Classics
Office: B018 New Cabell Hall
Phone: 924-3008
| Classics courses (beyond and above LATI 202 and GREE 202) apply toward fulfillment of the College area requirement in Humanities |
In 1800, Thomas Jefferson wrote to the renowned scientist Joseph Priestly, “To read the Latin and Greek authors in their original is a sublime luxury... I thank on my knees him who directed my early education for having in my possession this rich source of delight.” Accordingly, Jefferson established the School of Ancient Languages in his plan for the University. The Department of Classics carries on the same mission today.
Mr. Jefferson, who valued the useful no less than the sublime, knew that the classics provide both. First, the Greek and Latin languages are a training in clear thought and forceful style. Second, many of the most important ideas, methods of investigation and analysis and modes of government in use today occurred first to the Greeks and the Romans. Third, Greco-Roman antiquity is both the recognizable ancestor of modern civilization and a civilization markedly different from our own, and is instructive because of its difference. Fourth, ever since the Renaissance, classics has been an “interdisciplinary” subject, stretching the mind by combining literature, history, philosophy, art, architecture, government, and religion. For these reasons and many others, students major in classics or take Latin or Greek civilization courses to complement their studies. Our majors find Classics a useful preparation for careers in business, law, medicine, and the arts in addition to careers in teaching at the high-school or college level.
The Department offers courses in Latin and Greek at various levels and courses under the Classics rubric, in which everything is read in English. Students interested in classics should take Greek 101 and 102 in their first year. First-year students who have had some Latin and want to continue should take the placement exam during Summer Orientation, and will be placed into LATI 103, 201, or a 300-level course according to their score. Students who already took the SAT II Latin exam in high school may have their placement determined by the score earned on that exam.
Beginners are welcome in LATI 101. Beginning Latin and beginning Greek are taught by faculty members. Students who would like an overview of Greek or Roman civilization may take CLAS 201 or CLAS 202. The Department also offers 300-level courses in classics with no prerequisite. These cover smaller areas such as periods (e.g., CLAS 313, The Age of Augustus) or genres (CLAS 321, Tragedy and Comedy).
Students who know or suspect that they will major in classics should enroll in beginning Greek or the appropriate level of Latin.