Classical Studies

The programme offers a two-year curriculum with emphasis in Ancient Greek or Latin language and literature. Before embarking on individual MA project in the fourth semester, students attend six or seven classes in their primary field of study (Greek or Latin).

Our members of staff have notable research strengths in epic and lyric, the ancient novel and medical prose, Neo-Latin literature (14th-20th century), intertextuality and narratology, historical semantics and linguistics, reception studies and history of philology, as well as papyrology, textual criticism and editorial technique.

Members of the Classics section coordinate their own research projects and participate in national and international projects, in which MA students can be involved. Projects include “Transmission of Magical Knowledge in Antiquity”, “The Uses of Latin in Fascist Italy”, “Traveling Texts: Translation and Transnational Reception”, and “Universal Natural Language Understanding”. They have moreover been involved in curating various digital editions and databases (Database of Mycenaean at Oslo; Oslo Papyri Electronic System; Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European; Fascist Latin Texts).

The Classics section at the University of Oslo maintains a lively seminar series, where MA students present their ongoing research twice in their second year of study.

Additionally, the University of Oslo Library encompasses a collection of over 2000 papyri from Graeco-Roman Egypt. The papyrus collection includes mainly literary papyri and documents in Ancient Greek, and a handful of Latin documents. These are used actively in teaching and can become subject of MA theses.

Since 1922, the University of Oslo is home to the renowned Classics journal Symbolae Osloenses.