Newswise — Students remain fascinated with Greek and Roman myths, and the entertainment industry knows it, according to Andrew Porter, Classics coordinator and assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)’s Classics Program.Hollywood and television have contributed with movies such as “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” “300,” “Rome,” “Clash of the Titans,” “Alexander” and numerous other movies and series set in ancient times or based on classical history or myths.

“Filmmakers and writers find Greek and Latin mythology a rich resource for stories. Shakespeare borrowed many of the plots of his plays from Greek and Roman plays,” Porter said. “He didn’t have to worry about copyright.”Students who have taken courses recently in UWM’s Classics Program include a judge, a teacher, a New Testament scholar, a pre-med student, an engineer and an aspiring filmmaker.

“Like most universities, every year Classics courses are very popular, although we don’t have an incredible number of majors as such,” Porter said.

The program averages some 1,600 students in its Greek, Latin or Classical Civilization courses each year. Porter’s online course, Classical Mythology, is “full every time I teach it,” he said.

After Classics lagged for a while in the 1970s, they made a comeback. Latin teachers at the high school level are in high demand and Latin enrollments at UWM have risen in the past three years.

Students who sign up for the languages, history and literature classes have an interest in the past – and often in their own future. Greek and Latin, for example, make an excellent foundation for both medicine and law, Porter said.

Studies show that students with a background in Classics do better than average on Graduate Record Exams.

“It’s fair to say that people who take Greek or Latin are far better prepared for law or medicine, and these courses can have an impact on the overall college experience. Students learn how to read, how to write and how to think analytically,” Porter said.

UWM Professor Emeritus David Mulroy talks about his translation of three of Sophocles’ tragedies – Oedipus Rex, Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus. http://www5.uwm.edu/news/2015/07/21/uwms-mulroy-translates-sophocles-oedipus-rex-trilogy/