Late Antique-Medieval Studies Major

Late Antique-Medieval Studies (LAMS) puts you in the heart of the fascinating post-Classics period when cultures collided in the Mediterranean and Near East.

LAMS majors explore the historic bridge that connects the classic world and medieval world. This period witnessed the Christianization of the Roman Empire, the rise of the “barbarian kingdoms” in the west, and the emergence of Islam in the east and south, offering LAMS students a rich tapestry of cultural, political, economic and religious encounters to discover.

An unusual major/minor to be offered at a small college, the community of scholars at The Claremont Colleges enables a rich and inventive curriculum with classes in history, religious studies, art history, archaeology, philosophy, literatures.

Ana Nunez ’17 shares why she chose LAMS as her major and the classes she took in her four years at Pomona College.
Jordan Shaheen ’17 shares how he discovered about the LAMS program and his interest in history classes.
In class with Professor George Gorse
In class with Professor George Gorse
In class with Professor Ken Wolf
In class with Professor Ken Wolf
In class with Professor Ken Wolf
In class with Professor Ken Wolf

What You’ll Study

    • Three semesters of Greek, Latin, Hebrew or Arabic
    • Three courses from the Ancient offerings in Classics, including Ancient History
    • Five courses from LAMS multidisciplinary choices
    • A senior seminar and senior thesis
23
Claremont Colleges faculty who teach LAMS courses

Learning at Pomona

Glen Williams '21

Studying Al-Kindi’s Apology (c.820 CE)

Glen Williams ’21 is investigating the usage of miracles in al-Kindi’s arguments in his Apology (c.820 CE) for the class Early Christian Views of Islam taught by Professor Ken Wolf.

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Glen Williams '21
Glen Williams ’21

LAMS provides me with a more competitive grad school application because of LAMS’ focus on language: all LAMS majors have to do three semesters of Latin, Greek, or Arabic. For medieval history, competency with relevant languages is essential. Concerning my interests in the material itself, I find the medieval mindset fascinating, especially in regard to religious practices and beliefs, and how the different Abrahamic traditions interacted with each other.

Faculty & Teaching

As an intercollegiate major, LAMS students have access to professors across The Claremont Colleges with expertise in subjects like Islamic philosophy and theology, Judaism, early Christianity, the Reformation, Late Antique art and archeology, medieval music, and Early Modern Italy.

Professor Ken Wolf

There is a natural cluster of professors whose specialties are tied to the broader Mediterranean world between the first and 16th centuries at The Claremont Colleges. I like to say they’re a bunch of stars and we formed a new constellation out of them by creating LAMS.