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A Classical building stands with a blue backdrop

Though I may be biased as a Classics major myself, I believe that the Dartmouth Classics department is extraordinary, offering a wide variety of classes from professors with ranging research backgrounds. Because of this, the Classics department offers four distinct majors that allow students to focus on what they really enjoy.

Classical Studies

This is the most popular major within the department, and it is the broadest as it emphasizes study in all areas of Classics (History, Archaeology, Ancient Languages, Literature/Philosophy/Religion). I am a Classical Studies major, and I love the flexibility it offers. I've taken classes from CLST 10.10: Ancient Medicine to ARTH 11.02: Alexander to Cleopatra: Art in an Unsettled World, and each class always offers new knowledge. 

Classical Archaeology

Classical Archaeology is popular amongst students who intend to do fieldwork either on their off-terms or as a career. This major highly encourages students to go on either the Rome or Greece Foreign Study Program (FSP) as both emphasize fieldwork. In fact, I will soon be digging at an ancient site, Despotiko, with my Greece FSP! 

As a note, the Anthropology department offers its own Archaeology concentration separate from the Classics department. The Anthropology route applies to more civilizations outside of the Greco-Roman world. As someone who has a minor in the Anthropology department (Global Health), I love the Anthropology department too, and I appreciate that Dartmouth students can choose which route they want for archaeology!

A marble statue with a red backdrop
A Spartan statue from my Greece Foreign Study Program!

Ancient History

If you love Classical history, this is the major for you! Five of the major courses emphasize history, and the remaining four courses are in languages or archaeology, which are essential to the study of history. The 10th course is an elective that can be taken in departments such as Anthropology, Comparative Literature, and History, meaning that students can get a taste of history from another academic discipline. 

Classical Languages and Literatures

For those of you who love Latin or Greek (as I did in high school), you will love this major. Six of the classes for this major are in Greek and Latin, and you can either specialize in Greek or Latin or you can do a combination of the two languages. If you receive a 4 or 5 in AP Latin or get a certain score on the Latin placement test, you will be placed into Latin 10, the intermediate section. If you are a novice, you will do Latin 1, 2, and 3, and then start the major with Latin 10.

I should note that all of these majors (which consist of ten classes) are available as minors (which have six classes).

If you want to major in the Classics but are unsure which specific major you want to do, I'd recommend starting by taking classes that fulfill 3-4 of the majors and see which area sticks out to you. The department has an overview of the majors with required classes that can be helpful when mapping out your D-Plan! You really can't go wrong with any of the Classics majors; it's all about finding the right fit.

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