Concentration in Ancient Philosophy

The study of ancient philosophy at Cornell is administered jointly by the Fields of Classics and Philosophy, and members of the two Fields cooperate in teaching and supervising graduate students. The program aims at training productive scholars and effective teachers of ancient philosophy who will also be well-rounded classicists and philosophers. The concentration is designed differently for students in the two Fields, but it strongly encourages those in one Field to strengthen their preparation by relevant work in the other.

Qualification for entrance
Students apply for admission to and are accepted by the Field of Classics or the Field of Philosophy, depending on their major interests and previous qualifications. They should mention their interest in ancient philosophy when filling out the Graduate School application and include a philosophical writing sample that shows their ability to work with texts in the original language.
Advanced undergraduate level knowledge of both Greek and Latin is required for admission to the Concentration as a student in Classics.

Requirements for the PhD
Students must satisfy the general degree requirements of the graduate program in Classics.

1. The First Year Examination is a written examination in Greek and Latin prose and poetry; it is designed to ensure basic linguistic competence in Greek and Latin.
2. The “Q” Examination is a written examination designed to examine knowledge of the Classics reading list and to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in Greek and Latin.
3. For purposes of the “A” Examination, Ancient Philosophy will be the major area of study, and Greek Literature and Latin Literature the minor areas. For the major area, students will complete the Ancient Philosophy reading list. The readings for the minor areas will defined by the student and the Special Committee and will reflect the student’s interests and needs.
4. Minimum course work will be distributed as follows:

• nine 400- and 600-level Classics courses
• one advanced Greek or Latin Prose Composition course
• an additional four graduate-level courses chosen in consultation with the student’s Special Committee.

Students will be expected to have some knowledge of an area of philosophy other than Ancient Philosophy. Such knowledge may be demonstrated by the completion of at least one course in Philosophy approved by the student’s Special Committee.