Graduate Certificate in Classical Reception Studies

Classical reception, the study of different encounters with the texts, material culture, and ideas of Greco-Roman antiquity in later periods, has been an important development in Classical Studies over the past three decades, bringing it into dialogue with other traditions and other fields, including medieval and early modern studies and comparative literature, philosophy and political theory, translation studies and history of the book, film and media studies, history of art and architecture, cultural and postcolonial studies, performance studies, and race, gender and sexuality studies. The University of Michigan has played a leading role in the development of research and teaching in classical reception studies, as reflected in activities sponsored by Contexts for Classics (CfC), a consortium which for more than twenty years has brought together faculty and students from the Department of Classical Studies, the Modern Greek Program, the Interdepartmental Program in Ancient History, the Interdepartmental Program in Classical Art and Architecture, the Department of Comparative Literature, Medieval and Early Modern Studies, and Mediterranean Studies, among others. The Certificate in Classical Reception Studies seeks to take full advantage of our university’s institutional resources for interdisciplinary scholarship, inviting master’s and doctoral students from a wide variety of disciplines to enrich their analytical skills, broaden their professional development, and pursue public facing work related to classical reception. REQUIREMENTS: The Certificate requires a total of 12 credit hours, consisting of coursework (9 credits) and a capstone project (3 credits). Students take one core course on “Classical Receptions” (a three-credit seminar offered at least once every other year, usually Winter Term) and six credits of relevant elective courses in any graduate program (to be approved by the Certificate Advisor, who is a designated faculty member of the CfC steering committee). For students in master's programs, up to three credits required for the degree may be double-counted with the certificate; students in doctoral programs may propose relevant graduate courses taken beforeafter candidacy to count as electives for the graduate certificate, in accordance with Rackham guidelines. The CfC steering committee will review and approve proposals for the capstone project (to be supervised and evaluated as a three-credit independent study with a faculty member in any department), which may take the form of an academic paper or other written work; preparing a translation; presenting at a conference; designing and teaching a course; organizing a special event, exhibit, or digital project; working in an internship; or pursuing a project in public humanities or community engagement.