Here at Union, we believe that by examining the literature, history and philosophy of the ancient Greeks and Romans, we can better appreciate our own, present-day societies.
The study of Classics embraces the totality of the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome: language, history, politics, economics, law, mythology, literature, religion, philosophy, science, art and architecture, daily life. Classics is thus the original interdisciplinary studies program, and our faculty bring to bear on the study of the ancient world all of these contemporary scholarly approaches. In the Department of Classics at Union, students can undertake coursework in the ancient languages leading to study of ancient texts in the original Greek or Latin; we also offer a full range of General Education courses in the history, literature, and civilization of the Greeks and Romans. Many of our courses go beyond the traditional “classical” realm to examine aspects of other ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern civilizations: Sumerian and Babylonian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Hittite, Persian.
The study of the ancient Greeks and Romans is also great fun! We enjoy their works of art, we marvel at their buildings, we laugh at their jokes and are moved by their drama. On this website, we hope to provide a glimpse of the many aspects of the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean that we study here at Union. We’ve included information on the requirements for the classics major and the classics minor for students in our department. Students are encouraged to study abroad by spending Fall Term in Athens, or participating in an archaeological summer mini-term in Populonia (Tuscany, Italy). There is an active classics club that organizes trips to see plays on classical themes and promotes lectures on campus about the ancient world. You can also learn more about the faculty and our interests.
