BU 2009-10 Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

Department of Classical Studies

The Graduate Program
MA in Classical Studies
PhD in Classical Studies
Master of Arts in Teaching Latin and Classical Humanities
Special Programs and Facilities
Courses

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The following list reflects the 2008/2009 faculty.

Chair Loren J. Samons II

Faculty

Mark Alonge Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Harvard College; MA, University of Virginia; PhD, Stanford University

Stephen Esposito Director of Undergraduate Studies; Associate Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, Boston College; PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Herbert A. Golder Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences; Editor, Arion. BA, Boston University; MA, MPhil, PhD, Yale University

Wolfgang Haase Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences; Director, Institute for the Classical Tradition; Director, ANRW Research Center. PhD, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen (Germany)

Jeffrey J. Henderson Director of Graduate Studies; William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of Greek Language and Literature; Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Kenyon College; MA, PhD, Harvard University; LHD (hon.), Kenyon College

Patricia J. Johnson Associate Chair; Associate Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, Cornell University; PhD, University of Southern California

Patricia Larash Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. AB, Harvard-Radcliffe College; MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Stephanie A. Nelson Associate Professor of Classical Studies and the Core Curriculum; College of Arts & Sciences. BA, St. John’s College; MA, PhD, University of Chicago

Carl A. P. Ruck Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Yale University; MA, University of Michigan; PhD, Harvard University

Loren J. Samons II Chair, Department of Classical Studies; Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Baylor University; MA, PhD, Brown University

Stephen P. Scully Associate Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, New York University; MA, University of North Carolina; PhD, Brown University

Zsuzsanna Várhelyi Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. MA, ELTE (Hungary); PhD, Columbia University

Ann C. Vasaly Associate Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, University of Minnesota; PhD, Indiana University

Emeriti

D. S. Carne-Ross Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, College of Arts & Sciences. MA, University of Oxford (England); MA, Cornell University

James R. Wiseman Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, Archaeology, and Art History; Director, Center for Archaeological Studies, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. AB, University of Missouri; AM, PhD, University of Chicago

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The Graduate Program

The Graduate Program of the Department of Classical Studies is designed to prepare students for professional careers. At its center is a structured program in the classical languages, in Greco-Roman culture, and in the perspectives and methods of innovative research on the classical world. The Department of Classical Studies encourages interdisciplinary and comparative literary, historical, and cultural studies embracing a wide range of areas. The department has particular strength in Greek drama, Greek and Roman epic, ancient rhetoric, Greek and Roman history, mythology, the translation and interpretation of classical literature, and the classical tradition in Europe and America. In addition, Classical Studies at Boston University has a very close working relationship with the departments of Archaeology, Art History, Philosophy, and Religion.

Graduates of this program are expected to have acquired a range and depth of knowledge of antiquity that will provide the basis for innovative scholarship as well as for professional careers in university or college teaching and in other positions that require a background in humanities. The department allows combined or comparative programs of study designed to take advantage of Boston University’s offerings in such other areas as the Romance languages, comparative studies in literature and the arts, archaeology, and philosophy, as well as the possibilities provided by cross-registration in the Boston Area Graduate School Consortium.

Further information is available from the Classical Studies Department: 745 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215; 617-353-2427. E-mail address: jhenders@bu.edu.

Admission In addition to the bachelor’s degree or its equivalent, a fundamental requirement for admission to the program is evidence that the student will be able to successfully study one (MA) or both (PhD) of the classical languages at the graduate level. Applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test and, at the time of application, submit a personal statement of aims and purposes and a sample of their scholarly writing. Every student takes a diagnostic examination in the comprehension of the classical languages the summer before entry into the program. (For the purpose of this examination, comprehension of the language at the graduate level is defined as the ability to read, without lexicon and at a moderate speed, passages from Homer and Plato and from Vergil and Cicero.)

