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theancientgeekoroman · 5 years ago

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Sorry if you’ve answered this before, but what books do you recommend for people who’re interested in Classical Studies? Thank you!

Hello, Nonny! I apologize for taking so long to get back to your ask. This is a bit of a loaded question, as Classical Studies spans a lot of different things: Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, the Ancient Near East, etc. for just the *areas*, and then you have several ancient languages to choose from if you are looking at that, and then there are individual figures to focus on as well as specific works in translation. The posts that I’ve made before that may give you some good ideas on where to start are the following:

Advice for Aspiring Classicist Ask: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/179847323830/hi-im-a-high-schooler-who-wants-to-pursue-a

Suggested Reading List Ask: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/179972282550/hey-sorry-to-bother-you-but-i-recently-went-to-a

Where to Start: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/183617460805/hello-im-a-high-school-student-interested-in (Includes the two links above in this one)

Advice for Studying Classics at University: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/183612328890/hey-there-im-about-to-start-university-in-the

And this ask is about History/Museum Studies but might be relevant to your interests because these coincide fairly often: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/183621851835/while-this-might-not-be-your-area-of-expertise

Personally, I would suggest a few books I was required to read for some of my classes. Here are some books I have bought for my classes that I think might be a benefit for you to read through, depending on your interests (and you can usually request these at your library if they don’t own them, both public and college/uni libraries usually take requests when someone wants the book available):

Complete Pompeii (The Complete Series) by Joanne Berry (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/050005150X/)

Herculaneum: Italy’s Buried Treasure by Joseph Deiss (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0892361646/)

The Historians of Ancient Rome: An Anthology of the Major Writings (Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World) by Ronald Mellor (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415527163/)

Latin Literature: A History by Gian Biagio Conte, translated by Joseph Solodow (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801862531/)

Theogony and Works and Days (Oxford World’s Classics) by Hesiod, translated by M. L. West (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019953831X/)

The World of Pompeii (Routledge Worlds), edited by John J. Dobbins and Pedar W. Foss (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415475775/)

Anything Emily Wilson has translated/written, honestly (I have her Odyssey and Seneca’s Tragedies translations)

I hope all of the above links/suggestions help you and aren’t too overwhelming! Please feel free to send me any follow-up questions.

All the best,

Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman

P.S. My focus is ancient Greece and ancient Rome, but I have a few followers that focus on the Ancient Near East and/or Egypt if I remember correctly, so if any of you want to drop any suggestions for those places/relevant languages, please do!

P.P.S. I know a lot of ancient history/ancient world programs exist and a lot of overlap happens in Classical Studies with Egypt and the Near East, but not every program approaches it that way and will focus solely on Greece/Rome. But there are more programs that give a wider variety that includes all of the ancient world, and that’s why I included the rest above.

#Anonymous #Anon #Ask #Asks #tagamemnon #Classical Studies #Classicals #long post

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theancientgeekoroman · 5 years ago

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Hello there! I’m currently an undergrad (junior) majoring in history and anthropology, hoping to go to grad school to get a masters in museum studies. I’m also currently part of my university’s honors college, but I’m considering dropping it. Last semester I got super stressed and it really made me want to slow things down a bit (honors requires special classes and a senior thesis) but I don’t know how much being in the honors college could help me get into grad school. Do you have any advice?

Hi, Andrea!

So, I’m in the U.S., so this is going to be specific to universities here, and if you want me to expand/clarify anything, please let me know. I’m going to tell you about my journey to an MA in Museum Studies, and I hope it will help you.

I attended school on the East Coast at a decent, but not Ivy League or anything of that caliber institution. My majors were History/Classics and English/Creative Writing with minors in Art History and Theatre. I was not in the honors college myself, I entered in as a non-honors student.

But I did fail multiple courses. And had to psychologically withdraw from others. One semester I retroactively withdrew from when I was about to graduate. My GPA was 2.67. Traditionally, to get into graduate school, you need at least a 3.0, if not higher. This was my worry; however, as an undergraduate, I also did the following: volunteered in a historic costume collection, the university archaeology lab, and a local community art gallery; completed an internship at a natural history museum; and was one of eight people to gain a spot in a competitive Curatorial Apprenticeship program at the school.

Additionally, I did an independent study where I wrote my own paper (an analysis of a 4th-century Apulian pelike, for which I identified its possible use and the meaning of the imagery.) I didn’t go to my Museum Studies program right out of my undergrad, but one year after I had graduated, and after I had begun part-time paid position and part-time volunteer position at two different museums. I applied and got in on conditional admission because of my undergraduate record: they recognized that I had the experience but was not quite there on the grades front. I graduated that program with a 3.89, which helped me get into my second MA.

