Classics
402 Phelps Hall, 432.0977
www.yale.edu/classics/
M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Chair
Christina Kraus
Director of Graduate Studies
Egbert Bakker (404 Phelps, 432.0980, dgsclassics@yale.edu)
Professors
Egbert Bakker, Victor Bers, Kirk Freudenburg, Verity Harte (Classics; Philosophy; on leave [Sp]), Donald Kagan (Classics; History; on leave [Sp]), Diana Kleiner (Classics; History of Art), Christina Kraus, John Matthews (Classics; History; on leave [F]), William Metcalf (Adjunct; Curator Coins & Medals, Art Gallery)
Associate Professor
Corinne Pache
Assistant Professors
Milette Gaifman (Classics; History of Art), Jay Fisher, Irene Peirano, Celia Schultz
Lecturers
Veronika Grimm (on leave [F]), Joseph Solodow
Visiting Faculty
Tessa Rajak (Judaic Studies)
Affiliated Faculty
Robert Babcock (Curator Early Books, Beinecke Library), Susanne Bobzien (Philosophy), Dimitri Gutas (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), Bentley Layton (Religious Studies), Dale Martin (Religious Studies), David Quint (Comparative Literature), Barbara Shailor (Deputy Provost for the Arts)
Classical Philology
The degree program in Classical Philology seeks to provide an overall knowledge of Greek and Roman civilization, combined with specialized work in a number of fields or disciplines within the total area of classical antiquity.
Admission Requirements
A minimum of three years (four preferred) of college training in one of the classical languages and two years (three preferred) in the other.
Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree in Classics
(1) Diagnostic sight translation examinations in Greek and Latin (these are taken before the beginning of the first term and must have been passed at the latest by the end of the second term in residence); (2) a proseminar, in the first term, offering an introduction to the discipline and its various subdisciplines; (3) departmental reading examinations in French and German by the beginning of the third term in residence; (4) oral examinations in Greek and Roman history by the end of the fourth term in residence; (5) a minimum of fourteen term courses, at least eight of which must be seminars (including four courses in the history of Greek and Latin literature, two literary seminars in one language, and one in the other); one course in historical or comparative linguistics, one course in ancient history (either an 800-level seminar or a 600-level materials course), and one in classical art and archaeology; (6) Greek and Latin composition (this requirement may but need not be satisfied by courses taken under (5) above); (7) translation examinations in Greek and Latin, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the beginning of the fifth term in residence; (8) oral examinations in Greek and Latin literature, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the end of the fifth term in residence; (9) special fields oral examinations by the end of the sixth term, consisting of two areas of special concentration in each language selected by the candidate in consultation with the director of graduate studies; (10) a dissertation prospectus by the end of the seventh term in residence; (11) a dissertation.
In addition to the Graduate School’s requirement of Honors grades in at least one year course or two term courses, students must have a High Pass average in the remaining courses. Admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. is granted upon completion of all predissertation requirements not later than the end of the seventh term of study.
The faculty considers experience in the teaching of language and literature to be an important part of this program. Students in Classics typically teach in their third and fourth years of study.
Combined Programs
Classics and Ancient History
Admission Requirements
Students may apply to either the Department of Classics or the Department of History. In the former case, the requirements are the same as for Classical Philology; in addition, at least two term courses in Greek or Roman history are required for admission to the program.
Requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Classics and Ancient History
(1) Diagnostic sight translation examinations in Greek and Latin (these are taken before the beginning of the first term and must have been passed at the latest by the end of the second term in residence); (2) a proseminar, in the first term, offering an introduction to the discipline and its various subdisciplines; (3) departmental reading examinations in French and German by the beginning of the second year in residence; (4) a minimum of fourteen term courses, including two courses in the history of Greek or Latin literature, one seminar in Greek or Latin literature, and six courses in Greek and Roman history (three of these must be either seminars or materials courses, two in one language, one in the other), and two courses in another period of history; (5) a translation examination in Greek or Latin, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the beginning of the fifth term in residence; (6) an oral examination in Greek or Latin literature, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the end of the fifth term in residence; (7) a translation examination in the other ancient language based on a 1,000-page reading list approved by the director of graduate studies, by the beginning of the fifth term in residence; (8) oral examinations in Greek and Roman history on topics approved by the director of graduate studies, by the end of the sixth term in residence; (9) a dissertation prospectus by the end of the seventh term in residence; (10) a dissertation.
