Classical Studies

Classical Studies offers a multidisciplinary approach to the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome and the broader Mediterranean world, studying them in their original context and as avenues for modern inquiry. Students learn diverse theoretical approaches combining the sciences, social sciences and humanities, and apply them in rigorous coursework and research on politics, media, history, identity, religion, literature, material culture and the environment. Classical Studies connects us to a complex past which expands our notions of the present, offering comparative perspectives with which we can think about and address modern challenges.

The Classical Studies Major encourages students to pursue one of three broad concentrations that connect antiquity and contemporary experience: Literature and Performance; History, Politics, and Social Justice; and Archaeology and Archaeological Science. While mastering academic skills in interdisciplinary research, students will also develop proficiency in Latin or Greek in order to analyze original texts and source materials. The Department provides financial support for summer study for students seeking to enhance their knowledge of languages or participate in archaeological digs, and strongly encourages study abroad experiences in the Mediterranean as part of the major trajectory. 

Any student with a passion for mythology, literature, history, languages, archaeology, and creative arts can deepen their knowledge through the Classical Studies major. In addition, courses in Classical Studies encompass law, environmental studies, government, philosophy, and science, and scholars make innovative contributions in all these areas. 

Classical Studies courses strengthen students’ skills in language acquisition, critical reading, integrative thinking, analytical reasoning, multi-disciplinary data analysis, and communication. Students develop a sophisticated comparative lens they can employ across a range of disciplines and theoretical frameworks. Our courses also offer opportunities to work hands-on with ancient materials.  Inherently multifaceted and interdisciplinary, Classical Studies connects to other programs such as Philosophy, the College of Letters, History, Art History, Archaeology, the Bailey College of the Environment, and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Students are encouraged to develop research projects and capstones that connect to other departments and interests. As scholars of the ancient world, Classical Studies majors bring a historically informed and culturally broad perspective to their activities at Wesleyan and beyond.

Our graduates successfully pursue careers in many sectors, including law, media and communications, creative industries such as film, television, and narrative game design, cultural and heritage organizations, and in any profession, including medicine, finance, or political advocacy.  The Department works closely with the Gordon Career Center and fosters a network of alumni to provide personalized support for recent graduates exploring their early careers. The analytical training, communication skills and cultural competence developed in Classical Studies provide an outstanding foundation for any career path.

The Department is delighted to welcome two new faculty members in the 24-25 academic year: Torie Burmeister and Mira Seo.

Torie BURMEISTER will be a visiting assistant professor. She got a BA at Skidmore College with a double major in French and Classics, a post-bac certificate in Classical Languages from the University of Pennsylvania, and her PhD this past year from Boston University. Her dissertation was on “Witches and Space in Ancient Roman Literature from Horace to Apuleius.” She will be teaching Greek and Latin at the introductory and intermediate levels, and in the fall a CLST courses on “Witches and Magic.”

Mira SEO is coming to us as a Provost’s Equity Fellow. She got her BA at Swarthmore College, another BA at Oxford, and her PhD at Princeton.

A specialist in Roman poetry, she became a tenured associate professor at the University of Michigan, in the Departments of Classical Studies and Comparative Literature. In 2012 she was recruited to the inaugural faculty of Yale-NUS College, a collaboration between Yale University and the National University of Singapore. Since January 2023, Mira has served as Vice Provost of Fulbright University in Viet Nam.

Mira has published on Roman poetry of the first century CE, the neo-Latin poetry of Juan Latino, an African Latinist in 16th century Granada, and diversifying Classics. She is currently writing on comparative readings in ancient literature, and leading Vitis Vinifera Antiqua, an interdisciplinary digital humanities collaboration on ancient wine.

She will work with us to create new approaches to the Classical Studies curriculum. In the fall term, she will be teaching a course on ancient epics and modern gangster movies.