Classics
402 Phelps Hall, 432.0977
M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Chair
John Matthews
Director of Graduate Studies
Susanna Morton Braund (404 Phelps, 432.0980, susanna.braund@yale.edu)
Professors
Robert Babcock (Adjunct, Beinecke Library), Victor Bers, Susanna
Morton Braund, Donald Kagan, Diana Kleiner, John Matthews,
William Metcalf (Adjunct, Art Gallery)
Associate Professor
Stephen Colvin (on leave)
Assistant Professors
Michael Anderson, Björn Ewald, Carlos Noreña,
Corinne Pache (on leave), Shilpa Raval, Celia Schultz
Lecturers
John Anderson, Emily Anhalt, William Desmond, Veronika Grimm
Senior Research Scholar/Lecturer
Ann Ellis Hanson
Affiliated Faculty
Susanne Bobzien (Philosophy), Tad Brennan (Philosophy), Maria
Georgopoulou (History of Art; on leave), 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)
Fields of Study
The degree program in Classics 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.
Special Admissions Requirements
A minimum of three years of college training in one of the classical
languages and two years in the other.
Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
(1) Passing sight translation examinations in Greek and Latin by the
end of the first year in residence; (2) passing departmental reading examinations
in French and German by the beginning of the second year in residence; (3) completing
fourteen term courses which must include two outside the strict limits of classics,
one being either in ancient history or in classical art and archaeology; three
seminars (two in one language and one in the other); four courses in the history
of Greek and Latin literature, or a reasonable equivalent; and one course in
historical or comparative linguistics; (4) satisfaction of the departmental
composition requirement in Greek and Latin; (5) translation examinations in
Greek and Latin, and general oral examinations in Greek and Latin literature
by the end of the fifth term; (6) a special examination, to be taken by the
end of the sixth term of residence, consisting of two areas of special concentration
in each language to be selected by the candidate with the approval of the director
of graduate studies; (7) a dissertation prospectus to be submitted and approved
by the end of the seventh term of residence; (8) 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
Ancient History
The Ph.D. program in Ancient History is offered in collaboration
with the Department of History and may be pursued in either
department. In the Classics department, the Ancient History
program of study comprises: (A) language and literature, to
include: (1) passing sight translation examinations in Greek
and Latin by the end of the first year in residence; (2) passing
departmental reading examinations in French and German by
the beginning of the second year in residence; (3) completing
at least six term courses including two courses in the history
of Greek or Latin literature; (4) passing translation examinations
in Greek or Latin, based on the Ph.D. reading list, by the
end of the fifth term in residence; (5) passing oral examinations
in Greek or Latin literature, based on the Ph.D. reading list,
by the end of the fifth term in residence; (6) passing a translation
examination in the other ancient language based on a 1,000-page
reading list approved by the DGS, by the end of the fifth term
in residence; and (B) Greek and Roman history, to include:
(1) six term courses in Greek and Roman history and, normally,
two in another period of history, of which three must be graduate
seminars; (2) passing oral examinations in Greek and Roman
history on topics approved by the DGS; (C) presentation of
a dissertation prospectus by the end of the seventh term in
residence to the approval of the Graduate Committee; (D) 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.
Classics and Comparative Literature
Students may be admitted to this joint program after consultation
with the director of graduate studies of each department,
normally during the first term. The requirements are as follows:
(1) passing sight translation examinations in Greek and Latin
by the end of the first year in residence; (2) completing 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;
(3) demonstrating literary proficiency in English, Greek, Latin,
German, and one other modern language during the first two
years; (4) passing an oral examination in the Comparative
Literature department on six topics appropriate to both disciplines,
selected in consultation with the two DGSs, by the end of
the sixth term; (5) passing translation examinations in Greek
and Latin, based on the Ph.D. reading list, by the end of
the fifth term in residence; (6) passing oral examinations
in Greek and Latin literature, based on the Ph.D. reading
list, by the end of the fifth term in residence; (7) presentation
of a dissertation prospectus by the end of the sixth term
in residence to the approval of the two DGSs; (8) a dissertation.
Classics and Philosophy
Students who have had at least three years of college Greek
and two of philosophy may be admitted to a joint program offered
in collaboration with the Department of Philosophy. Further
details should be obtained from the director of graduate studies
of either department.
Classics and Renaissance Studies
The Department of Classics also offers, in conjunction with
the Renaissance Studies program, a combined Ph.D. in Classics
and Renaissance Studies. For further details, see Renaissance
Studies.
