Thesis consultation
Throughout the Master's programme, independent, tutorial courses prepare students for writing their thesis. Students are expected to acquire in-depth knowledge in the broader context of their chosen research area with the help of their thesis supervisor. The aim of the consecutive courses is to culminate in a thesis by the end of the course, which could also be the basis for a doctoral dissertation.
The students report to their supervisor in weekly consultations, discussing methodological, historical and theoretical issues.
By the end of the first seminar, the final title and detailed outline of the dissertation should be prepared, and all the relevant sources and literature should be compiled.
The second seminar will be a detailed treatment of the source texts and literature related to the broader topic of the thesis, which the student will be required to report.
In the third seminar, a relevant chapter of the thesis should be prepared.
The fourth seminar is a weekly consultation session to support successful completion of the thesis.
Classics
This specialization approaches Classics as a living tradition that continues to influence contemporary thought, culture, and aesthetics. Students examine the philosophical and artistic legacy of the ancient world with particular attention to the ways classical forms, myths, and concepts of beauty resonate in modern culture and critical theory. Strongly interdisciplinary in nature, the specialization engages with art history, archaeology, and classical philology, while aiming not at narrow specialization but at fostering a broad, integrated understanding of how classical heritage still shapes art, philosophy, and society today.
Overview of the Classics specialization courses
Note that the short course descriptions provided below are general, tentative, the exact content and schedule of the individual courses will be defined at the beginning of each semester.
- 1st semester
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ESZB0515 Museology
3 ects - 2 classes/weekThe course explores the different types of museums exhibiting classical art across different eras, starting from ancient times, through the Renaissance and modern periods, up to our contemporary decades. The course will examine the different aspects that have been emphasized in the presentation of ancient artifacts, along with the large variety of exhibition techniques that have been employed throughout history. This goal is to uncover the traditions that have shaped, and often continue to influence, our perception of ancient art. By tracing these developments, we also seek to deepen our understanding of contemporary attitudes toward antiquity.
ESZB0516 Theories of the arts - Antiquity and Middle Ages
3 ects - 2 classes/weekThe course is a tutorial seminar that provides an in-depth interpretation of the most important aesthetic and art theoretical texts of antiquity and the Middle Ages. Interpretations will take into account the visual arts of the period, the ancient and medieval musical traditions and the teachings of the philosophical schools.
- 2nd semester
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ESZB0517 Cults and Visual Arts
6 ects – 4 classes/weekThis course examines the representations associated with cultic activities across various periods and cultures of classical antiquity. In cases where written sources aid interpretation, we attempt to assess the relationship between the cult itself and its depictions. We explore the roles these depictions may have played during the rituals and evaluate how ancient viewers, familiar with and participating in the cults, might have interpreted them.
ESZB0518 Cults and Music
3 ects - 2 classes/weekLiterary and art representations of the famous mythical musicians: Amphion, Arion, Orpheus, Thamyris, Marsyas etc. Pictorial and written sources (including epigraphy, papyrology and musical notation) for studying sacred / religious/ cult music performed at different religious festivals held in the honour of Dionysus (Dionysia: Athens & Attica), Athena (Panathenaea: Athens), Apollo (Pythia: Delphi, Delia: Delus, Thargelia: Athens, Karneia: Sparta, Didyma: Miletus), Artemis (Artemisia:. Eretria), Asclepius (Epidaurus), Cybele, Isis (Rome).
ESZB0519 Cults and texts 1
3 ects - 2 classes/weekUsing a variety of literary and archaeological sources, the course Cults and Texts 1 introduces students to ancient Greek religious practices. Through its extensive chronological range and broad geographical scope, the reading list and included materials provide a coherent yet diverse understanding of the cults practised by the Greeks.
Introductory classes will focus on methods, concepts, and theories, exploring the context of the vast array of deities, heroes, and traditions across the Mediterranean region. The case studies examined—such as the Eleusinian Mysteries, Attic processions, and local cults of deities—together with fundamental and varied ancient Greek literary texts (e.g., the Homeric Hymns, tragedies, epigraphic sources), will enable students to engage with other cultural aspects of classical antiquity.
