Goals and Outcomes Assessment

The aim of CUA’s 18-course interdisciplinary program in Classics is to provide majors with an opportunity to study the world of classical antiquity and to acquire a broad perspective for understanding the formative Greek and Roman era within the context of Western civilization. The primary emphasis of the program is on inculcating competence in both the ancient languages and on studying some of the great works of classical literature in the original languages. Core requirements consist of six or seven courses in Greek, six or seven in Latin, and four in ancient history and art history. The fundamental morphological, grammatical, and syntactical principles of Latin and Greek are taught to beginners in the elementary sequences, GREEK 101-102 and LATIN 101-102, and systematically reviewed in the intermediate sequences of both languages, which are the first language and literature courses within the major itself. Subsequent courses include introductions to the formal composition of grammatically correct, even stylistically felicitous, Greek and Latin prose, as well as the close reading, study, and translation of representative ancient authors. Required courses in ancient history (CLASSICS 205-206) and art history (CLASSICS 317-318) provide the background for a broad understanding of the culture and civilization of the Greco-Roman world and encourage the exploration of interdisciplinary issues. Both sequences make use of the department’s collections of slides and artifacts, and the second may involve trips to the classical collections of local galleries, such as the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore. Internships in these galleries are also available, and students can arrange to participate during their junior year (one semester or both) in programs of study in Rome and/or Athens, or during the summer to pursue archeological research in the classical lands of the Mediterranean. In all its literature, history, and art history courses, the Classics curriculum emphasizes acquiring the habits of firm, critical judgment, precise and articulate expression, and intelligent, responsible reflection that derive from the careful and dedicated study of the sources of our Western literary, philosophical, and artistic civilization.

All majors in Classics must satisfy the Senior Assessment requirement, which evaluates how well the student has been prepared both to read and translate classical texts and to research and assemble a research paper on a classical topic. The Assessment consists of (1) a three-hour written examination (graded “High Pass,” “Pass,” or “Fail”) that is based on formal departmental reading lists and requires translation of Greek and Latin texts in prose and poetry without the aid of a dictionary, and (2) completion of CLASSICS 425 (Senior Tutorial) and CLASSICS 426 (Senior Thesis). In CLASSICS 425 each student works under the close supervision of a faculty member to become familiar with the resources available for research in the field and to identify a viable thesis topic. In CLASSICS 426, again under the close supervision of his or her adviser, the student completes the required research paper. These courses together enable students to provide evidence of what they have learned in their courses and of their research and writing skills, while the translation examination is intended to evaluate the knowledge they have acquired of the forms and syntax of both the ancient languages and of their abilities to translate efficiently and effectively. As the program in Classics emphasizes linguistic competence and a contextualized knowledge of classical literature and culture, the Department believes that the assessment tools described here are entirely appropriate.

The Program in Latin and Classical Humanities

Goals and Outcomes Assessment

The goals of CUA’s 13-course interdisciplinary program in Latin and Classical Humanities are comparable to those of the program in Classics and the means of assessment are similar (please see above), but the Latin program excludes work in Greek and includes one course (CLASSICS 211) in Greek and Roman mythology. The Latin core requirement begins with the intermediate level of that language, followed by an accelerated review of grammar and syntax within the context of the composition of Latin prose (LATIN 511) and courses in representative Latin authors that require close textual reading through linguistic analysis and formal translation. The core requirement in Classical Humanities includes pairs of courses in ancient history (CLASSICS 205-206) and art history (CLASSICS 317-318) and a fifth course in mythology (CLASSICS 211) that studies how the myths of the Greeks and Romans convey important ideas about the divine and the human and the interaction of the two. All of these core courses promote a contextualized understanding of Roman civilization, provide a broad frame of reference that improves general comprehension skills, and encourage the contemplation of the seminal influence of Greco-Roman culture upon Western intellectual and artistic traditions. Throughout the program there is a strong emphasis on the skills and mental habits typically fostered by the humanities: the ability to read critically, to analyze, to synthesize, to evaluate, to interpret, to speculate, and to write with a sensitivity to the rhetorical powers of language. As in the Classics program, there are opportunities for trips to, and internships in, local galleries containing important classical collections. The Department also encourages participation in programs of study abroad in Rome and/or Athens and in archeological research during the summer in the classical lands of the Mediterranean.

All majors in this program must fulfill the Senior Assessment requirement, which, with the exception of the translation examination in Greek texts, is identical to that described above for the program in Classics: (1) a reading list of selected primary works in Latin is the basis for a three-hour written translation examination that evaluates the student’s linguistic competence; (2) an extended senior thesis (25-30 pages), written under the close guidance of a faculty member within the context of two courses (CLASSICS 425-426), is intended to provide evidence of the student’s research and writing skills. The Department believes that these evaluative tools, which seek to appraise both linguistic skills and the student’s broader knowledge of the history, arts, and culture of ancient Rome, are an appropriate means of assessing how well he or she has succeeded in meeting the program’s goals.

The Program in Classical Civlization

Goals and Outcomes Assessment

The goal of this broadly based, 12-course program is to make the systematic study of classical civilization accessible to undergraduates who do not wish to major in the Greek and/or Latin languages. It therefore provides an interdisciplinary curriculum that focuses on the history, thought, and culture of the ancient Mediterranean world from the Bronze Age to the rise of Islam and encourages the inclusion, with approval, of relevant elective courses in such other departments as Anthropology, History, Art, Philosophy, Religion, English (e.g., ENGLISH 345: “The Epic Tradition from Homer to Joyce”), etc. Majors are expected to examine the ancient Mediterranean from a variety of perspectives (literary, historical, art historical) and thus learn to place the civilizations of Greece and Rome in wider geographical, sociological, ethnographic, and cultural contexts. The Department strongly encourages Classical Civilization majors to satisfy the School’s foreign language requirement in Greek or Latin, but they are not required to do so.

The program comprises seven core courses in ancient history (CLASSICS 205-206), art history (CLASSICS 317-318), Greek and Roman Literature in Translation (CLASSICS 312-313), and mythology (CLASSICS 211), to which the student adds four elective courses selected from among the “Classics,” Greek, and Latin offerings of the Department and, with approval, from the offerings of other departments (see above). All such courses, usefully supplemented by the first course (“The Classical Mind”) in the School’s required Philosophy sequence, provide a broad introduction to ancient societies and cultures that have left an indelible imprint on the modern world. Majors come into contact with a unique fund of stimulating and indispensable ideas that are very relevant to our times and are the basis of all the Western humanities and of the American democratic experiment. They study some of the world’s greatest and most exciting literary achievements. They establish links with a past that is clearly part of our present and acquire a background of information essential to an understanding of our own and other cultures. Their involvement in an interdisciplinary program enables them to develop an awareness of the interconnection of much of human knowledge. Throughout the curriculum there is an emphasis, fostered by all the humanities, on analytical and communication skills, especially on writing clearly and effectively. Internships, gallery trips, and research and study-abroad opportunities are the same as those described above for the programs in Classics and in Latin and Classical Humanities.

The Senior Assessment in this program consists of two parts: (1) a three-hour, short-essay examination on classical literature, history, and art history based upon an official departmental list of core topics in classical studies that is known to majors from the beginning of the program; and (2) a senior thesis, developed and completed under the guidance of a faculty member within the course sequence, CLASSICS 425: Senior Tutorial and CLASSICS 426: Senior Thesis. The Department believes that these are appropriate assessment tools for evaluating a student’s mastery of a carefully selected core set of topics in a broad, interdisciplinary field, and of his or her ability to conduct research and to write creatively and convincingly.