Classical Studies
Graduate Faculty
Special Departmental Requirements
Master of Arts Degree
Master of Arts in Teaching Degree
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Courses
College of Arts and Sciences
Bloomington
Chairperson
Professor William Hansen
Graduate Faculty
Professors
James Franklin, James Halporn (Emeritus), William Hansen, Thomas Jacobsen (Emeritus), Eleanor Winsor Leach, Timothy Long, Carroll Nelson, Edwin Ramage (Emeritus), Ian Thomson (Emeritus)
Associate Professors
Cynthia Bannon,* Matthew Christ, Betty Rose Nagle, Martha Vinson*
Director of Graduate Studies
Professor Eleanor Winsor Leach, Ballantine Hall 547, (812) 855-6651
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts, Master of Arts for Teachers, and Doctor of Philosophy
Return to Top
Special Departmental Requirements
(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)
Placement Examination
All newly admitted students will be required to take a placement translation examination in Latin and/or Greek. This examination will be given in the week preceding initial registration. It is the student’s responsibility to arrive on campus in time to take this examination. No student will be permitted to enroll for courses until the results of this placement examination are delivered to the director of graduate studies.
Return to Top
Master of Arts Degree
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate major in Latin or Greek or the equivalent. Graduate Record Examination General Test required.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 30 credit hours of Latin, Greek, or classics courses, of which at least 22 credit hours must be in Latin or Greek. One course involving the writing of a term paper.
Final Examination
Sight translation examination (two hours) in Latin or Greek. Written examination (two hours) on the history of Greek or Latin literature.
Language Requirement
Reading proficiency in one language: French, German, or another approved modern language, or (for students majoring in Latin) classical Greek. The requirement in classical Greek may be satisfied by completing G301-G302. (The latter courses may not be taken for credit by doctoral students majoring in the Department of Classical Studies.) A pass in G302 fulfills the reading-knowledge requirement in classical Greek.
Return to Top
Master of Arts in Teaching Degree
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate major in Latin or Greek or the equivalent. Graduate Record Examination General Test required.
Course Requirements
A total of 36 credit hours of course work, of which at least 20 credit hours must be in courses involving use of the Latin language and 6 credit hours in courses dealing with aspects of Roman civilization, such as Roman art, archaeology, and history.
Final Examination
Sight translation examination (two hours) in Latin. Written examination (two hours) on the history of Latin literature.
Return to Top
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Admission Requirements
As a prerequisite for admission, a student must (1) have completed at least 24 credit hours of graduate work in classical studies; (2) show proficiency in one modern foreign language; (3) show evidence of scholarly potential as indicated by the submission of a term paper or revised version of a term paper to the Ph.D. Admission Committee of the department; (4) supply two letters of reference; and (5) take the Graduate Record Examination General Test.
Course Requirements
A total of 90 credit hours, including dissertation (maximum of 28 credit hours). Fifty-three (53) credit hours must consist of the 20 credit hours of core requirements (C501, C502, G536, G537, L536, and L537) and 33 additional credit hours of Latin and Greek reading and seminar courses. The remaining credit hours are distributed among the courses in the minor program.
Minor
A total of 12 to 15 credit hours of course work, to be planned in consultation with the director of graduate studies. Minor programs aim to broaden the student’s knowledge in some aspect of classical studies outside the core curriculum. A minor may be taken in a single department (e.g., fine arts, comparative literature, history); in that case, the student should also consult with the director of graduate studies in that department. An interdepartmental minor (examples include “Ancient Metrics” and “Medieval Literature”) combines course work in other departments with appropriate courses in classical studies.
The department strongly recommends an interdepartmental minor in “Related Fields,” with courses selected from comparative literature, fine arts, folklore, history, history and philosophy of science, linguistics, medieval studies, philosophy, religious studies, Renaissance studies, or any other appropriate department or school (e.g., law, music); the aim of this “Related Fields” minor is to introduce the student to methodologies and approaches other than the philological, which may be applied to the study of the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.
Language Requirements
Reading proficiency in French and German; substitution for French of one other modern language will be considered on petition. This requirement must be completed before the qualifying examinations may be taken.
