Ancient Culture (expiring degree program)
Bachelor of Arts (Ergänzungsfach)

The general or subject-specific school-leaving qualification permitting university entry is required for admission to the degree programme. For more information, please consult the Enrolment Regulations of the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. By the beginning of the third year of study, students must demonstrate their Latin or Greek language skills by passing either the Latinum or the Graecum. Proof of this can ensue through the certificate of the general qualification for university entrance or by passing the relevant exam at the end of the Latin or Greek language courses that the Philosophical Faculty offers. Enrolment for the additional subject ‘Ancient Culture’ takes place once a year, at the beginning of the Winter Semester.

The course is studied as part of a BA-Programme in which a Major subject is combined with a Minor subject. In addition to the compulsory modules of their respective subjects, students choose elective courses from a wide range of those offered by the Faculty. ‚Ancient Culture’ as an additional subject can be combined with all subjects of the Philosophical Faculty which are electable as core subjects within the BA degree programme. A first qualification is achieved through the study of this additional subject, together with the study of the chosen core subject.

The subject Classical Studies focuses on the Ancient Greek and Latin languages and literature and, in a broader sense, on cultural, historical, religious, and social aspects of Greco-Roman antiquity. It deals with the historical period from the 8th Century BC (the time of the origin of the Greek alphabet) to the 6th-7th Centuries AD (the time of transition from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages). Central to this subject are research into, and teaching of, the most important genres of Greek and Roman literature such as epic, tragedy, comedy, lyric, historiography, rhetoric, and philosophy.

A Major-subject study programme comprises 180 Credit Points (CP). Credit Points ‘measure’ the required workload. In a course of study according to the ‘Kernfallmodell’, 108 CP come from the Major subject, 54 CP from the Minor subject and 18 CP from the interdisciplinary compulsory electives.

Organisation of Studies:

This interdisciplinary degree programme comprises modules of Classical Philology (Greek, Latin), History (Ancient History) and Philosophy (History of Philosophy).

1st and 2nd Year:

Foundation module ‚Classical Philology’

Foundation module ‚Ancient Philosophy’

Foundation ‚Ancient Lives and Historical Anthropology’

Each Foundation module comprises 4 hours of teaching per week. One of the three Foundation modules (students may decide which) must conclude with an examination, the other two with proof of having attended the course.

Language Module:

This Module comprises 6 hours of teaching per week. It must be concluded with an exam in the form of a written translation, either from Latin or from Greek.

 3rd Year:

Construction module ‚Greek Antiquity’

Construction module ‚Roman Antiquity’

(The construction modules comprise 4 hours of teaching per week respectively. They must be concluded with an examination. Classes of Classical Philology can be combined with those from Ancient History and Philosophy within the modules. Students thereby have the choice between thematic seminars and those which focus on developing language skills.)

Students will become acquainted with a wide range of disciplinary approaches within the field of Classical studies and gain in-depth knowledge of the history, literature and philosophy of the Ancient World. At the same time, the Programme places emphasis on the methodological foundations of the subjects involved, allowing students to develop their skills in practical elements of the disciplines involved.

Graduates of this course typically seek employment in the following professional fields: adult and political education, research institutes, cultural institutions, museums, archives, foundations, political parties, the media, PR, publishing, travel agencies, libraries, and more.