College of Arts and Sciences

Program in Classics

BEHIND THE SCHEMES
UVM’s Production of Euripides’ Helen
A Tragicomic Musical of Mistaken Identity and Marital Fidelity.
by John C. Franklin with contributions as noted by Aaron Robinson, Glynnis Fawkes, Rachel Cosgrove, and Alexis Kamitses. Read about the production.
UVM’s Bailly Presides Over WaPo Spelling Bee
UVM Classics professor Jacques Bailly is the official pronouncer for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The event was canceled for the first time since World War II due to COVID-19. So he conducted a different kind of spelling bee this year.
Mark Usher’s 'Neron Kaisar': An Operatic Quilt
The Roman emperor Nero is remembered for neglecting his empire, fiddling while Rome burned. Nero was also a singer and a kitharode (he played the lyre), whose greatest yearning may have been to be recognized as a performer.

The School of World Languages and Cultures

Classics: The Quintessential Liberal Arts Degree

Classics, the study of Greek and Roman civilization in the broadest sense, is the original and quintessential liberal arts degree. The field is by nature multidisciplinary and provides access to a cultural continuum spanning over three millennia up to and including the present day. Coursework extends beyond traditional study of the languages and society to provide a broader view of the ancient world and its relationship to the present.

Classics majors at UVM can study Greek and Roman culture in the original languages and/or take an array of English-language courses that cover a wide area: mythology, epic and lyric poetry, drama, satire, art and architecture, historiography, political theory, and philosophy. The special research interests of UVM's Classics faculty also inform the department's curriculum.

Associate Professor of classics Angeline Chiu G'00: "If I could have my students learn anything, it's that Shakespeare's for everybody."

One Major, Many Opportunities

As a student in the Classics department, you can explore a variety of topic areas including:

oral tradition studies
the history of writing, books, and printing
ancient farming and technology
ancient music
ancient Near Eastern history and literature
historical linguistics and etymology
Greek and Roman philosophy
Greek and Roman history, topography, and myth
women in antiquity

Classics in the Community

Each spring, students in the department host a fun and inspiring Latin Day event for area high school Latin students and teachers. This past year's theme? "The Supernatural in Antiquity."

Commitment to the Individual

Students in the classics department join a close community of scholars. Classes are taught by faculty members who have a high degree of expertise and a deep commitment to teaching. The university setting also gives you distinct advantages compared to many programs in smaller schools. For instance, we offer a variety of funding sources for individual research projects.