Students gather for Classics' celebration of the birthday of Rome wearing leaf crowns

Classical Languages and Literature Major

The Classical Languages and Literature Major at Davidson

Read a wide variety of foundational and exciting ancient texts as their authors originally wrote them.

Epic and lyric poetry, tragedies and comedies, history, philosophy, or early Christian literature, consider a major in Classical Languages and Literature, especially if you are aiming for graduate study in classics.

The major in Classical Languages and Literature requires an introductory course about the Classical world (taught in English), six courses in Greek and Latin numbered above 200, and our senior research seminar. Two required electives may include additional courses in Greek and Latin, CLA courses taught in translation, a LIT course in literary translation (theory and practice) or a DIG course in digital humanities.

Courses You Might Take

GRE 103

For beginners. No prior acquaintance with Greek assumed! Together, we’ll cover the whole of ancient Greek grammar, reading excerpts from Greek literature along the way. By the conclusion of the semester, you will be thoroughly prepared for GRE 201, which fulfills he college’s language requirement and serves as gateway to advanced courses in ancient Greek.

GRE 262

Socrates, citizen of Athens and one of the most celebrated thinkers in history, was sentenced to death by the democratic government under which he lived. We will not only consider why this happened, but also grapple with the impossible “Socratic Problem,” trying to gain a coherent sense of who Socrates really was. 

LAT 251

Ostensibly writing to titillate his readers, the Numidian (modern Algeria) Platonic philosopher Apuleius confounds them with his meandering tale of Lucius, a man transformed into an ass that endures unimaginable (yet gripping!) sufferings until his shocking religious conversion to the Egyptian goddess Isis. 

Related Programs

Interested in Studying Classical Languages and Literature at Davidson?