Just as the roots of English and other modern languages like Spanish, French and Italian are fixed in the Latin language, so Western culture owes a huge debt to the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome. The Classics Department at UNC Asheville is committed to providing for its students both the linguistic skills to read a range of classical texts in the original languages and the historical and cultural background necessary for an understanding of the texts in their contexts.
The Classics Department also offers courses on literature in translation for students in other departments who are interested in learning more about the classical world and courses in ancient history and archaeology. The time-tested Bachelor of Arts degree program carefully is designed to combine the best elements of new and traditional approaches to the classics. Because our majors come to us with a variety of skills and career goals, our program rounds out its broad preparatory base with several areas of specialization.
It’s flexible. Students may choose to focus on Latin, Greek or a combination of the two. Teacher licensure in Latin is available, and students interested in literature or history have the option of pursuing joint majors. A minor in Classics is also available, which makes a particularly good combination with majors in literature, history, philosophy or modern foreign languages. The curriculum is divided into three sections:
Individual courses cover all the major classical writers from Homer to Tacitus and beyond. Students may follow particular interests of their own. Upper-level courses consist of seminars and tutorials adapted to the interests and needs of individual students. Because we believe that carrying out research is essential for the intellectual development of our students, whether or not they continue their education at the graduate level, all Classics majors are required to write a Senior Research Thesis, during which they work independently on a topic of their choice with a faculty member whose interests most closely match theirs. The titles of some recently successful theses show the range of our students’ scholarship: Color Connotation in Early Greek Poetry, A Commentary on St. Jerome Letter 84, The Divinity of Alexander the Great.
In addition, our students are encouraged to present their work at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and several have recently won summer research grants to work in collaboration with faculty on topics such as chemical analysis of ancient pottery and medieval Latin texts, in conjunction with the Philosophy Department.
A Classics major provides students with a high level of general education. It is not directly tied to any particular profession, but offers flexibility in what students decide to do after graduation. Classics is different from some liberal arts disciplines in being less commonly offered around the United States, with the benefit to our graduates that they stand out because they have done something a little bit different. One of our 2001 graduates, who majored in Biology and minored in Classics, and now works in a laboratory at Duke, considers her minor instrumental in getting employers to notice her résumé. Success in Classics demands analytical ability, attention to detail and the ability to write well, and as employers are aware, these are skills that translate very well to any profession.
Our majors have received scholarships to graduate schools all over the country. Students have gone to Duke University; the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the Universities of Illinois, Michigan and Washington; and—more recently—to the Universities of South Carolina, Missouri and Colorado. An undergraduate degree in Classics is also an excellent foundation for graduate work in related subjects such as philosophy, theology, medicine, art history or archaeology, and some of our undergraduates have used their training to further their studies in subjects such as linguistics, comparative literature and law. In 2005, one student was given a full scholarship in Classics at Duke University; another, a teaching fellowship in ancient history at North Carolina State University; and a third, a fellowship in linguistics at the University of Minnesota. In addition, six of our majors have won Fulbright Fellowships to continue their studies abroad.
Undergraduates who have decided not to go to graduate school have been very successful in many fields, including technology and business. Some are Latin teachers; since demand for high school Latin teachers currently outstrips supply, we encourage students to consider this profession.
Faculty from the department lead a study-tour to Greece every other year. Participants visit archaeological sites and museums as they learn firsthand about ancient Greek history and culture. Students have the opportunity to participate in an annual archaeological dig in Italy in Tuscany. The Classics Department is in partnership with a local elementary school to offer one student each semester the chance to work with second-graders in improving their linguistic abilities through basic Latin.
Department of Classics
232 New Hall, CPO #2850
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804-8520
828.251.6419