Welcome to the

ECU Program in Classical Studies

Keep up to date with all things Classical on Athena's Owl, the ECU Classics blog, or follow ECUClassicsProf on Twitter.

At East Carolina you can:

fulfill your language requirement by studying Latin and Ancient Greek. Our Latin and Greek classes use pedagogical techniques developed by scholars at the University of Michigan. We teach reading strategies that enable students to read original texts, such as Cicero, Plato, Vergil and Euripides, in their second year. Latin and ancient Greek courses do not have oral exams. These classes are offered in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures.

complete your Foundations Curriculum: Humanities requirements by reading the Western world's foundational literature in English translation or studying ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Whether you want to study Greek tragedy, classical mythology or epics such as the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid, the Classical Studies program has the class for you.

Dr. Given wearing a replica of a linothorax, the ancient armor made entirely of linen.

satisfy your Foundations Curriculum: Social Sciences requirement by studying ancient history. Our ancient history courses, offered in the Department of History, cover from 800 B.C. to A.D. 476, and focus particularly on military history and political development.

study the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean world. Our archaeology courses, found in the Department of Anthropology, specialize in the ancient Near East and span from the Old Testament to the Byzantine period.

major in Classical Studies. Through the Multidisciplinary Studies concentration, the Program in Classical Studies offers two major options: Classics, in which students focus on the ancient languages and their literatures, and Classical Civilization, in which students concentrate more broadly on the ancient cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world. Students considering graduate school in Classics should select the Classics major. Classical Civilization often serves very well as a second major.

contribute to the arts at ECU through performances of Greek and Roman literature. In 2009, we featured Odyssey LIVE!, a fifteen-hour performance of Homer's epic poem, right in the middle of campus. In 2010, we produced our first play, Aristophanes' Lysistrata in a world premiere translation by Peter Green. Our 2011 play will Plautus's The Brothers Menaechmus (Menaechmi), translated by Douglass Parker. Dates are January 28, 29 and 30, 2011.

Recent alumna Lisa Wilbourne, now a high school Latin teacher in Greenville

make friends and gain leadership experience by participating in the newly formed Classical Studies Students Association. The Classical Studies program has often hosted special events from the academic side. We have hosted numerous guest lecturers from around the country and around the world. And we have recently begun a series of performance events, including Lysistrata, the Yannis Ritsos Festival and Odyssey LIVE! The CSSA plans to work with the faculty on the academic programs and to add new social events for Classics students and for the whole ECU campus.

For more information on the Program in Classical Studies, please explore this website further, using the links at the top and to the left, or contact the program director, Dr. John Given, by email (givenj@ecu.edu) or phone (252-328-6538).