About

The department of Classical Studies is small and congenial, with a faculty that enjoys teaching while at the same time being active in research and publication. It has the feel of a small college department in the midst of a major university. The Department has five regular faculty members, plus two part-time lecturers; as many as nine faculty members in other departments have teaching and research interests in the ancient world. The department supports a Classics major, minors in Latin and Ancient Greek, and an interdisciplinary minor in Ancient Civilization at the undergraduate level, and a small Master of Arts program at the graduate level.

The range of courses offered includes elementary and intermediate languages (Latin, Greek, and Modern Greek), upper-level reading courses in ancient authors and genres in their original languages (basis of the major), and broad gauge courses in ancient culture in which the reading is in English (basis of the Ancient Civilization minor). Some of these latter courses carry credit for the Core curriculum requirements in Literature, History I, and Fine Arts. Elementary and intermediate language courses satisfy the University's language requirement.

Course sizes vary widely. At the one end is Classical Mythology, a lecture and discussion course enrolling 40-60 students, sometimes more. At the other end are advanced reading courses in Greek, which may have as few as five to seven students enrolled. Advanced Latin courses tend to be in the range of 12-15. Courses in the area of ancient civilization, whose reading is entirely in English, range from 20-40. On the whole, classes are small enough to allow for a good deal of individual attention.