Program Overview

Program Overview

The Classics program at Princeton University offers students a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to studying the cultures, languages, history, politics, and intellectual traditions of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. The program provides students with a range of opportunities to explore the ancient Mediterranean, its contacts with other civilizations, and its continued vitality today.

Program Offerings

• A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) degree
• Minor in Classics

A.B. Program

The A.B. program in Classics is a flexible and interdisciplinary program that allows students to chart their own path within broad areas of study. The program offers two rigorous and highly flexible major tracks:

Program 1: Classical Studies

• The classical studies program offers students the opportunity for sustained and focused inquiry into the history, literature, and culture of the ancient Mediterranean.
• Students must complete eight courses at the 200 level or above, including two at the 300 level, plus the junior seminar.
• Five of the eight courses must be taught by Department of Classics faculty.
• Three elective courses may be counted toward the major that are either cross-listed by classics or approved by the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) as relevant to the student’s program of study.

Program 2: Ancient History

• The program offers students a pathway to explore the history of ancient Greece and Rome and their relationships with the neighboring cultures of the Near East, Europe, and Africa.
• Students must complete eight courses at the 200 level or above, including two at the 300 level, plus the junior seminar.
• The eight courses taken toward the ancient history track must include one survey course on ancient Greek history and one survey course on Roman history.
• An additional course that introduces students to the main methods, theories, and/or philosophies of history is also strongly encouraged.

Independent Work

• Junior Seminar: Introduction to Classics (CLA 340)
• Junior Independent Work: Students research and write a paper of 12-15 pages on a topic of their choosing under the direction of a faculty adviser.
• Senior Independent Work: Students complete a substantial piece of scholarship under the supervision of a faculty member (CLA 498-499).

Senior Departmental Examination

• A 30-minute oral comprehensive examination focusing on three topics related to courses completed while majoring in classics.

Study Abroad

• Travel and study in the Mediterranean are important parts of a classical education.
• The department regularly organizes break-week trips connected to classes and sponsors students wishing to study and conduct research abroad over the summer.

Preparation for Graduate Study

• The classics major prepares students for any career path they wish to pursue.
• Students intending to continue on to graduate work in classics will in most cases need to acquire advanced competence in both Latin and Greek.

Minor in Classics

• A classics minor offers students significant and coherent exposure to an area within the field of classics.
• Students pursuing a minor in classics choose one of two pathways:
  • Pathway 1: Classical Studies with a Focal Point
  • Pathway 2: Ancient History and Material Culture
• Each pathway requires the completion of five courses, four of which must be CLA, CLG 108 or above, or LAT 108 or above.

Courses

• A wide range of courses are offered in the Classics department, including:
  • CLA 208: Origins and Nature of English Vocabulary
  • CLA 211: Rhetoric: Classical Theory, Modern Practice
  • CLA 212: Classical Mythology
  • CLA 214: The Other Side of Rome
  • CLA 216: Archaic and Classical Greece
  • CLA 217: The Greek World in the Hellenistic Age
  • CLA 218: The Roman Republic
  • CLA 219: The Roman Empire, 31 B.C. to A.D. 337
  • CLG 101: Beginner's Ancient Greek
  • LAT 101: Beginner's Latin
  • And many more

Faculty

• The Classics department has a diverse and accomplished faculty, including:
  • Joshua H. Billings (acting chair)
  • Barbara Graziosi (on leave)
  • Daniela E. Mairhofer (director of undergraduate studies)
  • Mirjam E. Kotwick (director of graduate studies)
  • And many more