Students who choose to complete the breadth requirements of TCNJ’s Liberal Learning program with an interdisciplinary concentration may choose a concentration in Classical Studies.
The Interdisciplinary Concentration in Classical Studies at The College of New Jersey aims to familiarize students with the rich cultural heritage of the ancient Greeks and Romans, including their languages, material culture (e.g., art history and archaeology), history (political, social, economic, and intellectual), philosophy, science, literature, and mythology, as well as the classical tradition from the Middle Ages to the present. Through courses in ancient languages, for example, students gain a mastery of the basic elements of grammar and syntax in Latin or Greek and read classical authors in their original languages. Through courses in classical culture, students gain skills and perspectives from analysis, criticism, and research in ancient art, history, literature, and philosophy that will enhance the students’ ability to think clearly, to write well, and to find, analyze, evaluate, and present facts and ideas effectively. Students of Classical Studies also learn to read ancient documents and view ancient artifacts with a critical appreciation of their history, meaning, and significance. They develop a sensitivity to the concrete historicity of documents and artifacts (as opposed to viewing them as timeless museum pieces), and they interrogate the very construction of a classical idea (or ideal) by examining the reception of the classical tradition over time.
The Interdisciplinary Concentration in Classical Studies does not include courses that satisfy the Natural Science requirement of the Liberal Learning program. As a result, students who complete the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Classical Studies will need to take at least one additional course – one in a lab science and, in many cases, one in quantitative reasoning – in order to satisfy all the Liberal Learning breadth requirements.
Click here to see the requirements for the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Classical Studies. Click here to see the requirements for the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Classical and Early Modern British Literary Studies.
For more information about the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Classical Studies, contact the coordinator of Classical Studies
. If you are currently taking a Classical Studies course, you can also get information about the concentration from your professor.
For a complete list of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies courses offered at TCNJ, go to our Courses page.
To learn about the backgrounds and some of the scholarly and teaching interests of the Classical Studies faculty at TCNJ, see our Faculty page.