Classical Art and Archaeology
The program is offered in collaboration with the Department of the History of Art and is designed to give a general knowledge of the development of art in Greece and Italy from the Bronze Age to late antiquity, combining this with a detailed study of one particular period and area; and an acquaintance with the contribution made by field archaeology to our understanding of the classical world. It is expected that each student will be given the opportunity to visit the major sites and monuments. Students are required to pass fourteen term courses, to include three seminars, divided between the two departments; distribution may be adjusted to suit the interests of individual students. Students must demonstrate a competence in Greek and Latin, usually by passing at least one 400/700-level course in each language. They must also pass departmental examinations in German and one other modern language, usually Italian or French, by the beginning of the second year in residence. They will be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. after passing a written and oral comprehensive examination in classical art and archaeology and by securing approval of their dissertation prospectus. Further details should be obtained from the director of graduate studies.
Prerequisites for admission: a year’s course in Greek and Roman art or archaeology; a minimum of two years of college training in one classical language and one in the other (more preferred).
Classics and Comparative Lliterature
Admission Requirements
Prerequisites for admission through the Department of Classics: same as for Classical Philology. (For admission requirements in the Department of Comparative Literature, consult the director of graduate studies of that department.) After admission to the Department of Classics, qualified students may apply to be admitted to this joint program, normally during the first term of residence; the directors of graduate studies of both departments should be consulted before application to the joint program is made.
Degree Requirements
(1) Diagnostic sight translation examinations in Greek and Latin (these are taken before the beginning of the first term and must have been passed at the latest by the beginning of the second term in residence); (2) a proseminar, in the first term, offering an introduction to the discipline and its various subdisciplines; (3) fourteen term courses including at least seven in Classics, including two courses in the history of Greek or Latin literature and two seminars; and at least six courses in Comparative Literature, including: at least four courses on post-classical European literature and two courses on literary theory or methodology; (4) literary proficiency in German and one other modern language during the first two years; (5) translation examinations in Greek and Latin, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the beginning of the fifth term in residence; (6) oral examinations in Greek and Latin literature, based on the Ph.D. reading list, by the end of the fifth term in residence; (7) an oral examination in the Comparative Literature department on six topics appropriate to both disciplines, selected in consultation with the two directors of graduate studies, by the end of the sixth term; (8) a dissertation prospectus by the end of the seventh term in residence; (9) a dissertation.
Classics and Philosophy
Admission Requirements
For students seeking admission in the Department of Classics, the same as for Classical Philology. For admission requirements in the Department of Philosophy, consult the director of graduate studies of that department. After admission to either department, qualified students may apply to the interdepartmental committee for admission to the program in Ancient Philosophy.
Degree Requirements
(1) Diagnostic sight translation examinations in Greek and Latin (these are taken before the beginning of the first term and must have been passed at the latest by the end of the second term in residence); (2) a proseminar, in the first term, offering an introduction to the discipline and its various subdisciplines; (3) departmental reading examinations in French and German by the beginning of the second year in residence; (4) a minimum of fourteen term graduate-level courses including at least seven in Classics; these should include at least two seminars in Greek, two terms of history of Greek literature, and one term course on the structure or history of the Greek language (composition, stylistics, linguistics); of the minimally seven courses in the Department of Philosophy at least one must be in the history of post-classical philosophy; (5) a translation examination in Greek, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the beginning of the fifth term in residence; (6) an oral examination in Greek literature, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the end of the fifth term in residence; (7) a translation examination in Latin based on a reading list of 1,000 pages, by the beginning of the fifth term in residence, made up in consultation with advisers and the director of graduate studies in Classics; (8) one of the two qualifying papers required for the Ph.D. in Philosophy, by the end of the fifth term in residence; (9) oral examinations in two areas of concentration, one of which must be in ancient philosophy, while the other must cover a topic other than ancient philosophy, by the end of the sixth term in residence; (10) a dissertation prospectus, by the end of the seventh term in residence; (11) a dissertation.
A similar program, emphasizing Latin instead of Greek, can be arranged for students interested in medieval or Renaissance philosophy. For further details consult the director of graduate studies of either department.
Classics and Renaissance Studies
Admission Requirements
Same as for Classical Philology. Applications should be submitted directly to Classics with an indication that the student wishes to apply for the combined degree in Classics and Renaissance Studies.