My advice, therefore, is this: I don’t think you need the honors distinction to get into a Master’s program. The more important thing for Museum Studies programs, in my experience, has been the experience. So, if you drop the honors program because the workload is stressing you out, I don’t think it’ll make it harder for you to get in!

Suggestions for different things you can do for experience:

-Do an independent study course focusing on an area/era that you are interested in. I did a 1-credit independent study so it wouldn’t overload my other required work, and I still developed the skills I needed for the future. I did research and analysis and wrote a paper about an artifact that no one had yet studied in the university museum collection. This will give you a small, independent project which I think can be akin to a thesis project but on a smaller scale if that makes sense? It won’t be a graduation requirement, and you’ll still gain useful experience.

-For anthropology, first, see if you have an archaeology lab on campus where you can volunteer (I was able to do this in the “slower” Winter and Summer sessions because it was still open, and I didn’t have to worry about committing for a full semester). Additionally, see if there are any programs from your local parks service where they need archaeology or anthropology volunteers. Field schools locally or abroad are also an option if you want to do that, but I know those can be expensive, but some are less pricey than others. You can sometimes opt out of the academic credit portion if you’ve already graduated.

-For history, look into your local archives or State Historic Preservation Office (if you’re in the States) or what would be your country’s equivalent to that.

-For museums in general, look into possible opportunities for apprenticeships, internships, or volunteer positions if you’re able to do that; take advantage of your breaks and your summers (both while in undergrad and right after you graduate). You could volunteer/intern at anywhere from a small community art studio to a large local museum, it all depends on your interests. I’ve done everything from Gallery Attendant where I was the only person present to watch over a small gallery and take care of sales (manually! No register) in the little shop that was attached to Curatorial intern cataloging specimens and objects and translating tags on ornithology collections from Japanese to English.

Check to see what opportunities are in your area in terms of volunteering and internships, but especially look for opportunities on campus because that requires less travel and helps you figure out what you like the best. My university had a Historic Costume & Textile Collection, an archaeology lab, and three different museum galleries on campus (main gallery, contemporary African-American art, and a geological gallery) where you could work as a Gallery Attendant.

I realize you said that you want to drop the honors college because you were stressed, and I completely understand that, especially as someone who seems to be double majoring. I know this all looks overwhelming together, but remember I spaced out these experiences and you don’t have to go straight into graduate school from undergrad if you feel like you want to take some time in between to gain experience, etc. you should do that.

My experiences were spaced out in this way: the Apprenticeship was during a school year where I didn’t have any other intern/volunteer responsibilities, and I did my independent study in conjunction with it, so my Mentor was also my supervisor for the independent research. One summer, I did volunteer work sporadically at a gallery but also had a 6-week internship. So, say you want to use your summer to gain experience, but also not burn out: field schools can be long, but I know of a few that are only 1-2 weeks, then take a bit of time off, then do an internship or volunteer or both, if you feel like it suits you. I know a lot of people emphasize continuous hustle, but don’t be afraid to give yourself breaks and try not to stress too much over the experience (I’m sure you have some already!). Even if you don’t, there are plenty of things you can do that will show your potential as a graduate student without coming out of the honors college.

I hope that helped, and please let me know if you need anything else!

All the best,

Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman

#spacefaegoddess #grad school #graduate school #Museum Studies #ask #asks #personal #long post

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theancientgeekoroman · 5 years ago

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Hello, all! Some of you may know me as Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman, or as Aneirin, Rin, or all of the above. I've been invited to be on a panel at an academic conference in March. I'm incredibly excited about this, but unfortunately, the conference cost is high for me to pay out of pocket, and my external funding of $1,000 is a reimbursement award. So, I'm asking all of you lovely people to help me out! I have added the pie chart with a bit of a breakdown, but I'll expand on the explanations below. Not everything will be exactly the cost listed, but I've aimed for the higher price for all of the individual needs. Registration: The registration currently reads at $90 for my level of membership, but this is the early-bird price, which ends on December 31st, it seems. So it might go up before I receive the funds for this. Round Trip Flight: Between $200 and $300. This can fluctuate depending on when I decide to fly and when I purchase the tickets, so I wanted to be safe and put it at $300, but it might be closer to the $200 when I buy the tickets. Hotel: This is the highest cost, as always, at $700. I checked the surrounding areas, and it would be about the same to stay anywhere else for one person because I would still need to pay for transportation. I currently live with 5 other people at my home and will need wind-down time by myself in the room after conference events without other people due to a lot of mental health issues (and I will also technically be in classes in the evenings on Wednesday and Thursday via Zoom), so I would prefer to get a single room on my own. Transportation from/to the Airport: According to an estimate, a Lyft, Taxi, or Uber would cost anywhere from $39 to $56 to get from the airport to the hotel upon arrival, and then I would need one to the airport after the conference ends. I put in the higher end estimate twice, just in case. Food: I am uncertain of the food prices in Birmingham, AL, but I estimated about $45 per day if I was buying all meals every day I was there, for $225 total. This isn't as necessary as a goal as I could probably manage, but it would definitely help. GoFundMe Fee: I've approximated to percentage GoFundMe takes out to be about $42 without the addition of the $0.30 per donation. Extra: If I manage to get more donations than what is necessary for everything outlined above, all of it will go towards necessities for the trip (toiletries, emergency/first aid things I like to keep with me during travel/etc.) Thank you all in advance! I appreciate your help in any way, whether it's from sharing or donations!

