Students gather to contemplate Thorikos, an Ancient Greek Settlement

Classical Studies Major and Minor

The Classical Studies Major and Minor at Davidson

If you’re fascinated by the ancient Mediterranean world in its many aspects and do not intend to pursue classics in graduate school, consider a major or minor in classical studies.

The major in classical studies requires an introductory course about the Classical world, three courses in Greek and Latin, three electives in classical studies designated CLA, two electives (any combination of advanced language courses, additional CLA courses, or cross-posted courses in philosophy, political science,or religious studies), and our senior research seminar. 

The minor in classical studies requires an introductory course about the Classical world, two courses in a single language (either Greek or Latin), two electives in classical studies designated CLA, and one required elective, either designated CLA or a cross-posted in Classics from philosophy, political science, or religious studies).

If you plan carefully, you can satisfy almost all of the Ways of Knowing requirements and the Justice, Equality, and Community Requirement with CLA courses, making it easy to major in something else as well.

Courses You Might Take

CLA 233

Using speeches from the Athenian lawcourts as case studies, this course will explore how justice was administered in the Classical Athenian democracy. We will read speeches by Aischines, Andokides, Antiphon, Demosthenes, Hypereides, Isaios, and Lysias, a sample of Greek orators employing all their rhetorical skills.

CLA 235

In this course, we will explore the definitions, forms, and roles of families in societies of the ancient Mediterranean, focusing on ancient Greece and Rome but also considering Carthage, Egypt, and Israel. The readings will be drawn largely from primary texts, including Homer, Lysias, Euripides, Plautus, Cicero, and the Roman legal code.

CLA 277

Between the 8th and 3rd centuries BCE, Rome and Carthage developed from small settlements into the two major powers controlling much of the western Mediterranean. In this course, we will trace the development of these two ancient city-states and their relationship with one another from their foundations through the imperial period of the first several centuries CE. 

Related Programs

Interested in Studying Classical Studies at Davidson?