Contact Information
Robert Christman
Professor of History
Department Head
Office
Koren 207
700 College Drive
Decorah, Iowa 52101
Phone: 563-387-1451
As a classical studies minor, you’ll gain in-depth knowledge of the complexities of ancient times, develop the skills needed to study the various aspects of those civilizations, and consider the timeless problems of the classical world.
Knowledge
Classics is by its very nature a broad, interdisciplinary field of study encompassing every subject within the ancient world, including language, religion, art, philosophy, drama, science, material culture, poetry, mythology, geography, mathematics, politics, law, and gender studies. But in both our original language and translation courses, you’ll also probe in depth the complexities of classical culture using a wide variety of techniques.
Abilities
As a classical studies minor, you’ll acquire the appropriate linguistic, literary, or historical skills to study the classical world. Through class discussion and constant feedback from professors, your reasoning is subject to appropriate criticism and subsequent revision. Through informal discussion and formal presentations, you’ll present your ideas to your peers and the professor. You should be able to fully read and analyze texts in the original Greek or Latin (whichever has been the focus of your studies), as well as use a basic working knowledge of the other ancient language in reading texts.
Values
One of the most important goals of any Classics program is to introduce students to the complex and often contradictory world of ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient writers present students with the most timeless and fundamental problems of human existence such as the tension between the individual and society, the problem of justice, the yearning for peace, and the meaning of love. Most are often amazed that people were wrestling with these ideas over two thousand years before they were born.
Alumni Profiles
The study of classics is an excellent preparation for any number of fields. Classical studies graduates have pursued careers and graduate studies in many areas, including music, computer science, foreign languages, theology, education, medicine, law, and business.
Jeff Emerson ’13
My connection to the Classical Studies Department began when I took a class on underwater archaeology, taught by Professor Dan Davis. This led directly to an internship with the Nautilus Exploration Program, during which I worked side-by-side with Dr. Davis and an interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, marine biologists, geochemists, and robotics engineers searching for ancient shipwrecks in the Black Sea. With my experiences in classics, anthropology, and chemistry, I assisted the survey team, assessed the cultural and historical aspects of shipwrecks, and assisted the lead scientist with geochemical research of the Black Sea’s stratified water column and the underlying sediments.
This investigation turned into the core research for my senior capstone project in chemistry. We recovered sediment cores from the seafloor and later conducted elemental analyses at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography in order to better understand the chemical processes within the water column and sediments, noting how they influence the deterioration or preservation of archaeological artifacts left in situ, or undisturbed. This experience has allowed me to pursue my dual interests in chemistry and classical archaeology, but I would not have had this amazing opportunity had I limited myself to just my major departments of anthropology and chemistry. I plan on furthering education in a combination of these fields, possibly in oceanography or archaeometry.
Danial Faas ’13
I’m now a history teacher in Wisconsin. My time with the classical studies department at Luther started as fulfilling my language requirement (ancient Greek). That led to a January-Term study abroad class in Greece, then a summer collaborative research project with Professor Dan Davis. The following year he took me to Turkey for an underwater archaeology project using autonomous underwater vehicles. Now I have a lifetime love for classics and archaeology, and my studies there have prepared me to be a well-rounded teacher.
Contact Information
Robert Christman
Professor of History
Department Head
Office
Koren 207
700 College Drive
Decorah, Iowa 52101
Phone: 563-387-1451