Ancient cities and settlements are reconstructed through archaeological and architectural analysis. And the crisis, failures, and successes of the classical world are examined. All 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 foriegn cultures, and helps students learn how to sympathetically enter and engage a worldview or setting quite different from there own.
Classics focuses on writing, critical reading, language acquisition, and arguementation.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of oppotunities for foreign study which the Classics department directs. These include summer archaeological excavations along the north coast of the Black Sea at the ancient city of Chersonesus, the month of January living in, studying, and exploring the eternal city of Rome, and an interdisciplinary January program in Jerusalem. 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.