Chairperson: Dave Oosterhuis
Professors: A. Goldman, P. Hartin (Emeritus)
Associate Professors: D. Oosterhuis, A. Pistone
Assistant Professor:
The department offers one major and one minor:
Bachelor of Arts, Classical Civilizations major (with a required concentration in either Latin Language & Authors or Greco-Roman Civilization)
Minor in Classical Civilizations
The Department of Classical Civilizations – one of the oldest at our University – provides undergraduates with access to over 2,500 years of human experience drawn from the multicultural world of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Classical Civilizations is an interdisciplinary program devoted to the study of that world, with an emphasis on the cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome. These cultures, through their theatre, philosophy, science, and government, helped shape the modern world for good and ill; studying them brings new insight into our own era and lives.
The department offers both a B.A. major (36 credits) and a B.A. minor (23 credits) in Classical Civilizations. All majors and minors are required to complete two (2) upper division CLAS courses as part of the degree, as well as a minimum of at least three (3) language courses in either Latin or Greek up to and including the completion of a 201 level class. Students who elect to pursue a major degree in this program must choose a focus in either Latin Language & Authors or Greco-Roman Civilization and complete four (4) elective courses among those listed in the catalog as well as a senior thesis (CLAS 499; offered in the Fall semester) appropriate to the chosen concentration. Minors are required to select three (3) upper level electives from among those listed in the catalog. The electives encompass a range of disciplines, including history, archaeology, philosophy, religious studies, as well as intermediate and advanced Latin and Greek. Majors are required to include at least one (1) course in Greek culture and one (1) course in Roman culture from among the elective offerings. Participating students thus complete a balanced curriculum divided between the study of ancient languages (Latin, Greek) and their contemporary societies. Through this combined focus, students gain a more broad comprehension and appreciation of the rich cultural and humanistic heritage stemming from the classical world. The ancients themselves embraced this model of liberal arts education. According to the Roman orator Cicero, such cultural and historical study “illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity.”
The department’s courses are by nature interdisciplinary, with application to the sciences, art, theater, literature, philosophy, religion, politics, and government. Moreover, through addressing relevant issues of gender, identity, sex, ethnicity, and interaction between cultures, the curriculum reaches well beyond the borders of Greece and Rome to embrace other civilizations, including our own. By immersing students in an examination of the languages and ethnically diverse societies of antiquity, the program prepares them for careers within a world that is increasingly diverse, interdependent, and global in outlook, in such fields as politics, ethics, business, law, sciences and education. The department meets the needs of three classes of students: (1) those who wish to pursue a major or minor in Classical Civilizations; (2) those who wish to begin or continue the study of Latin or Greek in support of other majors or in preparation for advanced work in other areas; and (3) those who wish to fulfill the College of Arts & Sciences language competency requirement by taking one of the classical languages.
LATN 102 - Successful completion
Second Language Competency
Competency in a second language (classical or modern) at the intermediate level (courses numbered 201) is required for students continuing in the study of a language. Students beginning study in a language they have not previously studied can fulfill the requirement by completing one year at the beginning level (courses numbered 101-102). Non-native speakers of English who have completed the required English core credits at Gonzaga may petition the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for a waiver of this requirement.
Additional information on this requirement can be found at
Language Requirement Information