Ancient Studies Degree - Study in Ontario, Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies
Program Overview
The Ancient Studies program at Nipissing University immerses students in the origins of Western civilization through the study of ancient Greek and Roman culture. Graduates gain a strong foundation in history, culture, and language, preparing them for careers in archaeology, museums, education, and more. The program also offers experiential learning opportunities, including research assistantships, conference presentations, and an online interactive digital map of the ancient world.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Welcome to Ancient Studies at Nipissing Are you curious about how and where Western culture began? Or perhaps you’ve always been intrigued by the drama and adventure of Greek myths. Or maybe you’ve just always really liked those action movies set in ancient Greece and Rome! Whatever catches your interest, Ancient Studies at Nipissing will take you deep into the ancient world. Dr. Ilse Mueller immigrated to Canada from her native Hamburg, Germany in the late 1960’s having never attended a post-secondary institution. She began her post-secondary studies much later in life, taking her BA in Classical Studies from York University in the early 1990’s. She then went on to a Ph.D. programme in Ancient History at the University of Chicago and took her doctoral degree in 2000. After a brief appointment at Laurentian University, Dr. Mueller was hired at Nipissing in 2002 as a professor of Ancient Studies. Between 2002 and 2016 Dr. Mueller worked tirelessly to transform the Ancient Studies programme from a minor degree to a full specialised honours degree. Dr. Mueller’s published research was in the area of Roman Social History with a special focus on marginalised groups such as widows, orphans, slaves, and the poor. Tragically, Nipissing lost Dr. Mueller in October 2016 after a sudden cancer diagnosis. The Ancient Studies program thus lost its principal architect and the Ancient Studies faculty lost a treasured colleague and friend. In particular, Dr. Mueller believed in a hands-on approach to learning about antiquity and to this end The Dr. Ilse Mueller Memorial Scholarship in Classical Studies has been endowed to help the scholarship recipient defray the cost of attending summer archaeological field schools through the Balkan Heritage Field School programme.
Careers:
A degree in Ancient Studies is useful for many different career paths. If you’re interested in pursuing a graduate degree, an MBA degree, law school, or a Bachelor of Education program, your newfound knowledge of culture, history, and language will give you a great foundation. Ancient Studies graduates can pursue successful careers in archeology, museums, tourism, publishing, translation, public relations, archiving, and writing, to name just a few. When you’re armed with the knowledge and skills of a Ancient Studies degree, where you go and what you do will be completely up to you!
Other:
By immersing yourself in ancient Greek and Roman culture, you will study the very origins of western civilization. The Ancient Studies program thus lost its principal architect and the Ancient Studies faculty lost a treasured colleague and friend. Experiential learning is an effective medium that enhances and reinforces classroom learning. In addition, skills and competencies in the areas of communication, teamwork, analysis, work ethic, and problem solving are all learning outcomes that assist with finding the right career path for you. The ELAS immerses students with enriched learning opportunities that focus on the development of professional skills resulting in confident, successful and highly employable graduates ready for the workforce. You may also have opportunity to work as a Research Assistant to help a professor conduct research and gain valuable experience at the same time. It is a formal record, otherwise known as a co-curricular transcript, where you can include workshops, volunteer experiences, awards, activities, and on campus employment experiences that you participate in throughout your degree. The club also visits local high schools to speak to history classes about Ancient Studies, and puts on Greek and Roman theatre performances. The program offers four fields of concentration—International, Gender, Canadian, and European—and consists of course work and a Major Research Paper. In the spring, you can participate in the annual Graduate Student Conference by presenting your Major Research Paper (MRP) proposal to an audience of peers and faculty in preparation for defence of your MRP. You will also serve as a research or teaching assistant for a faculty member. While the program is typically completed within a year, it is offered in both full- and part-time studies. Students can help plot important ancient sites on the map, and then add lists of primary (literary references or archaeological material) and secondary sources (scholarly literature) associated with the site. This project makes the tangible connections between history and real geographic spaces, and also gives you more opportunities to research and learn technology