To understand fully contemporary Western culture, we must study its historical origins. The Department of Classics actively encourages students of all backgrounds and traditions to participate in the study of the classical heritage. Such an understanding of the unique aspects of Western culture is most important in the contemporary world where all cultures have come into relation with one another. Classics is the study of the intellectual forces that have shaped western civilization, and to understand fully the assumptions and ideas of that civilization we have to go back to their original formulation. Western literary forms, the shape of western political and social institutions, such disciplines as Philosophy, History, and many of the Natural Sciences all originated and took shape in the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome.
Classics is thus more than the study of ancient languages.
Languages are not learned for themselves, but because they are necessary for the scientific study of ancient history, literature, religion, mythology and philosophy. The Classics Department at Dalhousie provides instruction both in these subjects and in ancient languages. While previous preparation in one or more ancient languages is desirable, it is nevertheless quite feasible for students who discover an interest in classics to begin their language studies at university. Students of classics must learn Greek and Latin if they wish to take an honours degree or to go on to graduate studies in the field, but the Department offers a variety of classes in Greek and Roman Literature, Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Ancient and Christian Religion, and general Classical Culture, which do not require a foreign language. Classics is worth studying for its own sake by students who wish to obtain a better understanding of the common assumptions and beliefs of Western society.