The project contributes to the Humanities Initiative's goal of fostering new, interdisciplinary teaching and research in the Humanities by introducing the field of Classical Studies to CEU. The appointment of Georgina White, who specializes in the Political Thought of Republican Rome and its relationship to its Greek philosophical models, helps to bridge the gap between CEU's Department of Philosophy, with its expertise on ancient (Greek) philosophy; the Department of Medieval Studies, with expertise from Imperial Rome/late antiquity onwards; and the contemporary focus of the Department of Political Science. The focus on Ancient Political Thought, itself an exciting and expanding area of research, offers the opportunity for fruitful co-operation with CEU's established social science programs, and with the new Specialization in Political Thought.