All majors in the Classical Civilizations program are required to complete a senior thesis during the Fall semester of their senior year.

Students in the fall semester of their senior year will enroll in the 3-credit CLAS 499 course, the successful completion of which is necessary for the degree and its various concentrations.  In the spring semester, students will meet several times in a pro-seminar format with the department faculty to discuss a wide range of issues concerning the fields of Classics, ancient history, and archaeology.  Areas to be discussed include an introduction to professional organizations in our region, the country and abroad as well as an introduction/review of library and online resources available in the above-mentioned fields.

For the thesis project itself, students are currently expected to complete a 20+ page paper on a subject relating to the Classical languages or ancient culture.  A wide range of topics may be selected by the student, and the project may expand upon work previously completed by the student, if applicable. 

Topics must be submitted to the department chair for approval by the start of the senior's final semester.

In addition, students will present a summary of their work at an informal departmental dinner at the end of the semester, an opportunity to present their findings and answer questions from faculty and their peers.

Past Senior Theses

2011 Theses

• Jennifer Van Houdt, "From Fear to Awed Fascination: Taboo and Tragic Myth Structures in Phaedra’s Love"
• Brittany Taylor, "Hercules Across the Ages"

2010 Theses

• Kevin Devine: “Perceptions and Misconceptions: A Look at the “Barbarian” Peoples to the North of the Roman Empire.”
• Alexander Gross: “The Drunken Master: Alcibiades”
• Amanda Ruen: “Thomas Jefferson: Classical Influences on a Founding Educator Impacting His Vision for America”

2009 Theses

• Plass, Maureen, "A discussion of the similarity between the rhetorical structure of Cicero's Pro Archia and the musical structure of Bach's Prelude and Fugue IV"
• Seidel, Curt, "Friendship: Views from Augustine and Aristotle"

2008 Theses

• Hutchins, Spencer, "Praetor in the Roman Republic: History and Etymology of a Foundational Institution and Concept"
• Studebaker, Ian, "The Greek polis of Argos"
• White, Kellie, "Virgils' Aeneid: Why the Roman Epic Genre imitated the Greek and how Virgil altered the Epic model to suit an Italian Audience"

2005 Theses

• Clayton, Andrew, "Two Early Christian Conceptions of Original Sin: an examination of the ideas off Saint Augustine and Saint John Chrysostom"
• Stobart, Christina, "But Augustus, the People do not want to change!: the stubborn immorality of early Imperial Rome"

2004 Theses

• McAuliffe, Matthew, "Early Christian Perspectives on War and Military Service"
• McFarland, Molly Egan, "The Catilinarian Conspiracy"