Opportunities

Opportunities

• Manuscripts, Inscriptions, and Documents Club
• Parnassus
• Research
• Study Abroad
• Summer Research
• Teacher Education Program

Cocurricular

• Classics Day
• Classics Honors Society

Manuscripts, Inscriptions, and Documents Club

In the Manuscripts, Inscriptions, and Documents (MID) Club, a recognized student organization, students work on the editing and publication of a variety of primary sources from the ancient world: manuscripts of Greek and Latin texts, as well as inscriptions on stone. 

The club meets on a weekly basis to pursue research on primary sources. Over the past few years, projects have included work on manuscripts of Homer's “Iliad” and related texts, manuscripts of Jerome's “Chronicles,” mathematical diagrams in Greek and Latin manuscripts, and early manuscripts of Gregorian chant. For more information, visit the club's website, and read the classics blog posts on the Gregorian chant project and on the Homeric researchers' presentation of their work.

Parnassus

Parnassus, a journal produced annually by students in the department, showcases some of the research students do for courses or other projects, as well as creative writing and artwork. 

Debbie Sokolowski '14, the editor-in-chief of the second issue of Parnassus, introduced the journal in this way: "Parnassus’ mission is to share the passion of Holy Cross students for the ancient world. This journal provides students with a way to share work from courses, research, and other projects with a wide audience. All pieces aim to be generally understandable, allowing the study of the ancient world to be more accessible to non-specialists in the community."

Steven Merola '16, the editor-in-chief of the third issue, expanded on the image of Parnassus by noting that "our contributors are none other than contemporary types of the ancient Muses, whose love for knowledge and mastery over the written word animate this hill with their passion for the classical world."

Issues of Parnassus, going back to the debut issue from the spring of 2014, are available here on the publication platform of the Holy Cross Libraries, CrossWorks.

If you would like to get involved with the journal, please contact the faculty mentors, Professors Timothy Joseph and Aaron Seider.

Research

Classics majors have many and diverse opportunities for conducting research. Some majors pursue year-long senior theses, either through the College Honors program or within the department.

Research frequently takes place in class, as well. Podcasts created by the students in Professor Aaron Seider's course on Vergil's “Eclogues” and “Georgics” are now available through iTunes U. Read more about the project.

Study Abroad

Majors can participate in the College’s study abroad programs in Athens and Rome and gain first-hand experience with classical sites. Students can spend a semester in Rome or Athens or one semester in each city.

There is also a new Maymester program in Rome (PDF) titled "Rome in History and Imagination," offered in May-June.

Summer Research Program

Classics majors have been part of the Summer Research Program in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Fine Arts since its inception in 2010.

Summer 2015

Brian Clark '15, Claude Hanley '18, Stephanie Neville '17, Charlie Schufreider '17, Alex Simrell '16, and Melody Wauke '17 continued the work of the Homer Multitext Project by completing a digital edition of Book 18 of the “Iliad” from the Venetus A manuscript. Nicholas Jalbert '16 worked on a novel inspired by the 19th-century German scholar Max Mueller's writings about the kinship of scholarship and poetry. These students presented their work at the 2015 Summer Research Symposium.

Teacher Education Program

Classics majors frequently participate in the Teacher Education Program (TEP), which prepares students for licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition to taking courses in the major, students enroll in education courses specifically designed to promote excellence in teaching. The Holy Cross TEP places a special emphasis on issues surrounding urban education.

Visit the Teacher Education Program site for more information.

Our department is home to the Delta Lambda chapter of Eta Sigma Phi (ΗΣΦ), the national Classics Honorary Society.

Eta Sigma Phi was founded in 1914 at the University of Chicago. The society seeks to promote interest in classical studies along with closer fraternal relationships among students interested in classics. Our Delta Lambda chapter engages with these goals in a number of ways, including hosting presentations on a wide variety of classical topics and arranging trips to museums. Recent ΗΣΦ events include a student-faculty colloquium on Hesiod's Theogony and a public reading of all twenty-four books of Homer's Odyssey (the "Homerathon"). Members are also heavily involved in setting up and running Holy Cross' Classics Day for high school classics students.

Classics Day

Hundreds of students from high schools all over the Northeast visit Holy Cross for the event. The 47th Annual Classics Day will take place on Thursday, April 4, 2019.   Events will include:

• certamen, a contest on Latin grammar, Roman and Greek mythology, Roman history, and Roman lifeart contest
• costume contest
• manuscripts challenge