Classical and Medieval Studies, B.A.

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At-a-Glance

Admission to major: Good academic standing

Minimum hours required for major: 36

Minimum hours required for minor: 18

Advising: Freshmen, sophomores, and transfer students, as well as other interested students, should contact the CLAM director as early as possible to be assigned a faculty adviser. The CLAM director is Dr. Laura Wertheimer; RT 1936; phone 216-687-3930; e-mail l.wertheimer@csuohio.edu.

Additional information:

The Classical and Medieval Studies program at Cleveland State University (CLAM) is an interdisciplinary program drawing upon the faculty of eight academic areas within the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences: Art, English, History, Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theatre & Dance. The CLAM program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree, a minor, and also provides courses for students in other majors with interests in the classical and medieval periods.

Why CLAM?

Students within the CLAM program study a rich range of cultures that existed within the ancient and medieval civilizations of the Mediterranean world, Europe, and the Middle East. These civilizations were dynamic, varied, and constantly changing as they developed internally and as they interacted with each other in the domains of politics, commerce, warfare, religion, philosophy, and the arts. Many of our heterogeneous cultural traditions in North America trace their origins to the civilizations of this period: among them are our democratic ideals and republican institutions, Judeo-Christian and Islamic religious traditions, and many of our traditions in philosophy, the arts, architecture, and literature.

During the course of their work, students learn the particular methodologies and approaches of a variety of academic disciplines, such as history, philosophy, philology, literature and art. Completion of the CLAM major, therefore, also provides students with a solid background in the liberal arts. The CLAM major, aside from satisfying personal interests, prepares students for a range of academic and professional pursuits. CLAM students pursue careers in teaching, law, archeology, religious ministry, education, and museum and archive work, to name a few. Courses taken to satisfy the CLAM major requirements may also meet college or university general education requirements; a CLAM student will often be able to complete a double major or minor in one of the participating departments by taking only a few additional courses.

A minimum total number of 128 credit hours are required for every student in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. All degree seeking, CLASS students must complete a specific number of General Education (GenEd) requirements which are comprised of University and College requirements. This is in addition to the credits for their major field of study. Students are responsible for ensuring the appropriate selection of courses to satisfy GenEd requirements. Students are highly encouraged to consult with both their general education advisor and faculty advisor regarding the applicability of selected courses each semester. A comprehensive description of Cleveland State University’s General Education Requirements for undergraduate students is available online at http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/gened/summarytable.html.

Major-Field Requirements

The CLAM major requires 36 credit-hours of coursework, including at least 2 courses in each of three separate academic fields of study; 24 of these credit-hours must be at the 300 or 400 level. Students will design their individual programs of study in consultation with their adviser. Courses must be CLAM-designated classes selected from language courses, literature (English, Modern Languages), History, the arts (Art History, Theatre and Dance, Music), Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Classical and Medieval Studies. The CLAM major has no specific language requirement, but students are advised that most graduate programs in classics or medieval fields have language requirements for admittance. Students planning such graduate work are strongly encouraged to complete their CLASS foreign language requirement with a classical language (Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, or Latin).

The CLAM major student may fulfill the General Education Capstone requirement in one of two ways: by completing a four-hour departmental capstone course with a classical or medieval topic, or by completing a senior thesis within a two-semester, four-hour independent study (CLM 498 -CLM 499 ). Students in the University Honors Program are required to complete the capstone with the senior thesis option.

Either CLM 498 /CLM 499 or a four-hour departmental capstone course approved by the Director must be completed to fulfill the General Education Capstone requirement.

CLAM Honors Program

Requirements for Admission

Junior Standing

Minimum GPA of 3.0

Requirements to Graduate With Honors

GPA: Students must graduate with a 3.5 average in CLAM-designated courses.
Language Requirement

The CLAM Honors Program requires students to complete two years of university-level study of a classical language (Arabic, Greek, Latin, or Hebrew) by completing the following courses or their equivalents:

ARB 202
GRK 351
LAT 202
Hebrew: Intermediate-level knowledge as established by the institution where the course was taken.
Honors-Contract Coursework
Students must take 12-upper division credit hours in CLAM courses, in at least two different academic disciplines, with an honors contract. The honors component of the course will be determined by the instructor in accordance with what is most appropriate for the class, but it is expected that in most instances the honors component will require substantial research and/or primary source analysis.
Senior Thesis
CLAM Honors students will complete a senior thesis project in a two-semester course sequence: CLM 498 , “Senior Thesis Proposal” (1 credit hour) in the first semester, and CLM 499 , “Senior Thesis Writing” (3 credit hours) in the second semester. The senior thesis will complete General Education Capstone Experience requirement for the Classical and Medieval Studies major.

Courses in the CLAM Program

Courses are 4 credits unless otherwise indicated. Departmental Special Topics courses with classical or medieval subjects may also apply toward the CLAM degree.