Program Requirements

Introduction:

The curriculum of the Classics Department affords students the opportunity to study the Greek and Roman sources of Western culture. Courses are available in Greek and Latin at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. For the major and non-major alike, there are offerings in Greek and Roman history, politics, philosophy, religion, mythology, and literature - none of which presupposes any knowledge of the ancient languages. With two archaeologists on its staff, the Department also offers courses in Mediterranean Archaeology at various levels, from beginning to advanced. The overall aim of the Department is to enhance the cultural background and the language skills of all its students through a variety of instructional method. Resources, such as the Perseus Project and the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, are available in the Department's newly inaugurated St. Isidore of Seville Computer Lab, where students can pursue individual research projects using open-source software and where seminars take place in which information technology is an important component.

For the student who chooses Classics as a major, the Department offers a wide selection of courses, seminars, and occasional tutorials that provide a comprehensive view of the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. The program for majors is designed to develop a command of the Classical languages, to introduce the student to the techniques of textual and historical analyses, and to survey the Greek and Roman worlds through literary, historical and archaeological evidence. The Classics major thus acquires a familiarity with the subtleties and intricacies of inflected languages, an ability for creative expression through the accurate translation of prose and poetry, and a critical knowledge of the texts, material culture and institutions which form the foundations of Western Civilization. In addition, the classroom experience can be enhanced by participation in study-abroad programs in Rome and Athens. Recent Classics majors have pursued advanced degrees at several of the finest institutions of higher learning in the country and have followed careers in secondary school teaching, journalism, law, business, medicine, banking, and software development, among others.

Requirements:

A minimum of 10 courses is required for a major in Classics. To satisfy the language requirements of the Classics major, a student will typically take at least one semester of an author-level course in one language and complete the intermediate level in the other. Normally, majors take no fewer than eight courses in the original languages. Adjustments to the language requirements can be approved by the chair of the Department.

Questions about the Classics Department? Call us at 508-793-2547 or e-mail classicsdept@holycross.edu.