Getting the balance right in the classics department

The Classics department at the Johns Hopkins University has come a long way since its inception by department founder Basil Gildersleeve in the 19th century. Gildersleeve, credited with bringing the modern graduate seminar class to the United States, was also in charge of the first graduate program in Classics in the country. But over the past century, the study of classics has become less and less popular, at Hopkins and elsewhere, for a variety of reasons. While the department continues to perform high-quality teaching and research, it is currently the smallest in the School of Arts and Sciences, with only four professors in its permanent faculty and an average of one to four majors per graduating class.

The study of Classics encompasses a large range of disciplines, but is often perceived as simply the study of Greek and Latin. In academia, classics deals not only with Ancient Roman and Greek literature, but with all facets of the ancient world ranging from approximately 1500 BC to the sixth century AD. In addition to literature, this includes the philosophy, history, art and archeology of that period. Still, the Classics are firmly rooted in the teaching of Latin and Greek, both languages that have little practical use in the modern world. As a result, the study of classics has fallen dramatically across the nation.

"Up until the beginning of the twentieth century, the study of classics was considered the core of an education at colleges everywhere in the world," said Professor Matthew Roller, undergraduate coordinator for the department.

At the majority of liberal arts institutions classical study was required at most colleges for graduation. As college education became available in the middle of the twentieth century to a wider population and not just the upper class, the nature of higher education began to change radically.

More students began to enter colleges from public schools -- where the teaching of Latin was less frequent and the teach of Greek all but nonexistent -- instead of private or prep schools.

Roller credits the expansion of the university scope and departments as one cause of the fallout from the classics. Computer Science, for example, began in the 1970s and is now a major component of many engineering schools.

"While other disciplines have grown exponentially in their knowledge and creation of it, classics has been expanding at a much slower rate," said Roller.

One of the reasons for the lack of interest in Classics might be attributed to its overlap with other departments like History, Near Eastern Studies and even the English department, where ancient classics are read in their translated form. In fact, the classics department at Hopkins almost disappeared completely after a fallout of faculty in 1985. But instead of disbanding classics, the administration pledged to rebuild it, and subsequently the classics at Hopkins survive to this day. Roller says, however, that the department could still use additional faculty to better perform all its responsibilities to undergraduate and graduate students alike.

"In some ways, I think the university takes care of us so well," he said. "But there is a certain amount of work every classics department should do. We feel a couple more faculty could make a big difference in increasing the amount of majors and improving advising for undergraduates and graduates."

The chair of the department, Professor Alan Shapiro, echoed Roller's sentiments.

"With present resources and manpower, we can't offer everything we want and have to rely on TAs more often than we'd like to," he explained.

At present there are no plans to add faculty to the department, though Dean of the Arts and Sciences Daniel Weiss said the department is short one or two people of its normal number.

Most classics departments cover the entire spectrum of the discipline. But because the Hopkins department is so small, it has been forced to focus mostly on language instruction, especially with undergraduates.

"At heart this department really operates as a language department," said Roller, citing the fact that most study in the Classics must begin with a firm knowledge of Latin or Greek. But there are barriers.

"Hopkins students have very large workloads and Introduction to Greek is a four-hour class which requires intensive study. That works against us," noted Shapiro.

Classicists maintain that their area of study should remain separate and don't believe it should be integrated with any other department.

"We perceive ourselves as classicists, a distinct entity," said Roller. Still, Dean Weiss said it is not an inconceivable notion.

"I wouldn't rule it out categorically -- no department is sacrosanct. We review all departments routinely to assess their performance and role within the university," he said.

Both Roller and Shapiro firmly believe that the classics remain strong despite public perception.

"There used to be a lot of fear that classics departments were endangered, but today its actually very healthy," said Roller.

Some perks of the program include study abroad programs in both Rome and Athens. Both are highly encouraged and provide a good arena for classical study, said Hopkins faculty members.

Graduate students from Hopkins classics continue to be in high demand, and job placement in academia remains strong, while other humanities graduate students are facing a shortage of openings.

With the current number of majors between one and four each year, the small size does allow for close interaction between students and professors. Some have even gone on to graduate study. Some students double major in classics and another department, while other majors go on to law or medical school. A minor in Ancient Law recently conceived by Professor Raymond Westbrook has also become popular with pre-law students, though it does not require the study of Latin or Greek.

The numbers are increasing though. Latin has undergone a rebirth in public schools all over the country. Hopkins admissions has also been attracting more prep school students, who are more likely to have studied ancient languages. Enrollment is going up in Latin classes, with about 30 in the first year at the university level.

"We've been very happy with our majors and we are seeing more students come in who had Latin or Greek in high school," said Shapiro.

As classics continues. to hold its ground, Roller explained that selecting classics as a major is just like selecting any other major.

"People who want to do it should do it. Some people get bitten by the bug and love it."