Students interested in classical studies now have the opportunity to add a minor in the subject beginning next fall.

The area of classical studies concentrates on the languages, culture and literature of ancient civilizations such as Greece and Rome, as well as related traditions that have impacted the Western world over time. The program may be of particular interest to students concentrating in a wide range of areas, including modern languages, literature, communication, law and politics, said Robert Sullivan, assistant professor of speech communication and director of the new classical studies minor.

The new program is an interdisciplinary study encompassing course material from several departments in the School of Humanities and Sciences, Sullivan said. There is no limit on the number of students who can minor in the classical studies program, and all are welcome to consider it, Sullivan said.

The minor is designed to have flexibility in fitting around student interests and has three major components. Students must satisfy requirements in classical languages and classical history and culture, and must also select electives.

The classical languages portion of the program requires six credits of Latin or Greek above the introductory level. Though Greek is not offered at the college, the program accepts previously earned credit or credit from Cornell University.

Classical history and culture requirements call for three courses from three different departments, giving the student a choice between a variety of courses in art history, English, history, philosophy and religion and speech communications. Finally, six credits worth of electives in related fields listed under the program syllabus or others approved by the program coordinator are also required.

The key to the construction of the minor program was the revival of offering Latin at the college this year, Sullivan said. He credited the generosity of Michael Twomey, professor of English, who agreed to teach Latin this year as an overload. The college then realized the demand for the subject and later hired another professor to teach the subject in addition to Twomey, said Sullivan and others involved in planning the minor.

“For years, Latin was the missing link needed to create the program,” said Nancy Ramage, assistant professor of art history, who helped to plan the new minor.

But the great thing about the concentration is that it recognizes that it is not just the language alone that is important, Sullivan said. The study of culture, law and art are also crucial. “It’s exploratory. It’s meant to be interdisciplinary,” he said. Sullivan said he hopes the program will grow in the coming years. Though he is unsure of the exact number of students who will be entering the minor, he did note that the creation of the program was driven by student interest.

“More and more students are coming in with stronger interests,” he said. “For the past few years, we’ve been having contact with students who have a desire for, or already have, competency in the area.”

Ramage noted the field’s relevance to many different career fields.

“Work in classical studies is a useful source of training for anyone,” she said. “We hope that students will come out of the program with a well-rounded background that will guide them in their future.”

Sophomore politics major Alissa Palumbo was one of the first to sign up for the minor. Palumbo first heard about the program last spring when it was still in its primary stages of planning, and was eager to learn more.

“I’m planning to attend law school, and classical studies will definitely be very helpful,” she said.

The area of classical studies is a powerful tool for any student, as it will allow them to have direct access to texts and their meaning, Sullivan said.

“When you open a book and are able to think the same thoughts as the writer did, in the same language in which they did it, it is such a revelation,” he said.

Sullivan worked with a small planning committee which included faculty from four departments within the School of Humanities and Sciences. The process was relatively quick, taking less than a year to coordinate. The minor incorporates requirements from courses already available at the college, which facilitated the process, he said.