Rohde on the road to Oxford

Jake Rohde is a junior Philosophy and Classics major from Chapel Hill. Below, the winner of the Nims Scholarship and Manson Stewart Scholarship shares how one alumna introduced him to the world of Classics and why the faculty have made him want to continue his studies.

Jake Rohde
Junior Classics major

Q.

Why are you studying Classics at UNC?

A.

I came to UNC having studied Latin for six years in middle and high school with a graduate of UNC’s Classics program, Jennifer Hoffman, MA ’03. I came in with vague plans to continue that, but not much else. What made me want to stay was most of all the sense of community within the department: professors are willing to talk about their course offerings and your own interests, and through events like teas and Eta Sigma Phi events it’s possible to get to know easily both professors and other students. I felt encouraged and eager to progress with my studies—and here I am, a Classics major!

Q.

What has been one of your favorite memories of studying Classics at UNC and why?

A.

I think my favorite memory in the department is of performing Plautus in the Ullman Classics Library for Sharon James’ Roman Comedy. There is something unique about having a space specifically put aside for a department’s use and the sheer fun of performing what was, after all, a text intended to be put on stage. The strong sense of fellowship in the class made performing in front of each other, with and without masks, in Latin and English, a joy rather than a chore.

Q.

What has been your favorite course in the department and why?

A.

I feel a bit like Paris with the Golden Apple in hand answering this! On balance, I have to say that my favorite course in the department was actually introductory Greek with Owen Goslin. For me, there was a unique joy of discovery in learning the mechanics of a new language, like the workings of a magic spell. Even when the attractions of Greek fell, the promised pleasures of reading real Greek and readings parceled out through the course overcame the transient frustrations and plateaus.

Q.

Overall, what has been your biggest accomplishment at UNC and why?

A.

My greatest accomplishment at UNC so far has been my involvement in the founding and tenure as co-president of the Carolina Association of Parliamentary Debate, a competitive debating team that is part of the American Parliamentary Debate Association. We have seen in the past year our numbers and awareness of us (both nationally and at UNC) steadily increase in the past year, and I am immensely proud of the competitive success of the team and the infrastructure for future success we have laid out.

Q.

What is next for you? 

A.

I’m proud to be spending next year at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, in a Junior Year Abroad program (made possible by generous grants from the Nims Scholarship and Lesher Opportunity Fund), where I will study ancient philosophy in Greek and Latin as well as contemporary analytic philosophy. When I get back, I plan on applying to joint Philosophy-Classics graduate programs to further develop both sides of my interests.