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Sophocles' Antigone
trans. by Diane Rayor
presented by
Jenison High School
November 18-21

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Abelard & Heloise:
The Letters and Other Writings
Translated with introduction and notes by William Levitan

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The Homeric Hymns:
A Translation, with Introduction and Notes
Diane Rayor

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The Power of Religion in Late Antiquity
Edited by Andrew Cain and Noel Lenski, with a contribution by Charles Pazdernik

The Department of Classics

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Latin Emphasis

The language of the ancient Romans became, through their Empire, the language of Western Europe. Even after the Roman Empire collapsed, Latin continued as the language of literature, science, philosophy, medicine, law, and religion for over a thousand years: John Milton, Isaac Newton, Baruch Spinoza, and Thomas Aquinas all wrote in the same language as Cicero, Virgil, Caesar, and Plautus.

As a language of daily life, Latin evolved into the modern Romance languages of Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian, which are spoken today by over 500 million people throughout the world. It also left deep traces in the structure and vocabulary of many other languages, including English.

Even after the Roman Empire collapsed, Latin continued as the language of literature, science, philosophy, medicine, law, and religion for over a thousand years.

The study of Latin, then, opens doors to the history and culture of the classical world and to a wide variety of other fascinating and useful fields as well.

Grand Valley offers a full undergraduate program in Latin, including a major and a minor emphasis in Latin, courses to fulfill the University's B.A. cognate requirement in a foreign language, and courses in Latin literature and Roman culture in translation.

All Classics majors take the Language and Cultural Core, and the senior Capstone. Majors with the Latin emphasis will also complete 18 additional hours of Latin at the 300 level or above.

Majors who intend to continue their study in a graduate Program in Classics are strongly advised to take both Greek and Latin. Students with a major emphasis in Latin and a minor in either Greek or the Classical Tradition will substitute an approved set of 6 departmental hours for the Cultural Core in the minor program.

All Classics minors take the Language and Cultural Core. Minors in the Latin emphasis will also complete an additional nine hours of Latin at the 300 level or above. Students with a minor emphasis in Latin may, upon recommendation of the departmental advisor, substitute two courses in Greek for three hours in the Cultural Core.

Next: Latin Secondary Education emphasis

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