Master's Degrees
M.Phil. See Graduate
School 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 730bu, Aristophanes. William Desmond. MW 2.30–3.45
A study of Aristophanes’ plays in their social
and intellectual context—Athenian society from 425 to
405 B.C.E. Reading of most of the Knights, Clouds,
and Frogs in ancient Greek; other plays in translation.
Topics include Athenian democracy and imperialism; rhetoric
and demagogues; the Sophistic movement and “new education”;
the dramatic festivals and Old Comedy; varieties of humor
and Aristophanes’ literary versatility.
GREK 736au, Herodotus and Thucydides. Michael
Anderson. TTh 9–10.15
Close examination of the two major Greek historical
works of the fifth century, Herodotus’ account of the
Persian Wars and Thucydides’ account of the Peloponnesian
War, with discussion of language, historiography, ethnography,
and political thought and with special attention to critical
differences between the two historians, their interests, and
their methods.
GREK 771bu, Plutarch. Carlos Noreña.
TTh 2.30–3.45
A study of Plutarch and his writings on the theme of
monarchy. Close readings of selections from the Lives
(Numa, Artaxerxes, Alexander) and the Moralia (“Fortune
and Virtue in Alexander the Great,” “Philosophers
and Princes,” “The Uneducated Prince”),
with attention to Plutarch’s political, moral, and philosophical
thought and to the historical and cultural contexts in which
he wrote.
GREK 790bu, Syntax and Stylistics. Victor Bers. TTh 1–2.15
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 composition in various styles.
GREK 798au/799bu, Survey for the Major in Classics: History
of Greek Literature. Michael Anderson [F], Victor Bers [Sp]. TTh 11.30–12.45, 1 HTBA [F] TTh 9–10.15, 1 HTBA
[Sp]
A comprehensive treatment of Greek literature from Homer
to the imperial period. The student is expected to read extensively
in the original language, working toward familiarity with
the range and variety of the literature.
LATN 704au, Epic Successors: Lucan and Statius. Shilpa
Raval. MWF 10.30–11.20
A study of the epic tradition in the early empire with
particular attention to issues such as politics, representation,
repetition and imitation, the body and identity, and “Silver
Age” aesthetic.
LATN 706bu, Cicero’s Philosophical and Religious
Treatises. Celia Schultz. MW 1–2.15
Readings are selected from Cicero’s De Natura
Deorum and De Divinatione. Class discussion focuses
on not only the philosophical arguments presented but also
the value of these texts as evidence for Roman religious practice
and attitudes in the Republic. Students are encouraged to
investigate further aspects of religious life touched on by
Cicero. Items from secondary scholarship (e.g., articles by
Elizabeth Rawson, Mary Beard, and Jerzy Linderski) are assigned
throughout the term.
LATN 762au, Tacitus. Carlos Noreña. TTh
1–2.15
A literary and historiographical study of Tacitus, with
emphasis on theme, rhetoric, narrative patterning, and style.
Close readings of selections from the Agricola, Historiae
(Book I), and Annales (Book IV).
LATN 770bu, Medieval Latin. Robert Babcock. MW 9–10.15
An introduction to the study of medieval Latin based
on selections from a wide range of texts from the fourth century
to the fourteenth. For students in classics as well as in
other fields.
LATN 790bu, Latin Syntax and Style. William
Metcalf. TTh 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.
The course is designed for students with some experience reading
Latin literature who desire a better foundation in forms,
syntax, idiom, and style.
LATN 798au/799bu, Survey for the Major in Classics: History
of Latin Literature. Celia Schultz [F], Shilpa Raval [Sp]. TTh 11.30–12.45, 1 HTBA [F] TTh 9–10.15, 1 HTBA
[Sp]
A wide-ranging treatment of Latin literature from its
beginnings through the late imperial period. Students are
expected to read extensively in the original language in order
to gain familiarity with literature of various genres from
different periods.
HIST 514bu, Athenian Imperial Democracy. Donald
Kagan. T 1.30–3.20
A history of Greece in the years between the Persian
invasion and the Peloponnesian War, with emphasis on Athens.
Prerequisite: HIST 205a or equivalent.
HIST 518au, The Spartan Hegemony. Donald Kagan. T 2.30–4.20
A history of Greece during the period 404–362 B.C.
Focus on the relationship between domestic constitutions and
politics and diplomacy and war. Prerequisite: HIST 205a or
equivalent.
