Department of Classics - Princeton University

Department Representative
Brooke Holmes, bholmes@princeton.edu

Undergraduate Coordinator
Jill Arbeiter, jilla@princeton.edu

When Princeton University was founded in the eighteenth century, the study of Greek and Latin formed the core of the curriculum. The first commencement, held in 1748, was conducted entirely in Latin, including "publick Disputations" by all six candidates for the bachelor's degree and "an elegant Oration in the Latin Tongue" by Aaron Burr Sr., Princeton's second President. Today the President confers all degrees in Latin, and the exercises still begin with a Latin greeting by the class salutatorian.

The study of the literature, history, philosophy, and culture of Greece and Rome remains a basic component of any humanistic education. Princeton's Department of Classics presents students with the full spectrum of classical culture and its influence through subsequent ages.

Greek and Latin form the core of the department's offerings. Mastering the languages helps students understand the ancient world and gives them a new way of looking at the modern world. In addition, many courses taught in translation examine history, law, philosophy, literature, and comparative literature.