Princeton Drops Greek, Latin Language Requirements For Classics Majors To ‘Address Systemic Racism.’

Princeton University dropped the Greek and Latin language requirement for Classics majors in an effort to “address systemic racism.”

“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,” the university summarized in a update sent out to alumni.

Explaining the changes further, Princeton described the “two major changes” for the Classics major:

“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.”

The university links the decision to broader effort to “address systemic racism at the university,” which were “given new urgency by this and the events around race that occurred last summer.”