Laudator Temporis Acti

Carlett Spike, "Curriculum Changed to Add Flexibility, Race and Identity Track," Princeton Alumni Weekly (May 2021):

The Princeton faculty approved curriculum changes in the departments of politics, religion, and classics in April. Politics added a track in race and identity, while religion and classics increased flexibility for concentrators, including eliminating the requirement for classics majors to take Greek or Latin.

[....]

In classics, two major changes were made. The "classics" track, which required an intermediate proficiency in Greek or Latin to enter the concentration, was eliminated, as was the requirement for students to take Greek or Latin. Students still are encouraged to take either language if it is relevant to their interests in the department. The breadth of offerings remains the same, said Josh Billings, director of undergraduate studies and professor of classics. The changes ultimately give students more opportunities to major in classics.

The discussions about these changes predate Eisgruber's call to address systemic racism at the University, Billings said, but were given new urgency by this and the events around race that occurred last summer. "We think that having new perspectives in the field will make the field better," he said. "Having people who come in who might not have studied classics in high school and might not have had a previous exposure to Greek and Latin, we think that having those students in the department will make it a more vibrant intellectual community."

Hat tip: Dave Lull.