Department of French, Italian, and Classical Studies

In Memoriam: Professor Emerita Judith de Luce

Judith de Luce, Professor Emerita of Classics at Miami University and former affiliate of the Women’s, Sexuality, and Gender Studies program and the Scripps Gerontology Center, passed away on February 12, 2023 while she was briefly residing in hospice care. She was 76.

Judith received her bachelor's degree in Latin from Colby College and her doctorate in Classics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her scholarly and teaching interests included aging studies; Latin literature of the Late Republic and early Empire (Cicero, Ovid); women's studies; dramatic literature in performance; reception of Greek and Roman mythology and literature, especially Homer, animal behavior and language studies; Hippocrates and medical humanities; and creativity in old age. She was named Miami’s 2006-2007 Alumni Association Effective Educator.

The family has requested no service at this time.

We have set up a memorial page for you to leave thoughts, condolences, remembrances, etc. Please visit this page to leave comments and to view memorials as they come in.

French, Italian and Classical Studies is an interdisciplinary department centered around the study of the languages and cultural systems of a range of past and present societies. Our curriculum integrates the study of language, literature, history, political theory, religion, art, archaeology, and film, while also emphasizing connections between the Greek and Roman world and later French and Italian-speaking communities. Although students may specialize in one or more areas of study, our programs are united in placing student learning within a broader humanistic context.

Meaningful Work

Our courses allow students to discover over three thousand years of language, culture, and human experience, including the ways people are held together by a commitment to understanding the creation of meaning. Through intensive study of the languages and cultural systems of France, Francophone Africa, Italy, and the ancient Mediterranean, students gain a broader perspective of some of the most pressing issues in the modern world, while also learning to decipher the codes that both tie society together and, conversely, produce social differences like race, class and gender. Those pressing issues include the future of the environment, globalization, and the relationship between technology and society. Departmental courses thereby emphasize critical understanding of the varied and changing intellectual and social structures that circumscribe human life. They also focus on the ways individuals negotiate those structures, including language itself, to create meaning.

A Rewarding Life

Our training helps students meet the challenges of today’s global society through a focus on diverse perspectives, critical thinking, and advanced communication and problem-solving skills. These valuable tools enable our students to succeed in the global job marketplace. By learning to identify what is meaningful to others and to themselves, they enrich their lives and the lives of those around them and become vital colleagues, global citizens, and effective leaders.

The Department actively support its students’ career planning.

Study Abroad

Dijon, France

In this summer program, spend five weeks you'll remember for a lifetime with Miami University's Intensive French Study in Dijon Summer Workshop. This highly successful program gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves totally in the French experience while working in small seminars with an emphasis on discussion and participation. Students take 6 or 9 credit hours of classes. Weekly excursions are tied to classroom studies and are part of your credit hours.

Reggio Emilia, Italy

The program, held in the beautiful city of Reggio Emilia, offers you the opportunity to study the Italian language in Italy under ideal conditions, plus the opportunity to experience Italian culture in the most natural way. The intensive nature of the courses means that you can concentrate exclusively on mastering Italian, and in six weeks earn nine-semester credits toward satisfying divisional language requirements or requirements for a Minor in Italian or a Major in Italian Studies or International Studies.

Paris, France

This three-week workshop in Paris over J-term will allow students to discover masterpieces of French and American culture from the cathedrals of the Middle Ages to the contemporary modernist metropolis beloved by artists, writers, and filmmakers in a transnational context. It's a very walkable city with wonderful green spaces, cafés, and uniquely distinct neighborhoods, which make it the ideal location to discover the world as a traveler and to experience first-hand the amazing works of arts inspired by this great city.

Events

The Aeschylean Mood of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

Dr. Patrice Rankine
Professor of Classics
University of Chicago

Tuesday, March 14th
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Kreger Hall 319

An L.P. Irvin Lecture
Sponsored by the Department of French, Italian, and Classical Studies

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Alumni

Katie Paul

Katie A. Paul is the “Digger” of ArchaeoVenturers. She is an Anthropologist and Archaeologist with a Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region focus. Katie works to advocate for preservation of history in the MENA region at The George Washington University.

Lisa Mays

"I really credit the excellence of the Classics Department's advising process for helping me identify early the experiences that I needed as an Undergraduate in order to be an attractive candidate for a program like Bryn Mawr's and an excavation like the Agora."

Chris Dobbs

Chris Dobbs earned B.A.s in Classical Humanities and Classical Languages from Miami University in 2011.

C. Jacob Butera

"I graduated from Miami in 2003 with a degree in both Classics and Ancient Greek. While at Miami, I had the great fortune to study abroad in Florence, Italy and took a number of independent studies, including courses on Latin Epigraphy and Greek Palaeography."