#personal #fundraiser #gradblr #graduate school #grad school #GoFundMe #long post

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theancientgeekoroman · 6 years ago

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Hey there! I'm about to start University in the fall working towards a BA in Ancient Greek and Roman studies with a specialization in languages( Latin and Ancient Greek), I love your blog and was wondering if you have any advice or tips? Thanks in advance!

Hello, friend! Congratulations on beginning University!

I’ll begin with some general advice for university that will apply not just to your major, but all your classes, and then I will get into the specifics.

The first thing that might help is figuring out what kind of learner you are - for me, it’s a combination of auditory and repetition. I learn best by hearing things and then listening to them multiple times, so I always asked my professors if I was allowed to bring a recorder into class. Not all professors allow this, but it never hurts to ask. This way, you can record the lecture and then transcribe the notes later and possibly make a playlist of the course for you to use as a review before you have any assessments/tests/exams.

The repetition, for me, is rewriting notes. This can mean having a slopping notebook for fast writing during class and then rewriting the notes in a nicer notebook with better handwriting / better organization than your original notes. Or, you can type your notes (which is usually what I did) because if you forget anything, you can always insert it without having to worry about rewriting a whole notebook page. The trick to this part of note-taking is to make sure you have time to do it; don’t wait until the end of the week to rewrite your notes, but do it after your class while it’s still fresh, or no later than the end of the day after your lectures are over. If you keep putting it off and try to type all your notes a few days before a text/exam, you’re going to be overwhelmed (this happened to me a few times, and I was Not Happy With Myself).

The next general thing is to find a couple of people in your classes and ask if they’re willing to start a study group. This might be more difficult, especially if you’re introverted (I’m an ambivert, so it’s hit or miss with me if I don’t vibe with people in my classes), but you’ll probably find people who are willing to get together to discuss the course material and do homework together. It does make learning a lot easier and a little less lonely. It’s also helpful doing homework with other people when you might understand a concept they’re struggling with and vice versa.

And finally: go to the office hours of your professors! They’re there for a reason! Or make an appointment to talk to them. Get to know your professors and ask them for help if you need it. A lot of my professors ended up getting to know me rather personally, which helped some of them understand why I was struggling so much with certain things (some professors will be less perceptive, but putting yourself out there will help you find many professors on your side because they want to see you succeed). If you are unhappy with a grade or don’t understand why you got a particular mark on an assessment, you can go and discuss it with them. This may not change the initial score, but sometimes, professors will allow a redo of an assignment if you go and ask for feedback and just ask. You wouldn’t believe how many things I managed to get done at my university just because I asked. I had a pretty severe meltdown during my junior year, and I missed an exam for Latin once, but I went to the professors’ office hours, and he allowed me to retake it on my own because I explained to him what had happened. Professors want you to succeed. Just ask for help when you need it, and they will help you. (Also, ask for accommodations if you need them! It’s easier with letters from the Disabilities Office if you can get them, but most of my professors allowed me extra time for things because of my ADHD and dissociation issues because I just talked to them about it personally).

Now, for how I tackled Latin and Ancient Greek specifically.

I am better at Latin and Latin came easier to me, but I liked Ancient Greek better, and I can’t explain why, really. But knowing where your weaknesses are in the languages are good.

If you’ve never taken any Latin or Ancient Greek before, you might want to try and learn basics before you enter the classroom, but keep in mind that you don’t have to know anything on the first day of class if you’ve never taken these languages before; you’re there to learn!

I’ve talked about these before, but for the sake of this ask, I’ll include the resources that might be helpful for you!

Latin:

https://www.latinitium.com/

Resources for teaching yourself Latin (including video and audio)

https://latinlexicon.org/

Dictionary and Grammar Tool

http://lexicity.com/language/latin/

Dictionaries, Grammars, Charts & Aids, Texts, and Other Resources

University of Texas Austin Linguistics Research Center:

https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/eieol/latol

If your course uses Wheelock’s Latin but doesn’t require the workbook (which is how my course was set up), I would get the workbook and use the exercises in it to supplement your other lessons.

