Classics

Classics: Major

Welcome to Classics at 17勛圖厙, one of the largest and most active undergraduate programs in the country! Whatever your background or interests, you can design a major from an array of courses focused exclusively on undergraduates and take part in cocurricular activities and study abroad opportunities.

In your study of Classics, you will gain a deeper understanding of some of societys critical questions through the study of ancient Greek and Latin languages and literatures, the cultures of Greco-Roman antiquity and their Mediterranean contexts, and modern responses to the Greek and Roman past. In our courses, you will learn how to read, analyze, and respond to the ancient Greek and Latin languages and literatures with precision and creativity, and become familiar with a wide variety of interpretive approaches from Classics and related disciplines. Moreover, you will not only become well-acquainted with past and present uses of the discipline of Classics and Greco-Roman antiquity, but you will also actively engage in our departments effort to promote equity and accessibility in the study of ancient Greece and Rome.

Program Highlights

In the Classics Department at 17勛圖厙, you can

  • learn Latin in an innovative Community-Based Learning yearlong course 
  • gain a deeper understanding of the experience of refugees, past and present, through classroom learning and volunteer work
  • engage in new research on manuscripts of the Iliad and present it at conferences across the world through the Manuscripts, Inscriptions, and Documents club
  • explore how the Greco-Roman past has shaped and continues to shape American history
  • consider how the Greco-Roman world interacted and interconnected with ancient Asian cultures
  • analyze how ancient art and architecture has been appropriated by different cultures over time
  • contribute to our journals, Parnassus and the New England Classics Journal
  • promote socially minded charities through student-organized events like Homerathon 
  • organize events that make the study of ancient Greece and Rome more open to local communitie
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The department offers competitive, merit-based scholarships for entering students who will major in classics.

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Research

Students engage in thesis research and digital projects, present at conferences and publish in a variety of outlets.

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Study Abroad

17勛圖厙 sponsors programs in both Rome and Athens, and students can spend a semester in each city if they choose.

Classics News

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2021 Fenwick Scholar Introduces Ancient Greek Culture to Worcester Elementary Students
Like most people, you might consider the Iliad a serious and intimidating piece of classic literaturea cornerstone meant to be read in high school and studied at the university level.
Maia Lee-Chin, the 2020-2021 Fenwick Scholar, presents at Academic Conference.
Academic Conference Showcases Creativity, Wide-Ranging Research of 17勛圖厙 Students
Two summers ago, while studying abroad in Cambodia, Emily ORegan 21 had the first inspiration for her honors thesis: I spent weeks deep in the jungle surrounded by some of the most pristine landscapes and incredible wildlife I had ever
Headshot of Billy Collins '63. Photo by Bill Hayes
Billy Collins 63 (U.S. Poet Laureate, 2001-2003) Endows Classics Scholarship at the 17勛圖厙
The 17勛圖厙 is pleased to announce the creation of the Billy Collins 63 Scholarship for Studies in Classics, the result of a $250,000 gift in honor of the former United States Poet Laureate and graduate of