Classical studies is a pluridisciplinary field which introduces students 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 classical world was in essence Greek and Roman. 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 offer 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 most courses the ancient written sources are studied in translation. Classical Studies is accessible, practical, and timely for students in any field and excellent preparation for those planning to study law. Students who intend to complete the minor program in Classical Studies should include CLAA04H3 & CLAA06H3 in their first-year course selection.
CLAC02H3S: Selected Topics in Classical Civilization
In AD 79 Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the Roman city of Pompeii and the surrounding region, and preserving the remains under metres of volcanic ash to be excavated centuries later. This seminar will study early imperial Roman society and culture, and consider how this archaeological site has shaped the study of Roman social history and art. It will also examine the legacy of Pompeii in the public imagination, culminating in the Royal Ontario Museum’s 2015 exhibition Pompeii, in the shadow of the volcano.