Qualifying Examinations
Translation examinations (three hours each) based on reading lists in Greek and in Latin. Students should have passed the reading list translation examinations in both Latin and Greek by the end of the third year (if they were admitted to the M.A. program) or by the end of the second year (if they were admitted to the Ph.D. program with an M.A. degree). Qualifying examinations are also required on the history of Greek and Latin literature (three hours each) and on a major author (three hours) chosen by the student. Students should have passed all three of the qualifying examinations by the end of the fourth year (if they were admitted to the M.A. program) or by the end of the second year (if they were admitted to the Ph.D. program with an M.A. degree). An examination on the outside minor may be required by the department of the outside minor.
Final Examination
Oral, primarily a defense of the dissertation.
Ph.D. Minor in Greek or Latin
Prospective minors should obtain a copy of “Graduate Minors in Latin and Greek” from the graduate secretary in Ballantine Hall 547, and plan their course work in advance with the director of graduate studies (Department of Classical Studies).
Return to Top
Courses
The 500-level courses are intended to emphasize the reading of texts in the original language; 600-level seminars and studies are intended to provide a specialized focus on one topic or theme with greater attention to scholarship and secondary literature.
Greek Courses
G301-G302 Classical Greek: Accelerated Course I-II (3-3 cr.)1
G305 Greek Tragedy (3 cr.)
G306 Greek Oratory (3 cr.)
G307 Selected Works of Plato (3 cr.)
G308 Readings in Biblical Greek (3 cr.)
G406 Homer (3 cr.)
G407 Greek Historians (3 cr.)
G410 Greek Prose Authors (3 cr.)
G411 Greek Comedy (3 cr.)
G510 Readings in Greek Historians (4 cr.) Extensive readings in Greek from the major historians-Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, and Polybius-with special attention to the development of Greek historiography.
G511 Readings in Greek Oratory and Rhetoric (4 cr.) Selections in Greek from the canon of the ten Attic orators, within the rubrics of epideictic, forensic, and symbouleutic oratory. Special emphasis on situating these rhetorical works in their social milieu.
G512 Readings in Greek Philosophers (4 cr.)
G513 Readings in the Greek Novel (3 cr.) An introduction to the Greek novel based upon readings in Greek in romantic novels such as Longos’ Daphnis and Chloe, comic novels such as Pseudo-Lucian’s The Ass, and/or historical novels such as Pseudo-Kallisthenes’ Alexander Romance. Some attention is also given to current research on the Greek novel.
G516 Readings in Greek Comedy (4 cr.) Examines the genres of old and new comedy as revealed in selected comedies of Aristophanes and Menander. Added to extensive reading in Greek, students will study the literary forms of the genres and how comedy acts as an expression of the poets’ engagement with their contemporary social and intellectual climate.
G517 Readings in Greek Tragedy (4 cr.) Careful reading of selected Greek tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, with the goal of appreciating tragedy as a complex art form and as an important social phenomenon created in fifth-century Athens.
G518 Readings in Greek Epic (4 cr.) Introduction to Greek epic poetry including the epic dialect, epic prosody, and oral poetry as a traditional art form. Readings in Greek include at least three books of Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey. Some attention is also given to current research on early Greek epic.
G536-G537 Survey of Greek Literature I-II (4-4 cr.) A two-semester introduction to Greek literature from Homer (mid-eighth century B.C.) to Lucian (second century A.D.) through extensive readings in translation supplemented by select Greek passages and modern scholarship. Attention to the emergence and development of diverse genres within their cultural contexts.
G540 Readings in Byzantine Greek. (4 cr.)
G600 Seminar in Greek Epic (4 cr.) Consideration in depth of select issues in the current scholarship on Greek epic, especially early Greek epic (Homer, Hesiod, Homeric Hymns, fragments of lost epics); includes selected readings in the original Greek. The focus may be upon aspects of the epic tradition or upon the close study of a single text.
G601 Seminar in Greek Poetry (4 cr.) Advanced study of selections from Greek poetry. The seminar will focus on issues relevant to the genre(s) to be studied.
