About the Classics Department

History of the SFSU Department of Classics 

The Department of Classics at San Francisco State University was originally organized by Richard Trapp and Andreina Becker-Colonna in 1965 – 1966.  

 Students could only study advanced ancient Greek and Latin by special arrangement. The development of a formal major and minor in Classics allowed students to concentrate in Greek and/or Latin languages and literature or in Classical Archaeology. 

The emphasis in ancient philosophy was approved in 1977 for students who wished to study the ancient philosophers in the original languages. 

The Museum Studies program was created as an interdisciplinary program within the Department of Classics in 1991 – 1992 and since 2002 – 2003 has been an independent program within the College of Liberal and Creative Arts (formerly the College of Humanities). 

The M.A. in Classics, approved in 1981, was designed for students seeking preparation to enter a Ph.D. program or a terminal M.A. with a view to teaching in the secondary schools or community colleges. 

At present, SFSU is the only member of the CSU system to offer the M.A. degree in Classics and is one of only three that offers the undergraduate degree (temporarily suspended). The SFSU Classics program has a long tradition of outreach and K-12 interaction and strives to improve upon its successes by engaging in curricular collaborations with other departments and programs, maintaining cross-listed courses with Jewish Studies, Sexuality Studies, History, Humanities and Museum Studies.