Classical Studies Major
Major Description
Classical Studies offers a multidisciplinary approach to the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome and the broader Mediterranean world, studying them in their original context and as avenues for modern inquiry. Students learn diverse theoretical approaches combining the sciences, social sciences and humanities, and apply them in rigorous coursework and research on politics, media, history, identity, religion, literature, material culture and the environment. Classical Studies connects us to a complex past which expands our notions of the present, offering comparative perspectives with which we can think about and address modern challenges.
The Classical Studies Major encourages students to pursue one of three broad concentrations that connect antiquity and contemporary experience: Literature and Performance; History, Politics, and Social Justice; and Archaeology and Archaeological Science. While mastering academic skills in interdisciplinary research, students will also develop proficiency in Latin or Greek in order to analyze original texts and source materials. The Department provides financial support for summer study for students seeking to enhance their knowledge of languages or participate in archaeological digs, and strongly encourages study abroad experiences in the Mediterranean as part of the major trajectory.
Any student with a passion for mythology, literature, history, languages, archaeology, and creative arts can deepen their knowledge through the Classical Studies major. In addition, courses in Classical Studies encompass law, environmental studies, government, philosophy, and science, and scholars make innovative contributions in all these areas.
Classical Studies courses strengthen students’ skills in language acquisition, critical reading, integrative thinking, analytical reasoning, multi-disciplinary data analysis, and communication. Students develop a sophisticated comparative lens they can employ across a range of disciplines and theoretical frameworks. Our courses also offer opportunities to work hands-on with ancient materials. Inherently multifaceted and interdisciplinary, Classical Studies connects to other programs such as Philosophy, the College of Letters, History, Art History, Archaeology, the Bailey College of the Environment, and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Students are encouraged to develop research projects and capstones that connect to other departments and interests. As scholars of the ancient world, Classical Studies majors bring a historically informed and culturally broad perspective to their activities at Wesleyan and beyond.
Our graduates successfully pursue careers in many sectors, including law, media and communications, creative industries such as film, television, and narrative game design, cultural and heritage organizations, and in any profession, including medicine, finance, or political advocacy. The Department works closely with the Gordon Career Center and fosters a network of alumni to provide personalized support for recent graduates exploring their early careers. The analytical training, communication skills and cultural competence developed in Classical Studies provide an outstanding foundation for any career path.
Admission to the Major
To declare the Major, students must complete a Major Declaration Form. The form is non-binding –interests and circumstances may change – but this important initial outline helps them to plan their prospective curricular pathway through the Classical studies program, and to envision the ways in which their work in Classics can connect with their other courses and interests at Wesleyan.
Students must first select which area of concentration they intend to pursue when they complete the Major Declaration Form. If they intend to apply a course (previously taken or planned) outside of the department towards their elective credit, they should identify the course and explain how it will be combined with the major course selections to form a meaningful curricular whole.
After declaring, the student can ask a faculty member to be their major advisor or ask the Chair to make the assignment.
Students are not expected to have any background in Latin or Greek in high school to become Classical Studies majors. We recommend that potential majors start language study in their first year at Wesleyan. The elementary Latin sequence begins in the fall semester, and elementary Greek starts in the spring. If you have already taken some languages, you do not have to start over. We do not have a placement exam. Instead, you can talk with any of the Department faculty to determine which course would be best for you. The same is true for transfer students who have done work in Classical Studies at another institution.
Major Requirements
The Classical Studies Major requires a total of ten credits, four of which must be within their selected area of concentration (see Course Lists, below).
All Majors must take:
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Four credits in Language Courses (Latin or Greek, level 102 or higher). One of these must be at the 300-level. Two half-credit language courses may be counted together as one credit.
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One credit in Ancient History Survey, to be completed by the end of junior year.
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One credit in Material Culture.
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Two, 300-level seminars.
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Two electives. Students can apply one course from outside the department toward their concentration. They must first demonstrate its specific application to that concentration and obtain permission from the advisor.
Area Concentration Requirements:
Upon declaring the Major, students will determine which of the three concentration areas they intend to pursue. (Literature and Performance; History, Politics and Social Justice; or Archaeology and Archaeological Science). The courses for each concentration are listed below. [The listings are subject to change.]
Area Concentration Requirements
Upon declaring the Major, students will determine which of the three concentration areas (Literature and Performance; History, Politics and Social Justice; or Archaeology and Archaeological Science) they intend to pursue. The courses in which fall under each concentration are listed here.
