The major in ancient Greek allows students to pursue their own interests within a wide range of Greek literature, which extends from the Homeric epics to the Byzantine era and includes the archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods as well as the Koinê Greek of the New Testament. Students begin with Attic Greek, the language of “golden age” (fifth-century B.C.E.) Athens. The Greek language of that time and place represents a cultural and linguistic central point from which students can go on to read works in all genres, including philosophy, oratory, epic, lyric, history, tragedy, comedy, and biblical Greek.
In addition to the learning goals for all majors, each of the three language tracks asks students to:
- attain a sophisticated understanding of the ancient language(s) and a deepened understanding of how language constructs meaning
- attain a deep familiarity with foundational literary works and genres through close reading and critical analysis of the content and structure of texts in the original language(s)
- understand the ancient language(s) as the source for the terminology of medicine, law, and the sciences
- understand the wide-ranging influence of classical literature from antiquity to the modern era on cultural and creative enterprise
- draw on the rhetorical and narrative strategies of classical literature to strengthen and refine skills in writing clearly and persuasively
Major - Effective Fall 2024
Prerequisites
Either GREEK 101 and 102, or GREEK 103, or special placement examination
Requirements (Minimum Credits for Major: 24)
Minimum of eight courses (at least three credits each) including:
- One introductory course selected from ARCHAM or CLARCH 221 or HISTORY 200.
- Six courses in Greek at the 300-level or above (at least four of these must be 400-level or above, usually including 401 and 402).
- At least one upper-level (300- or 400-level) course in Greek civilization, archaeology or history. Minimum of 3 credits.
No more than three credits of independent study (GREEK 499) may be used with written approval of the department advisor.
Honors Major
Interested students who have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.4 should contact their department advisor to discuss an Honors thesis no later than the winter term of their junior year.
It is the student's responsibility to find a suitable faculty advisor to oversee the thesis project. This project and its components are to be decided collectively by the student and the advisor at the end of the junior year. We encourage students to think creatively about the approach to their research and thesis project. Thesis advisors must sign off on a student's thesis project proposal.
At the end of the thesis project, the candidate must offer an oral defense of this work to a committee comprised of the thesis advisor and another faculty member, and present their research findings at the Classical Studies Honors Symposium.
In addition to the above requirements, students pursuing an Honors major must satisfy the following:
- 3.4 minimum cumulative GPA; 3.5 minimum major GPA
- Completion of an Honors thesis and oral defense in coordination with a Classics faculty member
- Completion of one additional Greek course at the 420-level or above (CLCIV 480 & GREEK 495 do not satisfy this requirement)
- CLCIV 480: Studying Antiquity, section titled "Research Seminar" (Fall term)
Students may also elect GREEK 495 for 1-2 credits in the Fall and 1-3 credits in the Winter but are not required to do so.
For further information please see the Senior Honors Thesis section.
Minor: Greek (Ancient) Language and Literature (discontinued Summer 2024 - see Classical Languages Minor)
Prerequisites to the Greek minor
- Greek 301 or equivalent, as determined by the departmental placement examination.
Requirements for the Greek minor
At least 16 credits of courses chosen from the following three groups
- At least two upper-level courses in Greek language and literature.
- At least one broad introductory course in Greek civilization (Classical Civilization 101), Greek archaeology (Classical Archaeology 221), or Greek History (History 200).
- At least one upper level (300 or 400-level) in Greek civilization, archaeology, or history.
