The Department of Classics offers a broad range of courses in Latin and Greek language and literature, Greek and Roman history, Greek and Roman art and archeology, mythology and classical literature in translation, and Modern Greek. While several kinds of major programs are available within the Department for concentrated work in Latin and Greek literature or in Classical archaeology and history, the very nature of our discipline, rooted as it is in all phases of the Greek and Roman civilizations, makes our courses attractive to students interested in exploring broadly the foundations of Western culture in history art, and literature.
The span covered by Classical Greek and Latin literature is wide. In Greek, it extends from Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey down to the Roman Empire; in Latin, from the beginnings with Plautus at the time of the Punic War down to the early Christian authors. The Classic Department’s curriculum is designed to reflect these basic facts of literary history. We strive to make available annually or biennially the most important such as Homer, the Greek tragic poets, Plato, Vergil, Horace, and Tacitus. More difficult authors or less familiar ones can be offered, when staffing permits, through independent reading courses.
The study of art and archaeology may be undertaken independently of, or in conjunction with, the Classical languages. Courses include Greek (prehistoric, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic), Etruscan, and Roman (Republican and Imperial) archaeology, in addition to Greek and Roman history, mythology, religion, and literature in translation. Classwork at Dartmouth is complemented by the formal study of the major sites and museums in Greece and Italy through our Foreign Study Programs.
The major in Classical Studies is ideal for those students who seek an area studies major in the humanities that does not require a knowledge of Greek or Latin in the original. This program is broadly based in literature in translation, history, art, and archaeology, and topical courses in various facets of ancient culture (e.g., religion, athletics, economics, war).
The major in Ancient History is intended to enrich Dartmouth students by offering courses which go beyond the basic surveys and thus foster deeper and more detailed knowledge not only of what history has reconstructed but how it has done so, and to provide Dartmouth students with a vehicle—and possibly an advantage—for successful application to graduate programs in Ancient History. Ancient History serves an end different from, but compatible with, the other disciplines formalized by the Classics Department into major tracks. In accomplishing this end, students must not only make assessments of the influence of many other cultures and peoples, but also of many intracultural sources and their influence; students therefore acquire skills in languages, literature, and archaeology. Familiarity with languages removes one of the barriers created by the lapse of time; the study of literature and archaeology provides evidence, gives context, and enables students to test reconstruction based on ancient narratives.
Dartmouth’s Foreign Study programs provide a unique opportunity for students to spend full-credited terms abroad in Greece (spring) and Italy (fall) studying the history, archaeology, art, and architecture of these countries in their original setting. The Department also advises students on opportunities for archaeological work in the summer, and actively participates in several continuing excavations.
A special feature of major work in the Classics Department is our Honors Program for the senior majors in Classics and Classical Archaeology. Students who do superior work are invited to participate in supervised study and research leading to an Honors Thesis, Comprehensive Examinations, or both.
The faculty of the Classics Department is composed of the following members, listed below with their areas of interest and teaching experience:
Department of Classics
307 Reed Hall
Hanover, NH 03755
Tel: (603) 646 - 3394
