Classical Studies
Why choose classical studies at North Central College?
Classical studies is the interdisciplinary field that explores all aspects of ancient Greece and Rome, including history (from 1200 B.C.E.-400 C.E.), culture and their influence into the present. The program includes courses in languages (ancient Greek and Latin), mythology, history, ancient art, theater, religion, philosophy, and gender and sexuality. Minors in classical studies build skills in close reading, research, and analysis of texts and objects that are applicable to a wide range of occupations. Classics major and minor degree holders have gone on to pursue careers in teaching, library science, marketing and computer programming.
You can also:
- Study abroad in Greece and/or Italy
- Present original research at the Rall Symposium
- Combine a minor in classical studies with coursework or a degree in related disciplines, including anthropology, art, archaeology, history, philosophy, religious studies, and theater, as well as the Shimer Great Books School
- Read classical literature in its original languages, including works of Homer, Plato, Julius Caesar, Virgil and the Greek New Testament
- Explore Greek and Roman politics and classical culture through innovative game-based courses
- Enjoy convivia (good food and conversation) with students and professors at classical studies events
Classical Studies Minor
Classical Studies is an interdisciplinary program that explores all aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. It offers language courses in ancient Greek and Latin as well as courses in cultural studies. Students pursuing the minor also draw on coursework in History, Art History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Theater, and Great Books. The minor is a useful complement to studies in any of these fields. It is especially recommended to students who plan to pursue graduate studies requiring knowledge of ancient Greek or Latin (such as programs in ancient history, classical archaeology, medieval studies, and many seminaries). Minors in Classical Studies build skills in close reading, research, and analysis of texts and objects that are applicable to wide range of occupations and careers.
For additional information and courses in this program, see Classical Studies.
A minimum of 24 credit hours, including:
Language
Eight credit hours, with at least four credit hours at the 102-level or above, from the following:
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GREK 101 - Elementary Ancient Greek I
GREK 101 - Elementary Ancient Greek I
4.00 credit hours
Introduction to ancient Greek, focusing on vocabulary and elements of grammar and syntax found in both the classical Greek of writers such as Plato and Sophocles and in the koine dialect of the New Testament. Course builds skills through exercises in reading, writing, and translation, as well as some speaking and aural comprehension.
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GREK 102 - Elementary Ancient Greek II
GREK 102 - Elementary Ancient Greek II
4.00 credit hours
Continued introduction to ancient Greek, focusing on more complex elements of grammar and syntax. Continued building of skills through exercises in reading, writing, and translation, as well as some speaking and aural comprehension. Culminates in readings of selected from New Testament writers.
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GREK 299 - Independent Study
GREK 299 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of short excerpts of Greek authors; to include continued attention to student's learning and mastery of basic and intermediate elements of Greek grammar.
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GREK 399 - Independent Study
GREK 399 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of excerpts from Greek authors; to include attention to student's learning and mastery of advanced elements of Greek grammar.
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GREK 499 - Independent Study
GREK 499 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of texts of Greek authors; to include attention to questions of text's literary interpretation and/or social, cultural, or historical contexts.
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LATN 101 - Elementary Latin I
LATN 101 - Elementary Latin I
4.00 credit hours
Introduction to the language of ancient Rome and its empire. Students learn basic elements of Latin grammar and vocabulary through reading, writing, speaking and aural comprehension; become acquainted with aspects of Roman culture; increase English vocabulary through study of Latin derivatives.
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LATN 102 - Elementary Latin II
LATN 102 - Elementary Latin II
4.00 credit hours
Continued introduction to Latin, with focus on further learning of vocabulary, grammar, and syntax through reading, writing, speaking and aural comprehension. Further exploration of Roman culture through reading of Latin inscriptions. Students continue increasing English vocabulary through study of Latin derivatives.
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LATN 299 - Independent Study
LATN 299 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of short excerpts of Latin authors; to include continued attention to student's learning and mastery of basic and intermediate elements of Latin grammar.
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LATN 399 - Independent Study
LATN 399 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of excerpts from Latin authors; to include attention to student's learning and mastery of intermediate and advanced elements of Latin grammar.
