Programs

Welcome to the Classics Department!

"A classic," writes Italo Calvino, "is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say." We in the Baylor Classics Department devote ourselves to the study of the classic works of the Greek and Roman world - works that founded and subsequently shaped all of Western intellectual history. This study is not the tired praise of something old, but a fresh and exciting continuation of a conversation begun long ago with our culture's greatest philosophical, political, and artistic minds. What is more, this study takes place in the original Greek and Latin languages, so that we and our students may have as direct an access as possible to the products of genius.

Before the mid-twentieth century, "education" in our hemisphere meant primarily the study of the Greek and Roman Classics. In the twenty-first century, people are again coming to appreciate how essential the Greco-Roman world is to an understanding of our own - of English grammar and vocabulary (which is derived largely from Latin), of the American political system (which was consciously modeled on that of the Romans), of Western literature (which draws directly and indirectly on ancient authors), of philosophy (which has persuasively been characterized as a series of footnotes to Plato), and of Christianity (which arose and proliferated under the Roman empire).

The Baylor Classics Department is home to one of the finest undergraduate Classics programs in the country. Our focus has always been on the careful reading of texts in the original languages, and unlike many Classics departments, our courses have their highest enrollments in Greek and Latin. Our teaching manual Latina Ursorum ("Bears' Latin"), complete with mnemonic songs, is used around the country. Our faculty are actively involved in the both the university and the larger community at the local, state, national, and international levels: a recent national convention was described by a peer as "crawling with Baylor folks." Our vibrant Classics club Eta Sigma Phi sponsors events such as the "Fun Fridays" afternoon lecture series, OctHomerfest, Latin Day, holiday parties, and many informal gatherings at local theaters and restaurants. Baylor in Italy and Baylor in Greece offer students an exciting opportunity to take courses while visiting places like Florence, Capri, Rome, Athens, Knossos, Mycenae, and Delphi. Many of our alumni enter top graduate programs in Classics or become Latin teachers (a profession always in demand), while others see it as a foundational education for professions such as law or medicine.

As Thomas Merton observes, "The Church indeed likes what is old, not because it is old but rather because it is 'young.'" A similar feeling animates classicists, who enjoy the unparalleled privilege of seeing Western civilization at its birth.