 |
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
What can I do with a Classics
major?
Our students pursue a wide variety of careers
following graduation. Some pursue careers directly related to Classics
through museum work or through teaching. There is considerable demand
now for Latin teaching and tutoring, and many of our students, even those
who do not intend to pursue teaching as a permanent career, spend some
time teaching. Many of our students are pre-professional. Classics, with
its emphasis on close reading and analysis, critical thinking and careful
writing, is excellent training for professional programs in law, medicine
and business, is widely recognized as a rigorous discipline, and can help
to distinguish students applying to professional schools from those pursuing
more common majors. Other graduates of our program have pursued opportunities
with research firms or in publishing or in creative writing. Like many
other liberal arts programs, Classics offers essential training in skills
essential to many different professions and careers and spurs the kind
of imaginative thinking and initiative that allows students to define
their own course in the world.
What is the Classics Majors
and Minors Learnlink Site?
This is the primary site for communication between students and faculty
in the department. We post most announcements about upcoming events in
the department, job opportunities, course scheduling and prize winners
to the Classics Majors and Minors Learnlink conference. We try to remember
to add students to the conference when they register as majors or minors,
but we do sometimes forget! It is a public conference, so if you are not
added when you register as a major or minor, you may be able to add yourself.
If you have any trouble, please contact the department. We do expect you
to be aware of what is being posted to the conference, so it is important
that you have access to this information. Students who are not actually
majors or minors in the department but want to have access to this information
are welcome to add the conference to their desktops.
How does advising in the department work?
In general, we encourage students to choose their own advisors. You should
choose someone whom you have had in class and feel comfortable with intellectually
and personally. Any regular member of the faculty can serve as your advisor.
Visiting faculty may also be willing, though it is probably better to
get to know someone who has been around longer and who will be at Emory
throughout your time here. If you have not yet chosen an advisor or your
advisor is not available in a given semester, you can go to the Director
of Undergraduate Studies (normally same as Department Chair). The Director
of Undergraduate Studies can also assign you an advisor after discussing
your interests with you. Please e-mail for an appointment.
Ideally, you should see your advisor at least once a semester, normally prior to registration. Don’t be shy about approaching faculty. This is part of their job and responsibility, and it is generally something that faculty in our department generally like to do. It is up to you toschedule an appointment; normally, the Undergraduate Advisor will post a schedule on his or her door, but it may be easiest to e-mail faculty members to schedule an appointment or to go to their posted office hours.
You should certainly see your advisor at some point in the second semester of your junior year to make sure that you are on course for completing your degree.
What opportunities are there for Study
Abroad?
We encourage students to study abroad. Emory supports one program in Greece
(College Year in Athens) and two in Rome (Intercollegiate Center in Athens,
John Cabot). Students in the department have also gone to St. Andrews
(Scotland) to study Classics. There are also many good summer programs.
Watch our bulletin boards for information or contact CIPA. You can get
the name of the current Study Abroad advisor from the the Classics Majors
and Minors Learnlink site (Department Positions) or from the department
office.
How does the department honors program
work?
If your overall GPA makes you eligible for honors, the Honors advisor
should contact you in the spring of your junior year regarding the program.
The primary requirement for Honors in the department is that you complete
a senior thesis of sufficient quality under the direction of a faculty
member in the department and defend that thesis orally before a committee
of at least three faculty members. If you think you should be eligible
for Honors and are not contacted, please get in touch with the Honors
advisor right away. In exceptional cases, students may be able to gain
access to the Honors program by petition. You can get the name of the
current Honors advisor from the Classics Majors and Minors Learnlink site
(Department Positions) or from the department office.
What is Eta Sigma Phi?
Eta Sigma Phi is a national honor society honoring students for their
achievements in Classics. Admission is by invitation only. Students are
normally invited to join upon completing Greek 102 or Latin 202 or a higher
level language course with a B or better. Initiation into Eta Sigma Phi
takes place once a year in the fall. Normally, officers are also elected
at that time. Activities of Eta depend very much on the initiative of
the Eta student leadership; the department will give financial and other
kinds of support to Eta on request. You can get the name of the current
Eta Sigma Phi faculty advisor from the Classics Majors and Minors Learnlink
site (Department Positions) or from the department office. Eta Sigma Phi
has its own Learnlink site, accessible only to initiated members.
Does the department offer prizes for outstanding
students?
The department awards two language prizes annually, the McCord Latin Prize
and the Department Greek prize. These are normally given to the most outstanding
advanced student in Greek and Latin. We also participate in the Emory
College Language Center’s prize awards for excellence in language
learning, which recognize one student in Greek and one in Latin for their
exceptional work in the languages.