The Department of Ancient and Classical Hungarian Literature focuses on two distinctive periods within the history of Hungarian literature. Courses in the so-called ’ancient Hungarian literature’ introduce students to the full breadth of imaginative literature written in the Hungarian language from the Medieval times through the Renaissance to the Baroque. The courses integrate genre and modes and historical periods in a way that lends coherence to an otherwise vast field. In addition to the historical approach, the courses tend to introduce students to a wide scope of research methods in the fields of philology and ancient Hungarian literature. Courses in the second period covering 18th century Hungarian literature up to the 19th century fin de siecle focus on the history of Hungarian literature and culture bound up with issues in aesthetics and theories of genre. Students attending these courses will be trained to discuss basic issues in the fields of philology and cultural history, as well as theories of cultural studies.  Moreover, they will become familiar with the latest research achievements in recent literary studies of the classical period in Hungarian Literature.