Mission and Student Learning Outcomes

Mission

The discipline of Classics has been central to the rise of universities, and it continues to be fundamental in the humanities and to a Liberal Arts education. A solid foundation in reading Classical Latin and Greek provides a means of understanding the past and the intellectual roots of the present while formal coursework provides students the opportunity to develop abiding skills of critical thinking, engaged inquiry and reflective expression. As Classics also transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, this course of study cultivates students who think broadly, synthetically and are able to view issues from a variety of perspectives. The Department at UNC Asheville is the only full Classics department in WNC and faculty members are actively engaged in diverse areas of the field from literature to philosophy, religion and archaeology. The Department works to further the university’s mission to “develop students of broad perspective who think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, and participate actively in their communities,” by offering a curriculum which reflects both fundamental core content as well as an engagement with contemporary issues, and by providing students opportunities to participate in a diverse array of departmental activities including undergraduate research, interdisciplinary collaborative projects, co-curricular activities, local and international service learning, community outreach including teaching internships, and public lecture programs. A degree in Classics from UNCA provides both the fundamentals of a Liberal Arts education for a lifetime of learning and a foundation for diverse paths including graduate study, secondary school teaching, the law and other professional careers.

Classics Department Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students develop mastery of at least one of the disciplines embraced by Classics (language, literature, art and archaeology, history) and an understanding of the cross-disciplinary nature of Classics.
2. Students understand the values and beliefs of the people and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean region and learn to clarify and articulate their own values in comparison with them.
3. Students analyze various types of primary and secondary source material and write a well-supported, clearly articulated argument.

• University Mission Statement
• University Student Learning Outcomes