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LATN 499 - Independent Study
LATN 499 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of texts of Latin authors; to include attention to questions of text's literary interpretation and/or social, cultural, or historical contexts.
Electives
One of the following:
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CLSS 200 - Introduction to Greece and Rome: Ancient and Contemporary Debates
CLSS 200 - Introduction to Greece and Rome: Ancient and Contemporary Debates
4.00 credit hours
An innovative introduction to critical issues in Ancient Greece and Rome. Students take on roles, informed by classic texts, in elaborate games set in the past; they learn skills—speaking, writing, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership and teamwork—in order to prevail in difficult and complicated situations.
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CLSS 250 - Classical Mythology
CLSS 250 - Classical Mythology
4.00 credit hours
A study of classical mythology based on ancient Greek and Roman sources, such as the epic poems of Homer. Course also considers theoretical definitions of myth; cross-cultural comparisons of mythological traditions, and post-classical reception of myths in art, literature and popular culture.
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CLSS 255 - Greek and Roman History and Historians
CLSS 255 - Greek and Roman History and Historians
4.00 credit hours
Survey of major developments in Greek and Roman history from roughly 800 BCE–400 CE. In addition to understanding how societies in ancient Greece and Rome built, defended and lost their empires, the course also studies the social, cultural and environmental experiences of these complex civilizations. Students read modern historical interpretations as well as translated ancient historical sources of the period.
One of the following:
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CLSS 320 - Topics in Classical Art
CLSS 320 - Topics in Classical Art
4.00 credit hours
Selected study of Classical art from the Greek, Hellenistic or Roman period. Emphasis on the variety of ideologies and materials that characterize Classical art, how its development was influenced by earlier art traditions, and how the diverse strands of Classical art and culture are still recognizable in our contemporary world.
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CLSS 380 - Ancient Mediterranean Religions
CLSS 380 - Ancient Mediterranean Religions
4.00 credit hours
Study of diversity within the religious traditions and practices of ancient Greco-Roman Mediterranean. Topics emphasized may include significance of religious rituals in public and private life (including sacrifices, festivals, prayers, magic, divination and initiation); funerary customs and beliefs associated with death; adoption and adaption of foreign cults in polytheistic societies; and interaction of Greek and Roman traditions with Abrahamic monotheisms.
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CLSS 385 - Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome
CLSS 385 - Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome
4.00 credit hours
Study of selected topics relating gender and sexuality within the civilizations of Greek and Roman antiquity (ca. 800 BCE–400 CE), including some attention to: beliefs and customs pertaining to gender developed and changed over time and in relation to changing social, cultural and political contexts; types of sources available for studying private lives of ancient Greek and Romans; and influence of studies on ancient gender on the development of Gender Studies as a discipline.
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CLSS 390 - Topics
Eight credit hours from the following:
Choose courses that were not already taken as part of the minor requirements above. A maximum of four credit hours may be taken from Greek/Latin.
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CLSS 190 - Words and Ideas From Greece and Rome
CLSS 190 - Words and Ideas From Greece and Rome
4.00 credit hours
Introduction to classical culture through study of Greek and Roman roots in English. Students expand English vocabulary and gain knowledge necessary to make educated guesses at unfamiliar words' meanings based on roots and basic linguistic concepts involved in word building. Special attention is given to spheres of classical culture, such as mythology, philosophy, ancient science medicine, which have been especially important for creation of English words. Fulfills the language requirement for transfer students with a minimum of 51 transferred credit hours at entry.
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CLSS 200 - Introduction to Greece and Rome: Ancient and Contemporary Debates
CLSS 200 - Introduction to Greece and Rome: Ancient and Contemporary Debates
4.00 credit hours
An innovative introduction to critical issues in Ancient Greece and Rome. Students take on roles, informed by classic texts, in elaborate games set in the past; they learn skills—speaking, writing, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership and teamwork—in order to prevail in difficult and complicated situations.
-
CLSS 250 - Classical Mythology
CLSS 250 - Classical Mythology
4.00 credit hours
A study of classical mythology based on ancient Greek and Roman sources, such as the epic poems of Homer. Course also considers theoretical definitions of myth; cross-cultural comparisons of mythological traditions, and post-classical reception of myths in art, literature and popular culture.
