Required for the Major in Classics

  • Ten courses in two languages: Greek and Latin (normally six in one language and four in the other) including one senior seminar (CLAS 0420).
  • CLAS 0150 Ancient Epic Poetry
  • Two additional courses in classics in translation, one from each of the following categories:
    • CLAS/HIST 0131 Archaic and Classical Greece or CLAS 0151 Introduction to Ancient Greek Literature or CLAS 0152 Greek Tragedy or CLAS 0190 Greek and Roman Comedy or CLAS/RELI 0251 Greek Religion or CLAS/PHIL 0275 Greek Philosophy: The Problem of Socrates
    • CLAS/HIST 0132 History of Rome or CLAS 0140 Augustus and the World of Rome or CLAS 0143 The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic or CLAS 0144 Literature of the Roman Empire or CLAS 0190 Greek and Roman Comedy or CLAS/PHIL 0276 Roman Philosophy
  • CLAS 0701 History of Classical Literature: General Examination for Classics/Classical Studies Majors (Reading List)

Optional: CLAS 0700 Senior Essay (fall/winter or winter/spring), CLAS 0505 Independent Senior Project (fall or spring). (Note: Students who wish to do an optional senior essay or independent senior project must secure the sponsorship of a member of the classics department in the semester before the essay or project is to be undertaken.)

Honors: B+ average or better in courses taken for the major (excluding senior work). B+ or better in the General Examination (CLAS 0701) and in the Senior Seminar (CLAS 0420). (Note: A student who does an optional senior essay or independent senior project may arrange with the chair, in the semester prior to undertaking the project, to offer that grade in lieu of the grade for CLAS 0420 for the calculation of departmental honors.)

Joint Major: Students interested in a joint major in Classics and another discipline should consult the chair. The joint major in Classics typically requires ten courses in Greek and Latin (normally six in one language and four in the other); CLAS 0701, and senior work that combines Classics with the other major.

Required for the Minor in Classics

The minor in classics may be configured in one of the following four ways:

  1. Latin CLLA: Five courses in Latin
  2. Greek CLGR: Five courses in Greek
  3. Classical Civilization CLCC: Five courses, as follows: three or more courses chosen from    CLAS/HIST 0131, CLAS/HIST 0132, CLAS 0140, CLAS 0143, CLAS 0144, CLAS 0149, CLAS0150, CLAS 0151, CLAS 0152, CLAS 0190, CLAS/LITP 0230, CLAS/RELI 0262, CLAS/PHIL 0275, CLAS/PHIL 0276, CLAS 0321 CLAS/HIST 0331, CLAS/HIST 0332, or CLAS/HIST 0337; and CLAS 0420 or CLAS 0450 (or both).
  4. Classical Language and Civilization CLCL: Five courses, as follows: two or more courses in Latin or Greek; one or more courses chosen from CLAS/HIST 0131, CLAS/HIST 0132, CLAS 0140, CLAS 0143, CLAS 0144, CLAS 0149, CLAS/CMLT 0150, CLAS 0151, CLAS 0152, CLAS/CMLT 0190, CLAS/LITP 0230, CLAS/RELI 0251, CLAS/PHIL 0275 or CLAS 0276; and one or more courses chosen from CLAS 0321, CLAS/HIST 0331, CLAS/HIST 0332, CLAS/HIST 0337, CLAS 0420, or CLAS/CMLT 0450.

AP credit policy: One course credit toward graduation, not toward the major or minor, will be granted for one AP exam in Latin under the following conditions: a) The student has received a grade of 4 or 5 on the AP exam, and b) The student has completed an advanced course (LATN 0201 or above) in Latin at Middlebury with a grade of B+ or above. (Note: No more than one course credit will be granted, whether the student presents one or two AP exams.)

Study Abroad Guidelines: Study abroad in the Mediterranean can enrich our majors’ experience of the ancient world, because it affords them the opportunity to see the places that they have been learning about in the classroom. Students also find it stimulating to be surrounded by people with similar interests from other institutions. Thus, while our curriculum does not in any way necessitate study abroad, the faculty is happy to work with students who wish to pursue it as part of their Middlebury degree in classics or classical studies.

For those students who want to go abroad, we strongly recommend a semester rather than a year. The three programs we endorse are the ICCS (the Inter-Collegiate Consortium for Classical Studies in Rome), CYA (College Year in Athens), and Arcadia (also in Athens), all of which offer semester-long programs. Admission to the ICCS in particular, however, is highly competitive, and students may have a compelling academic rationale for studying elsewhere. Accordingly, we have also approved students who wished to study for a semester at foreign universities with strong classics departments. These have included Trinity College Dublin, the University of Edinburgh, Cambridge University, and the University of Vienna. For some students, a rewarding alternative to study abroad during the academic year has been participation in a summertime archaeological excavation.

We discourage students from going abroad before they have had at least three semesters of whichever ancient language(s) they are learning. As part of their program of study abroad, students normally take at least one course in each ancient language of study, and select additional courses that are appropriate substitutes for courses in the major. In order to be fully prepared for senior work, however, students will need to have completed a significant portion of the courses required for the major, in particular CLAS 0150, before going abroad.

