<p>I'm going to become a journalist, hopefully writing op-eds or fashion/style journalism. I know for sure that I want to double major with english because I don't think I'd be satisfied just learning that. So besides Greek and/or latin, what's the Classics major like?</p>
<p>Greek and Latin are the major components of the major. You’ll spend your first year doing an intense study of grammar for both Latin and Greek, working your way up to reading unedited/adapted literature. Upper level classes are run just as an upper level literature class might be, with extensive reading in the original of things such as historians, philosophy, dramas, novels, poetry and, perhaps especially, epic poetry.</p>
<p>Your other classes will be in English, and will cover a wide array of topics from the Greek and Roman epics, poets, history, philosophy, art history, fictions etc. Depending on your department, you also may have access to other advanced courses like Latin composition, Medieval Latin, or other languages like Sanskrit. My department, for example, also offers biblical Hebrew. </p>
<p>Workload wise, Classics can be intense. Learning the grammar at the beginning can be incredibly frustrating and difficult, especially in Greek, but eventually it will become second nature. Much of your time after this will be spent translating, and eventually reading, in very difficult languages, which can be a logical feat. At times, it’s frustrating, while at other times you’ll find you can really get into the flow of the language you’re reading and appreciate the style, complexity, and, on occasion, the genius of the author at hand. If you do take this course, be prepared to spend upwards of an hour translating little more than 30-50 lines a night in your first years; frustrating though this can be, you’ll find you will progress and gain facility soon enough. By the end, though, you’ll have a complete mastery of grammar, in English and your other languages. </p>
<p>The rest of your time will be spent doing readings for your classes in translation, as well as writing papers - that part will seem a lot like your English or history classes.</p>
<p>Not to mention you’ll have plenty of amazing options to study abroad!</p>
<p>Anyway, (biased though I am) Classics is a great choice. You’ll find few majors more intellectually stimulating in so many diverse ways, and the topics are truly interesting and fascinating - why else would they have been studied for upwards of two thousand years!</p>
<p>Send me a pm if you have any more questions!</p>
<p>If you’re interested in journalism, it might be a better idea to couple that major with one in the subject you plan to write about. Want to write for National Geographic? Add environmental science or anthropology. Want to write about health issues? Add public health. Want to write about current affairs? Add international relations or political science. </p>
<p>Classics, though an extremely interesting and satisfying subject, is not highly practical – I would be hesitant to encourage someone majoring in English to add another such major. I think it would be more practical to major in English and add classics courses (either in English or Greek/Latin) as you have time or to major in classics and add writing courses.</p>