-
CLSS 255 - Greek and Roman History and Historians
CLSS 255 - Greek and Roman History and Historians
4.00 credit hours
Survey of major developments in Greek and Roman history from roughly 800 BCE–400 CE. In addition to understanding how societies in ancient Greece and Rome built, defended and lost their empires, the course also studies the social, cultural and environmental experiences of these complex civilizations. Students read modern historical interpretations as well as translated ancient historical sources of the period.
-
CLSS 299 - Independent Study
CLSS 299 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Individual studies undertaken with guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated with different content.
-
CLSS 320 - Topics in Classical Art
CLSS 320 - Topics in Classical Art
4.00 credit hours
Selected study of Classical art from the Greek, Hellenistic or Roman period. Emphasis on the variety of ideologies and materials that characterize Classical art, how its development was influenced by earlier art traditions, and how the diverse strands of Classical art and culture are still recognizable in our contemporary world.
-
CLSS 380 - Ancient Mediterranean Religions
CLSS 380 - Ancient Mediterranean Religions
4.00 credit hours
Study of diversity within the religious traditions and practices of ancient Greco-Roman Mediterranean. Topics emphasized may include significance of religious rituals in public and private life (including sacrifices, festivals, prayers, magic, divination and initiation); funerary customs and beliefs associated with death; adoption and adaption of foreign cults in polytheistic societies; and interaction of Greek and Roman traditions with Abrahamic monotheisms.
-
CLSS 385 - Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome
CLSS 385 - Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome
4.00 credit hours
Study of selected topics relating gender and sexuality within the civilizations of Greek and Roman antiquity (ca. 800 BCE–400 CE), including some attention to: beliefs and customs pertaining to gender developed and changed over time and in relation to changing social, cultural and political contexts; types of sources available for studying private lives of ancient Greek and Romans; and influence of studies on ancient gender on the development of Gender Studies as a discipline.
-
CLSS 399 - Independent Study
CLSS 399 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Individual studies undertaken with guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated with different content.
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CLSS 390 - Topics
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CLSS 499 - Independent Study
CLSS 499 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Individual studies undertaken with guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated with different content.
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ANTH 145 - Language and Culture in Community: Linguistics and Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 145 - Language and Culture in Community: Linguistics and Cultural Anthropology
4.00 credit hours
An introduction to the anthropological subfields of cultural anthropology and linguistics. Consideration of human cultural and linguistic diversity. Introduction to theories that attempt to explain human cultural and linguistic diversity and commonality. Exploration of identity, economy, political life, religion, kinship, phonology, morphology, syntax, sociolinguistics, linguistic and cultural change and continuity in global context. Intensive examination of the ethnography of a particular community designated by the professor.
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ANTH 165 - Stones and Bones: Introduction to Archaeology and Biological Anthropology
ANTH 165 - Stones and Bones: Introduction to Archaeology and Biological Anthropology
4.00 credit hours
An introduction to the anthropological subfields of archaeology and biological anthropology. Concepts, principles and methods used to reconstruct human evolution, human prehistory, sequences of socio-political development and particular cultural histories. Continuity and change over long arcs of time. Humankind as a member of the primate order and contemporary human biodiversity. How human societies adapt and change and how human culture intersects with human biology and the natural environment. Case studies by instructor.
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ARTH 100 - World Art Histories I
ARTH 100 - World Art Histories I
4.00 credit hours
Art history survey of visual art and architecture until 1400 CE. Geographic regions considered include the Mediterranean, Near East, Europe, Asia and Africa, emphasizing interactions between cultures.
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GREK 101 - Elementary Ancient Greek I
GREK 101 - Elementary Ancient Greek I
4.00 credit hours
Introduction to ancient Greek, focusing on vocabulary and elements of grammar and syntax found in both the classical Greek of writers such as Plato and Sophocles and in the koine dialect of the New Testament. Course builds skills through exercises in reading, writing, and translation, as well as some speaking and aural comprehension.
-
GREK 102 - Elementary Ancient Greek II
GREK 102 - Elementary Ancient Greek II
4.00 credit hours
Continued introduction to ancient Greek, focusing on more complex elements of grammar and syntax. Continued building of skills through exercises in reading, writing, and translation, as well as some speaking and aural comprehension. Culminates in readings of selected from New Testament writers.