Ancient Greek:

Ancient Greek Grammar:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzvug8fVliPkMV2c9RmUix19nR4SvLOvW

The Center for Hellenic Studies

Learn Ancient Greek video series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGYUXZJ15RI

Introducing Ancient Greek

http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/greek/

http://lexicity.com/language/greek/

Dictionaries, Grammars, Charts & Aids, Texts, and Other Resources

Teach Yourself Ancient Greek:

http://tyancientgreek.org/index.html

University of Texas Austin Linguistics Research Center:

Classical Greek: https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/eieol/grkol

New Testament Greek: https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/eieol/ntgol

There are plenty of more resources, but these are the ones I would start with (and some of them will lead to more resources, too).

For Latin, I would write out the declension charts a lot because I would have issues with remembering them. I would then type them up in tables on Word and print them out and have them in my binder for class so it would be easier than trying to find it in my textbook.

When I first started Ancient Greek, I had the most trouble with the alphabet so I would write an entire college-ruled page of each letter. The pronunciations were difficult too for me so I would make a lot of notes about that, too. The YouTube videos above will help you with that.

Another thing I would suggest is that if you know what types of reading you’ll be doing is to be familiar with the works in your native language first. For example, we read excerpts from The Iliad and the Odyssey and various myths for Ancient Greek, all of which I was already familiar with in English before I began reading them in Greek. I know that I had an entire book of Catullus in Latin for my poetry course, too. You might want to check out http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/ for both English and Greek or Latin texts. (Finding these texts in Latin or Ancient Greek and English is good practice translating, too, which is what I did for practice sometimes and what I’ll probably be doing in the near future because I’m a little rusty).

One thing I think people tend to forget about universities is the clubs/activities that might relate to your major. If there’s a Latin, Ancient Greek, or Classics club(s), they’re going to be helpful because a lot of the activities might help you learn more outside of class. Especially if you find upperclassmen who are willing to help you or give you advice about professors, what classes to take, and some of them might be willing to help with homework, etc. Professors are helpful, but remember that upperclassmen are indispensable for you as well.

And, finally, for the last bit of advice: remember that time management is so, so, so important. I’m extremely bad at it, but I’ve found ways to set schedules and apps to help me with it. If you know you’re better at working in the morning, getting up early to get some work done helps. If you know you’re good at working at night, set some time at night for your work. Remember, however, that you need time to relax and take care of yourself.

I hope that was not too overwhelming and please let me know if you want any clarification on anything I’ve said here!

All the best,

Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman

#the-fiery-ghost #ask #asks #tagamemnon #Ancient Greek #Latin #Ancient Greek and Roman Studies #Classics #personal #academia #study skills #long post #links

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theancientgeekoroman · 5 years ago

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Heyy, I’m currently an a-level student in England hoping to take classics at university. Do you have any tips for this course, or any advice on how to structure studying or help yourself at all? I know what the course entails and I absolutely love the sound of it, I’m just not sure how strenuous or difficult it is overall.

Sorry for the delay in answering, Nonny! It’s been a busy week, and I’ve been having some issues with productivity.

Here are some of the asks from the past that might help you a little bit in navigating this question:

Advice for Aspiring Classicist Ask: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/179847323830/hi-im-a-high-schooler-who-wants-to-pursue-aSuggested Reading List Ask: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/179972282550/hey-sorry-to-bother-you-but-i-recently-went-to-a

Where to Start: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/183617460805/hello-im-a-high-school-student-interested-in (Includes the two links above in this one)

Advice for Studying Classics at University: https://theancientgeekoroman.tumblr.com/post/183612328890/hey-there-im-about-to-start-university-in-the

A lot of the above will answer your questions for tips/tricks/advice for studying and being a Classics student. But I’ll address the strenuous/difficult part here for you. Please also remember that this is coming from someone who attended an American university that is well-known, but not anywhere near “Ivy League” or Oxbridge levels of experience. Since you’re in England, your structure will probably be different, but any of my English followers who would like to add on, please do so! I’m going to go by the different courses I had to take for my Classics major and let you know how strenuous/difficult it was for me and I’ll go by least difficult to most difficult. I’m leaving out coursework that was for “general education requirements” because I don’t think English schools have that element and won’t really apply unless you end up at an American school (and the levels of difficulty varies for me depending on how much math was required, lol).

The Easiest Coursework: For me, the easiest coursework were the courses that had to do with culture (i.e., no language requirements). These courses for me were things like “Biblical and Classical Literature” (we had comparisons of the Bible and The Iliad, and it was a cross-listed as a Jewish Studies and English, so it was a lot of textual analysis, which I’m good at), “Prehistoric Archaeology” (a really cool anthropology course that delved into prehistory all over the world and touched on contemporary Paganism, too), “Women in Antiquity” (a 400-level art history seminar that had fun and creative aspects to it - including reading for Lysistrata for which I had a pool noodle sticking out of my tunic because I was reading as Kinesias), and Literature in Translation courses; I took “Greek Mythology” and “Greek Tragedy,” which were simple because it was more textual analysis.

