Graduate School of Arts and 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

The following list reflects the 2006/2007 faculty.

Chair Loren J. Samons II

Faculty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stephanie A. Nelson Director of Undergraduate Studies; Assistant Professor of Classical Studies and the Core Curriculum. BA, St. John’s College; MA, PhD, University of Chicago

Frank J. Nisetich Visiting Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, MA, University of California, Berkeley; PhD, Harvard University

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

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

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

Michael S. Silk Visiting Professor of Classical Studies, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, MA, PhD, University of Cambridge (England)

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

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

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

Emeriti

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

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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, Religion, and the University Professors Program.

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. Students may choose to concentrate on Greek or Latin, but normally a student must achieve and demonstrate competence in both languages. The department encourages 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:clgrstud@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

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 below immediately following the PhD requirements.

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 which is chosen for the doctoral thesis.

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 in this bulletin.

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 Patricia Larash 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. A major project of the institute is the publication of a six-volume work, The Classical Tradition and the Americas (CTA). This is a product of international scholarly collaboration, which is being published in conjunction with the encyclopedic Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt (ANRW) and in cooperation with the ANRW Research Center of Boston University and the University of Tübingen (Germany). The institute also publishes the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) and a biannual newsletter, as well as an annual bibliography of work in the classical tradition.

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; Perseus multimedia interactive resource of texts, images, and reference materials on ancient Greece; and the DYABOLA catalog of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome. From the department computers, students also have access to online library catalogs, 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 2007/2008.

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 502 Greek and Roman Literature

Not offered 2007/2008

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

Not offered 2007/2008

GRS CL 705 Topics in Mythology

Not offered 2007/2008

GRS CL 710 The Classical Tradition in Modern Literature

Not offered 2007/2008

GRS CL 717 Greek and Roman Religion

Not offered 2007/2008

Greek Language and Literature

CAS CL 502 Ancient Literature: Hesiod and Homeric Hymns

Not offered 2007/2008

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. Scully. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS CL 562 Survey of Greek Literature II

Not offered 2007/2008

CAS CL 563 Greek Prose Composition

Practice in set and free composition in Greek prose aimed at developing advanced language proficiency. Haase. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

GRS CL 724 Greek Drama

Intensive study of selected Greek tragedies, comedies, and satyr plays. Nelson. 4 cr, 1st sem.

GRS CL 761 Greek Orators

Not offered 2007/200

GRS CL 762 Sophocles

Not offered 2007/200

GRS CL 763 Hellenistic Poetry

Not offered 2007/2008

GRS CL 767 Ancient Greek Epic: Homer

Not offered 2007/2008

GRS CL 773 Euripides

Not offered 2007/2008

GRS CL 791 Greek Seminar: Greek Religion and Epigraphy

A survey of the epigraphic evidence for Greek religion, with an emphasis on the types of information under-represented in literary sources. Alonge. 4 cr, 1st sem.