-
GREK 299 - Independent Study
GREK 299 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of short excerpts of Greek authors; to include continued attention to student's learning and mastery of basic and intermediate elements of Greek grammar.
-
GREK 399 - Independent Study
GREK 399 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of excerpts from Greek authors; to include attention to student's learning and mastery of advanced elements of Greek grammar.
-
GREK 499 - Independent Study
GREK 499 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of texts of Greek authors; to include attention to questions of text's literary interpretation and/or social, cultural, or historical contexts.
-
LATN 101 - Elementary Latin I
LATN 101 - Elementary Latin I
4.00 credit hours
Introduction to the language of ancient Rome and its empire. Students learn basic elements of Latin grammar and vocabulary through reading, writing, speaking and aural comprehension; become acquainted with aspects of Roman culture; increase English vocabulary through study of Latin derivatives.
-
LATN 102 - Elementary Latin II
LATN 102 - Elementary Latin II
4.00 credit hours
Continued introduction to Latin, with focus on further learning of vocabulary, grammar, and syntax through reading, writing, speaking and aural comprehension. Further exploration of Roman culture through reading of Latin inscriptions. Students continue increasing English vocabulary through study of Latin derivatives.
-
LATN 299 - Independent Study
LATN 299 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of short excerpts of Latin authors; to include continued attention to student's learning and mastery of basic and intermediate elements of Latin grammar.
-
LATN 399 - Independent Study
LATN 399 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of excerpts from Latin authors; to include attention to student's learning and mastery of intermediate and advanced elements of Latin grammar.
-
LATN 499 - Independent Study
LATN 499 - Independent Study
1.00-12.00 credit hours
Independent study based on reading, translation, and discussion of texts of Latin authors; to include attention to questions of text's literary interpretation and/or social, cultural, or historical contexts.
-
PHIL 260 - Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
PHIL 260 - Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
4.00 credit hours
Part one of the History of Philosophy sequence: Ancient Greece through the 16th century.
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RELG 392 - Bible Seminar
RELG 392 - Bible Seminar
4.00 credit hours
A reading and writing intensive seminar in which students will join the scholarly conversation on the Bible. Students will analyze select biblical texts, engage in academic research and writing, and discuss their findings with their peers. Rather than survey the breadth of the whole Bible, this course will delve the depths of one small portion of the biblical text, such as Genesis, Psalms, the gospels, or Paul's letters.
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SGBH 325 - Epic Poetry
SGBH 325 - Epic Poetry
4.00 credit hours
Epic poems - long narrative poems that arise out of a collaborative oral tradition - are central to literary cultures around the world, The Iliad and the Odyssey are the Western exemplars; in India, the Mahabarata and the Ramayana have a similar status. Along with these works, this course also covers epics from China and Scandinavia as well as scholarly background providing aesthetic and historical interpretations of the poems and the genre of the "epic" in general.
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SGBS 102 - The Western Political Tradition
SGBS 102 - The Western Political Tradition
4.00 credit hours
The development of the Western political thought and of the US in particular can be traced from ancient through contemporary texts. This course addresses questions about the nature of laws and the authority of the state across this long tradition. Students study key terms in political thought, including freedom, liberty, equality, power and responsibility. The course concludes by looking deeply into challenges posed to the American political order over time by the movements for abolition, women's suffrage and civil rights.
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THEA 304 - Theatre History and Literature I
THEA 304 - Theatre History and Literature I
4.00 credit hours
A study of the theatre and its literature from its ancient beginnings through the English Restoration. Students examine theatrical events, figures and dramatic works in their aesthetic, cultural and historical contexts and synthesize analytical writing and research skills with appropriate knowledge of course material.
Classical Studies Careers and Future Options
Internships & Careers
Recent graduates with minors in classical studies have gone on to:
- Field Museum of Natural History
- Software developer, First Trust
- General manager, Miskatonic Brewing Company
Graduate Schools
Recent graduates with minors in classical studies have been accepted to graduate programs at:
- University of Chicago, liberal arts
- University of Illinois, romance languages
- University of Indiana, religious studies
- Dominican University, library science
- Lewis University, education
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