Classics at the University of Maryland

Undergraduate Programs

Classics is the study of ancient Greek and Roman culture in all its aspects. Greek and Roman culture are the foundations of western culture - its literature, ideas, art, politics, and conceptions of the individual. Greek myth is still a shared fund of images and narratives that express human experience. Latin is the major source of English vocabulary, and Greek provides technical language in many fields. Classics explores all of these aspects through a 1000 years of history. It helps us understand the relationship of western culture to other cultural systems and place ourselves better in the world.

Classics is a strong liberal arts major that teaches the "core skills" of ability to communicate, ability to learn methodically, and understanding of others. The material is fascinating, and engaging with it develops critical thinking and language skills. Because it is so interdisciplinary and holistic a student of classics gets a three-dimensional view of cultural history and the literary works that are still major forces in the contemporary scene. Studying Athenian democracy and the Roman Republic sharpens understanding of competing philosophical and political ideas. Studying Latin not only develops English vocabulary but makes English grammar comprehensible. Both languages provide excellent analytic training; for instance, classics students score among the top few in the analytic section of the GRE exams.

What can you do with a Classics major?

Classics is a pre-professional major for law school or for graduate school in any aspect of the ancient world. Classics majors have also continued on to library school. Latin teachers are in demand; numerous students have found rewarding jobs teaching secondary school, with continued involvement in the classics community and opportunities to lead trips to Europe. Others have gone into business, worked in educational television, and gotten jobs in the writing or editing fields, in archival work, in special education, or in social services.

Major Programs

There are three majors offered by the department, offering different ways to approach the material. The first emphasizes Classical civilization through courses in English, the second concentrates on Latin language and literature, and the third includes Latin and Greek language and literature. Courses in the department have the prefix CLAS if they are civilization courses (with all work in English), LATN if they are Latin courses, and GREK if they are Greek.

Classical Humanities Major

This is a good major for those interested in working in the area of popular educational media like magazines and television or public service in educational areas. It can be combined with a major in English or Comparative Literature, or with Philosophy or a social science such as Anthropology or Government and Politics. Pre-med students combine it with a science major and choose Greek as the language to study, gaining both a humanistic dimension to their education and knowledge of the origin of medical terminology.

Requirements:

• 18 credits in Classics courses (including CLAS courses, LATN 300-level and above, GREK 300-level and above).
• 12 credits in Latin or Greek (typically Latn 101, 102, 201 or Greek 101, 102, 201). Note that this satisfies the language requirement for the College of Arts and Humanities. Those who begin with 102 or 201 must only finish 201 and can count any subsequent courses at the 300-level and above toward the 18 credits in Classics courses.
• 12-14 credits in supporting courses (e.g., in history, art, philosophy, English [some courses], government and politics, linguistics) at the 300-level or above.

Note: Students are encouraged to substitute 300- and 400-level courses in LATN and GREK for some of the 18 required hours in CLAS. 100- and 200-level courses in GREK may be included among the supporting credits if the student's 12 language credits are taken in Latin, and 100- and 200-level courses in LATN may be included among the supporting credits if the student's 12 language credits are taken in GREK.

The Classical Humanities major is not recommended for students considering pursuing graduate study in Classics; such students should choose one of the following major tracks:
The Greek major requires thirty credits of Greek at the 200-level or higher, at least 12 of which must be at the 400-level or higher, plus nine nine to twelve credits of supporting courses at any level in CLAS, LATN, or related fields such as HIST and ARTH.

Latin Major

Requirements

• 30 credits in Latin at the 200-level and above, at least 12 of which must be at the 400-level.
• 9 credits in supporting courses, which may include Clas courses and relevant courses in other departments.

This is the appropriate major for those interested in teaching Latin at the secondary level or in going to law school. It makes a good combination with a major in a modern Romance language (e.g., Spanish) or with a History or Linguistics major.

Latin and Greek Major

• 18 credits of either Latin or Greek at the 200-level and above, at least 12 of which must be at the 400-level.
• 12 credits of the other classical language (including 101, 102, 201).
• 9 credits in supporting courses, which may include Clas courses, Greek courses at the 300-level and above, and relevant courses in other departments. Students with no previous training in the second language may count introductory level courses as part of the 12-hour requirement.

This is the appropriate major for those who wish to continue on to graduate school in Classics or ancient history or a related field. It can be combined with a major in History with a focus on Ancient History.

Honors and Special Opportunities

The Classics Department awards several honors to distinguished students.

• The Mildred Steyer Scholarship awards $1,000 each year to a major with outstanding qualifications. Interested students may apply in April.
• The Avery Prize awards $200 to a an outstanding Latin student each year.
• Students who qualify are invited to join Eta Sigma Phi, the national Classics honor society. Eta Sigma Phi sponsors meetings, activities, and scholarships.

Students are encouraged to study abroad in Italy, Greece, or England for a semester or to join a study program or an archaeological expedition for the summer. The undergraduate advisor has information on various possibilities.