FAQ

Yes, that's possible! Latin and Greek are not mandatory requirements for studying Classical Archaeology or the Culture of Antiquity programme at JLU.

Although it is an advantage if you already master Latin and Greek, it is not a prerequisite for studying Classical Archaeology. If you have not yet come into contact with ancient languages, we offer you the opportunity to acquire a basic knowledge of Latin and/or Greek during your studies! Language acquisition is simply part of the curriculum for those who were not taught Latin and/or Greek at school.

It is also up to students with the relevant prior knowledge to expand their language skills, for example: students who can only attest to knowledge of Latin can take Greek courses, or vice versa. Students who already have proven that they have acquired both ancient languages can either deepen their knowledge in corresponding courses or, for example, expand their museum didactic skills.

For further information on the schedule, content and structure of the Latin and Greek courses, please contact the relevant staff at the Competence Centre Antiquity .

You will learn to document: Excavations and surveys

You will learn to see: Art historical classification and analysis

The examination of archaeological remains using the methods of form and style analysis as well as iconography and iconology.

You will learn how to think: cultural and anthropological interpretation

The evaluation of archaeological evidence within the historical and socio-cultural contexts of antiquity and its afterlife.

You will learn to speak: Communication and presentation

The critical presentation of cultural studies content and its communication in various media to different user groups.

After studying Classical Archaeology, a wide range of professional fields are open to you. Here are a few examples from different sectors, which by no means exhaust all the professional possibilities:

Research and teaching

Academic work at universities and research institutions

Collecting

Employment in museums and galleries, curation, administration and museum education

Culture

Work in cultural policy institutions, cultural and research management, especially public relations, adult education and tourism

Communication

Employment in academic libraries, specialised publishing houses, knowledge transfer in the cultural sector, for example in the media sector (journalism, development of educational software or other multimedia applications), programming & app development, training and consulting

Every degree programme has a fixed legal framework and is structured according to specific rules. These rules are set out in the respective examination and study regulations - just like an ideal curriculum for the degree programme. The examination and study regulations are the most important document in the entire degree programme, as they set out the "rules of the game" for the respective degree programme...nobody plays a game properly if they don't know the rules!

So if you want to know exactly how the degree programme is structured and how its content is aligned, which examinations have to be taken and in what form, what the requirements are in general and what options are available to you within this framework, you should read the examination regulations.

It is always a good idea to inform yourself in advance so that you can orientate yourself, but reading the examination and study regulations is mandatory at the latest when you start your studies! Many students neglect this document and are surprised in the course of their studies because they are unable to take certain courses because they have not taken another course beforehand or have failed an examination required for course enrolment. This can unnecessarily prolong the degree programme significantly.

You can find the examination regulations for the degree programme "History and Culture" here .

You can find the examination regulations for the degree programme "The Culture of the Ancient World" here.

The idealised curriculum contains all the modules that you have to take during your degree programme. It also indicates at which point in time you should take which course. It is therefore the guideline for organising your personal timetable so that you can complete the required coursework and take examinations within the standard period of study. Completing your studies within the standard period of study is not only relevant in terms of rapid academic progress, but also particularly if you receive BAföG or a scholarship.

The idealised curriculum is a recommendation, but not a mandatory requirement. You can customise your course of study to suit your personal needs and thus increase your chances of success in your studies. However, it is a useful guide for your individual planning, because you need to know what you are studying according to and what opportunities you have in your degree programme in order to be able to exploit your full potential. The idealised plan is definitely worth a look, because you need to be informed about what to expect during your studies. If you do not plan your course of study from the outset, you will study without orientation, which may result in you missing important study goals and not even being able to take advantage of some opportunities - because note: some modules are offered cyclically in a 4-semester cycle and/or require that you have already attended and/or passed other modules.

If you are in any doubt about planning your studies, please do not hesitate to contact the staff at the Chair of Classical Archaeology: Dr. Michaela Stark , Dr. Claudia Schmieder or Solvejg Langer M.A.

The ability to work academically is indispensable for a university degree programme and represents a fundamental core skill for the career path that follows the degree - whether in research, in cultural institutions or as a key qualification in the private sector.

