Catalog Navigator : Major Requirements

The interdepartmental major in ancient and medieval civilizations (AMC) encourages students to study the interrelations among the contiguous civilizations of Eurasia and North Africa, and to appreciate how this exchange facilitated material and intellectual development from ancient times through the Middle Ages. These civilizations are approached through courses in history, language and literature, archaeology and art, religion and myth, technology, and law and philosophy. The geographic and temporal scope of the program includes (but is not limited to) Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Ancient Israel and the Levant, Ancient Greece, Rome, Ancient North Africa, Ancient Central and East Asia, and Medieval Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The ancient and medieval civilizations program provides an excellent general education in the humanities, as well as a foundation for careers in teaching, research, law, and business.

The major in ancient and medieval civilizations includes courses in Greek, Ancient 490, Hebraic Studies 500, and Latin 580 (whose courses are described below), as well as Anthropology 070, Arabic 074, Art 082, Chinese 165, History 510, and Philosophy 730 (whose courses are described under their respective departments). Students considering the AMC major are encouraged to visit the program director to discuss their interests.

A grade of C or higher is required for AMC courses credited toward the major. Courses not listed below that seem applicable to an AMC major (e.g., from NJIT or the occasional course offered at Rutgers) may be applied toward the major with the approval of the program director. Each course of study must include 36 credits, 12 each taken from the following three categories: history; art, archaeology, and intellectual and cultural development; and language:

1. History. 12 credits from among the following, according to the student's area of concentration:

21:510:263 History of Africa (first semester only)

21:510:286 The Ancient Near East

21:510:287 History of Islamic Civilization (first semester only)

21:510:297 Far Eastern History (first semester only)

21:510:319 Ancient Greek History

21:510:320 Roman History

21:510:327,328 Civilization of the Middle Ages I,II

21:510:329,330 Slavs, Byzantium, and the Near East I,II

21:510:394 The Peoples and Cultures of Central Asia

21:510:405 Topics in Ancient History

2. Art, Archaeology, and Intellectual and Cultural Development. 12 credits from among the following. (See also courses listed under Ancient and Medieval Civilizations [060].)

21:060:303 Greco-Roman Archaeology

21:060:304 Greco-Roman Myth and Pagan Religion

21:060:335 Law in the Ancient Near East

21:060:406 Topics in Ancient and Medieval Civilization

21:070:367 Archaeology of the Old World

21:082:310 Ancient Art

21:500:235,236 The World of the Bible I,II

21:500:315 Hebrew Literature in English Translation: Biblical

21:500:316 Hebrew Literature in English Translation: Postbiblical

21:500:341,342 Jewish Civilization I,II

21:510:255 Ancient Greek Civilization

21:510:256 Roman Civilization

21:510:305 Ancient Sport: Olympians to Gladiators

21:510:306 The Greek and Roman Cities

21:730:206 Greek Philosophy

3. Language. 12 credits in one or two of the following languages: Arabic 074, Chinese 165, Greek, Ancient 490, Hebraic Studies 500, Latin 580.