Classics

Chairman and Professor: CARL YOUNG III
Professors: JOSEPH GARNJOBST, GAVIN WEAIRE
Associate Professor: ERIC HUTCHINSON
Assistant Professors: PATRICIA CRAIG, JOSHUA FINCHER, MARK MCCLAY

The study of the languages and civilization of Greece and Rome gives the student a unique insight into the Western heritage. Basic knowledge of classical antiquity is virtually indispensable for any indepth study in politics, religion, philosophy, or literature. The analytical training of classics, moreover, gives the student excellent and widely recognized preparation for a broad variety of professions. 

Proficiency in Latin or Greek, as demonstrated by successful completion of Classics 101, 102, and 201 (Latin) or Classics 103, 104, and 202 (Greek) will satisfy the foreign language requirement for the bachelor of arts degree. Students may satisfy the language requirement in part by demonstrating the necessary level of proficiency on the placement exam given by the Classics Department at the beginning of the fall semester.

The Classics Department offers three majors. All three majors consist of a component of classes in one or both of the original languages of Latin and Greek and a component of Classical Civilization classes in which the sources are taught in English translation.

Courses offered by other departments that are centered on the Greco-Roman tradition and that are appropriate for one of the majors may be counted toward that major with approval of the Chairman of Classics. Students may double-major with the Latin major and Greek major, but may not double-major with the Classics major and one of the other majors. 

Students who major in any one of the three majors offered by Classics will have to pass a comprehensive examination in the last semester of the senior year. Departmental honors will be awarded to graduating Greek, Latin, and Classics majors based on three joint criteria: a departmental GPA of at least 3.6, a high pass on comprehensive exams, and submission of an honors thesis. The thesis should be a significant research paper (3,000-6,000 words) on a classical topic or text. In addition to relevant primary sources, the paper should also demonstrate a command of the relevant secondary literature on the topic while developing an original argument. The paper may be developed and written during a student’s senior year (under supervision of a Classics faculty member and with approval of a second reader within the department), or it may be revised from a previously submitted Classics research paper or CSP thesis (in which case it must have approval from a second reader within the department other than the faculty member for whom it was originally written). The deadline to submit the thesis is March 1 for seniors graduating in the spring.