BA Classical Studies

Are you curious about how and where Western culture began? Or perhaps you’ve always been intrigued by the drama and adventure of Greek myths. Or maybe you’ve just always really liked those action movies set in ancient Greece and Rome! Whatever catches your interest, Classical Studies at Nipissing will take you deep into the ancient world.

“The Department of Classical Studies and Modern Languages would like to announce the creation of The Ilse Mueller Memorial Scholarship in Classical Studies. Dr. Ilse Mueller immigrated to Canada from her native Hamburg, Germany in the late 1960's having never attended a post-secondary institution. She began her post-secondary studies much later in life, taking her BA in Classical Studies from York University in the early 1990's. She then went on to a Ph.D. programme in Ancient History at the University of Chicago and took her doctoral degree in 2000. After a brief appointment at Laurentian University, Dr. Mueller was hired at Nipissing in 2002 as a professor of Classical Studies. Between 2002 and 2016 Dr. Mueller worked tirelessly to transform the Classical Studies programme from a minor degree to a full specialised honours degree. Dr. Mueller's published research was in the area of Roman Social History with a special focus on marginalised groups such as widows, orphans, slaves, and the poor. Tragically, Nipissing lost Dr. Mueller in October 2016 after a sudden cancer diagnosis. The Classical Studies program thus lost its principal architect and the Classical Studies faculty lost a treasured colleague and friend. It was Dr. Mueller's wish that the lion's share of her estate be devoted to helping deserving students realise their full academic potential so they might continue to contribute to our understanding of the ancient world. In particular, Dr. Mueller believed in a hands-on approach to learning about antiquity and to this end The Dr. Ilse Mueller Memorial Scholarship in Classical Studies has been endowed to help the scholarship recipient defray the cost of attending summer archaeological field schools through the Balkan Heritage Field School programme. The recipients will be those Classical Studies students who are between their third and fourth years of study and who intend on pursuing graduate studies in Classics. We hope that this endowment will continue Dr. Mueller's legacy of the academic rigour and excellence she came to expect from her students.”