Ancient World Studies (Minor)

Program Description

The Ancient World Studies multidisciplinary minor focuses on the shared and overlapping periods in the development of cultures and societies around the Mediterranean basin, in the Near East, and across Central Asia to the Pacific Ocean.

Abu Dhabi’s location at the center of this geographical expanse makes it an ideal site for exploring the intellectual and material riches of the ancient world. This minor encompasses a number of disciplines, including archaeology, art history, history, literature, and philosophy.

The minor in the Ancient World requires that students complete four approved courses. These courses must be distributed across as least two disciplines or geographic regions and may include up to two semesters of intermediate or higher-level ancient language study. Students are strongly encouraged to include among these four courses one on archaeology or material culture.

Program Requirements

Students will select four Ancient World or cross-listed courses (16 credits) covering at least two disciplines or geographic regions and up to two semesters of intermediate or higher-level ancient language study.

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Minor Requirements
Select four 4-credit Ancient World or Cross-listed courses		16
Total Credits		16

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Ancient World Courses

Course List (Per Attribute)

Code	Title	Credits
ACS-UH 1413J	Ancient Arabia: Archaeology at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bat, Oman	4
AW-UH 1113X	Alexander and the East: Central Asia and the Mediterranean from the Achaemenid Period	4
AW-UH 1114	Doing Archeology: Case Studies from Western Asia	4
AW-UH 1115X	Political Past, Political Presents: Archaeology and the Politics of Memory in the 'Near East'	4
AW-UH 1116	Egyptomania	4
AW-UH 1117	Archeology: Early Societies and Culture	4
AW-UH 1118	Archaeology, Arabia and the Bible	4
AW-UH 1119X	Sacred Cities: Jerusalem and Mecca	4
CCEA-UH 1120J	The Ancient Monastery of Sir Bani Yas: Exploring Christian Heritage in a Muslim Nation	3
CCOL-UH 2039J	The Shaping of Identity: Past and Future of Egyptological Collections	3
CSTS-UH 1008	Birth of Science	4
CSTS-UH 1088	Thinking Big About the Ancient World	4
HERST-UH 1501	Experimenting with the Past: Cultural Heritage Connections in the Gulf and Western Indian Ocean	4
HIST-UH 3712	Ancient Roman Empire	4
PHIL-UH 2210	Ancient Mediterranean Philosophy	4
PHIL-UH 2211X	Classical Arabic Philosophy	4
PHIL-UH 2212	Classical Indian Philosophy	4

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the minor, students will display:

1. An understanding of several ancient societies and cultures and the ways in which they are examined and analyzed;
2. An understanding of the potential for cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of the ancient world;
3. Ability to read, analyze, and write about ancient material culture and texts persuasively, and locate them in their historical and cultural contexts;
4. Familiarity with the methodologies and critical approaches and research tools deployed in the study of the ancient world;
5. Ability to engage in detail with the methods needed to analyze the range of fragmentary evidence, both written and material, required in an interdisciplinary study of the ancient world;
6. Ability to assess differences among, and relations between ancient cultures.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

NYU Abu Dhabi Policies

A full list of relevant policies can be found on NYU Abu Dhabi's undergraduate academic policies page.