MacEwan University students are currently petitioning the university to establish a classical studies major. The organizers aim to reach 1,000 signatures before an anticipated university survey rolls out next month to assess student interest.
The petition calls for a classical studies major that “unites existing courses in ancient history, languages, philosophy, literature, and culture into a cohesive, interdisciplinary program.”
Alberto Tadeo, a sociology major and classics minor, started organizing the initiative in 2022. His initial petition, which he organized on his own, gathered roughly 1,000 signatures but ultimately did not result in the creation of a major. Now, Tadeo is reviving the project with support from a student “task force” and faculty members.
“Even though my first wave kind of didn’t do as much. I think it was great, because at least there was a rumour or a whisper that came of that,” says Tadeo.
Tadeo says about 15–20 students are working alongside him to collect signatures through professor-approved class visits and student groups.
There is no definite deadline for the team to reach its signature goal because a date for the university’s survey has not been confirmed. However, the petition is currently about halfway to its goal. Tadeo says the team needs the signatures before the survey is released, which they expect to be sometime in October.
Tadeo says the 1,000-signature goal was initially set to “shoot for the stars,” and the team believes the number would signal to the university that there is significant student interest in the major.
“1,000 out of [an] estimated 23,000 students, that’s like, they can’t really ignore that, you know? And I think that’s the point,” says Tadeo.
“We’re trying to add a little bit of ‘you need to look at this’ energy.”
— Alberto Tadeo, petition organizer
Classics, Tadeo explains, is a highly interdisciplinary subject that intersects with anthropology, history, the humanities, and philosophy. If the major is successfully implemented, Tadeo hopes that students will have more freedom to take courses from other disciplines that would otherwise not contribute to their outcomes in the classics curriculum.
“All I want for the major, honestly, [is] the accessibility, the interest to keep generating itself, and, kind of, keep driving for the future of the discipline,” says Tadeo.
