Classical Civilization and Hellenic Studies (BA)

Program Description

Classics

The Department of Classics explores all aspects of the Greek and Roman worlds, including their languages and literatures, art and archaeology, history, philosophy, religion, politics, economics, and law. We also feature courses on comparative studies of the ancient world beyond the Mediterranean, and the modern reception and transformation of classical literature, art, and philosophy. This broad interdisciplinary approach to these cultures that have had a major role in shaping Western values and thought provides an excellent undergraduate education. Similar to other liberal arts majors in philosophy, history, or English, our graduates go on to careers in education, law, medicine, business, politics, and the media.

The department offers courses in both English translation and the original languages. Several majors and minors are available, some in conjunction with the Departments of Anthropology and Art History and with the Alexander S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies. Academic internships, an honors program, the opportunity to participate in an archaeological excavation in Cyprus, study away programs, and individualized study are also available.

Classroom instruction is supplemented by a variety of activities. In addition to film screenings, lectures, and field trips sponsored by a lively Classics Club, students have access to the superb collections of antiquities at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the American Numismatic Society, and the Pierpont Morgan Library, as well as to the department's own collection of antiquities. Finally, opportunities for travel and study abroad are available in Greece, Italy, and other Mediterranean sites.

Hellenic Studies

The Alexander S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies provides students with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the language, literature, history, and politics of Greece. Through a wide range of courses, students are exposed to a polyphony of viewpoints that help elucidate the historical and political experiences of Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern Greece; the ways in which Greece has borne its several pasts and translated them into the modern era; Greece and its relations to Western Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Mediterranean cultures; and the distinguished literary and artistic traditions of a country that many regard as the birthplace of Western civilization, even as these traditions exhibit their multicultural contexts.

The Arts and Science summer program in Athens combines classroom study of the language, history, and culture of Greece with extracurricular activities and excursions that introduce students to all aspects of Greek life. The program offers a wide range of courses on such subjects as the Greek language, Greek literature and photography, Greek drama, Greek political history, the city of Athens, and the archaeology of Greece. Classes are held at our new facility in Athens, conveniently located in Kolonaki neighborhood and the historical center of Athens. Activities include walking tours of Athens, visits to monuments and museums, and evening outings to dramatic and musical performances. Weekend excursions include trips to several Greek islands and to important historical and archaeological sites. Relevant courses taken in this summer program count toward the major or minor as regular courses.

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply. 

Program Requirements

The joint major in Classical Civilization and Hellenic Studies requires ten 4-credit courses (40 credits) as outlined below. Courses must be completed with a grade of C or better (courses graded Pass/Fail do not count). Students choose either Track A or Track B.

Track A

Track A requires ancient Greek through the full intermediate level (typically four 4-credit courses), two 4-credit courses from the offerings in classical civilization (below), and four 4-credit courses offered through the Alexander S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies.

Track B

Track B requires modern Greek through the full intermediate level (typically four 4-credit courses), two 4-credit courses from the offerings of the Alexander S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies, and four 4-credit courses from the offerings in classical civilization (below). (Note: A student on Track B who is already proficient through the first- or second-year level of modern Greek will take two or four courses in place of the first and/or second year of modern Greek, with the consent of the appropriate faculty.)

¹

The foreign language requirement is satisfied upon successful completion through the Intermediate level of a language. This may be accomplished in fewer than 16 credits, but those credits must then be completed as elective credit.

²

Elementary I through Intermediate II in either Ancient Greek or Modern Greek counts as part of the 40 major credits. Those four 4-credit courses (16 credits) also satisfy the general education foreign language requirement (above in this table), so here they are not listed again for the major requirements.

Summer Study Away

Archaeological Fieldwork: Yeronisos Island Excavation Field School, Cyprus
Summer Session I. 4 credits.
This five-week field practicum is held on Yeronisos Island, Cyprus, a Ptolemaic sanctuary of Apollo that flourished during the final years of Cleopatra's reign. Focuses on the aims, scope, and tools of field survey and archaeology; the practice of stratigraphic excavation; and ways of dealing with archaeological evidence. Field training includes surface survey and field walking; principles of stratigraphic excavation; keeping a field book; data entry and the Yeronisos Island Expedition Database; health and safety in the field and on the boat; closing the site for the season; and writing final field reports. Afternoon seminars cover pottery washing, conservation, and analysis; drawing stratigraphic sections; drawing pottery profiles, glass, and metal objects; object photography; the history of Cyprus from the Neolithic to Byzantine periods; cult and religion; Hellenistic pottery; and reading Greek inscriptions. Numerous field trips complement the excavation and classroom experiences.

Graduate Courses Open to Undergraduates

Courses in classics offered in the Graduate School of Arts and Science are open to all undergraduates who have reached the required advanced level of Greek or Latin language instruction.

Sample Plan of Study

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:

1. A level of proficiency in either Ancient or Modern Greek sufficient to commence reading advanced texts under guidance.
2. Knowledge of different genres of Greek literature.
3. Knowledge of different aspects of Greek antiquity, such as its literature, history, archaeology, and philosophy.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

College of Arts and Science Policies

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.