Traverse Through Time: Classics at NYU

NYU’s classics department focuses on Ancient Greece and Rome; however, it has professors who also study other locations. From the Homeric tradition and Cicero to Roman poetry, the Symposium, Greek theatre, and even the Roman Empire, there’s a vast number of classes for students to take part in. Each professor has their own set of specialties, so when you take a class with them, you learn from someone who has done detailed research in this niche topic.

Classics offers a few different majors! You can be like me and become a Classical Civilization major. That, alongside Classics, are the two majors that only reside in the classics department. As a Classics major, you must take both Latin and Ancient Greek through the Intermediate Two level. For Classical Civilization, you only have to take one of these ancient languages through Intermediate Two. The rest of the credits for Classical Civilization are spent in topical classes.

Classics has three other majors in collaboration with other departments. These majors are Classics and Art, Classical Civilization and Hellenistic Studies, and Anthropology and Classical Civilization.

When I started with Classics, I knew it focused on Greek and Roman civilizations, but I had yet to take a class in the department. I remember being nervous during my course selection for my junior fall. So, I took a leap of faith with my classes.

During that first semester, I took a class called Catharsis. The class focused on the concept of catharsis, which is the expulsion of negativity through a combined force of fear and empathy. I read plays, hymns, philosophy, and so many more things. Another class I took was on Yiannis Ritsos and Greek drama. During this class, I fell in love with one of my favorite plays: Philoctetes by Sophocles.

After that first semester, I took a Greek drama class. Then, during my senior fall, I took a class on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which allowed me to dive into Roman mythology.

I fell in love with the courses and the department so much that I decided to do a senior thesis. I have spent almost an entire year working on this project. As part of my project, I reread and annotated the entirety of both The Iliad and The Odyssey. I also read plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Ultimately, my thesis ties into my love for ancient Athenian theatre and Greek mythology. It is titled, “The Homoeroticism of Travel Companions in Athenian Theatre and Homer.”

My biggest challenge was the language. To graduate on time, I needed to take language for the last two years of my undergraduate degree, either Latin or Ancient Greek. While Ancient Greek would turn out to be difficult, I ultimately made the decision because Intermediate Two was where I would get to translate Homer.

I spent the entire first year drilling myself on grammar rules. Yet, after overcoming that through multiple office hour visits and intense studying, I made it to Intermediate Two. Intermediate Two is focused entirely on Homer. So far, I’ve gotten to translate the initial conflict of Agamemnon and Achilles, as well as the duel between Menelaus and Paris.