Classics

Our classics department opens students' eyes to old ways of thinking and new thinking about old ways. We challenge students with a multidisciplinary approach to the ancient Greek and Roman worlds that rewards disciplined study and provides opportunities for creative thinking.

Ancient visitors to the Delphic oracle saw the aphorism "know yourself" (γνῶθι σαυτόν) inscribed on the wall of Apollo's temple. To know yourself as you really are involves not merely navel-gazing, but going outside yourself, putting yourself in other people's shoes, traveling to distant places—distant in time as well as space—and learning the languages and cultures of other peoples.

Classics, the study of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, has for centuries been the heart of a liberal arts education. You can pursue the major through courses in art history, history, language (ancient Greek and Latin), literature, philosophy, political science, and religion.