Degree Requirements
(1) Diagnostic sight translation examinations in Greek and Latin (these are taken before the beginning of the first term and must have been passed at the latest by the end of the second term in residence); (2) a proseminar, in the first term, offering an introduction to the discipline and its various subdisciplines; (3) sixteen term courses, eight of which will be courses in Classics and will include at least four courses in Greek and Latin literature, a course in historical or comparative linguistics, and at least three seminars; the eight remaining courses making up the Renaissance Studies portion of the degree will be broken down as follows: two terms of the Renaissance Studies Core Course, six additional term courses to be taken in at least two disciplines (such as Literature, History, History of Art, Music, Religious Studies, etc.); one of these courses should meet the normal Classics requirements of a course in classical art or archaeology; (4) literary proficiency in Italian, as set by Renaissance Studies, and a second language, normally German or French; (5) translation examinations in Greek and Latin, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the end of the fifth term in residence; (6) oral examinations on seven or eight topics appropriate to both disciplines, selected in consultation with the directors of graduate studies in both disciplines, by the end of the sixth term in residence; (7) oral examinations in Greek and Latin literature, based on the Classics Ph.D. reading list, by the end of the seventh term in residence; (8) a dissertation prospectus, by the end of the seventh term in residence; (9) a dissertation.
For information about the Ph.D. program in Graeco-Arabic Studies, please contact Professor Gutas, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
Master’s Degrees
M.Phil. See Degree Requirements.
M.A. (en route to the Ph.D.). Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program qualify for the M.A. degree upon completion of seven courses, ordinarily with a High Pass average in two successive terms.
Program materials are available upon request to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Classics, Yale University, PO Box 208266, New Haven CT 06520-8266.
Courses
GREK 703a, Comparative Greek Grammar. Jay Fisher.
MW 2.30–3.45
An introduction to the historical and comparative study of Greek language with an emphasis on the earliest records of Greek; the development of Greek dialects, grammar, and vocabulary from Proto-Indo-European; and a comparison of this development with the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, English, and other Indo-European languages, including Sanskrit.
GREK 741b, Aeschylus: The Oresteia. Victor Bers.
TTh 1–2.15
A close study of the trilogy: poetry, staging, religion, politics.
GREK 755a, Athenian Law Courts. Victor Bers.
TTh 1–2.15
Rhetoric and law, procedural and substantive, in the Athenian courts of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. as seen in forensic speeches and discursive treatments, and as satirized in Aristophanes’s Wasps.
GREK 762a, Hellenistic Poetry. Corinne Pache.
MW 4–5.15
Close reading of selected texts from the Hellenistic period. Authors discussed include Callimachus, Theocritus, and Apollonius of Rhodes. Attention to language, style, genre, and the cultural context of Alexandria.
GREK 790a, Greek Syntax and Style. Victor Bers.
TTh 9–10.15
A review of accidence and syntax, stylistic analysis of Greek prose of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C., including a comparison of “prosaic” and “poetic” syntax, and prose composition in various styles.
LATN 725b, Boethius. Jay Fisher.
TTh 11.30–12.45
Close reading of selections from the Consolatio Philosophiae of Boethius. Attention to literary, social, and historical contexts.
LATN 739a, Roman Satire. Kirk Freudenburg.
MW 2.30–3.45
Close reading of a large cross-section of Roman verse satire. Attention to language, style, genre, and cultural context. Students also read from related works of Latin poertry and modern scholarship as well.
LATN 762b, Tacitus: Annals. William Metcalf.
MW 2.30–3.45
Close reading of selections from the Annals, with comparative material from other sources.
LATN 790b, Latin Syntax and Style. Joseph Solodow.
MW 11.30–12.45
A systematic review of syntax and an introduction to Latin style. Selections from Latin prose authors are read and analyzed, and students compose short pieces of Latin prose. For students with some experience reading Latin literature who desire a better foundation in forms, syntax, idiom, and style.
CLSS 637au, Hölderlin’s Translations of Sophocles. Rainer Nägele.
Th 3.30–5.20
A close reading of Hölderlin’s translation of the two Sophoclean tragedies Oedipus and Antigone and his commentaries on these plays. Also CPLT 711a, GMAN 667au.
CLSS 804a, Homer: The Iliad. Egbert Bakker.
T 3.30–5.20
This seminar has two aims: (i) a comprehensive reading and interpretation of the poem—this with an eye to the fact that a Classics Ph.D. will sooner or later have to teach the Iliad in translation as part of an undergraduate literature or myth course; (ii) introduction to Homeric philology (analysis, neo-analysis, Homeric language, oral poetry, performance) on the basis of in-depth readings of selected passages.
CLSS 834b, Rome and Italy in the Second Century B.C.E. Celia Schultz.
Th 1.30–3.20
A wide-ranging study of events and trends in Rome and Italy between the battle of Zama in 202 and the execution of Jugurtha in 104. Attention is paid to social, political, cultural, artistic, and literary aspects of the period.
CLSS 848a, Versions of Claudius. Christina Kraus.
Th 2.30–4.20
An exploration of how the emperor Claudius was represented in antiquity. We read in Latin Seneca, Apocolocyntosis, Tacitus, Annals 11–12, and Suetonius’s Life of Claudius. Readings are supplemented by ancient portrayals of Claudius in sculpture and coins. This is not a history course per se, but rather a study in the historiography of imperial representation: topics include the relationship between panegyric and invective, the role of genre in representation, the nature of ancient parody, and characterization in narrative.
