Undergraduate Studies



Majors


The Department of Classics offers two majors. Both provide students of diverse career goals a broad humane education and afford a solid foundation for those who wish to pursue graduate work in classics. The Classical Antiquity major provides a broad, interdisciplinary training in ancient Greek and Roman cultures and prepares you for graduate study in ancient archaeology, art, or history. The Classical Languages major trains you to read the great authors of Classical antiquity (e.g., Homer, Plato, Vergil, Sappho, Saint Augustine) in the original language and prepares you for graduate study in Classics and for teaching in some private schools. You might also combine your classical language interest with a degree in the School of Education. A degree in education with a Latin major allows you to teach Latin in public high schools.

Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major: Classical Antiquity


The Classical Antiquity major consists of 30 hours of coursework in Classics and related fields beyond the preliminary requirement of proficiency in either Latin or Greek. Students balance their coursework among three areas: ancient literature, ancient art and archaeology, and electives. Of the hours taken to complete the major, 15 must be at the 300 level or above.

Three courses must be chosen from the ancient literature area ( = 9 hours):
CLSX 148/9Greek and Roman Mythology
CLSX 232/332Greek Literature and Civilization
CLSX 240/340Roman Literature and Civilization
CLSX 384The Rise of Greek Tragedy
CLSX 388Poetry and Politics in 5th Century Athens
CLSX 576Topics in Greek and Roman Literature*
HWC 304Masterpieces of World Literature
PHIL 384Ancient Philosophy
Any upper division Latin or Greek course not used to satisfy the language requirement

Three courses must be chosen from the ancient art and archaeology area (= 9 hours):
CLSX 151/2Archaeological Discovery
CLSX 525 Aegean Art and Archaeology
CLSX 526 Greek Art and Archaeology
CLSX 527 Roman Art and Archaeology
CLSX 528 Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology
CLSX 529 Near Eastern Art and Archaeology
CLSX 577 Topics in the Archaeology and Art of the Ancient Mediterranean*
HWC/HA 600 Biography of a City: any ancient Mediterranean city

Four courses must be Electives (= 12 hours):

Any course from the above menus not used to satisfy the literature or archaeology concentration*

Any upper division Latin or Greek course not used to satisfy the language proficiency requirement or the literature requirement
CLSX 232/332 Word Power
CLSX 315 Women in Ancient Art And Society
CLSX 350 Modern Themes, Ancient Models
CLSX 375 Studies in __________________*
CLSX 496 Honors Thesis
CLSX 502 History and Development of Ancient Greece
CLSX 575 Readings in __________________*
HIST 506 Roman Republic
HIST 507 Roman Empire
HIST 508 Late Roman Empire
ANTH 110/310 Introduction to Archaeology
REL 525 Jews and Christians in Greco-Roman Antiquity
REL 526 Jewish History and Literature in the Greek and Roman Periods
REL 530 Christian Origins, from the Beginning to Augustine
LING 106 Introduction to Linguistics

* Only 6 hours each of CLSX 375, 575, 576, and 577 may count toward the major.


Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major: Classical Languages.

The Classical Languages major consists of 27 hours of work in Classics and related courses, beyond these four preliminary requirements: LAT 104 or 105, LAT 108 or 109 (or LAT 100 and LAT 101), GRK 104, and GRK 108. (Students who have already taken the equivalents of those courses will simply proceed to the next level). Study of both languages is required, but students with particular career plans may obtain written permission from the chair to substitute electives for one of the languages.

This major requires at least 15 hours in language courses starting with LAT 112/LAT 113 or GRK 301, 3 hours in ancient art and archaeology, 3 hours in ancient history, and 6 hours in electives.

Those students aiming for graduate school in Classics should take as many semesters of Latin and Greek as possible -- at the very least, three years of one ancient language and two years of the other.

One course must be chosen from the history area (3 hours):

Any course from the above menus not used to satisfy the literature or archaeology concentration*

Any upper division Latin or Greek course not used to satisfy the language proficiency requirement or the literature requirement
CLSX 230/330 Word Power
CLSX 230/330 Roman Literature and Civilization
CLSX 502 History and Development of Ancient Greece
HIST 502 Golden Age of Greece
HIST 505 Studies in Greek Civilization
HIST 506 Roman Republic
HIST 507 Roman Empire
HIST 508 Late Roman Empire

Other courses may be accepted, but require written permission from the Chair.

One course must be chosen from the ancient art and archaeology area (3 hours):

Any course from the above menus not used to satisfy the literature or archaeology concentration*

Any upper division Latin or Greek course not used to satisfy the language proficiency requirement or the literature requirement
CLSX 525 Aegean Art and Archaeology
CLSX 526 Greek Art and Archaeology
CLSX 527 Roman Art and Archaeology
HIST 528 Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology
HIST 529 Near Eastern Art and Archaeology
HIST 577 Topics in the Archaeology and Art of the Ancient Mediterranean*
HWC/HA 600 Biography of a City: any ancient Mediterranean city

Other courses may be accepted, but require written permission from the Chair.


Two courses must be chosen from these electives (6 hours):

Any course listed above, any course in the Classics department, PHIL 384, PHIL 508; HWC 304, HWC 390.


Honors

Honors requires the student to write an honors essay. This requires acceptance into the Classics honors program by the chairperson or major advisor, and enrollment in either GRK 496 or LAT 496. Students interested in this option should discuss their plans with an adviser as early as their junior year. The deadline for approval of the proposed project is the Advising/Enrollment period of the fall before the student's final semester (for May graduation). Students are advised that some preparation before the final semester is desirable (and may even be required for certain projects).