Kenna13

I have been doing a lot of thinking, and I really want to double major in classics and political science, instead of history and political science, like i have always thought (mainly because i didn't know about the classics major). I love latin and anything to do with ancient rome and greece, so i think it will be a good fit for me. I have already decided to apply ED to Northwestern. So I was just wondering if their Classics department is good or if I should stick with history, which I would be fine with doing. I have read all the ranking lists posted, so I know what other schools have good classics departments. I am going to go to law school after, just so you know.

Kenna13

Does anyone have any knowledge

wildbuck

I never took any courses in the department myself so my knowledge is secondhand, but I've heard great things about Classics at NU. I worked with a girl majoring in Classics during my sophomore year (she was a senior at the time) and she had nothing but good things to say. One of my good friends was a Latin minor and he also enjoyed the coursework a lot, although he eventually ended up taking French too (Latin is cool to know, but not all that useful compared to other languages). I know that it's a pretty small department and so there are ample opportunities to work closely with professors and peers if that's what interests you.

Kenna13

Thanks! Latin, is more useful than people realize!

Kenna13

Anyone else?

george eliot

It's a great department--small, but a nice community with good classes. But from my personal experience, classics departments are among the most dependable of all the humanities, and one selective college's department will be as good as another's. It could be my bias (I'm a minor, who took lots of Latin in high school) but the subject seems to attract intellectual and friendly academics and students.

Daniel Garrison, a very esteemed Latinist, was a professor here until very recently, and he still teaches classes. (If you studied Latin literature in high school, you probably used books edited by him). Plus, he has a black lab that he always brings to school with him. If that's not a point in favor of the department I don't know what is.

Kenna13

Thanks for the reply!

TheBaron19

I'm a poli sci major who's taken a good chunk of Classics and History classes (although no Greek or Latin), for whatever that's worth.

My overall impression of the Classics department is that's it's rather close and tight-knit (by nature of it being a small department); many of the students are in multiple classes together and will have the same professors for multiple classes. The handful of classics majors I know are all great kids and have a lot of fun, but they're also pretty busy (but who isn't at NU?).

The history department, on the other hand, is much larger and there's quite a range of students in there. You'll find some truly passionate history majors, but there's also a large group who are history majors simply for a lack of anything better to do (something you'll definitely see in political science as well). The professors are all just as competent, but some might be a little less accessible, simply because they have so many students to contend with.

One thing you might want to consider is whether or not your interest in classics (or history for that matter) is strong enough to warrant a second major. Minoring in Classics or History is possible, and you could even potentially major in political science and get two minors in both. Also, certain Classics classes can be used to fill several of your distros (Historical studies (IV), Ethics and Values (V), and Literature and Fine Arts (VI) I think). Lots of History classes will naturally fill IV as well, and the related-courses part of the political science major could allow you to count a number of History classes towards your degree.

Bottom line: in both departments, you'll get out whatever you put in, although the size of the Classics department might make it a little more accessible; also, don't forget minoring options, including a major with a double minor; finally, you don't have to decide for a while if you're not sure, and the structure of the political science major means that you can take classes in Classics or History that will still count toward your degree even if you ultimately don't major or minor in that department.

Kenna13

Thanks. That is really helpful.