The reasons I found all of these courses, the least difficult are 1. I am good at textual analysis, which is a big part of Classics in general, so it was good to be exposed to it continuously because if you’re not good at it now, you will be. 2. These classes mainly dealt with things that really interested me, so even if the material was a little difficult, I was interested in it enough that it didn’t feel that difficult.

Mid-Level Difficulty Coursework:

The classes that I had the most difficulty with that were not the language courses were the history courses. The reason I found these more difficult than the above courses because they were more specific and a lot of material. There’s a lot of people to remember, a lot of dates to remember, people you’re going to confuse because so many people basically have the same name. And in undergrad, you have those “survey” classes where you do an overview of an entire civilization, which is A Lot. When I took my Ancient Rome class, it was really overwhelming because we started with the Period of Kings, the “mythological” beginnings of Rome, all the way to the Fall of Rome, in one semester. It felt so fast and so slow at the same time, and I feel like I didn’t retain much from it. Only two of my History courses had to be ancient-related, so most of my other History coursework was Medieval, so that was also a lot of information. You might get overwhelmed easily from how much information you have to take in and remember for assessments/exams/papers. These courses were probably the most time-consuming study and assignment-wise.

Most Difficult Coursework:

For me, the most difficult coursework was Latin and then Ancient Greek (as in, Ancient Greek was the most challenging overall for me). This may not be the same for everyone, and I was relatively good at languages when I was younger, but when I got to university, things were more complicated. Since I started learning new languages in my 20′s, it was not as easy for me to pick up on them as I was when I was in high school. Ancient Greek was difficult because we learned both Classical Greek and Koine Greek, so I had to make sure I didn’t confuse them (we didn’t do a lot of Koine Greek, but I still had to do some work in it, and I was super worried I’d confuse the pronunciations). That and all the accents you have to remember and learning a new alphabet is a lot, too.

Latin, luckily, was a little easier. It was still difficult, but I knew a little bit of the grammar rules/alphabet differences before I began, but admittedly only knew a little bit of Latin from Catholic masses, but nothing beyond that. It was easier than Ancient Greek, but the difficulty lay in the fact that I was taking both of them at the same time, having never taken either of them before, whereas I knew quite a few people who had four years of Latin in high school before they went to university. My sequence was 101-102-201-202 for both of the languages, but a lot of universities are going to require more courses than just 2nd level languages, especially if you want to focus on the languages in graduate school or teach it.

What it all really boils down to is knowing how to properly manage your time. Which I am still really bad at, but you should write out a schedule for classes, homework, outside activities, and remembering to take time to take care of yourself and do necessary things.

One of the things I learned to do early on was to get through the difficult or more time-consuming assignments first, so then the next assignment would go by a lot faster once I had finished the harder homework. It will also make the next assignment seem much easier. But, remember to prioritize things that are due sooner and to try and break down long-term projects if the professor doesn’t (e.g., make sure you have articles/books picked for final papers if you know what your subject is going to be; some professors will basically outline check-ins by making things due for a grade over the semester, such as a proposal, then annotated bibliography, rough draft, and then the final draft).

I hope this helps, and please let me know if you’d like me to clarify anything or ask any more specific questions!

All the best,

Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman

#tagamemnon #Classics #university #college #studying #advice #ask #asks #Anon #Anonymous #personal #long post

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theancientgeekoroman · 6 years ago

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While this might not be your area of expertise could you lend any advice to a high school senior (almost college freshman) planning on going into History, looking at a masters in museum studies? I’m a bit over whelmed and not entirely sure I know where to start

Hi, Nonny!

Okay, I did actually get an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma, so I do have some experience there :3 I work in a museum professionally at the moment as well.

For History in general at the university level is a lot of analysis and reading and a lot of papers. If you’re in the US, I would suggest looking into CLEP exams for the introductory courses (History 101, 102), depending on your university, if you want to skip over the beginning courses. CLEP will help you test out of courses before you go into courses and can save you money in the long run. (If you’re not in the US, you can always look into an equivalent program that lets you test out of lower-level courses in your country if your university system works that way).

One of the things I’d suggest before going to your university is to e-mail the professors in the history program (look up and see what courses they teach) and express your excitement of working with them. You can also see if they list any of their syllabi online to get an idea of the kind of workload they assign and what textbooks they expect you to have for their courses. One of the most useful thing I did as a history major was keep all my textbooks because I needed them again - one of my undergraduate textbooks I had in 2015 I ended up needing this year for graduate school! So, you never know.