ESZB0520 Illicit art trade
3 ects - 2 classes/weekThe aim of the seminar is to analyse the processes of illicit theft, movement and sale of cultural property, especially archaeological cultural property, through a series of case studies using methods from archaeology, criminology and art history. In addition to exploring and evaluating the harmful processes, students will learn about the specialised police methods, techniques and international professional cooperation used to curb the illegal trade in works of art, and will be confronted with the challenges and difficulties encountered in carrying out this task. The course will also introduce the concepts of repatriation and restitution of illegally stolen works of art and their legal possibilities, using international examples.
- 3rd semester
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ESZB0521 Great Books 1.
6 ects – 4 classes/weekThe aim of the seminar is to study and interpret the most important works of ancient classical literature. Participation in the course requires individual reading of a considerable number of texts, selected works of which will be interpreted together in class. Students will learn about the contexts in which classical literary texts were produced and about relevant cultural, artistic, literary and philosophical traditions and theories. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the contemporary relevance of the classics.
ESZB0522 Cults and texts 2.
3 ects - 2 classes/weekThe course aims at highlighting the major ancient Greek, Roman and Christian cults and their representation in classical texts referring to some of the relevant cultic practices. The relation between cultic practices and their textual representation needs careful attention, because ancient cults were not primarily belief systems and faith structures (with a certain exception in the case of Christianity), but actions such as votive offerings or sacrifices. The course analyses only actions that relate to supernatural beings, i. e. pays less attention to cultic rites of passage or purification practices. The course provides introduction into the Greek and Latin pantheon, the major sanctuaries and cultic actions, on the basis of ancient authors from Homer and Hesiod through the Greek tragedies and Plato to Pausanias and Cicero. As for Christianity, major texts relating to the early Christian worship will be focused on, from authors like Justin, Minucius Felix or Augustin.
ESZB0523 Classical archaeology and iconography 1.
3 ects - 2 classes/weekThe course aims to introduce students to the fundamental techniques of interpreting ancient art and to develop their proficiency in the iconographic analysis of images. During the first semester, students will gain an overview of the historical development of Greek and Roman iconography, exploring its profound impact on the diverse cultures of the Mediterranean region and its enduring influence on later European art. In the second semester, the focus shifts to the use of ancient written sources for analyzing image s, particularly those depicting mythical narratives and other stories of religious significance, with parallel examinations of the literary and visual representations of myths.
- 4th semester
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ESZB0524 Great books 2
8 ects – 4 classes/weekThe seminar is the continuation of Great Books 1. The aim of the course is to study and interpret the most important works of ancient classical literature. Participation in the course requires individual reading of a considerable number of texts, selected works of which will be interpreted together in class. Students will learn about the contexts in which classical literary texts were produced and about relevant cultural, artistic, literary and philosophical traditions and theories. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the contemporary relevance of the classics.
ESZB0525 Classics in popular culture
5 ects – 2 classes/weekThe course aims to provide students with a deeper knowledge of the Greco-Roman embeddedness of popular culture in the 20th and 21st centuries, the vitality, changes and socio-cultural background of the relationships that can be explored and are worth exploring.
ESZB0526 Classical archaeology and iconography 2.
4 ects – 2 claThe course aims to introduce students to the fundamental techniques of interpreting ancient art and to develop their proficiency in the iconographic analysis of images. During the first semester, students will gain an overview of the historical development of Greek and Roman iconography, exploring its profound impact on the diverse cultures of the Mediterranean region and its enduring influence on later European art. In the second semester, the focus shifts to the use of ancient written sources for analyzing images, particularly those depicting mythical narratives and other stories of religious significance, with parallel examinations of the literary and visual representations of myths.
Graduation requirements
Students must fulfil the credit requirements (120 ects) of the master’s degree. A Master’s Thesis must be completed. For information about the administrative processes of graduation go here ....
Final Examination
All students must take a final examination at the end of their studies. This consists of two parts for the Master’s degree in Aesthetics: 1. Presentation and discussion of the Final Thesis. Open for academic public. 2. The second part of the exam is also oral and takes place before a committee of professors. As a rule, the committee must include an academic who is knowledgeable in the field but does not belong to the institute. During the oral exam, students randomly select topics from a list of given topics and are then tested on those topics. They must draw from two lists of topics: one containing questions and topics from their area of specialization and the other from the field of aesthetics.
