Classical Studies

The Classical Studies Program provides an interdisciplinary examination of the ancient Mediterranean world, from the era of the Bronze Age to the great transformations of late antiquity. The program centers on the cultures of Greece and Rome and is inclusive of other cultures of the region. In the Classical Studies Program students study the Ancient World through a diverse disciplinary lens, with courses offered in History, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Visual Arts, and more.

UC San Diego undergraduate students: Please use the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) for all advising questions. Use the "Meet with Advisor" page to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.

For all others, or undergraduate students who need to submit petitions: caesar@ucsd.edu

People

Program Directors

Mira Balberg
Professor, History

Matthew T. Herbst
Director, Making of the Modern World Program

Academic Advising

UC San Diego undergraduate students: Please use the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) for all advising questions. Use the "Meet with Advisor" page to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.

Faculty

Mira Balberg
History

Denise Demetriou
History

Zachary Dunseth
Anthropology

Thomas Gallant
History

Matthew T. Herbst
Director, Making of the Modern World Program

Monte Johnson
Philosophy

Edward Kelting
Literature

Patricia Marechal
Philosophy

Kourtney Murray
Lecturer, Literature

Jacobo Myerston
Literature

Christopher Shields
Philosophy

Edward Watts
History

Kevin Westerfeld
Lecturer, History

Major

Classical Studies Major

Classical Studies offers a choice between two tracks for a major: A Language Emphasis track and a Cultures Emphasis track. The major code is CLAS-BA-001 for both. For both tracks, a major in classical studies consists of a choice of twelve upper-division courses (forty-eight units) approved for the program and listed below. All courses used to meet requirements for a major in classical studies must be taken for a letter grade and be completed with a grade of C– or better.

On the UC San Diego campus, courses numbered 001-099 are lower-division (LD) and 100-199 are upper-division (UD). Transfer coursework may have different numbering, and students may check the level of courses in their Academic History in the Triton Student Systems (TSS).

Note: Students' degree audits will automatically display the "language emphasis track." If you are interested in switching to the "cultures emphasis track," please send "Classical Studies" a message in VAC requesting to switch.

Language Emphasis Track

This track is intended for students who are interested in intensive language study of Greek and Latin. For this track, before commencing upper-division work in Greek and Latin literature (LTGK and LTLA), students must complete LTGK 001-002-003 and LTLA 001-002-003, or demonstrate the equivalent with transfer credit. Two additional lower-division elective courses (from the list of courses approved by the Classical Studies Program) are also required. Six of the twelve upper-division courses must be distributed between upper-division LTLA and LTGK courses, three in one language and three in the other. CLAS-109 or CLAS-110, as well as Greek or Latin reading courses in other departments, are acceptable as well. The remaining six courses may be selected from the list of approved courses from anthropology, history, literature, philosophy, political science, theatre and dance, and visual arts. These must be from at least two departments. Graduate courses may be taken by undergraduates with consent of the instructor. The faculty of the program welcome qualified undergraduates in graduate courses.

Cultures Emphasis Track

The purpose of this track is to offer a pathway for students who are interested in a cross-disciplinary study of antiquity but do not wish to pursue intensive language study. This track requires three lower division courses, which could be completed through two alternative paths. One path, which does not include any language studies, requires 2 survey courses (LTWL 019AB/BC/AC or HUM 001-002 or MMW 011-012) and any lower division class from the list of approved courses. The other path, meant for students who are interested in pursuing a reduced load of language studies, consists of a sequence of 3 courses in one language (LTGK 001-002-003 or LTLA 001-002-003). The emphasis in this track is on a broad, well-rounded acquaintance with classical civilizations and exposure to a variety of disciplinary approaches. To that end, students will be expected to take their 12 upper-division electives from at least three different departments, as per our course listings. There is no restriction on how many courses from each department should be taken.

Resources:

Minor

Classical Studies Minor

A minor in Classical Studies consists of 7 courses (28 units), 4 (16 units) of which must be upper-division. The minor code is CLAS-MN-001.

A knowledge of the ancient languages is not required. All requirements for the minor in Classical Studies must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a grade of C- or better.

Resources:

Course Offerings

Refer to the official UC San Diego General Catalog for a complete list of approved courses that will count toward a major or minor in Classical Studies. All courses must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C- or higher to apply to Classical Studies requirements.

Course offerings are constantly changing. Please refer to the Schedule of Classes for the most up-to-date listing.

(*) Indicates course may be petitioned for credit. Instructions on How to Petition Courses.

Summer Session I 2026

ANAR 144. Pharaohs, Mummies, and Pyramids: Introduction to Egyptology
HIEU 103. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
HIEU 124GS. The City in Italy
HUM 3. Renaissance, Reformation, and Early Modern Europe (Revelle students only)
HUM 3GS. Renaissance, Reformation, and Early Modern Europe (4)
HUM 3R. Renaissance, Reformation, and Early Modern Europe (Revelle students only)
LTWL 100. Mythology
LTWL 123. Vampires in Literature

Summer Session II 2026

CLAS 125. Ancient Mediterannean Myths - cancelled
HUM 3GS. Renaissance, Reformation, and Early Modern Europe
HUM 3R. Renaissance, Reformation, and Early Modern Europe (Revelle students only)

Special Summer Session 2026

MMW 11R. Pre-History and Ancient Foundations (ERC students only)
MMW 12R. Classical and Medieval Traditions (ERC students only)
MMW 13R. New Ideas and Cultural Encounters (ERC students only)
MMW 121R. Exploring the Pre-Modern World (ERC students only)

