and the spheres of its influence—such as art, archaeology, history, philosophy, and literature, or a narrower span of historical periods—while at the same time enabling sufficient cross-disciplinary specialization to accommodate a variety of complementary second majors. With its language requirement in classical Greek or Latin, and its four categories of course requirement, the program encourages students to investigate classical civilization and its heritage from several perspectives, become acquainted with the aims and methods of several disciplines, and acquire skills in expression and critical analysis useful in every kind of endeavor.

This major is ideal for students seeking a strong liberal-arts major with emphasis on Greco-Roman culture and its heritage, whether as an end in itself or as broad preparation for graduate or professional study, which will of course require additional specialized preparation according to the particular pursuit. Although it is not directly vocational or pre-professional, it provides invaluable preparation for living an informed, meaningful, and creative life as well as for advanced studies and the life's work to follow.

For specific requirements, please go to http://onestop2.umn.edu/programCatalog/viewCatalogProgram

Jewish Studies
The undergraduate program in Jewish Studies, offered through the Center for Jewish Studies, is closely affiliated with the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies. Many Jewish Studies courses are taught by members of CNES. For more information on this program, please see the Jewish Studies website at http://jwst.cla.umn.edu or email Professor Alex Lubet at lubet001@umn.edu.

Religious Studies
For the program in Religious Studies see http://religiousstudies.umn.edu/

The Program Director for Religious Studies is Professor Jeanne Kilde (jkilde@umn.edu).

The Director of Undergraduate Studies for CNES is Professor Eva von Dassow (vonda001@umn.edu).

Contact Us
For more information about our undergraduate program, please contact the appropriate individual.

Resources and Opportunities

Prizes, scholarships, fellowships, and awards
Classics Club
Undergraduate Study Abroad Opportunities
CLA Advising Web
Graduating from the University

Programs in Related Disciplines

Modern Greek Studies Program
Center for Medieval Studies
Department of Art History
Department of History
Department of Anthropology
Center for Jewish Studies

Classical and Near Eastern Studies
College of Liberal Arts - University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus
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