Classical Studies

Faculty List

  • K. Blouin, M.A., Ph.D. (Laval and Nice), Associate Professor
  • S. Dost, M.A., Ph.D. (Chicago), Assistant Professor

Undergraduate Advisor Email: classics-undergrad-advisor@utsc.utoronto.ca
For more information, visit the Department of Historical and Cultural Studies website.

Classical Studies is a pluridisciplinary field dedicated to the study of the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds. It involves disciplines such as history, literature, religion, languages and linguistics, art history, archaeology, and philosophy and pertains to the study of wide areas of Europe, North Africa and Asia over several millennia (ca. 2000 B.C.-700 A.D.).

The expression "classical" is commonly used to designate the areas and periods populated or dominated by the Greeks and Romans. Yet it was also a complex, heterogeneous, permeable, mixed and constantly evolving world in which the Greeks and the Romans have always been intertwined with other peoples and cultures. Classical Studies at UTSC offers students both a thorough examination of the main features of the Greek and Roman civilizations and a substantial introduction to the other peoples and cultures which were part of or interacted with it. In all courses, the ancient written sources are studied in translation.

Guidelines for first-year course selection

Students who intend to complete the Minor program in Classics should include CLAA04H3 and CLAA06H3 in their first-year course selection.
For updates and detailed information regarding Classical Studies please visit the Department of Historical and Cultural Studies website.

Experiential Learning and Outreach

For a community-based experiential learning opportunity in your academic field of interest, consider the course CTLB03H3, which can be found in the Teaching and Learning section of the Calendar.

classical studies Programs

MINOR PROGRAM IN CLASSICAL STUDIES (ARTS)

Undergraduate Advisor: 416-208-2923 Email: classics-undergrad-advisor@utsc.utoronto.ca

Program Requirements
Students must complete 4.0 credits, as follows:

1. Introduction
CLAA04H3/​HISA07H3 The Ancient Mediterranean World
Note: Students who have completed both (CLAA02H3) and (CLAA03H3) may substitute one of the courses for CLAA04H3.

2. History and Culture
CLAB05H3/​HISB10H3 History and Culture of the Greek World
CLAB06H3/​HISB11H3 History and Culture of the Roman World

3. Mythology and Religion
CLAA06H3 Ancient Mythology II: Greece and Rome
Note: Students who were enrolled at UTSC prior to the 2009 Summer Session may substitute one of (CLAA02H3) or (CLAA03H3) for CLAA06H3.

4. Literature (0.5 credit from the following courses)
CLAC11H3 Classical Literature I: Poetry
CLAC12H3 Classical Literature II: Prose

5. Electives (1.5 credits from the following courses, including at least 1.0 credit at the C or D-level; before choosing their electives, students need to take at least 1.0 credit at the A-level, 1.0 credit at the B-level, and 0.5 credit at the C-level):
Classical Studies
CLAA05H3 Ancient Mythology I: Mesopotamia and Egypt
(CLAB10H3) Greek and Latin for Scientists
CLAB09H3/​HISB09H3 Between Two Empires: The World of Late Antiquity
CLAB20H3/​HISB12H3 The Ancient World in Film
CLAC01H3 Selected Topics in Classical Literature
CLAC02H3 Selected Topics in Classical Civilization
CLAC05H3/​HISC10H3 Beyond Cleopatra: Decolonial Approaches to Ancient Egypt
CLAC11H3 Classical Literature I: Poetry if not taken as a required course
CLAC12H3 Classical Literature II: Prose if not taken as a required course
CLAC22H3 Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean
CLAC24H3/​HISC11H3 Race and Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean and West Asian Worlds
CLAC26H3/​HISC16H3 Indigeneity and the Classics
CLAC67H3/​HISC67H3 Early Islam: Perspectives on the Construction of a Historical Tradition
CLAC68H3/​HISC68H3/​ANTC58H3 Constructing the Other: Orientalism through Time and Place 
CLAC94H3/​HISC94H3 The Bible and the Qur’an
CLAD05H3/​HISD10H3 Dripping Histories: Water in the Ancient Mediterranean and West Asian Worlds