Fall 2026

HIEU-124. The Age of Alexander: Hellenistic History from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra
HILD-010. East Asia: The Great Tradition
HINE-125. Jews in the Greek and Roman World
HUM-001. The Foundations of Western Civilization: Israel and Greece (Revelle students)
HUM-003. Renaissance, Reformation, and Early Modern Europe (Revelle students)
LTGK-001. Beginning Greek
LTGK-103. Greek Drama
LTLA-001. Beginning Latin
LTLA-100. Introduction to Latin Literature
LTWL-100. Mythology
LTWL-101. Death and Life in Ancient Egypt
MMW-011. The Ancient World (ERC students)
PHIL-110. History of Philosophy: Ancient
PHIL-210. Greek Philosophy (graduate-level course that may be taken with permission of the instructor and department)
*RELI-189. Special Topics in Religion: Religion and Power in Late Antiquity, ca. 300–700
TDHT-021. Ancient and Medieval Theatre

Winter 2027

ANAR-143. Biblical Archaeology
ANAR-153. The Mysterious Maya
HIEU-144P. Topics in Pre-Modern European History: Cities on the Edge of War: Testing the Thucydides Trap
HUM-001. The Foundations of Western Civilization: Israel and Greece (Revelle students)
HUM-002. Rome, Christianity, and the Middle Ages (Revelle students)
LTGK-002. Intermediate Greek (I)
LTLA-002. Intermediate Latin (I)
LTLA-103. Latin Drama
MMW-012. Transforming Traditions, ca. 100 BCE–1200 CE (ERC students)
PHIL-101. Aristotle

Spring 2027

ANAR-138. Mesopotamia: The Emergence of Civilization
ANAR-155. Study Abroad: Ancient Maya
ANTH-003. Global Archaeology
HIEU-144P. Ancient Sparta: From Homer to the Hellenistic Age
HUM-001. The Foundations of Western Civilization: Israel and Greece (Revelle students)
HUM-002. Rome, Christianity, and the Middle Ages (Revelle students)
LTGK-003. Intermediate Greek (II)
LTLA-003. Intermediate Latin (II)
MMW-013. New Ideas and Cultural Encounters (ERC students)
PHIL-031. Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
PHIL-100. Plato
RELI-146. Topics in the Religions of Antiquity: Early Christianity
*TDHT-101. Topics in Dramatic Literature and Theatre History: Heroines of Ancient Greece (only this topic with Beatrice Basso only)

Honors Program

Honors is intended for the most talented and motivated students majoring in Classical Studies. Requirements for admission to the honors program are:

Junior standing
Overall GPA of 3.5
GPA in the Classical Studies major of 3.7

Qualified students majoring in Classical Studies may apply at the end of their junior year to the program faculty on the basis of 1) a thesis proposal (three to four pages) worked out in advance with a Classical Studies faculty member; and 2) a recommendation from that faculty member. It is strongly advised that the proposal be based upon a class paper or project from a course taken towards completion of the major.

As for the proposal format: it should include a description of the topic and research question; explanation of the sources that will be used and methods that will be applied to them; and a preliminary bibliographical list. The proposal should be sent to caesar@ucsd.edu along with the faculty advisor's letter. Interested students are recommended to complete this by the end of August going into their senior year.

The core of the honors program is an honors thesis. Eight units of CLAS-196 (A+B) may be counted toward the major in place of two other upper-division courses. A thesis completed by the end of the senior year will be read and evaluated by the thesis adviser and another member of the program faculty. If the thesis is accepted and the student maintains a 3.5 GPA, departmental honors will be awarded. The level of honors—distinction, high distinction, or highest distinction—will be determined by the faculty advisor.

Events

Please find information about upcoming events and how to subscribe to the Institute of Arts and Humanities newsletter on the Events webpage.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Please see below for responses to commonly asked questions. If you have further questions, please contact the Classical Studies Program through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC).

Can I take courses P/NP for the Classical Studies major or minor?

No, P/NP courses cannot be used towards the major or minor. Courses must be taken for a letter grade and be completed with a of C- or better.

Do I have to know Latin or Greek?

A knowledge of the ancient languages is not required; however, you are welcome to take Latin or Greek courses to count towards the major or minor. For the major, if you do not want to take language classes, see the "cultures emphasis track."

Can I test into a higher level of Greek or Latin?

Yes, please contact the Literature Department through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) for testing and placement information.

I took a course not listed on the course catalog or through study abroad, can I count it toward my Classical Studies major/minor?

In order for a course to be eligible for petition, 50% or more of the course content must be related to Classical Studies.

Instructions on How to Petition Courses

Can I minor in Greek or Latin?

Yes, please see the Department of Literature website for more details.

What should I do to register in CLAS-087?

CLAS-087 is a first-year seminar. If you have freshman standing, you should be able to book the course automatically. All others can submit a TEA request (Triton Enrollment Authorization). Students who are first-years but have sophomore standing will be approved within three business days of submitting their requests. Allx other students will be approved during second pass.

Pandora Forum Student Club

Pandora Forum is the official club for all things Classical Studies at UC San Diego. We are a space for Classical Studies majors, minors, and any student interested in ancient Mediterranean studies to gather and learn together. The organization seeks to provide resources and advice regarding the Classical Studies program at UC San Diego; to discuss previous and current literature, essays, and scholarly works in ancient Mediterranean studies; to serve as a collaborative study and investigative space; and to serve as a center for students within the Classical Studies program.

We host weekly meetings which include student presentations, professor talks, crafts, snacks, etc. We also publish a journal called Musings for creative works related to Classical Studies. Musings is primarily an online publication, but publishes a print edition of featured work annually.

Find us on Instagram: @pandoraforumsd
Visit our website: https://www.pandoraforumsd.com/
Follow Musings on Instagram: @musings_mag