The other thing I did was I color-coded my notes/highlighter for different eras for my classes. It helped a lot because my ancient history was always yellow, Medieval was blue, Renaissance was orange, etc. That worked for me, but remember that you have to try and figure out what works best for you.

I know that my history homework (in 3-credit American courses) always had about three hours per course each day I had class - so if I had it three times a week, I was reading about 9 hours a week. I have dyslexia and ADHD, so I had to make my schedule to accommodate for that, so the three hours, depending on the day, it might take me 6 hours for something that would usually take half that time. Make sure you take a lot of breaks during the readings because it can really get overwhelming. Stand up, stretch, get a glass of water, and if you have trouble concentrating on one of the readings, don’t be afraid to change which homework you’re focusing on.

As I’ve said with other advice, remember to talk to your professors. This is especially important in history because it can be overwhelming. One of my favorite professors was a Medieval professor, and I kept in touch with him well into graduate school. As you go through the program, don’t just meet with your assigned advisor, but talk to all of your professors. A lot of them will be good for recommendations in the future, and a lot of them give invaluable advice about how to proceed in your career.

Here’s the thing about Museum Studies degrees that I didn’t realize before I was already halfway through my program: the field is exceptionally over-saturated with people with museum degrees. However, having said that, if you want to get the degree, I wouldn’t blame you. I got mine because I wanted it and then I decided to pursue my MA in Classical Studies. So, I’m going to give you a couple of options because I know this is overwhelming, but remember, you still haven’t even started university yet, so grad school is still a bit away for you, and there might be even better options once you’re graduating!

The first thing I would suggest is that if you can, over the summer, try to volunteer at a local museum and see if they’ll let you float over different departments to see what you like best. Related places like local art galleries are also an option! A lot of places also have internships, but you might need a little bit more experience before an internship (high school internships happen, but it’s been my experience that many museums prefer interns that are enrolled in college already).

Most universities have galleries and museums so you can volunteer there, too. Some university museums have front desk paid positions for students, so check that out as well!

Museum Studies isn’t the only graduate degree to consider when you’re thinking about working in a museum after graduate school. Another thing to consider is getting a graduate degree with a Museum Studies graduate certificate to complement it could be an option for you.

If you’re thinking about working in a science-based museum, multiple different science degrees would be applicable. One of the jobs I looked at ended up requiring an Entomology degree, so you never know! Other degrees that might help would be a graduate degree in Anthropology, Art Conservation, Art History, Education, History, etc. One of the things you should do is look at the museums you would like to work at and see the educational background of the current employees and the openings there to see which is the best route to take. (Additionally, if you have an MA in any of those fields, depending on where you live, you could also teach community college in addition to or while you’re searching for a museum position).

Another degree to consider that I think is applicable is a Master in Library Science, some degree programs of which have a Museum Studies specialization (such as the one at Kent State University: https://www.kent.edu/iSchool/museum-studies). The good thing about pursuing an MLIS with a focus on museums is that you can apply to public and academic libraries as well as museum libraries, which gives a little more flexibility.

The reason why I give you all these other options (I know it’s a lot) is that I didn’t get a museum job until six months after I got my BA degrees and moved across the country - twice. This was also after having an apprenticeship, several internships, and uncountable volunteer hours as well. So, that’s a lot to consider. Once I got to where I live now, though, I got a museum job almost two weeks after I moved here, so you have to take where you live into account, too. Las Vegas is a pretty transient city, and a lot of people here don’t have Museum Studies MAs, so it’s a rarity. Other places that I lived (like Chicago) have so many people vying for the same jobs, it’s difficult to get your foot in the door. But, that’s why the volunteering, internships, and networking is so important. Professors are part of your networking, so keep that in mind, too. If your university has an art history club or history club or museum club, join it/them. Go to the museum and gallery openings at your university and talk with the people there. Usually, they have a lot of the professors and upperclassmen there, as well as local museum professionals. Go to events at local museums and art galleries, too! One of the things I wish I had done before I did that was make business cards that I could give to the people I met there, which is what I do at my current place of work when I meet people who want to keep in touch with me. Small things like that could go a long way.

I would spend some time researching the schools that you’re interested in for graduate school (as I assume you’ve already chosen which university you’re going to next year already) and compare their programs. While you’re an undergraduate, try to take one course in other fields that might interest you. A lot of times you can take courses in Anthropology or Art History for general education requirements and sometimes they’ll count towards a history major. Don’t be afraid to explore outside of your comfort zone.

The last thing I would recommend is after you do all this research, and you still want to go to graduate school specifically for Museum Studies, then you should do it. I loved my program, and although everyone told me once I graduated that I would not see a good ROI (return on investment), I had wasted my time. But one of the things I did during my program was an internship at a museum on the same campus where I would get my first full-time benefitted position. I learned how to run a museum. I learned best practices and how to curate. I learned basic exhibition design. I learned art and museum law. There was a lot that was covered in the program that was generalized that will help me in any museum I work at in the future, which is part of why I liked the program. The MA in Classical Studies was my next move because I would like to be a curator of Ancient Greek and Roman art eventually.

