Courses

Course Registration Platform

Course registration and other administrative task must take place on Workday Student. For general tutorials and guides, please visit the UBC Workday Student website
AMNE Course Registration Guide for Workday
To ensure you are accessing the complete catalogue of our courses on Workday, follow this step-by-step guide
AMNE 'Ways of Knowing' Breadth Courses
Fulfill the 'Ways of Knowing' breadth requirements with this list of AMNE courses (for students starting September 2024).
2025W Variable Topics Course Descriptions

AMNE_V 440A: Seminar in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Literature and Ideas | Topic: Gauls and the Gaulish Language in the Roman Empire *variable topics course | Instructor: Antone Minard

Gaulish and British are two languages underlying colonized Roman Gaul and Britain. We know quite a bit about these languages from inscriptions, proper names and other words referenced in Roman literature, and from comparative evidence. In both scholarship and public education, on the other hand, writers on Roman Gaul and Britain often behave as if we do not. This course has two objectives: we will use these two languages as case studies for a model as to how to study minority languages and their distinct histories and cultures in the context of ancient empires (no linguistic background required), and we will examine the implications of how these groups are discussed or ignored in scholarly discourse and educational materials aimed at the general public.

A maximum of 12 credits will be granted for AMNE_V 440 and CLST_V 402. Students should consult the AMNE Undergraduate Advisor before registering. Equivalency: CLST_V 402 This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

AMNE_V 461C: Seminar in Biblical Studies | Topic: Divine Beings in Tolkien and the Bible *variable topics course | Instructor: Kurtis Peters

JRR Tolkien’s many acknowledged influences include both his Catholic Christianity and various European mythic traditions. This course will explore the place where those two influences meet, namely biblical mythology. We will explore the various forms of mythology in the Bible, including stories of creation, divine combat, and apocalypse, and we will trace their impact on the works of Tolkien. Our primary Tolkien texts will include the early chapters of The Silmarillion, and their relationship to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. We will evaluate the roles and actions of the divine beings in his stories, and trace their connections back, in part, to the Bible and even to its precursors in Canaanite mythology.

A maximum of 6 credits will be granted for AMNE_V 461 or RELG_V 475. Students should consult the AMNE Undergraduate Advisor before registering. Equivalency: RELG _V 475 This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

AMNE_V 470D: Seminar in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Archaeology | Topic: Touching the Past: Exploring UBC's Collections of AMNE Artifacts *variable topics course | Instructor: Elisabeth Cooper

This course will explore the rich collections of artifacts deriving from the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean, Near Eastern and Egyptian regions that are housed in AMNE’s Experiencing Antiquity Collection, UBC’s Museum of Anthropology and the Laboratory of Archaeology. Students will gain an up-close and hands-on experience of a variety of ancient stone, ceramic, metal and glass artifacts, learning how to identify their date, function, and cultural significance as well as investigating issues related to the artifacts’ production technologies. Students will also develop valuable skills in artifact drawing, photography and online artifact cataloguing.

A maximum of 12 credits will be granted for AMNE_V 470 and CLST_V 403. Students should consult the AMNE Undergraduate Advisor before registering. Equivalency: CLST_V 403 This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

GREK_V 401A: Greek Prose | Topic: Herodotus and Thucydides: The Origins of Greek Historiography | Instructor: Franco De Angelis

This course will focus on translating selections from the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, who, as Leslie Kurke has put it, were responsible for “charting the poles of history” for ancient, and by extension modern, historiography (in O. Taplin [ed.], Literature in the Greek World [Oxford 2000], p. 115). The course will be evenly divided between these two historians, with the first six and one-half weeks devoted to Herodotus and the second six and one-half weeks devoted to Thucydides. Students will also be introduced to recent trends in modern scholarship on Herodotus and Thucydides, as well as to interpreting these historians, particularly through understanding the cultural backdrop against which they were writing and the possibilities and limitations of using them in modern historical reconstructions. Instead of just seeing differences between the approaches of Herodotus and Thucydides, as is usually done, we will also investigate whether any similarities in their approaches existed and whether they may have been contemporaries during the first part of the Peloponnesian War.

A maximum of 12 credits can be granted for either one of or any combination of GREK 401, GREK 501. Prerequisite: One of GREK 351, GREK 352. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

GREK_V 403C: Studies in Ancient Greek Prose and Verse | Topic: TBA | Instructor: Florence Yoon

Texts/topic will be selected in consultation with students, taking into account what texts have been read previously. We may focus on a theme (recent examples include competition and spies) or a figure (e.g. Helen, Prometheus) or an author (e.g. Hesiod and his reception). Registered students will be contacted in July, or you may get in touch with the instructor directly with questions.

A maximum of 12 credits can be granted for either one of or any combination of GREK 403, GREK 503. Prerequisite: One of GREK 351, GREK 352. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

LATN_V 403A: Latin Verse | Topic: Latin Biography: Suetonius | Instructor: Siobhán McElduff

We would read a life of Suetonius in Latin (most likely Nero) along with others in English, as well as other ancient biographies in English.

A maximum of 12 credits can be granted for either one of or any combination of LATN 403, LATN 503. Prerequisite: One of LATN 350, LATN 351. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

LATN_V 403B: Latin Prose | Topic: Vergil | Instructor: Rachel Philbrick

Vergil is the ultimate ‘Classic’, and this course will offer a survey of his poetry. We will read selections from all three of Vergil’s works (Eclogues/Bucolics, Georgics, and Aeneid) to develop an understanding of Vergil’s poetic style, career trajectory, and the genres he composed in. Additional primary texts will be assigned (in English translation) that will help us to see how Vergil engaged with his poetic predecessors, as well as how his work was received by his successors. The reading schedule will incorporate the preferences and interests of the class.

A maximum of 12 credits can be granted for either one of or any combination of LATN 403, LATN 503. Prerequisite: One of LATN 350, LATN 351. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.