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MA in Classical Studies

Course Requirements A minimum of eight courses (32 credits) is required for an MA in Classical Studies. The requirements are as follows:

CL 563 Greek Prose Composition or CL 530 Latin Prose Composition
seven additional courses at or above the 500 level offered in the Department of Classical Studies or related departments (with advisor approval).

Students typically concentrate in either Latin or Greek. One course in Greek or Roman art or archaeology is recommended. Students who wish to take more than two courses from related departments must receive approval from the director of graduate studies.

Language Requirements—Modern Proficiency in German or French must be demonstrated by written examination. With the consent of the department, another language may be substituted.

Comprehensive Examinations Candidates must demonstrate, by written examination, proficiency in the following:

the translation of passages from either Greek or Latin
the history of either Greek or Latin literature

At the student’s request and with the approval of the student’s advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, the history of literature exams may be taken as oral examinations.

Students interested in certification to teach Latin at the high school level should refer to the “Master of Arts in Teaching Latin and Classical Humanities” section immediately following the PhD requirements.

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PhD in Classical Studies

Course Requirements Students admitted directly to the PhD program without previous graduate study (postbachelor’s PhD) must take a minimum of sixteen courses (64 credits), preferably over a period of five or six semesters. Students entering with an MA or the equivalent in classics may be admitted with advanced standing to the post-master’s PhD Program. Candidates admitted to this program are required to take eight to twelve courses (32–48 credits), preferably over a period of three to four semesters. The exact number of courses required depends on how closely the student’s prior work parallels the PhD course requirements at Boston University.

The PhD course requirements are as follows:

CAS CL 530 Latin Prose Composition
CAS CL 563 Greek Prose Composition
Postbachelor’s PhD students must take an additional 14 courses at or above the 500 level offered by the Department of Classical Studies or related departments (with advisor approval). One course in Greek or Roman art or archaeology is required.
Post-master’s PhD students must take an additional six to ten courses at or above the 500 level offered by the Department of Classical Studies or related departments (with advisor approval). One course in Greek or Roman art or archaeology is required.

Language Requirements—Modern Proficiency in German and French must be demonstrated by written examination. With the consent of the department, another language may be substituted for French.

Comprehensive Examinations Candidates must demonstrate, by written examination, proficiency in the following:

the translation of passages from Greek authors
the translation of passages from Latin authors
the history of Greek literature
the history of Latin literature
the history of Greece and Rome (Completion of a graduate course in ancient history may also be used to satisfy this requirement.)
a special topic or author in an area of study different from that chosen for the doctoral thesis.

At the student’s request and with the approval of the student’s advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, the special topic/author and the history of literature exams may be taken as oral examinations.

Dissertation Outline/Proposal/Prospectus Candidates shall select the subject of their dissertation with their advisor. A PhD prospectus is then prepared and presented for departmental approval. The prospectus should be a detailed outline of the subject matter of the dissertation and its methodology, with a bibliography and a clear indication of the dissertation’s originality and contribution to scholarship. Further details of the preparation of the prospectus are contained in the Graduate School procedures for the PhD Dissertation Outline/Proposal/Prospectus, given elsewhere on this site.

Dissertation and Final Oral Exam The dissertation, on a subject approved by the candidate’s advisor and the department, must demonstrate the student’s ability to conduct original research and creative scholarship. The candidate must offer an oral defense of the dissertation and demonstrate a mastery of the subject with which the research is concerned. The examining committee is composed of at least five Graduate School faculty members selected by the department.

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Master of Arts in Teaching Latin and Classical Humanities

Program Overview The Department of Classical Studies and the School of Education at Boston University offer graduate studies leading to the Master of Arts degree in Secondary Teaching in Latin and Classical Humanities (MAT). The program is designed to prepare candidates for teaching careers in secondary schools, grades 9–12. After completion of this twelve-month program and after successful completion of the Massachusetts Educator Certification Tests (Literacy and Latin), graduates meet Massachusetts’s new teacher certification standards, and, according to the Interstate Certification Compact, may be certified in approximately thirty-eight other states.

