These are questions asked by almost all students at some point during their four years of college.

In some fields, these questions are more readily answered than in others. For students considering or already pursuing a major in Classical Studies, i.e., in Greek and Latin or in Latin and Classical Humanities, such questions seem especially important.

But the study of the "Classics" gives majors several distinct advantages:

They come into contact with a unique fund of stimulating and indispensable ideas very relevant to our own times, ideas that are the basis of all the Western humanities and of the American democratic experiment.

They study some of the world's greatest and most exciting literary achievements.

They establish links with a past that is so clearly part of our present,and they acquire a background of information essential to an understanding ofour own and other cultures.

They study a subject that is by nature interdisciplinary, and thereby develop an awareness of the interconnection of much of human knowledge.

They acquire a frame of reference for the study of all languages, especially those derived from Latin or, like English, strongly influenced by it.

And in addition to being prepared for lives as knowledgeable, thinking citizens, better able to participate in a democratic society, classics majors also develop the practical skills necessary to earn a living in a wide range of professions.

Communication Skills. The classical languages reinforce precision in expression, enlarge the vocabulary, and sensitize students to the rhetorical and persuasive powers of language.

Comprehension Skills. Latin and Greek foster especially close textual reading through linguistic analysis and formal translation and provide a broad frame of reference that improves general comprehension skills.

Critical Thinking Skills. The ability to read critically, to analyze, to synthesize, to evaluate, to interpret, and to speculate are the mental habits that the humanities most seek to foster. The relationship of these skills to reading in the classical authors is clear, because Western logic and critical thinking comes to us from the classical world. And classical literature is itself so overwhelmprecisely because of its insistent probing of the deep underlying currents of the moral and intellectual life.

That the classical languages are especially effective in strengthening these three skills is suggested by a recent survey of Graduate Record Examination scores. Students in classical studies scored higher than those in any other field in the humanities and social sciences, sixth in a list of ninety-eight areas of study.

TEACHING: For a classicist this is always the first career possibility that springs to mind, and there is now a critical national shortage of Latin teachers at the secondary level and at levels previously barely addressed (elementary and middle schools). Since 1980 there have been nearly twice as many positions in high school Latin as there have been qualified men and women to fill them. Concentrators planning careers as teachers should also consider including in their B.A. program minors in secondary education and in another high school subject.

LAW: The practice of law requires the very skills in analytical ability and articulate written and oral communication that are fostered by the study of the classics. And as Western law is steeped in Roman jurisprudence, so legal vocabulary is drawn from Latin.

JOURNALISM and COMMUNICATIONS: In these fields, too, a proven facility with words is a prerequisite for success. Classicists offer a more complex understanding of the English language, an ability to write precisely and persuasively, a considerably enlarged vocabulary that can extend to the technical terminology so overwhelmingly rooted in Latin and Greek, and a familiarity with compelling ideas that is as important as the mechanics of the communication arts.

BUSINESS: In recent years the business community has become especially interested in hiring liberal arts majors for training positions in management. Corporation executives recognize that foreign language study of any kind uniquely fosters an in-depth awareness of cultures other than our own, and they value the special analytical and communication skills that classics majors can bring to business: an ability to find and organize information, to write clearly and effectively, to summarize and analyze quite complicated materials, to comprehend abstractions, and to offer an integrated and intellectually responsible view of modern life.

PUBLISHING and EDITING: These fields welcome applicants with the highly developed language skills and mature critical judgment possessed by classics majors. Having learned how to read texts closely, with special attention to morphology, syntax, and the subtleties of translation, classicists are particularly sensitive to the ways in which important ideas can be best communicated in writing. Having read and studied the greatest literary works of the ancient world, they possess a unique frame of reference that permits them to understand the continuity between classical and modern literature. They know that the classics are the opening statement in the "great conversation" of Western culture.

GOVERNMENT and DIPLOMACY: Many positions at the federal, state, and local levels of government, and in the diplomatic corps, are open to classical studies majors, who bring to such positions an ability to research almost any subject, to formulate and defend policies, to write cogently, and to integrate diverse data. Because they are also aware of America's unique historical roots, and know that in the modern world vexing political, social, and moral issues are illuminated by the past, classics majors are able to look at pressing issues with a sense of perspective and, by comparing ideals and problems with another great and similar civilization, to acquire deeper understanding. This intercultural inquiry is a powerful remedy for insularity, narrowness, and prejudice.

ADVERTISING and PUBLIC RELATIONS: These fields employ people who are articulate and imaginative, and possess the heightened intercultural awareness that comes from studying foreign languages. Classics majors are able to bring to these fields very strong language skills of all kinds, an ability to write creatively and convincingly, and the insights gained from studying a supremely important civilization in a genuinely integrated, interdisciplinary way. Grasping knowledge as a whole is a crucial facet of the critical and creative thinking so necessary for successful careers in advertising and public relations.

While the programs in Classical Studies at CUA provide an excellent foundation, students are also encouraged to pursue activities that will round out their collegiate experience. Your advisor will suggest ways to prepare for your specific goals, which include obtaining and reading copies of the following, available from the department: Careers for Classicists, Classics is for Life!, and The Classics in American Schools (from which much of the information and language in this pamphlet has been drawn).

Classical Studies majors are encouraged to become involved in extra-curricular activities and to investigate one or more subconcentrations in fields related to their planned careers. A prospective lawyer might minor in philosophy, history, or economics; someone interested in business might choose accounting, computer science, or economics; future teachers, as mentioned above, should consider minors in secondary education and in another subject taught in high school.