The Major and Minor in Classics

Special Resources for the Classics Major



The James S. Constantine Library of Classical Studies, a reference and reading room for Classics graduate students, undergraduate majors, and faculty, is housed in the Department. All majors receive keys to the Library, which contains nearly three thousand texts, commentaries, and other reference books, as well as computers for general use. Thanks to donations from alumni and friends of the Department, the collection is kept up to date. There is 24-hour access to the Constantine Library.

The Classics Club is a University organization of students interested in classical antiquity. The Club sponsors social and academic events for the classical community.

Lectures: Majors and all students interested in the Classics are invited and welcome to the full program of lectures each year by prominent visiting faculty and by members of our own classical community. Such lectures are sponsored by the Departments of Classics, Art, History, and Philosophy.

E-Mail List: There is an e-mail list specifically for classics majors, and in this way majors are kept informed of lectures, special events, and job opportunities in many areas both in and outside of Classics.

  The Department puts its primary emphasis on reading Greek and Latin literature in the original languages, and it offers courses in Greek and Latin from the elementary to the graduate level. This work is supplemented by courses taught in English on Greek and Roman civilization and on particular topics (e.g., Tragedy and Comedy, Greek Religion, Age of Augustus, Women and Gender, Mythology).

  THE MAJOR IN CLASSICS: The requirements for the Major in Classics are 18 credits in Greek or Latin above the 1000-level; six credits in the other classical language; and 12 credits of related courses chosen in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. For the concentration in Greek six of these twelve hours of related courses must include HIEU 2031 (Greek History) and CLAS 2010 (Greek Civilization) or CLAS 2020 (Roman Civilization). For the concentration in Latin they must include HIEU 2041 (Roman History) and either CLAS 2010 or 2020. Other related courses may be additional courses in Latin and Greek or courses on classical antiquity in areas such as art, history, and religion.

  THE DISTINGUISHED MAJOR IN CLASSICS: Classics majors with an overall GPA of 3.4 or higher may apply for the Distinguished Major Program. This involves a research project conducted under the guidance of a faculty member during both semesters of the fourth year, as well as work in more advanced courses (three credits at the 4000-level or above and three credits of graduate (5000-level) courses).

  THE MINOR IN CLASSICS: The requirements for the Minor in Classics are 12 credits in Latin or Greek above the 1000-level. In addition, Greek and Latin concentrators take Greek (CLAS 2010) and Roman Civilization (CLAS 2020) respectively.

For further information, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Classics, P.O. Box 400788, B018 Cocke Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4788, telephone 434-924-3008.