An alternate approach is to study antiquity through works in English translation. This method offers the student a quicker access to a wider range of materials, though it limits the depth in which study can be pursued. For the student whose real passions lie elsewhere, but who is curious about the ancient world, this may be the best way to proceed. In either case, the list of courses below gives an idea of what is available. The curriculum, especially the undergraduate curriculum, naturally emphasizes the greater over the lesser figures.
Life is short.
It just makes sense to read Plato before Diodorus or Virgil before Persius. Antiquity, and we should be thankful for this, does not get to rest on its laurels. It has to to earn its keep, as so far it has, with each new generation by responding to new questions and challenges. The Department of Classical Studies is small and congenial, though its faculty is active in research and publication. It has the feel of a small college department in the midst of a major university.