Classics Loosens Dept. Requirements

Ensconced in the hallowed halls of the Faculty Club yesterday afternoon, Harvard’s classics professors unanimously approved a proposal that would open the concentration’s musty doors to more students, marking the department’s largest curricular overhaul for undergraduates in over 30 years.

Although classics professors have yet to iron out the details, they voted to move forward with a plan spearheaded by the director of undergraduate studies, professor Mark J. Schiefsky, which would simplify the requirements and make them more accessible to students who have not studied Latin or Greek in the past.

“I see fantastic Harvard students who are put off by the concentration because they don’t have a background in Latin or Greek,” said Emma Dench, a professor of classics and history. “That broke my heart.”

The proposal would trim the seven possible tracks within the concentration to two: classical languages and literatures, which would emphasize reading knowledge of Latin and Greek, and classical civilizations, which would encourage greater study of history, philosophy, and archaeology.

Although the department has yet to flesh out the details, they will discuss the proposal more extensively at the next department meeting on Feb. 3.

“The first concern is that it’s not a hasty reworking of the curriculum but well thought-out,” said classics concentrator Paul T. Mumma ’09, who is the department’s senior class representative and attended yesterday’s meeting.

The more detailed proposal would place greater emphasis on electives in both tracks.

Under the plan, students studying classical languages and literatures would take three electives rather than two, and students in classical civilizations would take five electives in addition to four language classes.

Classical Studies 97a and 97b—the sophomore tutorials on classical civilization that all concentrators must take—are also under reconsideration. Other humanities departments have already brushed aside long-standing intermediate concentration courses, as both the English and history departments have moved to eliminate their 10a and 10b requirements.

Although the mainstays will continue to be taught, the department may allow concentrators to take “a suitably broad introduction to culture” as a substitute, according to classics concentrator Veronica R. Koven-Matasy ’10, the department’s junior class representative, who also attended yesterday’s meeting.

“The committee is trying to consider giving options to students, not boxing them into particular courses,” Koven-Matasy said.

Even the language-intensive track would require students to take fewer classes in Greek or Latin—six rather than the current eight.

“There is awareness that you can no longer expect that students will come in with a basic grounding in Latin or Greek or both,” said Koven-Matasy, who is also the president of the Classical Club.

Although the department has delayed discussing whether or not to keep the general exams—a more controversial issue among students and faculty alike—classics professor Richard F. Thomas said, “It’s likely that the general exams are going to be diminished or not be part of the new system.”

Several participants in yesterday’s meeting said that the professors approached the changes with optimism.

After the department votes on the final proposal, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ Educational Policy Committee, which reviews curricular changes, will have to sign off on the plan in the spring.

—Staff writer Alissa M. D’Gama can be reached at adgama@fas.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Bonnie J. Kavoussi can be reached at kavoussi@fas.harvard.edu.