Why Pre-Modern and Ancient World Studies?

“We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants; we perceive more and see farther than they, but not because we have better vision, nor because we are taller than they, but because they have lifted us up and added their gigantic height to ours.”

These words of Bernard of Chartres ring as true today as when he first penned them in the twelfth century.  Current events serve as a daily reminder of the role that the past plays in the twenty-first century and how much of our own culture rests firmly upon past accomplishments. In order to make our students fully global citizens, it is imperative that they understand the cultures which shape the world today. The minor in Pre-Modern and Ancient World Studies (PAST) allows students to study the past from a variety of perspectives and to make connections across time and space. Such experiences will make them better global citizens. 

Unlike traditional Ancient, Medieval or Early Modern Studies programs that focus on Western Europe, the PAST minor at Wittenberg provides a global perspective. Students can elect, for example, to take courses in pre-modern Asia or Africa, as well as the Ancient Near East, Egypt, the Mediterranean, Eastern and Western Europe.

Degrees Offered

Minor: Pre-Modern and Ancient World Studies

Requirements

Requirements for the Minor:
A minor in Pre-Modern and Ancient World Studies consists of 22 hours distributed in the following way: PAST 400 Capstone Seminar (2 hours), an additional 20 hours, of which 8 hours must be at the advanced level and from at least two different areas of study with no more than three courses from any one department. Areas of study include: Art, Economics, English, History, Literature and Language, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, and Theatre.

To provide coherence to the minor, students should decide in consultation with their PAST faculty adviser on a distribution: chronological, thematic or comparative.

Courses

Art History:

• Art 110H History of Art I
• Art 220H Renaissance Art
• Art 230H Baroque and Rococo Art
• Art 240H Early Christian and Byzantine Art
• Art 243H Western Medieval Art
• Art 275H Greek and Roman Art
• Art 280 when topic appropriate

Economics:

• Economics 231 European Economic History
• Economics 320 History of Economic Thought

English:

• English 180A when topic appropriate
• English 280 British Survey I
• English 305 Studies in Medieval Literature and Culture
• English 306 Studies in Renaissance Literature and Culture
• English 307 Studies in Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture
• English 330 when topic appropriate
• English 331 Shakespeare

History:

• History 101    Topics in History when topic appropriate
• History 105H/C Pre-Modern World
• History 111H  Medieval Civilization
• History 161C  Pre-Modern East Asia
• History 171C African Societies to 1500
• History 201    Topics in History when topic appropriate
• History 202H  Writing and Interpreting History when topic appropriate
• History 203H/C Historian’s Craft when topic appropriate
• History 241H England from King Arthur to Queen Elizabeth I
• History 251C  Russia to 1917
• History 263C Age of the Samurai
• History 301 Topics in History when topic appropriate
• History 312 From Constantine to the Vikings
• History 313 From the Vikings to the Black Death
• History 314 Renaissance and Reformation
• History 390 Reading Colloquium when topic appropriate

Languages:

• Chinese 130A/C Chinese Topics when topic appropriate
• French 140A Themes of Francophone Literature when topic appropriate
• French 301A Survey of French Literature I
• French 412 La Prose I
• Spanish 301 Introduction to Hispanic Literature

Music:

• Music 209A: Bach and Handel
• Music 220 Introduction to Church Music
• Music 301H History of Western Music to 1750

Philosophy:

• Philosophy 310 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

Political Science:

• Political Science 211 Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy

Religion:

• Religion 121R Art of Biblical Literature
• Religion 134C/R Chinese and Japanese Religious Traditions
• Religion 137R Jewish Tradition
• Religion 221R Understanding the Old Testament
• Religion 222R Understanding the New Testament
• Religion 241R Christian Tradition
• Religion 321 Biblical and Modern Prophets
• Religion 324 Apocalyptic Vision in Ancient and Modern Literature
• Religion 333C/R Buddhist Thought and Scriptures
• Religion 339 C/R Monkeys, Samurai, and Gods
• Religion 381R Women and Religion

Theatre:

• Theatre and Dance 260H History of European Theatre

In addition, topics courses in these departments and others are approved to meet Pre-Modern and Ancient World Studies minor requirements as the selected topics warrant. Other types of courses may also be offered with a Pre-Modern and Ancient World Studies emphasis and be approved for PAST credit. Current PAST courses will be listed in the master schedule each semester. Students may also receive PAST credit for study abroad experience upon petition to the PAST faculty up to 10 hours. The remaining 12 hours, which include the 2-hour PAST seminar, must be completed with PAST Wittenberg faculty.