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Greek and Roman Studies

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connecting past to present

Explore all aspects of culture and languages of ancient Greece and Rome, their interaction with the rest of the Mediterranean world and their influence today by majoring or minoring in Greek and Roman Studies, Classics, Greek or Latin. You’ll have multiple chances to take courses in the history, learn Greek or Latin and gain insight both about antiquity and about the world in which we live.

Greek and Roman Studies News

 

Student SpotlightShaan Vernenkar '25

majors: Greek and Roman Studies, Anthropology

“The Greek and Roman Studies Department at HWS has been a wonderfully close-knit and supportive community that has truly emphasized the importance of an inclusive and interdisciplinary examination of the classical world. Through courses like “Cicero’s Letters and the Fall of the Roman Republic” and “Power, Politics, and Rhetoric in Democratic Athens,” I’ve learned effective leadership, analysis, and writing skills from figures of the past and gained a strong foundation applicable to linguistics, political science and history unlike any other. Associate Professor of Greek and Roman Studies James Capreedy has fueled my interests and answered many questions.”

 
Honors
Honors

And Research

 

Greek and Roman Studies students looking to engage more in their work can study and complete Honors and research projects in their chosen topic with the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Past examples of Honors projects include:

  • Deirdre O’Malley ’22: Of Love and Monsters: Gender and Citizenship in Euripides’ Hippolytos
    Leah Himmelhoch, Adviser
  • Elizabeth M. Fajardo ’20: Roman Red Sea Trade: An Analysis of Trade in the First and Second Centuries C. E.
    James Capreedy, Adviser
  • Nicholas J. Haydon ’19: Leadership in Ancient Sparta
    James Capreedy, Adviser
Learn More About Undergraduate Research Honorary Society – Eta Pi Chapter

Experiential EducationGet Involved

classics

Explore immigration policy shifts at the Intercultural Affairs Center or learn about job opportunities with the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education.

At Hobart and William Smith, learning goes beyond textbooks and classrooms. You’ll gain high-impact practical experience that deepens learning and opens doors.

Explore and Experience at the HWS Centers

GRADUATE WITH LEADERSHIP DISTINCTION

Amplify your Greek and Roman Studies degree with the skills, knowledge and ethical foundation needed to be a leader in the 21st century. In partnership with the Centennial Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, our department offers the opportunity to engage in leadership development that culminates in a degree with leadership distinction and provides a competitive edge when applying to internships, jobs and graduate or professional school.

To graduate with leadership distinction, you will complete a series of foundational, action-oriented and reflective milestones within the Greek and Roman Studies and Leadership curriculum. We encourage you to begin your leadership journey as early as your second semester on campus.

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No Borders:Global Education

Study Roman politics in England or Greek art in Denmark.

Wherever you go, our top-ranked global education program will allow you to apply classroom knowledge, develop cultural understanding and build global connections that expand your personal capacity and sense of purpose.

Study Abroad Options
classics

  • Classics Courses 2
  • Classics Course 1
  • Himmelhoch Class
  • Classics Courses 4

Build your understanding of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and what their legacies mean today. Students looking for a larger language component to their studies can major or minor in Greek or Latin.

CLAS 209 - Alexander the Great

Study the man Alexander and the legacy he left behind. Alexander and his achievements offer many problems and scholars and enthusiasts have presented a multitude of interpretations. 

CLAS 230 - Gender and Sexuality in Antiquity

Ancient Greek and Roman literature were powerful forces in shaping attitudes toward and expectations for men and women that have continued into the 21st century.

CLAS 295 - Power, Politics, and Rhetoric in Democratic Athens 

Whether it was convincing a state to support a war, mocking leadership, or convincing a jury, arguments, disagreements, and public discourse lay at the heart of the ancient Athenian democracy.

GRE 205 – The Greek New Testament

Read one of the canonical gospels in the original Greek and the other three in English translation.

LAT 238 - Latin Epic (Vergil Or Ovid)

This course is a careful reading in Latin of a significant portion of the Aeneid or the Metamorphoses, with the entire poem read in English, to enable students to appreciate the poetry and Vergil's or Ovid's presentation of Augustan Rome against the background of its historical and literary heritage.

affiliated programs

Greek and Roman Studies Courses and CurriculumGreek and Roman Studies Faculty Directory

 

Alum ImpactInspiring Confidence

Cameron
cameron miguel '22
Graduate Student at university of california los angeles classics phd program

"My advisors and my professors in the Classics and Political Science Departments gave me the much-needed encouragement to apply to grad school when I didn't have the confidence to throw my hat in the ring."

Meet More Recent Grads

Companies That Employ Our graduates

  • Calvary Episcopal Church
  • El Paso Independent School District
  • Frontier Communications
  • The Kent School
  • Off the Wharf LLC
  • Proctor Academy
  • The Revolving Museum

universities where our graduates are studying

  • New York Law School
  • Ph.D. Program in Physics at Ole Miss
  • Ph.D. Program in Ancient History at University of California Berkely
  • St. John Fisher University 
  • SUNY Upstate Medical University
  • Syracuse University
  • Texas A&M
  • University of California at Riverside
  • University of Missouri
  • Washington University in St. Louis