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      The Curriculum

   Classics itself is an inter-disciplinary major, encompassing a broad sweep of history, linguistic training, and the opportunity to investigate and specialize in widely varying facets of the Ancient World. Students may major or minor in Greek, Latin, or Classical Studies (for which some work in the ancient languages has been replaced with classics courses offered in English). The Honors program in each of the majors is designed particularly to enhance preparation for graduate study, but is available to all who show high ability and promise.  Courses offered by the Department are relevant to studies in Art, Anthropology, History, Religion, Philosophy, and Women’s Studies.

   The Classics faculty is committed to excellence in both teaching and research. The library holdings in Greek and Latin and ancient civilization are very good, and there are strong connections with faculty in related fields. The curriculum is especially rich, including a variety of courses in Latin, Greek, and classics. Students are encouraged to participate in study-abroad opportunities of the sort, for example, offered in the Wake Forest-in-Venice program (conducted by a Latin professor on seven occasions in its first twenty-five years, with notable success), at The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (Rome), in the College Year in Athens and  summer programs at the American School in Athens, at the American Academy in Rome, and with the Vergilian Society. The Department of Education also provides courses that may be taken simultaneously with those in Latin to obtain teacher certification.The Department is friendly and supportive with its relatively small number of students. Lower level courses are generally limited to 25 students, while advanced courses in Latin, Greek and Classical Studies are often much smaller. Camaraderie among students is fostered though an active local chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the national Classics Honor Society.  The Wake Forest Institute of Literature, of which the Department of Classical Languages is a sponsor, brings distinguished scholars to campus for lectures and seminars.  The William Royall Scholarship Fund provides an award of $500.00 for excellence in classical studies, with preference to students who plan to travel to classical sites.  The M. D. Phillips Prize is awarded to the outstanding senior in Greek or Latin. 

      Mission Statement

      It is the purpose of the Department of Classical Languages to provide instruction in the ancient Greek and Latin languages, in the literatures written in those languages, and in the cultures that produced those literatures.  Such instruction is to be made available to all undergraduate students (and, as appropriate, to graduate students) through the lower division curriculum of the College.  The program of the Department also aims to provide advanced study in those subjects appropriate to the preparation of students who specialize in Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies, whether as a general education major or as the groundwork for graduate study and/or teaching.  It is the aim of our teaching and research to conserve the knowledge that has been gained about the ancient Greek and Roman world and to contribute to that knowledge while preparing future generations for that task. 

      This mission is in conformity with the Statement of Purpose of Wake Forest University (see Bulletin vol. 91, no. 3, pp. 13-14), which states that the University is “dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the liberal arts . . . this means education in the fundamental fields of human knowledge and achievement, as distinguished from education that is technical or narrowly vocational.”  The study of the ancient Greek and Latin languages, and of the ancient world that they served, has long been central to the tradition of the liberal arts, and we view it as essential that this study have its place in our common educational endeavor.  We also seek to cooperate with other departments in advancing the educational aims of the University, especially the other literature departments and those of History, Religion, and Philosophy. We expect students to develop their ability to write and otherwise express themselves, their intellectual curiosity, and their skills at exploring and analyzing materials that have come down to us from the ancient world.  Particularly in Classics courses, and in our collaborative efforts with other humanities departments, the place of the cultures of Greece and Rome in the development of general human culture in the West is to be studied and critically evaluated.  Our goal is to develop in each student an understanding of human achievement across a broad range, of the continuity of culture and the breaks in that continuity, and of the specific influences of Greece and Rome on much of our artistic, literary and political heritage.  While this tradition is best studied and maintained in the original languages, and we strive to increase the study of the languages by undergraduate students, we pursue the same goals in all courses.

      The educational goals of the Department, in the short as in the long term, are to enable students

• to become competent in reading and understanding of Greek and Latin, with emphasis on linguistic analysis; 
• to acquire the cultural and historical background necessary for full appreciation of the meaning of Greek and Latin literary culture;
• and to learn about the literature, history, and civilization of the ancient Greeks and Romans with appreciation of the classical tradition in the culture of the western world and elsewhere.

In research our goal is to provide encouragement and support for each faculty member in accordance with individual interests, in scholarly activity that furthers our mission to conserve and contribute to knowledge about the ancient Greek and Roman world.  In public service our goal is to involve each faculty member in the following areas as appropriate:  service to the College in advising, in the honor and judicial system, and in honor societies; service to the community in teacher preparation and assistance on local, state and national levels, and in providing translation and interpretation services for Latin and Greek.