Becoming a classics major or minor means joining a diverse community of scholars interested in the ancient Mediterranean world. Because we are a relatively small department, there are ample opportunities for students to get to know each other and o interact with faculty members outside the classroom. The Humanities Building’s 4th floor, which we share with the Department of Philosophy, offers hallway nooks as well as the Classics/Philosophy Library as spaces for students to study, collaborate, write, or simply rest between classes.
Classics Club & Honor Society
The Classics Club organizes weekly Classics Tea and other social events such as movie screenings and trivia games.
UR is also home to the Beta Gamma chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the national honor society for classics. Each year, the department invites new members to be initiated, based on academic excellence and demonstrated interest in classical studies.
Conviviality
Classics students and faculty gather every Friday afternoon during the academic year for informal conversation over tea and snacks in the Classics/Philosophy Study on the 4th floor of the Humanities Building. Classes on Greek and Roman dining customs sometimes host banquets in the ancient, reclining style, with dishes made following actual ancient recipes.
Over the summers, classics students and faculty who are working on campus get together once a week for lunch at the dining hall to stay connected and discuss their various projects across different disciplines, from classics and archaeology to chemistry and psychology.
Classics Lecture Series
Each year the Department of Classical Studies brings noteworthy speakers and scholars to Richmond to present lectures or seminars. The department also hosts a series of lectures from the Archaeological Institute of America. These events are free and open to the public. Students always benefit from gaining new perspectives and from interacting with these scholars.
Thanks to the generous support of Mrs. Gertrude Howland, the Department of Classical Studies has sponsored an archaeology lecture each spring since 2009 in honor of Stuart Wheeler, founder of the Ancient World Gallery. Lectures on Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art and archaeology complement the gallery’s collection and encourage the appreciation and study of the ancient Mediterranean world on our campus.