Just remember, take a deep breath, and you don’t have to worry about graduate school quite yet, but if you want to make sure you’re keeping up with the job market, keep an eye out and follow positions you want on sites like Indeed.com so you can see what people are looking for and begin to gain skills in those areas.

Also, and this is weirdly important for a history major, but I have seen current university students not know how to do it - learn to write and read cursive, in your native language and the language of any historical figure you might be studying. Somehow this has become a special skill, but I know it because we were required to use it in Catholic school.

I hope this wasn’t too overwhelming, and if you want to ask me more about my MA in Museum Studies, feel free to do so. Let me know if you want any clarifications on what I’ve outlined here; I know it was a lot.

All the best,

Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman

#history #museum studies #ask #asks #academia #anon #anonymous #long post #Anonymous

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theancientgeekoroman · 6 years ago

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I want to study classics in college, but I have no clue what that’ll entail. What can I expect from that being my major?

Okay, so the Classics majors will depend on your University! I went to the University of Delaware so I can tell you what happened with my major.

So, when I began undergrad, the only program at UD for Classics was a History major with a concentration in a language. Luckily for me, Classics was one of those options. You could take the option to focus on both of the languages or one specific language.

I chose the route of both languages, so I took sequences of both Ancient Greek and Latin. I took (what is now the equivalent of, since they changed the numbers of the courses since I took them) Greek 101, 102, 201, and 202 and Latin 101, 102, 201, and 202, and those were my language requirements. I could have gone into the 300-level if I wanted to, but then they would have been considered electives and not counted towards my major specifically. If I had chosen just Latin or just Greek, I would have had to take the sequence of 101-102-201-202-301-302 in one or the other. Part of the reason I had ended up with both languages (which I took at the same time, mind you) was that I had changed my major late and I would have never been able to meet the language requirement for one language in time for graduation.

The History requirements were a little laxer for me (this was before they changed requirements) - so the requirements, because I was a Classics concentration, was two 300-level (or above) courses in ancient history. The issue I ran into was the professor that taught the courses was a little harsh, and I had trouble concentrating in his courses because he put it in the syllabus that half the class would fail the course. I had to psychologically withdraw from his classes twice because of it (aside: please remember there is no shame in dropping courses if it’s affecting your mental or physical health!). Luckily, I did end up getting permission from the History Department to count my 400-level Art History seminar (Women in Antiquity) to count towards one of those courses. The other 300-level History course I ended up taking was Ancient Rome, which I took with a different professor when the aforementioned professor was on sabbatical.

My other history courses didn’t have to do with ancient history if I didn’t want them to. I ended up taking mostly Medieval courses for the remainder of the requirements because that is my secondary interest (and my name is Brythonic, so it was always fun to see the professors’ reactions when I joined the classroom). I think the history courses I ended up taking for my other higher level coursework were Colonial America, 1066, 11th Century Medieval Europe, Renaissance History and then I had the required things like History 101 and 102, etc.

The next thing that was required was two Civilization courses, one of which had to be Biblical and Classical Literature (I believe it’s just an option now), which I took under the Jewish Studies subject (you could take it as Jewish Studies or English, and apparently I was the only one in that section who had taken it as Jewish Studies). The other course I took was Classical Literature in Translation: Tragedy (it rotated from different subjects, but Tragedy and Comedy were offered pretty often).

That was the bulk of my Classics that I took specific to my major. Additionally, you have to remember that electives/breadth (”gen eds”) are also present, so a lot of the things I took that were Classics-related that did not go into my degree requirement were also there, but these were the classes that I needed to graduate. Also, I was a double major/double minor, so some of my Classics were English, Art History, or Theatre as well.

The current requirements for the BA I completed at the University of Delaware is here: https://catalog.udel.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=18&poid=10630&returnto=1243

Another program that the University of Delaware has (that I would have preferred had it been added before my junior year of university) is the Ancient Greek and Roman Studies major. This major is a little more flexible than the one I outlined above, and here are the major-specific requirements you need for that BA:

Language/Culture:

2 classes like Biblical and Classical Literature or Classical Literature in Translation or one of the rotating literature courses offered when it has a Greek or Roman theme

Ancient Greek or Latin

One of the languages at the 200-level or higher, so 2 courses (e.g., 201, 202) but if you took either language in high school, you might be going to 301 and 302, etc.