Art History
(VPHB41H3) The Human Figure in Greek Art (8th-4th cent. B.C.)
(VPHB52H3) Ancient Art and Architecture (ca 900 B.C.-300 A.D.)
(VPHB76H3) Religion in the Arts: The Judeo-Christian Traditions
(VPHC46H3) Topics in Art of the Ancient World
VPHC53H3 The Silk Routes

English
ENGB30H3 Classical Myth and Literature
ENGC16H3 The Bible and Literature I
ENGC17H3 The Bible and Literature II
ENGC26H3 Drama: Tragedy
ENGC27H3 Drama: Comedy

Languages
(LGGA50H3) Introductory Latin I
(LGGA51H3) Introductory Latin II
(LGGA54H3) Introductory Sanskrit I
(LGGA55H3) Introductory Sanskrit II
(LGGB54H3) Intermediate Sanskrit I
(LGGB55H3) Intermediate Sanskrit II

Philosophy
PHLB16H3 Political Philosophy: Ancient Greece and the Middle Ages
PHLB31H3 Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
PHLC32H3 Topics in Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle

Religion
(RLGB01H3) The "Holy Book" in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
(RLGC01H3) The Five Books of Moses
(RLGC02H3) The Gospels
(RLGC03H3) Paul and the Invention of Christianity
(RLGC04H3) Hindu Epic
RLGC05H3 The Qu'ran in Interpretive and Historical Context

Anthropology
(ANTB04H3) Artifacts and Prehistory
(ANTB12H3) Introduction to World Prehistory: The Rise of Civilization

Classical Studies Courses

CLAA04H3 - The Ancient Mediterranean World

An introduction to the main features of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean world from the development of agriculture to the spread of Islam. Long term socio-economic and cultural continuities and ruptures will be underlined, while a certain attention will be dedicated to evidences and disciplinary issues.
Same as HISA07H3

Exclusion: HISA07H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAA05H3 - Ancient Mythology I: Mesopotamia and Egypt

A study of Mesopotamian and Egyptian mythologies. Special attention will be dedicated to the sources through which these representational patterns are documented and to their influence on Mediterranean civilizations and arts.

Exclusion: CLAA05H3 may not be taken after or concurrently with NMC380Y
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAA06H3 - Ancient Mythology II: Greece and Rome

A study of Greek and Roman mythologies. Special attention will be dedicated to the sources through which these representational patterns are documented and to their influence on Mediterranean civilizations and arts.

Exclusion: CLA204H, (CLAA02H3), (CLAA03H3)
Recommended Preparation: CLAA05H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAB05H3 - History and Culture of the Greek World

A survey of the history and culture of the Greek world from the Minoan period to the Roman conquest of Egypt (ca 1500-30 BC). Special attention will be dedicated to the nature, variety and limits of the available evidences, to socio-cultural interactions as well as to historical processes of continuities and ruptures.
Same as HISB10H3

Exclusion: CLA230H, HISB10H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAB06H3 - History and Culture of the Roman World

A survey of the history and culture of the ancient Roman world, from the Etruscan period to the Justinian dynasty (ca 800 BC-600 AD). Special attention will be dedicated to the nature, variety and limits of the available evidences, to socio-cultural interactions as well as to historical processes of continuities and ruptures.
Same as HISB11H3

Exclusion: CLA231H, HISB11H3
Recommended Preparation: CLAB05H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAB09H3 - Between Two Empires: The World of Late Antiquity

A course to introduce students of history and classical studies to the world of late antiquity, the period that bridged classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. This course studies the period for its own merit as a time when the political structures of the Medieval period were laid down and the major religions of the Mediterranean (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism) took their recognizable forms.

Same as HISB09H3

Exclusion: HISB09H3
Recommended Preparation: CLAA04H3/HISA07H3 The Ancient Mediterranean
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAB20H3 - The Ancient World in Film

The representation of the classical world and historical events in film. How the Greek and Roman world is reconstructed by filmmakers, their use of spectacle, costume and furnishings, and the influence of archaeology on their portrayals. Films will be studied critically for historical accuracy and faithfulness to classical sources.
Same as HISB12H3

Exclusion: HISB12H3, CLA388H
Recommended Preparation: CLAA05H3 or CLAA06H3 or (CLAA02H3) or (CLAA03H3)
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAC01H3 - Selected Topics in Classical Literature

A detailed study of an author or a genre in Classical Literature in Translation.
Topics will vary from session to session and will alternate between Greek and Roman Epic, Greek and Roman Tragedy and Greek and Roman Comedy.

