Augustine of Hippo is recognized as one of the most important church fathers and greatest thinkers of Christianity. While many theologians and philosophers study his work, Hildegund Müller, associate professor of classics and associate vice president for research at Notre Dame, takes a different approach to reading Augustine’s texts.
"Classics molds the way you think and approach different subjects and it helps you better articulate yourself and your arguments. Just as importantly, studying classics gives you an ability to understand the historical and cultural background to Western civilization."
"I love classics not only because it is an interesting subject to study, but also because the influence is timeless and evident everywhere still today."
Tom Hite '16 spent eight months in Europe on three different ventures all funded and accessed through the Department of Classics and Notre Dame.
"I love classics because it is such a versatile subject."
Ann Gallagher is a senior classics and PLS double major who has had some amazing experiences abroad.
Notre Dame junior Olivia May has been interested in classical cultures for a long time. During the summer of 2015, she was able to experience one in a new way—by physically sifting through its remains. The Wisconsin native received an award from the U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission to study in Northern Britain, including two weeks digging at the site of an ancient Roman fort, helping to uncover evidence of the Roman Empire’s influence in England.
Sami Burr '16, a double major in classics and theology, is interested in the intricacies Greek and Latin theologians found to describe the mysteries of theology.
“Everything comes from classics. It offers a lot of different paths and a lot of interesting things to pursue,” said Brian Credo ’15, a classics major in the College of Arts and Letters. The interdisciplinary study of the ancient Mediterranean world, classics first intrigued Credo, a scholar in the Glynn Family Honors program, while studying Greek and Latin in high school.
“We’re here to look for treasure,” said David Hernandez, director of the Butrint Archaeological Research Project. “And I think of this as an intellectual treasure, really, and a cultural treasure. It’s a very special city.” Hernandez, who has directed field projects at Butrint since 2004, is an assistant professor of classics and concurrent assistant professor of anthropology at Notre Dame.
“Studying ancient Greek and Roman civilizations has opened up a lot of doors for me and I think that it’s also made me a lot more well-rounded.”
From Epic Literature to epic travels, Tori has had a legendary experience majoring in Classics.
Cameron, who double majored in biology and classics, went on to Baylor College of Medicine after graduation in 2013 and wants "to further the case for the Classics being relevant and useful in medical school, something to set students apart."
"Studying Classics, like traveling abroad, lends new perspective to the way you view your native culture. As a classics major at Notre Dame, I’ve had the privilege of participating in both of those enlightening endeavors."
Tadeusz R. Mazurek, associate teaching professor in the Department of Classics, is one of 18 University of Notre Dame faculty members to receive Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
University of Notre Dame Assistant Professor David Hernández recently received a trio of research awards: a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), a Career Enhancement Fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, and a fellowship from Harvard’s Loeb Classical Library Foundation. “I am honored and thrilled to receive this tremendous help for my research,” says Hernández, who is a faculty member in both the Department of Classics and the Department of Anthropology.
Researching and completing a senior thesis can be one of the most fulfilling experiences of your college career. It is challenging—but ultimately satisfying because it starts and ends with you and your ideas. Each year, 30% of seniors in the College of Arts and Letters complete a yearlong thesis project, working one-on-one with a faculty member or graduate student to make an intellectual contribution to their chosen field of study.
Classics major Tracy Jennings '10 won a prestigious Clarendon Scholarship to Oxford University. "This amazing postgraduate opportunity is a direct result of what I experienced at Notre Dame," she said.
Like many other veterans, Michael Zacchea ’90 returned from service in the Iraq War after an injury and struggled at times to readjust to life outside of the military. Now, the classics and English major is helping other disabled American troops on the same return journey to civilian life.
Sabine MacCormack, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame, died Saturday (June 16) after suffering a heart attack while gardening at her home in South Bend. She was 71. MacCormack, a historian and classicist who taught and wrote about religion and culture in ancient Rome and colonial Latin America, was unusual among her international colleagues for the prominence of her scholarship in those two very different areas. She also was among Notre Dame’s most popular and affectionately regarded teachers.