Classics at the University of Maryland

WELCOME TO THE CLASSICS DEPARTMENT

In today’s world everything from Coca Cola to cars can be called ‘classic.’ But in its earliest sense this word, Latin in origin, was used to describe the literatures of Greece and Rome because they were ‘first-class’, the best of their kind.  As an academic field today, Classics is the study of these languages and literatures and of the cultures of which they were a part, as well as the study of the continuing impact that antiquity has had on the modern world.  Although Latin and ancient Greek are no longer used as spoken languages, they have left an indelible impact on modern languages such as English, Spanish, and French. Furthermore, the ideas given voice in the Greek of Homer or Plato and in the Latin of Ovid or Cicero have shaped the Western tradition from which America emerged. Indeed, America, is a product, in part, of the renaissance or ‘rebirth’ of ancient culture that characterized the years after 1400.  

Classics serves as an excellent major for students considering a wide variety of professional careers.   Indeed, for centuries Classics was the major for university students preparing for law, ministry, medicine and politics. That is why, by the way, so many of the terms of law (e.g. habeas corpus) and medicine (e.g. hypochondria) derive from Greek and Latin.  Classics majors learn clarity and precision of expression in speaking and writing, develop analytical and problem-solving skills, and have a broadly based intellectual foundation for a lifetime of careers. By studying Latin or Greek, if only for a few semesters, students develop a refined sense of how language works to clarify, explain, persuade and entertain. Latin and Greek have contributed to English over 60% of its vocabulary and therefore provide a rich resource for improving your command of English. By learning the ancient languages, you will also have a chance to share the experience of thousands of students for the last two thousand years in reading works that have brilliantly and beautifully expressed what matters most to us as human beings.

Even if you do not have time to study Latin or Greek or to major in Classics, you can continue your study of antiquity through courses taught in English on a wide range of topics.  Many academic fields today have their roots in classical antiquity (even ‘cybernetics’ derives from a Greek word!). So it shouldn't be surprising to find that Classics is an interdisciplinary field which has contributed to the development of fields such as politics, psychology, and literary criticism. Or that Classics applies to its own work the latest approaches developed in new fields such as semiotics, women's studies and archaeology. In the Classics Department you can study such diverse topics as ancient technology, Hollywood's continuing fascination with ancient Greece and Rome, or Thomas Jefferson's love for ancient architecture and the role he played in turning Washington, D.C. into a modern ‘classical’ city.

The Classics Department at College Park is recognized for its dedication to teaching, as well as for many contributions to scholarship. Classics faculty have won a number of teaching awards (Lilly Teaching Fellowships, the American Philological Association Award for Excellence in Teaching, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher) and are committed to creating the kind of learning community in which students receive active and personal support. Graduate Teaching Assistants in Classics are enthusiastic and dedicated teachers, selected not only for their academic backgrounds but also for their potential as teachers. Apart from Classics 170, Classics classes are typically small (most have 10-30 students). The faculty bring to their teaching the fruits of their exciting and diverse research interests: the program of the ancient Olympics (Prof. Lee), spies and political informants (Prof. Rutledge), poetry and performance in early Greece (Prof. Stehle), Roman women and ancient sexuality (Prof. Hallett), the women of the Odyssey (Prof. Doherty), and American attitudes toward Classical Myth (Prof. Staley). Our faculty have recently had books published by the University of Michigan Press, Princeton University Press, Routledge, and Duckworth.

The Department offers instruction under three different headings: CLAS, GREK, and LATN. CLAS courses deal with various aspects of the ancient world utilizing English language texts and works of Greek and Latin literature in English translation.  CLAS courses do not provide instruction in the ancient languages nor will they satisfy the foreign language requirement in the College of Arts and Humanities. GREK and LATN courses utilize English language texts as well as material in Greek or Latin. They are designed to help students to master the Latin or Greek language and can be used to satisfy the College's foreign language requirement.