Electives

18 credits (6 classes) of electives relevant to the ancient world, which can be from a variety of subjects like Anthropology, Art History, more Greek or Latin, History, Philosophy, or Theatre

Courses I took under these elective lists are: Classical Mythology, Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology, World Religions, and Theatre/Drama: Classical/Medieval

Now the majors also have the option to fulfill something called a capstone, which is like a final project of some sort and you write a senior thesis

https://catalog.udel.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=18&poid=10589&returnto=1243

Additionally, Villanova is where I’m getting my MA right now in Classical Studies and they have a BA/MA option for motivated students, so keep your eye out for programs like that as well! (They also have BA and MA separately; they’re the only non-profit university in the U.S. that I know of that offers an online MA in Classical Studies, too, which is why I ended up going there because I couldn’t justify moving again for a two-year program). (More here: https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/classical.html)

I hope that helps! Please feel free to send me any more asks if you want to know more or get clarification from this ask!

All the best,

Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman

#Classics #Classical Studies #tagamemnon #university #college #academia #long post #personal #University of Delaware #Villanova University #Anonymous

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theancientgeekoroman · 6 years ago

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Hello !! I’m a high school student interested in classics. I know a little bit from english classes and I’d love to learn more, but I have no idea where to start. I was wondering if you have any advice on how to start learning about classics, what to research, what book to read, where to start, etc. Thank you

Hello, there, Nonny! There is a lot of material, so I understand it can be overwhelming. I have a couple of other asks that you might find useful, so I’ll link them for you because it might give you a little bit of guidance:

One of the things that might help you with where to start is making a list of why you’re interested in the Classics. Do you like the languages? If that’s it, which language is what interests you the most? You can find a lot of different things that can help you to get started there. Is the culture what interests you most? What part of the culture? For me, it’s the religion and architecture of the ancient world, with very specific interests. But remember, I started my undergraduate career in 2007 and the introduction to everything was broad. My particular research interests and ideas have had over a decade to develop. Start broadly and then try to narrow it down.

For example, if you’re more interested in Ancient Greece, find a comprehensive book of the history of Ancient Greece. These might be good places to start:

Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times by Thomas R. Martin

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300160054/

Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History by Sarah B. Pomeroy et. al

https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Greece-Political-Cultural-History/dp/0199846049

Similar books might be helpful, or reading historiographers such as Herodotus might be another way to get into it, but I find his materials challenging to get into as a beginning scholar.

From there, try and see what continues to interest you about the history you’ve read; did the military history interest you? Then you move to books that focus on that, and you might find out you’re interested in a specific war. And you continue to do that until you narrow down your interests to specific things that might be a bit more difficult to find material for.

For example, my interest started with Greek mythology as a child. As I got older, I got more interested, and I began reading history books. The idea of religion being so interconnected with politics and other daily life began to intrigue me. Eventually, my interests moved to the relationship between the religion of the ancient Greeks and how it related to sex and gender in the ancient world. Figuring out how to tackle this is similar to how you would tackle a research topic: start general and narrow it down from there until you find a niche that you want to learn everything about.

If you’re not sure precisely where to start, I would suggest reading through this book: The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome by Susan Wise Bauer (https://www.amazon.com/History-Ancient-World-Earliest-Accounts/dp/039305974X/). This book doesn’t focus just on Europe, either, but on other areas as well. You might be surprised at what interests you!

Additionally, explore related fields to Classics, like Near Eastern Studies, because you might be interested in those fields as well. The people who often interacted with the Ancient Greek and/or Roman people are often overlooked or kind of peripheral for Classics students (at least it was the case for my experience in my coursework). For example, I knew nothing about the Thracians until I went to an archaeological field school in Bulgaria and the place where we dug was a Thracian trading post. Had I heard of them before? Yes. Did I learn extensively about them in any of my courses or hear them mentioned more than in passing? No. But I want to learn more! So, don’t be afraid to expand on your exploration beyond just the Ancient Greek and Roman people.

So, start extremely broad, then narrow down as things pique your interest. Classics has so much to it that you can pretty much pursue anything under it - history, politics, law, religion, architecture, art, war, etc. are all general things under “Classics” but before you know it, you might be interested in the way Roman rulers are depicted on coins during a specific century and whether this is considered a form of art or the mythological representation of Ancient Greece in early historiography.

Explore everything! Look up recent scholarship and see what current Classics scholars are writing about! You’d be surprised at how many things relate to Classics and the connections that are made between Classics and several other areas. (Usually, universities will have lists of what their current students are working on and recently completed dissertations, but Academia.edu, Google Scholar, and JSTOR will have some useful information).

I hope this gave you a little more direction (be sure to check that other ask with the reading list, too), and please let me know if I need to clarify anything!

All the best,

Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman

#tagamemnon #ask #asks #Classics #Classical Studies #personal #okay to reblog!#Anonymous #Anon #academia #long post

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