Prerequisite: One full credit in Classics or in English or another literature
Exclusion: CLA300H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

CLAC02H3 - Selected Topics in Classical Civilization

A detailed study of a theme in Classical Civilization.
Topics will vary from session to session and may be drawn from such areas as the archaeological history of the Roman world, Greek and Roman religion, ancient education or Roman law.

Prerequisite: One full credit in Classics or History
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAC05H3 - Beyond Cleopatra: Decolonial Approaches to Ancient Egypt

This course focuses on the History of ancient Egypt, with a focus on the Hellenistic to early Arab periods (4th c. BCE to 7th c. CE). Lectures will emphasize the key role played by Egypt’s diverse environments in the shaping of its socio-cultural and economic features as well as in the policies adopted by ruling authorities. Elements of continuity and change will be emphasized and a variety of primary sources and sites will be discussed. Special attention will also be dedicated to the role played by imperialism, Orientalism, and modern identity politics in the emergence and trajectory of the fields of Graeco-Roman Egyptian history, archaeology, and papyrology.
Same as (IEEC52H3), HISC10H3.

Prerequisite: 2.0 credits in CLA or HIS courses, including 1.0 credit from the following: CLAA04H3/HISA07H3 or CLAB05H3/HISB10H3 or CLAB06H3/HISB11H3
Exclusion: HISC10H3,(IEEC52H3)
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAC11H3 - Classical Literature I: Poetry

An examination of the main genres, authors and works of ancient Greek and Latin poetry, with particular emphasis on epic, drama and lyrics. Attention will be dedicated to the study of how these works reflect the socio-cultural features of Classical Antiquity and influenced later literatures. Texts will be studied in translation.

Prerequisite: One full credit in Classics or English
Recommended Preparation: CLAA06H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

CLAC12H3 - Classical Literature II: Prose

An examination of the main genres, authors and works of ancient Greek and Latin prose. History, rhetoric, biography, letters and the novel will be studied. Attention will be dedicated to the study of how these works reflect the socio-cultural features of Classical Antiquity and influenced later literatures. Texts will be studied in translation.

Prerequisite: One full credit in Classics or English
Recommended Preparation: CLAA06H3 and CLAC11H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

CLAC22H3 - Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean

A comparative study of the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Phoenician and Punic, Celtic, Palmyrene, Persian, Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian religious beliefs and practices. Special attention will be dedicated to how they document the societies and cultures in which they flourished.

Prerequisite: One full credit in Classics or Religion
Exclusion: CLA366H, NMC380Y
Recommended Preparation: CLAA05H3 and CLAA06H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAC24H3 - Race and Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean and West Asian Worlds

A critical examination of multiculturalism and cultural identities in the Greek and Roman worlds. Special attention will be dedicated to the evidences through which these issues are documented and to their fundamental influence on the formation and evolution of ancient Mediterranean and West Asian societies and cultures.
Same as HISC11H3

Prerequisite: 1.0 credit in CLA or HIS courses.
Exclusion: HISC11H3
Recommended Preparation: CLAB05H3 and CLAB06H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAC26H3 - Indigeneity and the Classics

This course will explore the representations and realities of Indigeneity in the ancient Mediterranean world, as well as the entanglements between modern settler-colonialism, historiography, and reception of the 'Classical' past. Throughout the term, we will be drawn to (un)learn, think, write, and talk about a series of topics, each of which pertains in different ways to a set of overarching questions: What can Classicists learn from ancient and modern indigenous ways of knowing? What does it mean to be a Classicist in Tkaronto, on the land many Indigenous Peoples call Turtle Island? What does it mean to be a Classicist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada? What does it mean to be a Classicist in a settler colony? How did the Classics inform settler colonialism? How does modern settler colonialism inform our reconstruction of ancient indigeneities? How does our relationship to the land we come from and are currently on play a role in the way we think about the ancient Mediterranean world? Why is that so? How did societies of the ancient Mediterranean conceive of indigeneity? How did those relationships manifest themselves at a local, communal, and State levels?