CLSS 855b, Ancient Polytheisms. Corinne Pache, Kathryn Slanski.
T 3.30–4.20
This graduate seminar examines religious practices and beliefs in the ancient Near East and Greece. Focusing on gods and heroes, we explore the link between mythic narratives and institutions as well as the links between Near Eastern and Greek literature cultures. Students should be familiar with either Akkadian or ancient Greek.
CLSS 857b, Virgil’s Aeneid. Kirk Freudenburg.
T 1.30–3.20
The primary project of the seminar is to read Virgil’s Aeneid in its entirety, attending to the generic, stylistic, metrical, and textual challenges presented by the poem. Close readings open up into broader considerations of how the poem “played” in the various cultural milieus (literary, political, material) that received it since. Because the Aeneid is classed among the all-time “great works” of antiquity, the bibliography of secondary scholarship on the poem is vast to the point of being unmanageable. In limiting ourselves we therefore pay special attention in our analysis of secondary literature to issues of genre, the epic tradition, intertextuality, and the poem’s political ramifications in antiquity and beyond.
CLSS 868b, Art and Ritual in Greek Antiquity. Milette Gaifman.
W 2.30–4.20
Much of what is known today as ancient Archaic and Classical Greek art and architecture was originally related to Greek religious ritual; artifacts and architectural monuments such as painted pottery, sculptural reliefs, and temples served as settings for rituals, were used in cult, and featured representations of activities such as libations and sacrifices. The seminar explores the relationship between Greek visual culture and ancient Greek rituals. In particular, it focuses on the ways in which works of art and architecture accommodated and shaped cult practice, as well as the manner in which they visually conveyed religious ideologies on the nature of rituals. In addition to the analysis of ancient monuments and texts, the class considers modern theories on art and ritual and their usefulness for the understanding of the subject in the context of Greek antiquity.
CLSS 878a, Everyday Romans in Extraordinary Times: The Art and Culture of the Non-Elite in Ancient Rome. Diana Kleiner.
T 1.30–3.20
Art and everyday Romans in Rome and Pompeii. A study of a half-century of scholarly discourse and its focus on non-elite Romans and their role as unique patrons and viewers. Case study analysis of the interaction between high and low art, the viability of the “trickle-down” phenomenon, and the distinction between the portrayal of non-elites in imperialistic state-sponsored monuments and their own privately commissioned portraits and narrative scenes. Qualified undergraduates who have taken Roman Art: Empire, Identity, and Society and/or Roman Architecture may be admitted with permission of the instructor. Also HSAR 580a.
CLSS 881a, Proseminar Classical Studies. William Metcalf.
TTh 11.35–12.50
An introduction to the bibliography and disciplines of classical scholarship. Faculty address larger questions of method and theory, as well as specialized subdisciplines such as linguistics, papyrology, epigraphy, palaeography, and numismatics. This course is required of all entering graduate students.
CLSS 896a, Survey of Greek Literature I. Corinne Pache.
MW 11.35–12.50
A comprehensive treatment of Greek literature from Homer to the imperial period, with an emphasis on archaic and Hellenistic poetry. The course prepares for the comprehensive oral qualifying examinations. The student is expected to read extensively in the original language, working toward familiarity with the range and variety of the literature.
CLSS 897b, Survey of Greek Literature II. Victor Bers.
TTh 9–10.15
A comprehensive treatment of Greek literature from Homer to the imperial period, with an emphasis on Athenian (tragedy, oratory, historiography) and post-classical literature. The course prepares for the comprehensive oral qualifying examinations. The student is expected to read extensively in the original language, working toward familiarity with the range and variety of the literature.
CLSS 898a, Survey of Latin Literature I. John Fisher.
MW 11.35–12.50
A survey of Latin literature from the earliest texts to the sixth century C.E., with the main focus on the period from the second century B.C.E. to the second century C.E. Diachronic, synchronic, generic, and topical models of organization. Prepares for the comprehensive examinations in Classics for those majoring in both literatures or concentrating on Latin. After at least two term courses in Latin numbered in the 400s.
CLSS 899b, Survey of Latin Literature II. Christina Kraus.
TTh 9–10.15
For description, see CLSS 898a.
PHIL 703a, Aristotle’s Psychology. Susanne Bobzien, Verity Harte.
W 3.30–5.20
The seminar examines some central themes in Aristotle’s psychology through reading and discussing selections from the Greek text of Aristotle’s Parva Naturalia.
Next: Comparative Literature
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