Classics and General Humanities examine the culture, ideas, and values of earlier Greek and Roman and the related civilizations of Western Asia and Africa both in Antiquity and as they have been appropriated by later cultures and civilizations with special attention to the United States. The goals of these programs are to develop a sense of how to conduct critical inquiry into past cultures and modern manifestations of their ideas and values.

 The major and minor in Classics are broad programs in ancient civilization which study the history, languages, literature, philosophy, art, religion, and daily life of the ancient Mediterranean world as seen through texts and artifacts. The major and minor in Latin emphasize the study of literature in the original language; the major requires study of Greek as well.
 
The Latin teacher Education major leads to certification to teach Latin and Classics in New Jersey secondary schools. The Greek minor emphasizes mastery of classical Greek and reading Greek literature. There is also a minor program in Archaeology sponsored jointly by the Departments of Classics, Anthropology, and Fine Arts.
 
The programs in Classics and General Humanities are liberal arts concentrations which provide ideal preparation for careers in business, for professions such as law and medicine, and for graduate work in the humanities and social sciences. The General Humanities program is unique in respect to the wide range of disciplines (e.g. history, literature, philosophy, religion, art, music) which must be studied.