B.A. in Classics

Overview

The undergraduate Major in Classics at UM has four possible tracks. Greek, Latin, Greek and Latin, and Classical Studies. To satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences writing requirement in the discipline, students majoring in Classics should take three courses marked W from the list of GRE, LAT, and CLA courses offered in the catalog.

Curriculum Requirements

Greek Track

Latin Track

Latin and Greek Track

Classical Studies Track

¹

• For a full list of LAT courses see this page
• For a full list of GRE courses see this page

²

• For a full list of CLA courses see this page

Suggested Plans of Study 

These Suggested Plans of Study are a sample four-year plan, but an individual student's actual plan is likely to vary from the sample plan.

Greek Track

Latin Track

Latin and Greek Track

Classical Studies Track

Additional Major Requirements

 Greek Track

Additional Major Requirements

Latin Track

Additional Major Requirements

Latin and Greek Track

 Additional Major Requirements

Classical Studies Track

¹

• For a full list of LAT courses see https://bulletin.miami.edu/courses-az/lat/
• For a full list of GRE courses see https://bulletin.miami.edu/courses-as/gre/

2. For a full list of CLA courses see https://bulletin.miami.edu/courses-as/cla

Mission

.The Department of Classics offers students the opportunity to study the languages and literatures of ancient Greece and Rome, in order to gain access to the richness and variety of these Classical civilizations, and the Bachelor of Arts in Classics aims at bringing undergraduates into contact with some of the major writers of these Classical civilizations, from Homer, Euripides, and Plato to Vergil, Horace, and Cicero. The efforts of the Department of Classics are intended to harmonize with and complement those of other departments in the Humanities, and the academic goals of the College of Arts & Sciences and of the University as a whole. Based on knowledge of language and on the arts of interpretation, Classics at Miami is conceived in broad intellectual, aesthetic, social, political, geographical, and historical terms, examining the Greek- and Latin-speaking worlds in themselves and in relation to the many cultures that interacted with them in the ancient world.

Goals

The objectives of the program and of the Bachelor of Arts in Classics have remain the following: to train students in the Ancient Greek and/or Latin languages; to educate them about the literature, history, archaeology, and philosophy of the ancient Greco-Roman world; to hone their skills in written English; and to allow them to develop a broad knowledge of the arts of language and the logic and rhetoric of expression. Like majors in English, History, and Philosophy, majors in Classics go on to a wide variety of graduate and professional programs: medical school, nursing school, other health professions, business school, the arts, museums, and library sciences. Majors in Classics receive superb preparation for law school, become bankers and entrepreneurs, and work for both government and non-government organizations such as charitable institutions and foundations. Our program trains students to enter these fields with strong intellectual values and well-honed skills in expository and analytical language.

• Language Competence: To complete the degree in Classics the student must gain the ability to read Classical Latin and/or Greek texts, in the original language(s), at either an intermediate (Track IV) or an advanced (Tracks I-III) level of fluency.
• Cultural and Disciplinary Literacy: To complete the degree in Classics the student shall receive extensive exposure to Classical texts, both in the original language(s) and in English translation. In the process, s/he should also gain a solid grounding in the basics of the field, and a substantial basic awareness of several areas of the academic discipline: archaeology, philosophy, ancient history, and literature.
• Written and Analytical Expression: To complete the degree in Classics the student must demonstrate the ability to read intelligently, to think analytically, and to write critically about Classical literatures and cultures. S/he should also have developed an awareness of how such knowledge pertains to any individual’s metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics—in other words, how Classics pertains to living richly and as a productive member of society. (It should be noted that the Department of Classics has been collecting data for this learning outcome, now required under the new Advanced Writing and Communication Requirement of the College of Arts and Sciences, since Fall 2011).

Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to think analytically and write critically about ancient Greece and Rome in several important aspects, including medicine, religion, philosophy, and other sciences.
• Students will demonstrate awareness of Classical scientific and cultural traditions within the world context.
• Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in research, writing, and communication of results.
• Students will be able to compose in-depth analyses of expository and forensic writing.
• Students will be able to demonstrate fluency in reading ancient Greek or Latin, or both, or in understanding the Greek and Latin roots of the English language.