Greek, Latin, and Hebrew literature are studied in the Classics Department. This is done with a view toward what the diverse and politically volatile setting of the ancient world can teach us about our modern context. The Department prepares people to study in graduate school in Classics and a range of related disciplines. It provides a place for the intensive study of Greek and Latin, and Classics prepares people for Law School, political science and theory as well as work in archaeology and architecture, among many other things. Above all, Classics provides a place for the critical analysis of ancient and foreign cultures, and helps students learn how to sympathetically enter and engage a worldview or setting quite different from their own.
Classics focuses on writing, critical reading, language acquisition, and argumentation.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities for foreign study, which the Classics department directs. These include summer archaeological excavations in Northern Israel excavating a Roman Temple, or spending the month of January living in, studying, and exploring the eternal city of Rome. The department also sends students on affiliated programs of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the College Year in Athens, and the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. All courses offered by the department may be used to satisfy the general distribution requirement in the humanities. Select courses from other departments may be substituted on occasion when approved in advance by the Classics department.