Classical Antiquity and STEM

Pictured: Data Analytics Pedagogy course 

At UGA Classics, we have developed a series of new courses that aim to bridge Mediterranean antiquity with STEM approaches and, by extension, computer science in the wider sense. These courses merge the ancient and the digital, represented by data science and interactive media. 

 In “Data Analytics Pedagogy for Classics,” running for the first time in fall 2025, students gain hands-on experience with data analysis and visualization in the form of geographic information systems, corpus linguistics, and network analysis. Using AI to assist with statistical analysis, students also enhance their AI literacy. Students learn to apply these tools to classical or wider ancient history problems, from recognizing and extracting data in primary source material to camera-ready visualizations that communicate their results and tell stories. The course equips students with practical digital skills to conduct data-driven and interdisciplinary research in the humanities.  

The forthcoming “Ancient Empires: A Gaming Approach (spring 2026)” combines active, experiential, and experimental learning in exploring the multifaceted topic of ancient empires, their evolution and management. Supplemented by lectures, students will use grand-strategy video games to investigate empire building and management mechanisms and motivations across the ancient Mediterranean. They will explore the interlocking areas of governance, diplomacy, military strategy, and resource management while comparing virtual models of history with historical realities. Not only will students get a sense of the differences between regions and periods, but they will also get a sense of how much historical (or humanities) work goes into developing video games that are grounded in human history. In this sense, the course also touches upon game design.  

Together, these courses foster a new generation of Classicists versed in both ancient worlds and modern technologies, while spearheading the use of video games as a teaching resource in historical disciplines.  

In addition to that, the generous support of the Willson Center for Humanities enabled us to host Franziska Naether from the Saxonian Academy of Sciences as a short-term visiting fellow in the fall semester. Her guest lecture "Eternal Voices: How Digital Humanities are Reshaping Ancient Studies" and her workshop "Research Data Management and Data Management Plans for Ancient Studies" highlight the intersection of Mediterranean Antiquity and STEM via their confluence in Digital Humanities, enriching UGA’s endeavors with perspectives from Continental Europe.