CLASSICAL STUDIES have always been at the heart of a liberal education, for they offer the student unmatched perspectives within which to understand our own time. They show how our oldest beliefs and institutions came into being, and bring to life systems of values both different from and similar to our own. Courses are offered in the history, religion, art, philosophy, social and cultural issues, literature, and mythology of the ancient world. The curriculum covers 3,500 years of human experience in the ancient Near East, Greece, and Roman Europe, from the beginnings of Western civilization to the Christianization of Europe and the dawn of the Middle Ages.

Three major programs are offered. Students majoring in classics or ancient Mediterranean studies may take much of their work in courses on antiquity that require no knowledge of Greek or Latin. Students majoring in classical languages take their course work in Greek and/or Latin.  Majors are encouraged to spend a semester at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome or Sicily. A summer program at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens is also available.