Department Overview and Highlights
About The University at Buffalo Department of Classics:
The field of Classics embraces the study of Graeco-Roman civilization and the various related cultures of the ancient Mediterranean region in their several aspects, including language, philosophy, religion, the arts (literature, the performing arts, architecture, sculpture, painting, the minor arts), the sciences, society, politics, law, economy, technology, and relation to the natural environment. Graeco-Roman civilization has been and continues to be instrumental in the shaping of both Western and World civilization, and an appreciation of the Graeco-Roman experience and achievement and how these have been regarded in post-classical times is of fundamental importance to an understanding of the world in which we live today.
The University at Buffalo Department of Classics, which is the only department of Classics in the State University of New York system, has 12 full-time faculty, ca. 30-35 graduate students, and ca. 30-40 undergraduate majors. It offers programs of study at the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. levels. While undergraduate majors and minors and Ph.D. students specialize in one of three sub-areas - ancient Greek and/or Latin language and literature, ancient history, or classical archaeology - the Department encourages students to pursue a broad-based program of study that will provide them with a comprehensive understanding of Graeco-Roman civilization.
The Department faculty maintains an energetic research agenda, with several members regarded as leading figures within their area of specialization at the national and international levels. In recent years the Department has been best known for the robust representation of the archaeology sub-area within both its faculty and its curriculum and as the home of Arethusa, a leading journal in the application of interdisciplinary and theoretical approaches to the study of Classical literature.
Undergraduate and graduate students specializing in other areas of study such as history, anthropology, art history, Romance languages and literatures, English, comparative literature, and linguistics often find it useful to include one or more Classics courses in their program of study, with many undergraduates majoring in these fields electing to complete either a second major or a minor in Classics.
About the University at Buffalo:
The University at Buffalo (popularly referred to as "UB") is one of four "university centers" within the 64-campus State University of New York (SUNY) system. UB is New York's premier public institution for graduate and professional education, as well as the state's largest and most comprehensive public university, with a student body of ca. 27,000 students, including ca. 18,000 undergraduates and ca. 9,000 graduate and professional students. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, The University at Buffalo stands in the first rank of the nation's research-intensive public universities.
University at Buffalo web site
About Buffalo and the Western New York region:
The City of Buffalo, with a population of ca. 1.1 million in its greater metropolitan area, is the second largest city in the state of New York and the economic and cultural hub of the Western New York region. Though a small, livable city, Buffalo boasts many of the advantages of much larger urban areas, including world-class cultural institutions, a vibrant arts scene, and major-league sports teams. The Western New York region offers excellent recreational opportunities, including camping, boating, and skiing. The Niagara River, with its world-famous Niagara Falls, forms the border between Western New York and Ontario, with Toronto, one of the largest and most captivating cities in North America, a two-hour drive from Buffalo.