Major in Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies (38 credits)

This dynamic and flexible major track combines the study of language, literature, history, archaeology, art, religion, and philosophy for an interdisciplinary approach to the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East. It is the quintessential liberal arts experience, allowing students to apply multiple fields of inquiry to past human experience and then to apply insights about this behavior to pressing modern concerns and problems.

Required Courses:

A student takes 36 credits of Classics courses, plus one 2-credit capstone (Classics 399), for a total of 38 credits. At least 16 credits must be taken in Greek and/or Latin language courses (reaching advanced 300-level study). The additional 20 credits can be in relevant courses taught in English translation or Greek and Latin language courses in any combination but representing at least three different fields literature, history, philosophy, religion, and archaeology and art. These courses may be taken on campus at CSB and SJU or abroad in our Greece and Italy programs. Eligible courses include:

Literature:

• Classics 221 Golden Age of Athens
• Classics 223 Classical Mythology
• Classics 279 Scientific Etymology
• English 221B Early Western Literature Homer to Dante
• English 385J Medieval Women
• Languages 331 Classical Greek Literature in Translation (abroad)
• Languages 332 Roman Literature in Translation (abroad)
• Greek 341 Homer and Epic Poetry
• Greek 342 Greek Tragedy
• Greek 347 Aristophanes
• Latin 331 Virgil and Epic Poetry
• Latin 333 Elegiac and Lyric Poetry
• Latin 338 Roman Comedy
• Latin 343 Ovid’s Metamorphoses

History:

• History 220 Sword and Scroll Violence and Cultural Exchange in Antiquity
• History 330 Parties and Wars Greece in the Classical Period
• History 377A Roman Empire
• Classics 379 Grand Strategy
• History 113A History of Greece in the Classical World (abroad)
• History 113B History of Italy in the Classical World (abroad)
• Greek 332A Greek Historians Herodotus
• Greek 332B Greek Historians Thucydides
• Latin 327C The Catilinarian Conspiracy
• Latin 327D The Life and Death of Augustus
• Latin 349 Roman Historians

Philosophy:

• Philosophy 331 Ancient Philosophy
• Philosophy 368M Flourishing Aristotle in Contemporary Perspectives
• Greek 345 Studies in Plato
• Latin 342 Cicero

Religion:

• Theology 305 Jesus and the Gospels
• Theology 306 Paul and His Letters
• Theology 309 Sexuality and Renunciation in Christianity
• Theology 365/Peace Studies 368R Islam
• History of Christianity 400 Patristics
• History of Christianity 402 History of Christianity I
• Theology 391 History of the Eastern Church (abroad)
• Theology 392 History of the Western Church (abroad)
• Latin 327E Jews and Christians in the Roman World

Archaeology and Art:

• History 130 Introduction to Archaeology
• Art 230 Art Moves I Neolithic-1400
• Ethics 390 Museum History Ethics of Collecting and Display
• Art 221 Art History of Greece (abroad)
• Art 222 Art History of Rome (abroad)

In addition, we allow students to substitute other relevant courses with significant Classics content or applicable theory (in consultation with Classics faculty and with permission of the Department Chair). Examples may include:

• English 279A Literary Theory and Criticism
• Entrepreneurship 101B Innovation and the Liberal Arts
• History 278A Confusingly Confucian Creating East Asia to 1600
• Philosophy 121 Great Issues in Philosophy
• Philosophy 123 Philosophy of Human Nature
• Philosophy 125 Social Philosophy
• Philosophy 321 Moral Philosophy
• Political Science 221 Introduction to Political Theory
• Political Science 311 Classics of Political Theory
• Political Science 356 Security Defense, Diplomacy, and Development
• Sociology 111 Introduction to Sociology
• Sociology 304 Sociological Theory
• Sociology 121 Introduction to Anthropology
• Sociology 326 Cultural Thought and Meaning

We also work with students to secure high-impact research opportunities and internships supporting their professional interests, including student-faculty collaborative research grants and internships at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML).

Minor in Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies (24 credits)

The Classics Program also offers a minor track in Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies. For many students, a minor is the right fit, allowing them to explore the rich cultural landscape of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East while complementing other programs of study and distinguishing their resumes.

Required Courses:

A student takes 24 credits of Classics courses in any combination. They may include Greek and Latin language courses of any level and/or any of the courses approved for Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies taught in English translation (see the list of literature, history, philosophy, religion, and archaeology and art courses above).

Major in Classics Classical Languages (38 credits)

This major track emphasizes the study of language in the ancient Mediterranean and literature in the original Greek and Latin. Here students explore pivotal works of poetry, history, prose fiction, philosophy, tragedy, comedy, rhetoric, biography, and epigraphy. We engage a wide range of authors (with a global impact) on their own terms.

Required Courses:

A student takes 36 credits of Classics courses, plus one 2-credit capstone (Classics 399), for a total of 38 credits. At least 28 credits must be taken in Greek and/or Latin language courses of any level. Up to 8 credits may be taken from any of the courses approved for Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies taught in English translation (see the list of literature, history, philosophy, religion, and archaeology and art courses above).

In addition, we allow students to substitute other relevant courses with significant Classics content or applicable theory (in consultation with Classics faculty and with permission of the Department Chair). See the list of examples above under Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies. We also work with students to secure high-impact research opportunities and internships supporting their professional interests, including student-faculty collaborative research grants and internships at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML).

Minor in Classics Classical Languages (24 credits)

The Classics Program also offers a minor track in Classics Classical Languages. This minor offers all the advantages of the minor in Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies, but here students focus their study on ancient languages and literatures, specifically Greek and Latin. They immediately become aware of English’s linguistic debt to Greek and Latin, sharpen their ability to analyze language and write effectively, and rapidly move into reading entertaining and provocative texts in Greek and Latin that stimulate deep thinking about antiquity and the modern day.

Required Courses:

A student takes 24 credits of Classics courses. At least 20 credits must be taken in Greek and/or Latin language courses of any level (but reaching advanced 300-level study in at least one language). Up to 4 credits may be taken from any of the courses approved for Classics Ancient Mediterranean Studies taught in English translation (see the list of literature, history, philosophy, religion, and archaeology and art courses above).