The interdepartmental major in ancient and medieval civilizations (AMC), administered by the history department, 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, and law and philosophy. The geographic and temporal scope of the program includes (but is not limited to) Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Middle East, Ancient Greece, Rome, Ancient North Africa, Ancient Central and East Asia, and Medieval Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The AMC program provides an excellent general education in the humanities, as well as a foundation for careers in teaching, research, law, and business.
The major and minor in AMC includes courses in Ancient and Medieval Civilizations 060, Greek 490, and Latin 580, as well as courses in Arabic 074, Art 082, Chinese 165, English 350, History 510, Middle Eastern Studies 685, and Philosophy 730. Students considering the AMC major or minor are encouraged to visit the program director (Professor Gary D. Farney, gfarney@andromeda.rutgers.edu) to discuss their interests.
A grade of C or better is required for AMC courses credited toward the major or minor. Courses not listed below that may seem applicable to AMC (e.g., a course at NJIT or Rutgers–New Brunswick, or the occasional course offered at Rutgers–Newark) may be applied toward the major or minor with the approval of the program director.
Each course of study for the major must include 36 credits. At least 12 of these credits must be from history and civilization courses and at least 12 must be approved language courses (listed below); the other 12 credits can be a mixture of these two categories according to the student's interests.
1. History and Civilization. At least 12 credits from among the following, according to the student's area of concentration:
21:060:101 Word Power
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
21:082:310 Ancient Art
21:082:320 Medieval Art
21:350:341 Mythology in Literature
21:350:353,354 Bible as Literature I, II
21:350:373 Chaucer
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
21:510:255 Ancient Greek Civilization
21:510:256 Roman Civilization
21:510:305 Ancient Sport: Olympians to Gladiators
21:510:306 The Greek and Roman Cities
21:510:307 South Asia up to 1750
21:510:320 Roman History
21:510:327,328 Civilization of the Middle Ages I,II
21:510:405,407 Topics in Ancient History I,II
21:510:406 Topics in Medieval Civilization
21:510:409 Alexander the Great
21:510:410 Greek History through Dramatic Writings
21:730:206 Greek Philosophy
2. Language. At least 12 credits in one or two of the following languages: Arabic 074, Chinese 165, Greek 490, Latin 580, and Persian 685.
For the minor
in AMC, students must take 18 credits, at least 6 of which must be from history and civilization courses listed above and at least 6 of which must be from one of the approved languages listed under
language above; the other 6 credits can be a mixture of these two categories according to the student's interests.
Students are also encouraged to consider study abroad options for credit that can be applied to the AMC program. Among these are the two Rutgers Summer Programs to Greece, one on Monuments and Museums and the other on Cultural Preservation. Students should consult the AMC director about these and other opportunities.
