BA in Ancient Greek Language & Culture

Majors in Ancient Greek Language & Culture learn to read key works of ancient Greek literature in the original language, acquiring advanced skills in grammar and literary analysis. At the same time, they are exposed to an array of critical historical and cultural questions. The major teaches students to read, write, and think clearly and enables them to deal with, from a critical perspective, the ethical and moral issues raised by a professional career or life experiences.

A major in Ancient Greek Language & Culture provides a superb foundation for students interested in comparative literature, archaeology, linguistics, philosophy, religion, and a wide range of other humanistic disciplines; it is an excellent foundation for students wishing to pursue further studies in classical archaeology, history, religion and theology, and other humanistic disciplines. The major also provides a solid foundation for careers in numerous other fields, including law, business, medicine, or communications.

Learning Outcomes

Students majoring in Ancient Greek Language & Culture should be able to:

• Demonstrate broad understanding of the history and culture of ancient Greece.
• Demonstrate sufficient understanding of the vocabulary, morphology, and syntax of Ancient Greek to read standard works of the classical period accurately.
• Acquire the skills necessary to use dictionaries, grammars, and other resources that aid the reading and understanding of Ancient Greek texts.
• Demonstrate, in their reading of Ancient Greek, an understanding of genre, style, cultural context, and the place of the text within the literary history of the ancient world.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing, ideas about Ancient Greek literary texts.

Requirements

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Ancient Greek Language & Culture will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy most BU Hub requirements in Philosophical, Aesthetic & Historical Interpretation and the Intellectual Toolkit, as well as some requirements in Communication. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

Ancient Greek Language & Culture majors will also satisfy College of Arts & Sciences requirements, including the CAS Second Language Requirement, described here.

Prerequisites for the major: the equivalent of CAS CL 161 and 162.

A major in Ancient Greek Language & Culture requires a minimum of ten 4-unit courses*. The requirements are as follows:

• CAS CL 101 or CAS CL 321
• Four courses from the offerings under Ancient Greek above CAS CL 162
• Four additional classical studies courses engaged with Ancient Greek language and culture
• One course at the 400 level or higher, in Ancient Greek and/or CAS CL 406

Courses

*Required courses are divided into four categories: classical civilization (works read in translation), Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, and Latin. Refer to the Classical Studies programs section of this Bulletin for the full list of courses and their categories that may be used to fulfill the requirements stated above and for information on the CAS foreign language requirement for classics majors and minors.

Honors in the Major

The department encourages work toward graduation with Honors in the Major. For students wishing to complete a written honors project, the primary requirement is successful completion of a two-term program of directed research and writing in their senior year, culminating in an honors thesis and oral defense with a minimum of two examiners. The thesis should exhibit knowledge of primary and secondary sources, with bibliography (if a research paper), or the equivalent at the discretion of the readers, and ordinarily it should not exceed 10,000 words. For students completing a written honors project, the submission of a detailed outline by the end of the fall term is also required. With advisor approval, students majoring in Ancient Greek Language & Culture may choose a two-term program of directed research and writing or fulfill the requirement for honors through graduate courses, including at least one seminar course and one course with a substantial research component.

In order to qualify for any of these honors tracks, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a department GPA of no less than 3.4, must submit an application to their faculty project advisor in the spring of their junior year, and must have approval from the director of undergraduate studies and department chair.