USC
University of Southern California
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Undergraduate Degrees

The undergraduate classics major gives the student an understanding of the cultures, languages and literatures of ancient Greece, Rome and the Mediterranean world.

Classics is a broadly interdisciplinary field. Most courses focus on ancient Greece and Rome, but students in the department also study the impact of classical cultures on later societies and the interactions among various ancient cultures. USC is a member of the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies and the College Year in Athens program, and classics majors are encouraged to spend a semester in Rome or Athens. The classics major is also encouraged to explore courses in allied fields such as ancient philosophy, history, comparative literature, art history and archaeology (School of Religion).

Classics Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts

All classics majors are required to take two of the following three introductory courses: CLAS 150 The Greeks and the West, CLAS 151 Civilization of Rome, COLT 150x Origins of Western Literature and Culture. In addition all majors must have completed one of the two elementary language sequences (including GR 220 or LAT 222).

All majors must take seven additional courses from the list maintained by the classics undergraduate mentor. Of these seven, at least five must be courses offered by the Classics Department (i.e., CLAS, LAT, GR) and at least six must be numbered 300 or above. In selecting courses from allied fields (anthropology, art history, comparative literature, English, history, Judaic studies, linguistics, philosophy, political science, religion [includes archaeology], gender studies), the student must work closely with the classics undergraduate mentor. Course work in departments other than classics must be approved in advance by the undergraduate mentor in order to count for major credit.

Classics Minor

The classics department minor requires one language course at the 100-level or above.

One course from either A or B:

A.
CLAS 150The Greeks and the West
CLAS 151Civilization of Rome
CLAS 280Classical Mythology

B.
Second and third semester Latin or Greek courses:
GR 150Greek II
GR 220Greek III
LAT 150Latin II
LAT 222Latin III

Four upper-division courses (16 units) drawn from classics course offerings in classics, Latin or Greek

Total: 6 courses

Minor in Ancient Religion and Classical Languages

See the School of Religion section of the catalogue.

Minor in Critical Approaches to Leadership

See the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Honors Program

Candidates for the B.A. in classics can receive an honors degree by meeting these requirements: a 3.5 GPA in department courses at the time of graduation; completion of an honors research project under the guidance of a faculty member (CLAS 495x). Admission to the program is granted by the departmental undergraduate advisor in the semester preceding enrollment in CLAS 495x; students should have a 3.5 GPA in the major at this time.

Students Anticipating Graduate Study in Classics

Students interested in attending graduate school in classics are advised to take as many courses in Greek and/or Latin as possible.

Advisement

Because of the great flexibility built into the classics major, students are required to have their course schedule approved by the undergraduate advisor every semester. Students must have a total of 32 upper division units (8 four-unit courses) to graduate at USC and 24 upper division units (6 four-unit courses) in their major.