G603 Seminar on Greek Tragedy (4 cr.) A survey of modes of recent scholarship on Greek tragedy.
G610 Seminar in the Greek Novel (4 cr.) Consideration in depth of select issues in the current scholarship on the Greek novel. Selected readings of texts in the original Greek are included. The seminar may focus upon problems of ancient Greek fiction more generally or upon study of a single novel.
G611 Seminar in Greek Epigraphy, Papyrology and Paleography (4 cr.) Detailed study of the principles of practices of Greek epigraphy, papyrology or paleography, with examination of selected papyrus documents, inscriptions, or other Greek texts.
G620 Seminar in Historical Texts and Historiography (4 cr.) Close study of Greek historical writing as represented both by the surviving works of the major Greek historians and fragments of other writers. Modern scholarship on historiography will encourage discussion of the relationship between historical and other kinds of writing in a Greek setting.
G622 Seminar on Topics in Greek Literature (4 cr.) Consideration in depth of select topics in ancient Greek literature. Readings are assigned both in original Greek texts and in the secondary literature.
G803 Supervised Reading Program (1-4 cr.) May be repeated for credit.
Latin Courses2
L300 Intensive Introduction to Classical and Medieval Latin (3 cr.)3
L305 Ovid (3 cr.)
L307 Cicero (3 cr.)
L308 Caesar, Civil War (3 cr.)
L309 Introduction to Virgil’s Aeneid (3 cr.)
L400 Intensive Study of Literary Latin (3 cr.)3
L407 Roman Lyric (3 cr.)
L408 Roman Comedy (3 cr.)
L409 Readings in Medieval Latin (3 cr.)
L423 Roman Satire (3 cr.)
L424 Silver Age Historians (3 cr.)
L426 Rhetoric and Oratory (3 cr.)
L427 Vergil’s Eclogues and Georgics (3 cr.)
L429 Roman Letters (3 cr.)
L430 Lucretius (3 cr.)
L432 Livy (3 cr.)
L505 Latin Grammar, Composition, and Reading (4 cr.) Exercises in Latin composition requiring control of principle features of Latin syntax and sight reading of previously unseen passages leading to rapid mastery of texts.
L509 Cicero, His Life and Works (4 cr.)
L510 Readings in Latin Historians (4 cr.) Intensive reading of one of the major Roman historians (Caesar, Livy, Tacitus) or a survey of the same with consideration of their places, antecedents, and successors in Roman literature. Emphasis on reading and comprehension of the texts.
L511 Readings in Latin Oratory and Rhetoric (4 cr.) Through intensive readings in Ciceronian speeches or a selection of readings drawn from Roman rhetorical writers (Cicero, Seneca, Tacitus), this course will examine the theory and practice of rhetoric at Rome in the context of philosophical, literary and historical issues.
L513 Readings in the Roman Novel (4 cr.) Through intensive readings in Roman prose fiction, including but not limited to the works of Petronius and Apuleius, this course will examine the genre of prose fiction in its literary and historical contexts.
L515 Readings in Latin Elegy (4 cr.) Readings will highlight the development of elegiac verse as a genre with attention to issues of current interest: the politics of poetic language; the construction of gender roles; the first-person speaker as an extra-societal observer and commentator.
L536-L537 Survey of Latin Literature I-II (4-4 cr.) Readings in Latin and in translated texts will present Latin literature from Livius Andronicus through Juvenal. Traditional scholarly questions will be introduced, but discussion will emphasize the construction of continuities in Roman literature by considering literary history as an aspect of cultural history.
L540 Medieval Latin (4 cr.) P: L409 or an equivalent course in medieval Latin. Students not offering one of these prerequisites will be required to pass an examination on medieval texts before consent to enroll will be granted.
L545 Rapid Reading and Principles of Grammar (4 cr.) Readings in the major authors of the Republic and Golden Age and organized study of grammar to enable the student to read rapidly for comprehension, not translation.
L550 Roman Historians (4 cr.)
