Particular care is taken to assure a wide range of expertise. Ronald Cluett is an ancient historian, specializing in late republican and early imperial Rome. Richard McKirahan's chief interests include Greek civilization, and ancient philosophy and science. Classicists at the other Claremont colleges include specialists in Greek archaeology, Latin literature, and Greek intellectual history. Recent publications by members of the Pomona Classics Department include Philosophy Before Socrates , a widely-read book on Presocratic Philosophy, Principles and Proofs , a book on Aristotle's philosophy of science, and Philodemus, On Choices and Avoidances , an edition of an ancient ethical text.
Students concentrating in Classics choose from two options.
Classical Languages and Literatures is designed for those interested in studying the classical languages in depth. Under the Classical Studies option, students specialize in classical literature, Greek, Latin, ancient art and archaeology, ancient history, ancient philosophy, or ancient political theory, and place less emphasis on the ancient languages. Students and faculty work closely together in a friendly, supportive atmosphere that fosters individual student development. Most classics majors choose to study abroad for a semester or year in Athens or Rome as part of their Pomona education. Classics is widely recognized as an intellectually rigorous field, and the record of past majors shows that it is helpful in admission to medical school, law school, and other professional programs.