CLSS 610au, The Historical Geography of the Graeco-Roman
World. John Matthews. M 2.30–4.20
Through readings in the ancient literary and geographical
sources, archaeological examples, and a selection of case
studies, the course surveys the geographical factors that
shaped Graeco-Roman culture and its expansion through the
Mediterranean, Near Eastern, and northern European worlds,
from the period of the Greek colonization to the later Roman
Empire. Prerequisites: proficiency in Greek and Latin.
CLSS 620au, Textual Criticism. Robert Babcock.
Th 2.30–4.20
The transmission of classical Latin texts from ancient
times to modern printed edition; the principles of an apparatus
criticus; and types of corruption that occur in manuscripts.
Introduction to editorial methodology and stemmatics. Prerequisites:
advanced proficiency in Latin; reading knowledge of French,
German, or Italian desirable.
CLSS 630bu, The Hippocratic Corpus. Ann Ellis
Hanson. W 2.30–4.20
Juxtaposes treatises from the medical writers of the
Hippocratic Corpus with works of Greek literature dealing
with similar topics, for medicine provides an interesting
lens through which to filter social and cultural preferences
of fifth- and fourth-century Greece. Topics include the role
of the healer (iatros); constructs of gender and female nature;
conception, childbirth, and notions of legitimacy; Greek ideas
about the interface between environment and human health and
behavior; the mechanics of madness and sudden seizures. Prerequisites:
Greek; reading knowledge of French, German, or Italian.
CLSS 831b, Thucydides. Donald Kagan. Th 1.30–3.20
Selected problems in Thucydides’ aims and methods.
Ancient Greek required; German, French, and Italian are also
helpful. Also HIST 517b.
CLSS 835b, Early Roman Religion. Celia
Schultz. M 2.30–4.20
A detailed examination of major issues and problems in
the study of Roman religion in the archaic period through
the early and middle Republic. What is the nature of our sources?
How do we reconcile conflicting sources (e.g., literary texts
and archaeological material)? What is really Roman, versus
what is Greek, Italic, or Etruscan? What are the major trends
in the history of the field? It is expected that students
will have a strong command of both Latin and ancient Greek.
Course readings of ancient materials include epigraphic texts
as well as extensive selections from the first decade of Livy’s
AUC, relevant works of Cicero, Festus, Plutarch, and others.
Students must also possess reading knowledge of at least one
modern language sufficient to handle select items of recent
scholarship.
CLSS 850b, Topics in Roman History and Culture. John
Matthews. F 4–6
A weekly program of research papers on various topics,
given by faculty members, graduate students, and visitors
to Yale, followed by formal and informal discussion. Graduate
students may acquire a course credit by presenting a paper
to the seminar or by writing a term paper on one of the topics
chosen, together with regular participation and contributions
to discussion. Suggestions for and offers of papers are welcome.
Also HIST 525b.
CLSS 876a, Traduttore Traditore? Latin Poetry Englished:
Theory and Practice. Susanna Braund. T 2.30–4.20
Is the act of translation a recovery, a conversion, an
adaptation, or a transplantation of the original? What are
the different aims and uses of translations? Is the translator
inevitably a “traitor,” as the Italian expression
traduttore traditore implies? This course studies the
theory and practice of translating classical Latin poetry
into English by tracing translation histories, by evaluating
different translations, and by composing new translations.
The course involves the close study of passages from Latin
poetry. Authors studied include Catullus, Vergil, Lucan, Plautus,
Seneca, Lucretius, Horace, Ovid, Persius, and Juvenal. Prerequisites:
at least two years of college-level Latin.
CLSS 878b, The City of Rome. Björn Ewald,
Christopher Wood. T 1.30–3.20
This seminar is structured around a trip to Rome during
spring break. Class meetings address the history, topography,
urban politics, architecture, and art of Rome from antiquity
to the eighteenth century, with some attention to late-nineteenth-
and early-twentieth-century urbanism and restoration policy
as well. Topics include the myth of Rome’s origins;
urban planning; Roman sculpture and architecture; the city
as spectacle; imperial spaces and monuments; temple and church
construction; the relic cult and pilgrimages; civic icons;
the survival of pagan artifacts in the Middle Ages; tombs
and cemeteries; early travel guides; palaces and villas; the
use of spolia and the construction of a monumental memory.
We explore how changes in the architectural organization of
public space reflect Rome’s political, social, and economic
changes over the centuries. The questions of continuity and
change, transformation and adaptation, will be leitmotifs
of the course. The course is designed for all students of
Western art and culture, not only for those focusing on Roman
archaeology and art history. Also HSAR 525b.
CLSS 900a/b, Directed Reading.
By arrangement with faculty.
CLSS 910a/b, Directed Reading.
By arrangement with faculty.
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