Why Study Classics?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some current Marquette students explain why they are taking courses in Classics:

 

'Both Latin and Greek are essential to my graduation with my second major in Classics. I picked Classics, because as one of many political science majors, I wanted to be able to distinguish myself from my colleagues in both a broad range of interests as well as discipline.'

 

'I think Greek has taught me how to think more logically, and I have definitely benefited from learning the nuance of language.  I think learning Greek has improved my English because Greek forces you to focus great attention on sentence structure and translation.... As an English major (and hopefully, future law student) this attention to detail is paramount to my success in writing.'

 

'The classics program is essential to my college education. I studied four years of Latin in high school and was happy when I learned I could continue to study it in college.'

 

'Continuing my studies of Latin will give me an upper hand in understanding other subjects, such as literature and history, and will set me up for success in the field of law.... Having an extensive background in Latin will make other language courses easier to grasp.'

 

'Latin has been really helpful to understand complex words in other disciplines. I also find that my experience in Latin has really helped me translate languages that I am not actually familiar with. Lastly, Latin has really allowed me to reach a higher understanding of English as Latin explains many of its structures.'

 

'I am (hopefully) going to be double majoring in Theology and Classical languages. The areas I want to study are Patristics and the Bible. For any in depth study of these subjects..., Greek is one of the most important languages. One of my goals before I start graduate work is to become fairly competent in Greek and Latin; I plan to accomplish this by taking as many Greek and Latin classes as I can. 

 

'I am looking to study Medieval European History in graduate school. Knowing Latin will help me to better understand sources from that time period. Through learning Latin, I have also developed a better understanding of English and German grammar.'

 

'I started taking Latin in high school, and sought to continue it when I got to college. Eventually, I decided to become a Latin and teacher because of my love for teaching and my love for Latin.'