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Temple of Hera
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES

PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

Classics and the Ancient World Minor

“No one more than myself appreciates the blessings of our civilization which are greatly due to the classics, and I believe that they will continue to have a most happy effect for all time in their sphere.”

Thomas Green Clemson
Founder of Clemson University

Are you looking to make a lasting impact through your life and career? Why not study the works that have stood the test of time?

The flexible, fifteen credit hour minor in Classics and the Ancient World (CLAW) gives students the opportunity to read, reflect on, and wrestle with the great writer and thinkers of the ancient Mediterranean world, including Homer, Sappho, Euripides, Plato and Aristotle, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Israelite Prophets, Cicero, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, St. Paul, St. Augustine, and many more. You can even learn to read them in their original languages (Greek, Latin, and Hebrew)!

The minor focuses on ancient Mediterranean histories and cultures, but sets them in a larger Eurasian context that includes their antecedents in south and east Asian mythology, religion, and philosophy, as well as the reception of the Greek and Roman world into the medieval period.

By setting Hammurabi's Code, Athenian democracy, the ethics of ancient Stoicism, the teachings of Jesus, or the five precepts of the Buddha within their ancient historical contexts, students in the CLAW minor investigate some of the world's first global and cross-cultural environments, gaining intellectual resources for navigating the depth and complexity of global issues in the present. Be personally transformed as you are inspired to encounter age-old questions at their source, while developing both an appreciation for and a critical perspective on much of what has been handed to us from the past.

 

Eligibility

The minor is easy to pair with just about any degree at Clemson, as many of its offerings are part of the General Education program. Since the coursework includes options in history, philosophy, religion, languages, political science, and English, it is maximally flexible to meet a wide range of student interests.

Follow in the long line of illustrious classics students, including J.R.R Tolkien, Toni Morrison, J.K. Rowling, Thomas Jefferson, W.E.B DuBois, and Chris Martin (of Coldplay).

  • Contributing Faculty
    • Keren Shatalov (Philosophy): Coordinator, Greek philosophy, medieval philosophy
    • Kathryn Langenfeld (History): Greek and Roman history, women in antiquity
    • Caroline Dunn (History): medieval history, crusades
    • Kenneth Tuite (Languages): Latin, mythology, Greek and Roman poetry
    • Yanming An (Languages): ancient and medieval Chinese philosophy
    • Benjamin White (Religion): early Christianity, koine Greek, Greco-Roman religions, Second Temple Judaism
    • John Thames (Religion):ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible, classical Hebrew language, Israelite religion, Judaism
    • Robert Stephens (Religion): ancient Hinduism and Buddhism
    • John Correa Reyes (English): medieval English literature
    • Lee Morrissey (English): reception of the classics in English literature
    • Spencer Krauss (Political Science): ancient Greek political thought, wisdom of the ancients
    • Tharon Howard (Interdisciplinary Studies): classics rhetoric, Greek and other ancient drama, reception of the classics in English literature
  • Coursework

    A minor in Classics and Ancient World requires 15 credits, with at least three credits selected from Group I and three credits selected from Group II, with the remaining credits selected from either group. No more than six credits of LATN courses may be counted toward the minor.

    • Group I- History: HIST 1720, HIST 3510, HIST 3520, HIST 3540, HIST 3550, HIST 3610, HIST 3700, HIST 4500, HIST 4510, HIST 4520, HIST 4700, HIST 4720, HIST 4740, LANG 3110, PHIL 3110, REL 3510, REL 4520
    • Group II- Literature and Culture: CHIN 3120, CHIN 4140, ENGL 3500, ENGL 4030, ENGL 4070, ENGL 4080, ENGL 4290, ENGL 4910, LATN 1010, LATN 1020, LATN 2010, LATN 2020, PHIL 3120, PHIL 3150, PHIL 4140, POSC 3510, REL 3010, REL 3020, REL 3060, REL 3080, REL 3120, REL 3130, REL 3520, REL 3530, REL 4010, REL 4210, REL 4220
Benjamin White
Philosophy and Religion Department Chair (CLAW Coordinator until Summer 2025)
 Office 
Hardin 126D
 Website 
https://www.clemson.edu/cah/about/facultybio.html?id=1578
Keren Shatalov
Classics and the Ancient World Coordinator (beginning Summer 2025)
 Office 
Hardin 216
 Website 
https://www.clemson.edu/cah/about/facultybio.html?id=6813
Department of Philosophy and Religion
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