Classics

338 Academic Center, Ellicott Complex
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14261-0026

716-645-0466
arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/classics.html

Classics Overview

Classics is an intensely interdisciplinary field of study comprising the culture, history, languages and material remains of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. The department of Classics offers courses on the archaeology, art, culture, history, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, and language classes in Latin and ancient Greek. Majors complete a capstone class that draws upon all of the conceptual and analytical skills that they acquired while a major.

Students of classics are students of:

Archaeology

By examining the objects, architecture and other physical remnants of an ancient civilization, students begin to form a tangible connection with the people whose lives served to advance modern medicine, technology, systems of government, and agricultural and military practices. 

Art

Thousands of antiquities, including sculpture, pottery and reliefs, have survived to the present day, offering 21st century scholars and artists the opportunity to study not only the sophisticated techniques, but also the storytelling power of these lasting links to ancient cultures. 

Linguistics

Classical Greek and Latin formed the foundation of the modern Romance languages. As some of the oldest documented human languages and writing systems, to study Latin and Greek is to study the early human mind and thought process, as well as the complex symbiosis between oral and textual communication. 

Literature

From mythology to epic poetry to drama, the literature of classical civilizations engages with the most fundamental human emotions and concerns. Students encounter pivotal works like Vergil’s Aeneid, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Plato’s Symposium and Sophocles’ Antigone, while researching the contemporary circumstances that led to their production.

Philosophy

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius - these names are synonymous with ancient philosophy. Spurring an intellectual revolution, they are among the many significant figures who, by creating and defining rational thought, contributed to the core understanding of mathematics, anatomy, astronomy and more.

Academic Advising

Students obtain academic advice and guidance from the academic advisors in the College of Arts and Sciences Student Advisement & Services office (275 Park Hall) and from faculty in their program of study. The CAS Student Advisement and Services Office assists undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences to plan their academic trajectory, develop goals and successfully complete their college careers.

Academic Advising Contact Information

College of Arts & Sciences Student Advisement & Services
275 Park Hall, North Campus
North Campus, Buffalo, NY 14260-4140
Phone: 716-645-6883
Email: cas-advisor@buffalo.edu

Programs

• Classics BA - Classical Civilizations Concentration
• Classics BA - Classical Languages & Literature Concentration
• Classics BA - Greek and Roman Culture Concentration

• Classics BA/Latin Adolescence Education EdM

• Classics Minor - Classical Civilization Minor
• Classics Minor - Classical Languages and Literature Minor
• Classics Minor - Greek and Roman Culture Minor