29 Classical Studies Course Programs

Classical Studies explores interrelated disciplines with the goal of understanding everything possible about the world of the ancient Greeks and Romans (classic Greek and Latin), classical Greek and Roman philosophy, art, archaeology, and mythology. Classical Studies includes some of the best in literary genres, such as the first European epics, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. To offer this broad kind of understanding, a well-rounded program in classical studies teaches not only the literature and linguistics of the ancients but their history, philosophy, and art, and archaeology. Students are well-informed citizens who think critically and have a global understanding.

Classical Studies offers a multidisciplinary approach to the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome and the broader Mediterranean world. Our students take courses in the languages (Greek and Latin) and literature, archaeology, history, mythology, and religion of these societies presented both in their historical context and as avenues for current inquiry.

Classical studies combines the examination of the ideas and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome with the application insights from classical texts to our own time. Dickinson’s rigorous language curriculum focuses on mastery of core vocabulary in Latin and Ancient Greek, the development of sight-reading skills and close reading and literary interpretation. Courses taught entirely in English deal with mythology, the ancient world in film, ancient history, archaeology, classical philosophy and public speaking. A capstone seminar involves an original research project and reflection on how ideas and values in classical texts can be relevant today.

Students learn about the languages and civilizations of the multiethnic Greco-Roman world, from the Bronze Age of Greece to the peak of the Roman empire. Courses in ancient Greek and Latin, or Classical Studies courses focusing on history, culture, literature, and the arts invite students to engage in a critical examination of how the ancient Greeks and Romans have shaped our modern world through formal education, cultural, political and scientific discourses, and popular culture.

Develop the critical thinking, writing, analysis and interpretation skills that are foundational for leadership positions in a wide variety of careers through a degree in classical studies. Classical studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the Mediterranean world (Greece, Rome, Egypt and the Near East), including the study of language, history, economics, literature, philosophy, drama, religion, art, archaeology and environmental studies. Explore the vibrant cultures of the Greeks and Romans – on campus and through ample study abroad opportunities – and see how our present day is shaped by their legacy.

With the Classics and Classical Studies majors at Whitman College, you’ll unlock the riches of the past through the study of the ancient languages, literatures, histories, arts, cultures and thought of Greek and Roman antiquity. In this rigorous and rewarding program, you can choose from the Classics major, which emphasizes mastering the Greek and Latin languages, or the Classical Studies major, which emphasizes learning about Greek and Roman culture. Either way, you’ll enjoy an exceptional academic experience as you learn how these ancient worlds still influence modern life.

At the same time as we appreciate aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds by exploring them in our research and courses, we also examine how the significance of these “timeless” cultural inheritances has changed over time, in the eyes of different audiences in different places. This dynamic relationship between “classical antiquity” and its various audiences has produced a variety of positions on how the legacy of classical antiquity should be valued, as the values of contemporary society change and access to ownership over that cultural legacy has grown.

The Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures Department houses the programs of Classical Studies, European Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Latin American and Latinx Studies, and Spanish and Portuguese. Each program offers its own major. Additionally, the department offers undergraduate minors in Classical Civilizations, French Studies, German Studies, Greek Language and Literature, Latin American and Latinx Studies, Latin Language and Literature, and Spanish and Portuguese.

The minor in Classical Civilizations is part of the Classical Studies program in the Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures (MCLC). This minor is an opportunity to pursue a well-defined course of study in ancient Greek and Roman literature and culture that requires no Greek or Latin.

Read a wide variety of foundational and exciting ancient texts as their authors originally wrote them. Epic and lyric poetry, tragedies and comedies, history, philosophy, or early Christian literature, consider a major in Classical Languages and Literature, especially if you are aiming for graduate study in classics. The major in Classical Languages and Literature requires an introductory course about the Classical world (taught in English), six courses in Greek and Latin numbered above 200, and our senior research seminar. Two required electives may include additional courses in Greek and Latin, CLA courses taught in translation, a LIT course in literary translation (theory and practice) or a DIG course in digital humanities.

Haverford’s Classical Languages major offers students the opportunity to gain proficiency in both Greek and Latin and to explore classical texts and the literary, historical, and philosophical contexts in which they emerged. This major is one of four offered by the Classics Department. A small department with wide reach, we offer students the benefits of a close-knit academic community as well as access to a range of classes and faculty through our collaboration with Bryn Mawr’s Department of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies.

Because Classical Studies is multidisciplinary, the major includes a number of courses cross listed with History, Anthropology, WGS, Art History, and Philosophy in addition to Latin and Greek language courses and Latin and Greek Literature and culture courses.

Haverford’s major and minor in Classical Culture and Society offers students the opportunity to explore life in classical antiquity in all of its dimensions—from language, to literature, to history, philosophy, archaeology, and more—as well as its impact on later cultural traditions. This major is one of four offered by the Classics Department. A small department with wide reach, we offer students the benefits of a close-knit academic community as well as access to a range of classes and faculty through our collaboration with Bryn Mawr’s Department of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies.

The Department of Classics offers a classics major with three different concentrations: one with a focus on Greek and Roman culture and history (classical studies), one with a focus on Greek and Roman material culture (classical archaeology), and one with a focus on Greek and Latin literature (classical languages and literature). Students pursuing these majors are encouraged to study not only the languages and literatures but also the physical monuments of Greece and Rome. This approach is reflected in the requirements for the three concentrations: courses in classical archaeology, history, culture, and Greek and/or Latin must be fulfilled in each concentration.

The study of classical civilisation is understandably a wide-ranging and far-reaching one encompassing a variety of subjects; history, literature, linguistics, numismatics, epigraphy, archaeology, art, architecture and philosophy.