About
The Department of Classical Studies examines the ancient Mediterranean through its texts, material culture, and lived histories. Students and faculty work together to uncover how these worlds were built, how they changed, and how their stories continue to inform our understanding of art, politics, and community.
About Classical Studies
Classical Studies at Wesleyan offers a multidisciplinary approach to the civilizations of ancient Greece, Rome, and the wider Mediterranean world—examining them in their original contexts and as foundations for modern inquiry. Students explore how the ancient world continues to shape today’s politics, media, identity, and imagination.
Our program combines methods from the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, allowing students to study topics as varied as environment, religion, literature, art, and material culture. Through this work, Classical Studies connects a complex past to the pressing questions of the present.
Any student drawn to mythology, literature, history, languages, archaeology, or the creative arts can find a home here. Our courses strengthen skills in critical reading, analytical reasoning, data analysis, and communication, while fostering a deep comparative perspective that spans disciplines.
Classical Studies naturally overlaps with many programs at Wesleyan, including Philosophy , History , Art History , The College of Letters , The Bailey College of the Environment , and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Students are encouraged to pursue interdisciplinary research and creative capstones that link these fields.
