The Future of Classical Education: A Dialogue

“What does a Classics degree prepare you for?” There can be few of us who have not been asked this question by a student interested in Classics, but anxious about where it will take them and unsure what a Classics degree represents. Indeed, we may have been asked a version of this question by any number of stakeholders: a parent of a student set on Classics, a hotshot dean brought in to balance the budget, a different dean seeking to compile an accreditation report, a trustee, or an employer or faculty colleague from a different education background.

Statius, using rogare in an bold elliptical construction, imagines that sooner or later the Arabs and the Chinese will sue for the benefits of Roman rule, a scenario designed to massage Domitian’s imperialist ego (“nondum Arabes Seresque rogant,” Silu. 4.1.42). The reality was undoubtedly somewhat different. Tiridates may have come to Rome to be crowned king of Armenia, but even an emperor as impractical as Nero did not, apparently, dream of colonizing the far East. Trade between Rome and the orient was of mutual benefit; military and ideological conquest was not on the agenda.

The economic volatility of the last decade has taken a toll on education at every level; the humanities in general and language studies in particular have suffered far more than STEM subjects; and among languages, Greek and Latin, which offer no immediately profitable benefits, are especially vulnerable.

This presentation will look at examples of the strategies small to medium sized undergraduate programs have used to keep up enrollments and improve pedagogy for their students. These strategies include the following: