Classics

Welcome to the Department of Classics!

Classics, the study of ancient Greek and Roman civilization, has been an important part of intellectual life at the University of Toronto since its foundation as King’s College in 1827. The Department of Classics at the U of T is one of the largest in North America with over 20 faculty and is internationally renowned for the excellence of its undergraduate and graduate programs.

Our diverse faculty study all aspects of the Greek and Roman world: its literature, history, philosophy, art, archaeology, and religion, from prehistory to the medieval period. Faculty are cross-appointed to the Philosophy department, the Department of History,  the Centre for Medieval Studies, the Centre for Comparative Literature, the Women and Gender Studies Institute, the Department for the Study of Religion, and the Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama, and work with the Jackman Humanities Institute, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Archaeology Centre.

Located in the neoclassical Lillian Massey Building, the Department of Classics is home to the Woodbury Library, with extensive holdings in Greek and Latin, epigraphy and papyrology. The Department offers programs of unusual breadth and intellectual variety in one of the most culturally diverse cities in North America.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity 

The Department of Classics is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that is welcoming to all. In our teaching and research we embrace the enormous diversity of the ancient world, with its multiplicity of peoples, languages, cultures, and religions. We recognize that the Classics have historically been used to justify ideologies of exclusion and inequality, but we vehemently oppose these uses in the present and are working actively to critique and combat such ideologies. The Department is committed to promoting greater diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the field as a whole. Some of the practical actions we are taking to achieve that end can be found here.