Who We Are
If you love language, history, philosophy, art, politics, law, mythology, psychology, and anything else that influences culture, you’re an Ancient Mediterranean Studies major in the making.
As the only full Ancient Mediterranean Studies department in Western North Carolina, UNC Asheville’s Ancient Mediterranean Studies faculty are actively engaged in all areas of the field, from literature to ethics, religion, and archaeology. Ancient Mediterranean Studies majors can participate in undergraduate research, local and international service learning, teaching internships, and co-curricular activities like The Ancient Gardens Club or Eta Sigma Phi, the National Classics Honor Society.
What You’ll Learn
Ancient Mediterranean Studies majors read some of the greatest literature ever written and study two cultures that are foundational to so much of our own: Latin and Greek. Since Latin and Greek provide the bases for about 80% of English, learning to read these ancient languages will train you to be an articulate communicator and a critical thinker. Because Ancient Mediterranean Studies is an interdisciplinary field, your classes will cover many subjects, and you’ll find career opportunities in education, the arts, government, law, communications, the nonprofit sector, and more.
Why English
People have always told stories to explore what it means to be human. Our department is a supportive community of readers, writers, and scholars contributing to this ever-changing story. Through seminar-style discussion and project-based learning, English majors learn how to analyze texts, think critically, and communicate their knowledge and ideas. Our faculty are active in their fields, publishing their scholarship and creative work; our department brings noteworthy writers to campus for readings, workshops, and conversation. Many of our students take on internships, conduct independent and faculty-mentored research, publish in our university’s literary journal Headwaters, and are active in Asheville’s vibrant writing community.
What You’ll Learn
From antiquity to our contemporary moment, you will study Western and world literature to learn how novelists, poets, playwrights, and literary critics shaped, and were shaped by, our shared cultural and historical contexts. Creative writing students learn how to critique poetry, fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction in a workshop setting, and craft a longer manuscript of their own in their senior year. Our graduates enjoy meaningful careers as teachers, professional writers, journalists, entrepreneurs, and more.
Who We Are
Bring your creative visions to life at UNC Asheville. With a faculty of acclaimed artists and art historians within the thriving arts scene of Asheville, UNC Asheville’s art and art history programs offer rigorous training in the creative sector. Our close-knit, supportive department encourages imagination and experimentation while challenging you to integrate content, concept, and technique to discover your own unique voice. Studio art majors can choose from six areas of concentrations: ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture. Related majors include art history and arts management and entrepreneurship.
What You'll Learn
Context and communication are key to learning how to be an effective artist, so you'll begin your art education by building a foundation of technical and writing skills in art history, design, and drawing. Through class critiques, you’ll learn how to give and receive valuable feedback on your work from faculty and classmates. Most of your time will be spent working in our facilities, which include six art concentration studios, firing kilns, dark rooms, and digital labs. Our newest interdisciplinary makerspace, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) Studio, exemplifies UNC Asheville's liberal arts mission by bringing art and science together to create collaborative pieces of art and technology.
We also have multiple galleries across campus to host student, faculty and visiting artist exhibitions. All senior-level students produce a major body of work in the form of a solo or group exhibition and portfolio, which serves as strong preparation for postgraduate work. All students are also encouraged to learn outside of the studio and gain professional experience through internships at local museums and galleries.
