The Department of Classics explores all aspects of the Greek and Roman worlds, including their languages and literatures, art and archaeology, history, philosophy, religion, politics, economics, and law. We also feature courses on comparative studies of the ancient world beyond the Mediterranean, and the modern reception and transformation of classical literature, art, and philosophy. This broad interdisciplinary approach to these cultures that have had a major role in shaping Western values and thought provides an excellent undergraduate education. Similar to other liberal arts majors in philosophy, history, or English, our graduates go on to careers in education, law, medicine, business, politics, and the media.
The department offers courses in both English translation and the original languages. Several majors and minors are available, some in conjunction with the Departments of Anthropology and Art History and with the Alexander S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies. Academic internships, an honors program, the opportunity to participate in an archaeological excavation in Cyprus, study away programs, and individualized study are also available.
Classroom instruction is supplemented by a variety of activities. In addition to film screenings, lectures, and field trips sponsored by a lively Classics Club, students have access to the superb collections of antiquities at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the American Numismatic Society, and the Pierpont Morgan Library, as well as to the department's own collection of antiquities. Finally, opportunities for travel and study abroad are available in Greece, Italy, and other Mediterranean sites.
First and foremost, you should realize that one of the great benefits of majoring in Classics at NYU is the special attention students receive in a small department staffed by outstanding scholars and teachers, and populated by a welcoming and first-rate cadre of graduate students. We actively cultivate a friendly and collegial atmosphere, in which undergraduate students, professors, and graduate students interact on a daily basis. The department, with its seminar room, lounge, and library is often a home-away-from-home for our students. Please note also that undergraduates are always encouraged to attend lectures by visiting scholars and in-house presentations of current research by faculty and graduate students. In short, we always hope that our students appear not merely in the classes they take with our teachers, but that they become thoroughly engaged members of our community on the fifth floor of the Silver Center.
