Fides et Ratio

I will be declaring my major at the end of first semester this year -- it will definitely be within the field of Classics.

I don't know whether I should major in Classics, or double-major in Greek and Latin. My main interest in Classical studies is Greek and Latin language and literature, not so much Greco-Roman civilization, mythology, art, etc (not that I am uninterested in that stuff, but I want to learn it through reading the classic works in the original languages, not through contemporary books on those subjects). If I majored in Classics, I would likely be taking almost all Greek and Latin language/lit courses. What I want out of my undergraduate studies is the best possible education in Greek and Latin language and literature.

Based on this, what do you think? Should I just double-major in Greek and Latin instead of the wider option (majoring in Classics)? Also, how many students these days are Greek and Latin majors? Is majoring in Classics more common?

Thanks!

Artemis112487

I'm a Greek and Latin double major at Swarthmore, but we don't really have a "classics" major there. The classics department here has three majors (Greek, Latin, Ancient History) so I'm double majoring in both Greek and Latin to try to get an equal grounding in both languages (I too am mostly interested in literature). I think it really depends on the department and its requirements for the majors that it offers as to whether it's better to do a classics major or a double Greek/Latin major. If you're into the literature, I suggest doing the Greek/Latin major because then you'd probably be doing more literature related stuff. I think, though, it probably depends on your department and what all the classics major as opposed to the Greek/Latin major offers.