As part of the colloquium, which takes place every two semesters, the essential aspects of conducting academic work are therefore dealt with theoretically and strategies for convincing presentation, rhetorical elaboration and didactic preparation of research content are developed. The newly acquired knowledge is then deepened by the students in exercises, e.g. in the processing and discussion of thematically and systematically focused academic questions based on relevant secondary literature on current research and issues, in writing reviews or in the development, realisation and presentation of their own research projects. It is recommended that you take the course early in order to be well prepared for presentations, discussions and term papers during the course of your studies.

The ZfbK also offers a range of courses for acquiring key skills every semester, including individual writing advice! Most of these courses can even be credited as AfK (extra-curricular skills) as part of your degree programme.

Lectures, seminars and tutorials are different types of courses. The teaching format differs considerably and students are therefore expected to fulfil different requirements, which must be taken into account.

Lectures are the traditional form of teaching at a university. The focus is on conveying information and not primarily on acquiring skills, which is why the lecture is open to a large number of students. Even though the lecture consists largely of frontal teaching, in which lecturers give presentations on a specific topic throughout the semester, the active participation of the students is required.

Compared to the lecture, the seminar requires significantly more interaction between lecturers and students. The group of students is also smaller than in the lecture, as the focus is on the acquisition of skills, which can only be guaranteed by a low supervision ratio. This means that the seminar is not just about imparting information; students are expected to actively participate! The methodology varies depending on the focus of the topic and the teaching objective. Formats may include: student presentations, discussion rounds, group work, etc.

In the tutorial - as the term suggests - tasks are practised and solved together. The number of participants in the tutorial is limited in order to provide students with good and intensive support. The tutorial serves to introduce subject-specific topics, but above all to learn subject-specific methods and to acquire (transfer) skills, which are taught and consolidated in practical units. The active participation of students is essential here, because only practice makes perfect!

The course manual is a very important, but unfortunately little-noticed document that contains detailed information on the individual courses of the current semester and can be viewed in StudIP.

A course manual is written by the lecturers for each course and is based on the module descriptions in the "Special Regulations". It summarises the content of the course, provides an overview of the topics of the individual sessions, defines the learning objectives that students should have achieved by the end of the course and details the workload and attendance requirements in accordance with the current versions of the examination regulations. It also contains important information on the examination modalities (examination form, examination tasks and calculation of the module grade), contains essential tips for successfully passing the course and contains introductory and often further reading that is fundamental to the course and should be read by students before and after the course. The attendance hours in the courses only make up a small part of the workload. Self-study between courses takes up much more time - the recommended literature in the module handbook provides a suitable basis for this, which students should build on independently (depending on their area of interest).

So if you take a few minutes at the beginning of each semester to read the course manual, you will be well prepared for your courses and know exactly what is expected and what is on offer. All essential questions about the course are answered in this document.

Central research tools for the subject of Classical Archaeology include Zenon (German Archaeological Institute) and Propyläum (Specialised Information Service for Classical Studies). Here you will find extensive information on subject bibliographies, subject sections of relevant library catalogues and full-text data sources. In addition, many article publications are freely accessible online, e.g. on Academia.edu, JSTOR, ResearchGate.

You can use the JustFind platform to search the JLU library system. Here you can see in which (branch) library the books you are looking for can be found and where these libraries are located, but a growing number of e-books are also available here for download or online viewing.

Can't find the publication you are looking for in the Classical Archaeology Library? Please contact the staff, the student assistants or the library assistants!

All lecturers offer regular consultation hours - whether in person or digitally. Consultation hours offer students the opportunity to ask questions about individual courses or the degree programme in general, as well as to identify the need for support/advice, reflect on their own performance and address problems in direct dialogue with lecturers.

For example, it is a good idea to talk to lecturers in advance about the content and structure of presentations, term papers and theses in order to be as well-prepared as possible for the respective examination, or to obtain detailed feedback on examination performance and examination results afterwards. Consultation hours also offer the opportunity to discuss course topics in more detail or to plan your individual study programme.

Consultation hours with lecturers are not mandatory, but are merely an additional offer. Please do not hesitate to ask lecturers for an appointment. Consider the consultation hours as an opportunity! Some lecturers have fixed appointments for consultation hours, others offer appointments by prior arrangement and agreement. You can learn about the respective modalities via the profiles or via the profile overview.