1. Home ›
  2. Undergraduate ›
  3. Majors & Minors

Majors & Minors

Study the history and languages of the ancient Mediterranean world, the birthplace of Western culture.

Classics forms the core of the humanities and is by nature an interdisciplinary department. Students are able to study poetry, prose, drama, art, archaeology, history, law, philosophy, and theology, allowing a robust foundation for scholars from any college or department.

Students study the Homeric epics, Plato’s Athens, Cicero’s speeches, Vergil’s Italy, Augustine’s Africa, and so much more either in the original languages or in translation.

Classics Programs

  • A professor in a maroon dress gestures toward a projected image of an ancient Greek vase depicting Odysseus escaping from Polyphemos's cave. The screen also displays Greek text from Homer's Odyssey.

    Greek and Latin

    For students who want to study the ancient world in courses that require language work.

  • Professor Christopher Baron, wearing a purple shirt and tie, gestures while lecturing to students in a University of Notre Dame classroom. The projection screen displays the lecture title, "Alexander's Legacy," along with Baron's name and affiliation. Students sit at tiered desks, some using laptops and tablets.

    Classical Civilization

    A broad survey of the literature and culture of Greece and Rome; for students who want to study the ancient world in courses that don’t require language work.