The Classical Studies program operates under the aegis of the Department of Languages and Literature. With its particular focus upon the study of the Classical Greek and Latin languages, and ancillary courses offered through other departments (e.g., art, history, theology, philosophy), the program is designed to prepare students with a major/minor concentration for advanced study in the Classics and related fields. The program also serves the needs and interests of a range of students from other majors and from the community at large, for whom the study of Greek or Latin satisfies a personal interest or complements their academic pursuits. The knowledge, discipline, critical thinking and problem solving skills developed through the Classical Studies program are widely applicable and adaptable to the exigencies of an ever changing world; they engender habits of mind and heart well appreciated by a broad spectrum of graduate and professional programs and employers, and promote personal satisfaction, life-long learning, and intellectual and spiritual enlightenment.
Notwithstanding the lack of native speakers, the Greeks and Romans continue to live through the interplay of reader and text. Our approach to teaching Latin and Greek is eclectic, combining the best practices from the long history of classical scholarship with modern theories of language acquisition and the latest in technological aids–all aimed at helping students acquire as quickly as possible the requisite linguistic knowledge, habits, and skills to enable them to address authentic texts on their own.
