Concentration in Classical Literature and Philology

This concentration, focusing on Greek and Latin languages and literature, is the most frequently chosen Ph.D. program in the Field of Classics, and provides students with the opportunity to follow a traditional training in philology and textual criticism, to explore Classical literature in the light of modern literary critical methodology, or to do both. The Graduate Faculty offers seminars and other graduate-level courses, taught from a wide range of critical perspectives, on ancient authors from Homer to Boethius and on topics such as textual criticism, epigraphy, and Greek and Roman Religion, to name but a few.

Qualification for entrance
Applicants should have studied both Greek and Latin to an advanced undergraduate level (we usually expect at least three years of each language). Also desirable is the kind of general familiarity with Greek and Roman civilization that is provided by an undergraduate major in Classics or its equivalent. Students who have come to Classics late in their undergraduate careers should consider taking summer or post-baccalaureate courses to advance their knowledge of the languages before applying.

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, the two major areas must be Greek Literature and Latin Literature. Study in these two areas is centered upon the Classics reading list (approximately 2400 OCT or Teubner pages of Greek and Latin combined) and an A-Exam reading list of roughly the same size worked out by the student and his or her special committee. The third, or minor, area may be chosen from among the following: Ancient History, Ancient Philosophy, Classical Archaeology, Classical Myth, Classical Rhetoric, Greek and/or Latin or Indo-European Linguistics, Medieval Studies.
4. The minimum number of required courses is fourteen, with the following distribution:

• twelve graduate (i.e., 400- and 600-level) Classics courses, in any combination
• one advanced Latin or Greek Composition course
• one historical or comparative grammar course.