Mission Statement

Through teaching, scholarly and creative activity, and service, the Department of Classics and Letters seeks to preserve and promote the study of the culture, history, languages, literature, and philosophy of Greco-Roman antiquity and the enduring influence of Classical ideals on the modern world.

Expanded Statement of Institutional Purpose

The principal mission of the Department of Classics and Letters' curricular program is to provide a traditional liberal arts education that will prepare students to adapt to a variety of settings after graduation. Our programs are based upon the assumption that cultivated intelligence, good judgment, and artistic expression in speech and writing are desirable in and for themselves.

Each of the Department's major programs, in addition to fulfilling this principal mission, has its own specific purpose and goals.

Classics

The principal mission of the curriculum in Classics is to educate students about ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.

The three emphases within Classics have distinct goals:

• Classical Studies: The goal of the emphasis in Classical Studies is to provide an opportunity for general study of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, primarily through primary sources in English translation.
• Classical Languages: The goal of the emphasis in Classical Languages is to prepare students for advanced study in Classics at the graduate level.
• Latin: The goal of the emphasis in Latin is to prepare students for a career in the teaching of Latin at the primary and secondary level.

Letters

The principal mission of the curriculum in Letters is to provide students with a traditional, interdisciplinary education in the liberal arts and sciences through courses both in the Department of Classics and Letters and in other departments.

• The goal of the Letters curriculum is to equip students with skills that can be adapted to a wide variety of pursuits after graduation.
• The additional goal of the emphasis in Constitutional Studies is to educate students about Constitutionalism.