Literature and Performance
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CLST202 | Greek Drama: Theater and Social Justice, Ancient and Modern | 1 |
| CLST205 | Myths, Monsters, and Misogyny: An Introduction to Greek and Roman Mythology | 1 |
| CLST220 | Homer and the Epic | 1 |
| CLST228 | Classical Allusions in Film | 1 |
| CLST327 | Dangerous Acts: Theater, Transgression, and Social Justice, Ancient and Modern | 1 |
| LAT201 | Catullus and Cicero: Love and Life in Republican Rome | 1 |
| GRK252 | Dionysiac Transformations: Gender, Violence, and Justice in Euripides' Hecuba | 1 |
| GRK365 | Greek Tragedy: Euripides | 1 |
| LAT230 | Love and Suffering in Ancient Rome (CLAC.50) | .5 |
| LAT331 | Vergil: AENEID 2 | 1 |
| LAT202 | Latin Lyric Poetry | 1 |
| LAT221 | Roman Comedy | 1 |
History, Politics, and Social Justice
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CLST202 | Greek Drama: Theater and Social Justice, Ancient and Modern | 1 |
| CLST221 | Law, Politics, and Order in the Ancient World | 1 |
| CLST221Z | Whose Rights? Law, Personhood, and Democracy, Ancient & Modern | 1 |
| CLST248 | Language Matters: Etymology and the Roots of Social Injustice | 1 |
| CLST324 | Tales of Hope or States of Delusion? Utopias, Past and Present | 1 |
| CLST255 | Democracy and its Discontents | 1 |
| CLST363 | Body Politics: Desire, Sexualities, and Gender, Past and Present | 1 |
| CLST327 | Dangerous Acts: Theater, Transgression, and Social Justice, Ancient and Modern | 1 |
| LAT353 | Demagogues and Tyrants in the Roman Historians | 1 |
| LAT360 | Constructing Masculinity and Identity in Roman Elegy | 1 |
| GRK205 | Reading Greek Prose: Court Room Dramas, Selections from Athenian Oratory | 1 |
| GRK291 | "Sexuality" in the Making: Gender, Law, and the Use of Pleasure in Ancient Greek Culture (CLAC.50) | .5 |
| GRK365 | Greek Tragedy: Euripides | 1 |
Archaeology and Archaeological Science
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CLST201 | Art and Archaeology of the Bronze Age Mediterranean | 1 |
| CLST214 | Survey of Greek Archaeology and Art | 1 |
| CLST223 | Survey of Roman Archaeology and Art | 1 |
| CLST283 | Off with its Pedestal! The Greek Vase as Art and Artifact | 1 |
| CLST329 | Roman Villa Life | 1 |
| CLST341 | Visualizing the Classical | 1 |
| CLST352 | Ancient Medicine: Potions, Poisons, and Phytochemistry in the Ancient Mediterranean | 1 |
| CLST390 | Making Rome: Monuments of Life in Ancient Rome | 1 |
| LAT375 | Set in Stone: Reading Roman Life through Inscriptions | 1 |
| GRK355 | Homer in Bronze Age Context | 1 |
Student Learning Goals
Classical Studies majors acquire the following skills: close reading and analysis of complicated evidence, both textual and material; the ability to identify and explain the most significant elements of such evidence; the ability to apply a variety of interpretive methods and to evaluate their effectiveness. Classical Studies majors also acquire an appreciation of linguistic registers and cultural differences, and a sense of perspective on urgent contemporary issues.
Students have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their abilities through research and creative projects in the context of their courses, research tutorials, campus events, and presentations at conferences, among others.
Language Requirement
Majors in Classical Studies acquire an intermediate level of proficiency with either Latin or Greek.
No experience in either language is required upon entry into the major, but, as noted above, students should plan to begin the language as soon as possible. Students with previous experience in either language should consult with the department chair for placement advice.
Additional Information
Honors
Students wishing to pursue Honors in the Major must complete a senior thesis or substantial essay. These are original research projects that deal directly with primary sources (in the form of archaeological data sets or texts in the original language), show knowledge of and critical engagement with current scholarship on the subject, and present an original argument developed in response to these sources. Both the thesis and the essay should be considered serious academic undertakings and students should plan to begin research and/or data collection in the semester or summer which precedes their senior year.
Students who intend to write a thesis should begin planning with their potential thesis advisor in the fall of their junior year, and must submit a thesis proposal to the Department by May 1 of their junior year. Students who wish to write a Senior Essay must submit their proposal to the Department by the end of the previous semester (May 1 for an essay to be written in the fall semester, November 15 for the spring). For details on the evaluation and awarding of Honors, consult the departmental website.
Capstone Experience
Upon completion of the major, students will complete a form where they will have the opportunity to explain changes in this initial trajectory and reflect briefly on their choices and development as a whole.