The Master of Arts in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures is a joint program between the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo.
The objective of this program is to provide students with a wide overview of the Mediterranean basin as a culturally and historically linked horizon. Instead of focusing on a narrow geographical area within a chronologically limited cultural sphere, it is expected that students will learn where developments within one Mediterranean culture influenced, indeed impacted, developments within other cultures. For this a broad-based interdisciplinary approach to the study of the ancient world will be encouraged.
The program allows students an opportunity to enhance their understanding of the history, languages and civilizations of the Mediterranean basin in antiquity, either as a terminal degree or in preparation for a doctoral program. The master’s program emphasizes research techniques as well as ensuring a sound knowledge of the primary sources, both linguistic and archaeological. Admission to this program will normally be from a Classical Studies or Near Eastern Archaeology background, including an adequate preparation in ancient languages. Students needing further background preparation in these languages may be required to take a qualifying year.
The objectives of the program will be achieved through a combination of course work and a research project culminating in a major research paper or thesis. The course work will include two half-credit required (‘core’) courses. The first will acquaint students with the range of research methods needed for competence in cross-cultural research in Classical Studies, Classical Archaeology and Near Eastern Studies. The second required course will demonstrate the interactive impact of the cultures of the Mediterranean through travel, trade and colonization. Phoenician trade and colonization in the Mediterranean, Greek colonization in the Mediterranean and Black Sea in the eighth to sixth century B.C., the eastern Mediterranean Hellenistic world after Alexander, and the integrating force of Roman imperialism in the Mediterranean are major examples of this cultural interactivity. In addition, depending on their program, students will select two to four half-courses from among those that are offered annually; all the courses offered in the program are planned to broaden student awareness of cultural interactivity in the Mediterreanean.
The program is expected to attract students from our own and many other universities, with interests in cross-cultural contacts and influences within the ancient Mediterranean region. Upon graduating from our program, it is intended that they be well prepared for doctoral studies in Classical or Near Eastern Studies. Graduates may also pursue further study in related fields, such as library science, museum studies, history, and political science.