Bachelor of Arts in Classics

at Navitas Group - Queens College, City University of New York USA

"In the attempt to understand how societies work, sociology addresses and integrates a wide variety of areas, including many that overlap other disciplines, such as psychology, the economy, politics and political structures, and culture. Among its topics are social institutions, rules, networks, movements, and organizations. Students also acquire perspective on the societal and institutional significance of race, gender, class, and other social differences. Coursework includes theory, methods, and introductions to specializations (such as sociology of medicine).

Classics involves the study of ancient Greek and Roman civilization and history, including the Greek and Latin languages. In courses on language, literature, art, philosophy, religion, and history, students learn about the pioneering thinkers, writers, leaders, and cultural innovators who shaped much of the Western intellectual and artistic legacy.

Research shows that classics majors consistently attain some of the highest GRE scores, outperform other undergraduate majors in law school, and are among the most successful majors admitted to medical school. In their close study of challenging languages, texts, philosophies, and other aspects of the ancient world, classics majors acquire superior skills in reading, writing, analytical thinking, and cultural understanding. These are essential to professional success in today’s highly educated workforce.

Classics serves as a gateway to numerous career paths. Many graduates go on to advanced study in classics, archaeology, or religion as well as professional schools in law and medicine. Other options include working in areas related to students’ training in classical language, history, and culture, including libraries, museums, publishing, the arts, and education.

The Jewish Studies program is dedicated to unrestricted inquiry into all aspects of the Jewish experience. It hosts numerous public events concerning Jewish culture, film, arts, history, and religion, encouraging active outreach around current issues and, in the broadest sense, world affairs. Majors benefit from access to New York’s multicultural, multilingual Jewish community as well as the numerous museums, libraries, and cultural institutions in the metropolitan area.

The program has four main areas of study: Jewish social and intellectual history; the anthropology, sociology, political life, and folklore of Jews; Jewish religious and philosophical thought; and Jewish languages and literature. It can be tailored to a wide range of personal interests.

Physics is one of the most demanding majors offered at Queens College, and it attracts exceptional students. In small classes taught by distinguished faculty, students benefit from an adaptable curriculum of theory and applied science, including courses that teach experimental skills, mathematical physics, and the principles of both classical and modern physics, such as mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and special and general relativity. Electives explore connections between physics and other sciences, such as telecommunications and computer science. Students are encouraged to participate in the faculty’s internationally recognized experimental and theoretical research programs in optics, magnetic thin films, polymer surfaces, quantum dots and nanowires, multiple quantum wells, and photonic integration.

The study of literature is at the heart of a liberal arts education. Through literature, students learn to probe rhetoric, emotion, morality, point of view, and other questions that enrich both life and the arts. Coursework ranges from elementary rhetoric and composition to advanced electives in creative writing; historical surveys of poetry, drama, and fiction; major literary figures; courses in minority and ethnic literature; postcolonial literature; literary theory; and many other topics. English majors do much reading and writing, honing their critical, analytical, and communication skills.

Those skills help to make English a versatile major for students pursuing a variety of goals. Professional careers require the excellent writing ability that English majors develop as well as their ability to read and interpret texts with accuracy, sophistication, and judgment. Graduates often go on to become editors and writers in such fields as publishing, journalism, public relations, and advertising. They also excel in law, business, and government.

Philosophy involves the pursuit of fundamental questions, such as the nature of reality, truth, justice, values, ethics, reason, science, and faith. It offers careful training in inquiry, critical thinking, and the construction of well-reasoned arguments. Coursework includes philosophical questions, methods, history, and systems of thought.

Although philosophy is sometimes thought of as a luxury or “ivory tower” discipline, PayScale’s research has found that it actually ranks as the top-earning humanities major. The mental discipline students acquire and their facility with complex reasoning are valued highly by employers who seek innovative problem solvers and executives. Further, philosophy has historically offered a high road to the study of law.

Russian is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It also is important in diplomacy, science, business, finance, and sports, serving as an official language in such forums as the United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Bank, the International Olympic Committee, and many other organizations. Russian also is the language of great arts, including literature, dance, music, and painting.

The Russian program has been part of the curriculum at Queens College for almost fifty years. It instructs students in reading and speaking the language, and introduces them to the arts and culture of the Russian-speaking world. It also offers courses in Belarusian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, and Ukrainian language and literature, and sponsors a chapter of Dobro Slovo, the National Slavic Honor Society.

There is no limit to expressing your creativity with the Queens College Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) programs. Queens College’s Design program combines knowledgeable faculty with industry-standard software and the creativity of a studio-based learning environment. Our Design program offers concentrations in:

• Communication Design
• Animation & Illustration
• Interaction Design

Students can specialize in techniques and approaches that prepare them for a multitude of careers, including graphic design, software and web development, illustration, animation, marketing and advertising or product design.

Whether you’re interested in pursuing more hand-drawn approaches that utilize traditional media, or you want to immerse yourself fully in digital media and software, our Design program has the flexibility and diversity for each student to achieve their vision. Additionally, our program has a network of internships that allow students to get real-world design experience while receiving college credit and building their resume.

Religious Studies involves the interdisciplinary investigation of religious concerns throughout history and around the world. Religions are studied as text, experience, practice, and theology. Coursework explores themes and questions in comparative religion; religion, literature, and the arts; religion and culture; and religion and philosophy.

The program draws on multiple disciplines, including anthropology, art, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and language and literature. Students are encouraged to study relevant ancient and medieval works in the original classical Chinese, classical Arabic, biblical Hebrew, and Latin.

A degree in religious studies is of interest to students planning to continue on for theological or ministerial training, religious research, or teaching. Its cross-cultural sensibilities, moral concerns, and linguistic expertise also are useful in such areas as development work, community advocacy, social care and counseling, public policy, journalism, and librarianship.

Latin is one of the gems of the liberal arts curriculum. Learning Latin gives students access to the language and literature of the ancient Roman Empire, and it opens myriad cultural resources as Latin remained the international language of educated people through the Renaissance—hence it was the language of Western diplomacy, religion, history, science, literature, and the arts.

Students of Latin learn the language and, through it, come to understand classical Roman prose and poetry. Courses may be supplemented by work in translation in classics, literature, drama, art, history, and philosophy.

A degree in Latin can be a gateway to graduate work in a classics-related field, history, or philosophy. Equally, Latin is superb discipline for a grasp of English and other European languages’ structure and linguistic roots. The major stresses the excellent reading and writing skills that prove most valuable to liberal arts graduates.