homepage image: View of the temple from above, treasury of the Athenians, towards Marmaria (Delphi, Greece). Raymond V. Schoder, S.J., Department of Classical Studies. Courtesy Loyola University Chicago Archives & Special Collections

 

The Department of Classical Studies offers students the opportunity to investigate all aspects of ancient Greek and Roman civilization. In addition to teaching the languages of Ancient Greek and Latin, we offer a variety of courses in Classical Civilization, in which all texts are in English; many of them help fulfill requirements of Loyola's Core Curriculum.

Our undergraduate programs include majors and minors in Ancient Greek and in Latin, whose studies focus on a Classical language and its literary traditions, and in Classical Civilization, which gives students opportunity to combine multidisciplinary approaches to the Classical world. The Department of Classical Studies also supports a traditional degree program of Loyola University Chicago, the Classics undergraduate degree distinction.

In Fall 2011 the Department inaugurated a Post-Baccalaureate program in Classical Studies. It offers students who wish to pursue a graduate degree in Classics, ancient history, art history, medieval studies, philosophy, theology, or other fields whose research requires facility with ancient Greek and Latin, the opportunity to become proficient in these languages, gain greater exposure to Classical texts, and increase their skills at critical analysis and research.

Our faculty includes specialists in ancient Greek and Roman literature, history, law, religion, art and archaeology, as well as textual criticism, feminist approaches to the classics, and literary theory.

Mission Statement

The Department of Classical Studies takes as its mission scholarly inquiry into the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome, from the Neolithic Period to the 6th century CE. Its primary source-materials are material remains, documents, and literature, so that study of the ancient languages and archaeological methods is central to its production of knowledge. Additionally, the Department provides undergraduate and graduate* study in the ancillary literary, historical, social, religious, artistic, and theoretical disciplines.

The Department is committed to maintaining the Jesuit tradition of humanistic education, particularly by supporting the BA-Classics. This degree is open to all Loyola undergraduates. The Department also serves the present University Core Curriculum, offering many different, high-enrollment classes in several Core Knowledge-areas every semester.

The Department’s interdisciplinary approach to learning about the ancient Mediterranean civilizations trains students to synthesize different disciplinary understandings of a complex world, comparable to the one in which they live. It also develops in students a profound understanding of the ancient civilizations and appreciation of how and why their legacies have helped to form students’ contemporary lives, their education, and the world today.

* In addition to the Post-Baccalaureate program, the Department provides training vital to the programs of graduate students in other departments, and members of the Department serve on various Master’s and Doctoral committees. 

-- 2008 Departmental Strategic Plan