Same as HISC16H3

Prerequisite: Any 4.0 credits, including 1.0 credit in CLA or HIS courses
Exclusion: HISC16H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAC67H3 - Early Islam: Perspectives on the Construction of a Historical Tradition

This course examines the history and historiography of the formative period of Islam and the life and legacy of Muḥammad, Islam’s founder. Central themes explored include the Late Antique context of the Middle East, pre-Islamic Arabia and its religions, the Qur’ān and its textual history, the construction of biographical accounts of Muḥammad, debates about the historicity of reports from Muḥammad, and the evolving identity and historical conception of the early Muslim community.

Same as HISC67H3

Prerequisite: Any 4.0 credits, including 0.5 credit at the A- or B-level in HIS courses
Exclusion: HISC67H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAC68H3 - Constructing the Other: Orientalism through Time and Place

This course reflects on the concept of Orientalism and how it informs the fields of Classical Studies and Anthropology. Topics to be discussed include the Orientalization of the past and the origin, role, and significance of ancient representations of the "Other" in contemporary discourses.
Same as ANTC58H3 and HISC68H3

Prerequisite: 1.0 credit from the following: [CLAA04H3/HISA07H3, CLAB05H4/HISB10H3, CLAB06H3/HISB11H3, ANTA02H3, ANTB19H3, ANTB20H3, HISB02H3, AFSB50H3/HISB50H3, AFSB51H3/HISB51H3, HISB53H3, HISB57H3, HISB58H3, HISB60H3, HISB61H3, HISB62H3, HISB93H3, HISB94H3]
Exclusion: ANTC58H3, HISC68H3
Enrolment Limits: 40
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAC94H3 - The Bible and the Qur’an

The Qur'an retells many narratives of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. This course compares the Qur'anic renditions with those of the earlier scriptures, focusing on the unique features of the Qur'anic versions. It will also introduce the students to the history of ancient and late antique textual production, transmission of texts and religious contact. The course will also delve into the historical context in which these texts were produced and commented upon in later generations.
Same as HISC94H3

Prerequisite: Any 4.0 credits, including [[1.0 credit in Classical Studies or History] or [WSTC13H3]]
Exclusion: HISC94H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAD05H3 - Dripping Histories: Water in the Ancient Mediterranean and West Asian Worlds

This seminar type course addresses issues related to the relationships between ancient Mediterranean and West Asian societies and their hydric environments from 5000 BC to 600 AD.
Same as HISD10H3

Prerequisite: Any 11.0 credits including 2.0 credits in CLA or HIS courses.
Exclusion: HISD10H3
Recommended Preparation: CLAB05H3 and CLAB06H3
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

CLAD69H3 - Sufis and Desert Fathers: Mysticism in Late Antiquity and Early Islam

This course is an introduction to mystical/ascetic beliefs and practices in late antiquity and early Islam. Often taken as an offshoot of or alternative to “orthodox” representations of Christianity and Islam, mysticism provides a unique look into the ways in which these religions were experienced by its adherents on a more popular, often non-scholarly, “unorthodox” basis throughout centuries. In this class we will examine mysticism in late antiquity and early Islam through the literature, arts, music, and dance that it inspired.

The first half of the term will be devoted to the historical study of mysticism, its origins, its most well-known early practitioners, and the phases of its institutionalization in early Christianity and early Islam; the second part will look into the beliefs and practices of mystics, the literature they produced, the popular expressions of religion they generated, and their effects in the modern world. This study of mysticism will also provide a window for contemporary students of religion to examine the devotional practices of unprivileged members of the late antiquity religious communities, women and slaves in particular.

Same as HISD69H3.

Prerequisite: Any 8.0 credits, including: [0.5 credit at the A- or B-level in CLA or HIS courses] and [0.5 credit at the C-level in CLA or HIS courses]
Exclusion: HISD69H3
Recommended Preparation: CLAB06H3/HISB11H3, CLAB09H3/HISB09H3
Enrolment Limits: 15
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

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