L600 Seminar in Latin Epic (4 cr.) May be repeated for credit. Emphasis upon problems involving the interface of poetics and politics. Either a special topic (e.g., epic divinities) or an individual text may serve as the focus for study involving contemporary approaches to poetry and to culture.
L602 Seminar in Latin Comedy (4 cr.)
L603 Seminar in Latin Tragedy (4 cr.) Study of the fragments of Republican tragedy and the evidence for lost plays will be followed by research into historical, philosophical, and literary questions posed by Seneca’s Tragedies.
L610 Seminar in the Roman Novel (4 cr.) A study of Roman prose fiction through selected readings in the works of Petronius and Apuleius and in the current scholarship on the Roman novel and modern theoretical approaches to fiction. The seminar may focus on problems in the study of Roman fiction or on a single novel.
L611 Seminar in Latin Epigraphy or Palaeography (4 cr.) Advanced study of the methodologies and concentration on select Latin inscriptions or manuscripts.
L620 Seminar in Latin Historical Texts and Historiography (4 cr.) May be repeated for credit. A study of Roman historical writing from Republican, Imperial, or late Antique periods. The seminar may focus on literary, legal, documentary, or religious texts, or on problems in Roman history or historiography. Discussion will address the methodologies of current historical and historiographical scholarship.
L803 Supervised Reading Program (1-4 cr.) May be repeated for credit.
Classics Courses
C405 Comparative Mythology (4 cr.)4
C409 Roman Literature and Art (3 cr.)
C411 (Fine Arts A411) The Art and Archaeology of Anatolia (4 cr.)4
C412 (Fine Arts A412) The Art and Archaeology of the Aegean (4 cr.)4
C413 (Fine Arts A413) The Art and Archaeology of Greece (4 cr.)4
C414 (Fine Arts A414) The Art and Archaeology of Rome (4 cr.)4
C416 Ovidian Mythology and its Tradition (3 cr.)
C419 The Art and Archaeology of Pompeii (4 cr.)4 P: for graduate students: reading knowledge of Italian.
C501 Introduction to Graduate Study: Literary and Cultural Theory for Classicists (3 cr.) Provides familiarity with influential theories and methodologies of contemporary interpretive scholarship and evaluates their relevance to the interpretive practices of classical studies. A brief survey of formative developments in the history of classical scholarship will be followed by a chronologically ordered study of prominent twentieth century writings.
C502 Bibliography and Research Resources for Classical Studies (1 cr.) Provides practice in using some of the major electronic and printed sources of bibliography and historical information available for the study of Greek and Roman antiquity. An introduction to ancillary disciplines such as epigraphy and numismatics will be included.
C503 The Ancient City (4 cr.) Survey of the topography and monuments of one of the major cities—Athens, Corinth, Rome, Ostia, for example—of the classical world. Introduces students to the individual city and its monuments. Provides through the monuments a better understanding of urbanism through the history of the specific city, its statesmen, and authors.
C506 Teaching of Classics in College (1 cr.) Required of all graduate students teaching a departmental course for the first time. May be taken twice for credit.
C507 Foreign Language Institute (1-6 cr.) Formal study of Latin and Roman culture for secondary teachers and those preparing for secondary teaching. Normally taught in two-week sessions in the summer. May be repeated for up to 6 hours of credit.
C610 Seminar in the Greek and Roman Novels (4 cr.) Consideration in depth of select issues in the current scholarship on the ancient novels. The emphasis of the seminar is upon the secondary literature and upon the novels in English translation; a knowledge of Greek or Latin is not required.
C623 Seminar in Classical Archaeology (4 cr.) P: C412 or A412 or consent of instructor. In-depth analysis and discussion of selected topics in Aegean, Greek, Etruscan, or Roman archaeology, including interconnections with other Mediterranean, Anatolian, or Near Eastern cultures.
C875 Research in Greek or Latin (cr. arr.)
C880 Ph.D. Thesis (cr. arr.)
Return to Top
1 Five (5) credits each semester for undergraduates.
2 Courses before L409 are open to graduate students who are not majors in classical studies.
3 Five (5) credits for undergraduates.
4 Three (3) credits for undergraduates.
|