Generally speaking, we are as flexible as we can be in helping majors to identify courses in programs abroad that allow them to stay in step with their cohort in Middlebury and to be prepared for senior work. Unless we are familiar with the institution, the instruction, and the content of the courses, we rarely grant credit to non-majors for classics courses taken away from Middlebury. In all cases (majors, non-majors, potential majors, and minors), students must consult with a member of the classics department before leaving Middlebury to plan and receive approval for work done at other institutions.

Required for the Major in Classical Studies

  • The following:
    • CLAS/CMLT 0150 Ancient Epic Poetry
    • CLAS/HIST 0131 Archaic and Classical Greece or CLAS 0151 Introduction to Ancient Greek Literature or CLAS 0152 Greek Tragedy or CLAS/CMLT 0190 Greek and Roman Comedy or CLAS/PHIL 0275 Greek Philosophy: The Problem of Socrates
    • CLAS/HIST 0132 History of Rome or CLAS 0140 Augustus and the World of Rome or CLAS 0143 The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic or CLAS 0144 Literature of the Roman Empire or CLAS 0190 Greek and Roman Comedy or CLAS/PHIL 0276 Roman Philosophy
  • Three additional courses in Classical Studies chosen from the following:
    • CLAS/HIST 0131 Archaic and Classical Greece
    • CLAS/HIST 0132 History of Rome
    • CLAS 0140 Augustus and the World of Rome
    • CLAS 0143 The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic
    • CLAS 0144 Literature of the Roman Empire
    • CLAS 0149 Rhetoric and Politics from Ancient Greece and Rome to the Present
    • CLAS 0151 Introduction to Ancient Greek Literature
    • CLAS 0152 Greek Tragedy
    • CLAS/CMLT 0190 Greek and Roman Comedy
    • CLAS/LITS 0230 Myth and Contemporary Experience
    • CLAS/HARC 0234 Ancient Roman City: Pompeii and Beyond
    • CLAS/HARC 0236 Cities of Vesuvius
    • CLAS/RELI 0251 Greek Religion
    • CLAS/PHIL 0275 Greek Philosophy: The Problem of Socrates
    • CLAS/PHIL 0276 Roman Philosophy
    • CLAS 0321 Apocalypse When?
    • CLAS/HIST 0331 Sparta and Athens
    • CLAS/HIST 0332 Roman Law
    • CLAS/HIST 0337 From Alexander to Rome
    • HARC 0213 Roman Art and Architecture
    • HARC 0221 Greek Art and Archaeology
    • HARC 0223 The Classical Tradition in Architecture: A History
    • HARC 0312 Of Gods, Mortals, and Myths: Greek and Roman Painting
    • HARC 0320 Hands-on Archaeology: Theory and Practice
    • MATH 0261 History of Mathematics
    • PHIL 0201 Ancient Greek Philosophy
    • PHIL 0302 Philosophy of Plato
    • PHIL 0303 Philosophy of Aristotle
    • RELI 0381/CLAS 0308 Seminar in the New Testament
    • PSCI 0101 Introduction to Political Science
    • PSCI 0317 Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy
    • PSCI 0409 Seminar in Political Philosophy
    • RELI 0290 Women and the Sacred in Late Antiquity and Byzantium
  • Four courses in Greek or four courses in Latin chosen from:
    • GREK 0101 Beginning Greek I
    • GREK 0102 Beginning Greek II
    • GREK 0201 Intermediate Greek: Prose
    • GREK 0202 Intermediate Greek: Poetry
    • GREK 0301 Readings in Greek Literature I
    • GREK 0302 Readings in Greek Literature II
    • GREK 0401 Advanced Readings in Greek Literature I
    • GREK 0402 Advanced Readings in Greek Literature II
    • LATN 0101 Beginning Latin I
    • LATN 0102 Beginning Latin II
    • LATN 0110 Introduction to College Latin
    • LATN 0201 Intermediate Latin: Prose
    • LATN 0202 Intermediate Latin: Poetry
    • LATN 0301 Readings in Latin Literature I
    • LATN 0302 Readings in Latin Literature II
    • LATN 0401 Advanced Readings in Latin I
    • LATN 0402 Advanced Readings in Latin II
  • CLAS 0420 Seminar in Classical Literature
  • CLAS 0701 History of Classical Literature: General Examination for Classics/Classical Studies Majors (Reading List)

Optional: CLAS 0700 Senior Essay (fall/ winter/spring); CLAS 0500 Independent Senior Project (fall/winter/spring). (Note: Students who wish to do an optional senior essay or independent senior project must secure the sponsorship of a member of the classics department in the semester before the essay or project is to be undertaken.)

For complete descriptions of the courses listed above, see listings under the appropriate departments.

Honors: B+ average or better in courses taken for the major (excluding senior work). B+ or better in the General Examination (CLAS 0701) and in the Senior Seminar (CLAS 0420). (Note: A student who does an optional senior essay or independent senior project may arrange with the chair, in the semester prior to undertaking the project, to offer that grade in lieu of the grade for CLAS 0420 for the calculation of departmental honors.)

Joint Major: Students interested in a joint major in Classical Studies and another discipline should consult the chair. The joint major in Classical Studies typically requires four semesters of either Greek or Latin; CLAS 0150; one course from section A2 and one course from A3 under the requirements for the major; CLAS 0701, and senior work that combines Classical Studies with the other major.