Admission Application and admission are processed through the School of Education. Interested applicants should have a BA degree with a strong background in Latin. Upon application, applicants should have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better in the major field of study, and a 2.7 or better in the overall undergraduate course of study (based on a four-point scale). Applicants must take either the Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Two letters of recommendation are required, one of which must be from a professor of classics. The program is open to those who are currently teaching Latin and desire MAT certification. Inquiries regarding application and admission should be directed to the School of Education, MAT Coordinator, 605 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.

Program Requirements A minimum of ten courses are required to complete the program. The Department of Classical Studies requires candidates to complete the following:

two Latin courses at or above the 500 level
one course in Roman history
one course from the related fields of archaeology, art history, mythology, philosophy, or religion
a written examination testing proficiency in Latin translation
a written examination testing proficiency in the history of Latin literature
a written examination testing proficiency in ancient Greek, or one semester of ancient Greek at the university level

Contact Professor Ann Vasaly for more information regarding these requirements.

Specific information concerning courses required in the School of Education can be obtained by consulting the School of Education Bulletin. Fieldwork and student teaching in Boston-area schools will be arranged through the School of Education.

Contact the School of Education for more information regarding these courses.

Special Programs and Facilities

Institute for the Classical Tradition Boston University is the home of the Institute for the Classical Tradition, which fosters research and teaching in the field of the influence of Greek and Roman antiquity on other cultures. The institute is the base of the International Society for the Classical Tradition and of the encyclopedic Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt (ANRW). The institute also publishes the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT).

Journals Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, The International Journal of the Classical Tradition, The Journal of Field Archaeology, and The American Journal of Archaeology are edited at Boston University.

Graduate School Consortium Qualified students may enroll for courses at participating universities in the Boston Area Graduate School Consortium. Participating colleges are Brandeis University, Boston College, and Tufts University. Arrangements may be made on an individual basis with other institutions in the area.

Arrowsmith/Lindsay Library The department maintains a reading-room library that includes a collection of texts from the estate of Professor William Arrowsmith. The collection is made up of Greek and Latin texts, basic reference works, and a variety of related materials. The remainder of the classical collection is housed in the University’s Mugar Library.

Computer Resources The department has Macintosh computer systems designated for graduate research. These systems support several word processing programs for ancient languages and the following databases are available: the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae database of Greek texts; the PHI database of Latin texts; and the DYABOLA catalog of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome. From the department computers, students also have access to online library catalogs, and electronic research sites, e-mail, and the Internet through the University Computer Network.

Museum of Fine Arts Qualified students may apply for admission to courses of study at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. For further information, consult the Director of Graduate Studies of the Department of Classical Studies.

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Courses

Consult the Class Schedule for an updated listing of courses offered 2009/2010.

GRS CL 699 Teaching College Classical Studies I

The goals, contents, and methods of instruction in classical studies. General teaching-learning issues. Required of all teaching fellows. TBA. 2 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.

Classical Civilization

CAS CL 560 Studies in Ancient Greek History: The Athenian Empire

Not offered 2009/2010

GRS CL 705 Topics in Mythology

Not offered 2009/2010

GRS CL 710 The Classical Tradition in Modern Literature

Not offered 2009/2010

GRS CL 717 Greek and Roman Religion

Not offered 2009/2010

Greek Language and Literature

CAS CL 502 Studies in Ancient Greek and Roman Literature

Topics vary. Spring 2010: The Classical Tradition in the Renaissance. Haase. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS CL 561 Survey of Greek Literature I

Reading course designed to study the history of Greek literature through a chronological survey of representative authors and genres: Homer through the archaic age. Alonge. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS CL 562 Survey of Greek Literature II

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS CL 563 Greek Prose Composition

Close study of exemplary Greek prose as the basis for original composition in Greek of sentences and short passages, then more extensive prose pieces. Henderson. 4 cr, 2nd sem.