This two-year Master’s program will grant you the tools for the scientific study of the Classical Greek and Roman world. We offer a variety of courses taught in English by leading experts, with course subjects chosen according to the needs and specialties of our students.
All courses that are taught in English have a virtual option (via Zoom), enabling students to participate in the program from anywhere in the world. We also permit up to a third of the required courses to be taken in other departments of the university, enabling students to take advantage of a broad program.
Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Classical Studies in the Faculty of Humanities is dedicated to the teaching and critical study of all aspects of ancient Greece and Rome. Study in the department imparts tools for linguistic, historical, archaeological, literary, and culturally-sensitive approaches to the ancient world.
The Department of Classical Studies also specializes in the study of Classical Reception, particularly in modern popular culture, offering a special track dedicated to this sub-field.
We invite you to join students from all over the world who are studying the history, philosophy, languages, literature, and culture of these societies with globally-renowned lecturers and researchers in a land that has long been a melting pot and meeting point for two great traditions, the Greco-Roman and the Judeo-Christian.
Students can choose to start their studies in March or October each year.
Note: The acceptance of those without a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies is dependent on successfully passing a test in Greek and/or Latin at the request of the head of the department. While competence in both Latin and Greek is preferable, knowledge of only one classical language (Greek or Latin) is possible with the approval of the head of the department. Please note that continuation to a doctorate is possible only on the condition of having completed the Master’s program with knowledge of both languages.
The Department of Classical Studies also offers an MA focusing on Classical Reception. Classical Reception studies examine the reception of different aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds in different periods and cultures.
The program deals with the way in which the ancient world influences, and has been integrated into, literature, art, and every other aspect of later society, including Judaism and modern Israeli culture.
This is a relatively new multidisciplinary academic specialization offered at Bar-Ilan University, and it is the only Israeli university to run such a program.
The requirements for the Classical Reception track are the same as those for the regular MA listed above, i.e. 12 credits, including 2 seminars and a dissertation, but more flexibility with regard to knowledge of the ancient languages may be permitted in this track.
Courses within the MA program in Classical Studies can cover a wide range of subjects pertaining to the study of the ancient Greek and Roman world. These include:
Up to one third of the courses may be taken in other departments. For example, it is possible to take courses on ancient Israel in the Faculty of Jewish Studies as part of our degree, or on related subjects in other departments such as English Literature and Linguistics, Comparative Literature, Philosophy and Jewish Philosophy.
In this program, the number of courses taken in the Department of Classical Studies shall not be less than two-thirds of the total credits required for the degree.
The Department of Classical Studies’ faculty members who are currently available to supervise dissertations are scholars of international standing, covering a range of fields:
Prof. Lisa Maurice
Research specializations: Classical reception (particularly the reception of the ancient world in children’s culture and in modern popular culture), ancient comedy, ancient drama, Plautus, metatheatricality.
Prof. Daniela Dueck
Research specializations: Strabo, geographical conceptions in ancient Greece and Rome, ancient geographic narrative, cultural history of ancient Greece and Rome (especially customs and ethnic identities).
Prof. Gabriel Danzig
Research specializations: Ancient philosophy, Socratic studies, Plato, Xenophon, Greek political thought, Jewish thought.
The PhD program is tailored to the needs and qualifications of the individual student. Students with degrees in classical subjects, and with knowledge of both Latin and Classical Greek are eligible.
International School
Bar-Ilan University
Ramat-Gan, Israel 5290002
Tel: +972- 3-738-4245
Email for further information
[email protected]
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