Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies (CANES) Major (B.A.) & Minor

Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Studies (CANES) encompasses the art, history, and literature of ancient Greece, Italy, and the Middle East—in short, the ancient Mediterranean world. This discipline is the oldest and most central of all the humanities and at one time constituted the basic liberal arts education. At GW, Classics was one of the two oldest departments. Some students may wish to pursue a career in CANES by teaching at the secondary level or by attending graduate school in Classical or Near Eastern Studies (ancient philology, history, philosophy, or art and archaeology). For others, a major in CANES is not only intellectually fulfilling, it can help them learn analytic, linguistic, and critical thinking skills to prepare for a variety of careers, including law, medicine, museum studies, library sciences, journalism, publishing, history, & linguistics.

Upon graduation, those majoring in CANES will find a variety of opportunities open to them (e.g., secondary school teaching, further study in graduate school, law school). By selecting their courses carefully, moreover, many students complete the requirements of two majors (CANES and Archaeology, for example, or CANES and History, or CANES and Biology) in order to gain more flexibility in choosing a career. Thus students interested in law, medicine, or business can easily combine courses necessary for professional school preparation with courses broadly based in the humanities. Since many professional schools want students who have linguistic skills and a broad knowledge of our cultural traditions, a major in CANES provides an ideal background for further study in various professional schools.