Classical studies is an interdisciplinary approach to examining the world of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Students specifically study ancient architecture, sculpture, painting, art and other material remains. It is central to Classical Studies, and so students learn to master varieties of evidence.
Written texts, archaeological remains and the visual arts are equally important in forming a comprehensive understanding of antiquity. Thus, almost every Classical Studies course integrates the study and analysis of art and material culture into its course content.
The study of “classics” allows students to connect directly with the foundations of Western Civilization in art, literature, history, and science and appreciate how these seminal influences have shaped and continue to shape our culture, our ideas, our traditions. Students who study Classics will increase their analytical and critical thinking skills as they examine and analyze ancient cultures. They will improve their writing and oral communication abilities.
The Ransford Diploma course in the Classical Studies, whether in the original language or in translation, invites the student not only to appreciate the cultural achievements of the Greece and Rome through reading from the literatures and studying the material remains, but to recognize the vital traces of the classical tradition that have informed the lives of later generations and are still influential and vital in the lives of today's society.
