Department of Classics and Religious Studies

Students at the museum — Faculty of Arts

Department of Classics and Religious Studies

Its 11 full-time professors specialize in a wide range of fields that occasionally interlock, though for most day-to-day purposes the two sectors operate independently. The most important area of convergence lies probably in the field of Late Antiquity, that is, the transition from the Greco-Roman period to the early Middle Ages, where the spread of Christianity played an important part.

Welcome

Welcome to the Department of Classics and Religious Studies website.

As you can see, our Department consists of two sectors, namely Classics and Religious Studies. In the Classics sector, the professors and programs deal primarily with the ancient languages, archaeology, history and literature, as well as the religion and mythology, of the Graeco-Roman world. In the Religious Studies sector, the professors and programs cover mainly world religions, anthropology, sociology and psychology of religion, while also including the religion of Antiquity.

At the graduate level, we offer a Master’s in Religious Studies, a Master’s in Classical Studies with a concentration in Late Antiquity, and a doctoral program in Religious Studies which focuses on religions in Canada, including Amerindian and Inuit traditions, on religions in a comparative cultural context as well as religions in the Graeco-Roman World.

If you are interested in these areas of study and research, I invite you to browse our website and to learn more about us.

Contact the Chair of the Department

Desmarais Hall

Programs of study

Classics

Classical studies are a gateway to civilizations that still have a lot to teach us. The department's programs offer the chance to gain knowledge of ancient times through mythology, religion, Greek, Latin and philosophy, as well as linguistics, history, art and archaeology.

Are you a lover of art, antiques or sculpture? Do you love wandering around museums? We have our very own museum of Graeco-Roman antiques. Our collection, which comprises a wide range of objects from the entire Graeco-Roman world, is an asset of which the department is justly proud. The museum regularly hosts touring exhibits and houses pieces belonging to Canadian and foreign collectors.

All our programs are flexible and interdisciplinary. As a result, you will be well-prepared for a graduate or doctoral program. But regardless of your professional future, our undergraduate program will have prepared you to travel down the path of knowledge by imparting to you a sense of life's riches: classical culture, in-depth knowledge of languages, analytical skills. Armed with this knowledge, you will feel like the world is your oyster.

Greek and Roman Studies

Graduate: Classical Studies (MA)

Religious Studies

What is ‘religion’? How can we study it? How is it shaped by collective and personal histories? How is it influenced by social and political dynamics? How is it expressed in art, cinema, media, and popular culture? How does the study of religion help to understand current events and conflicts? Take some of our courses and find out!

Religious Studies

Graduate: Religious Studies (MA or PhD)

Student experience

Whether you’re a prospective student or are currently enrolled, we’ve got you covered. With scholarships and bursaries to student associations and faculty events, we want you to get the most out of your time at uOttawa. Enrich your experience by checking out the following resources.

Finance your studies

Museum of Classical Antiquities

The Museum of Classical Antiquities was established in 1975 by the Department of Classics primarily for teaching purposes. Over the years our permanent collections has grown to include an excellent and representative ceramics collection, several sculptures and reliefs in stone and terracotta, an important Roman numismatics collection, and essentially a wide ranges of artefacts dealing with virtually all aspects of daily life in classical antiquity.

Our programs offer several opportunities for undergraduates to participate in hands-on learning through a variety of workshops, activities and exercises which are normally incorporated into the courses offered by the Classics sector. In addition, interested students may submit applications to work as volunteers in several capacities in the Museum during the academic year. Many of our volunteers have gone on to pursue graduate work in museum studies, or have found various venues for museum employment in several contexts. We encourage students who are interested to seek us out at the beginning of term to find out about how they can be involved!