CLASSICS
Classics Classics is the study of the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, especially Greece and Rome, and as such embraces a number of disciplines, including archaeology, art history, history, literature, and philosophy. As the basis of western thought and culture, the study of the Classics remains a critical and essential foundation for all humanistic inquiry. It is the origin of the Liberal Arts and the original interdisciplinary subject. Among the many topics that are studied in the Classics are: the earliest western literature; the first democracies; the origins of science and philosophy; the invention of tragedy and comedy; classical painting, sculpture, and architecture; Greek hoplite and Roman legionary warfare; the Olympic Games; gladiators; gender and sexuality in ancient society; slavery; and ancient religion and ethnicity.
DEGREE OPTIONS • B.A. Honours Classics • B.A. Combined Honours Classics & another subject • B.A Classics Other Options • Concurrent Certificate in the Language of Medicine & Health • Minors in Classics, Greek, or Latin
Meet Two of Our Faculty Dr. Spencer Pope is a classical archaeologist specializing in the ancient Greek world. His research interests include Greek colonization and the interactions between Greeks and other populations of the Mediterranean. Dr. Pope has excavated at numerous sites in Sicily and is presently examining patterns of urban planning on the island in the archaic and classical periods. Dr. Kathryn Mattison works on Greek tragedy and its connection to the society and culture of its audience in fifthcentury Athens. Her research interests also include the performance of Greek tragedy, Greek epic and lyric poetry.
Contact Us: Department of Classics Togo Salmon Hall 706 905.525.9140 ext.24311 classics@mcmaster.ca | classics.humanities.mcmaster.ca Fall 2020