FAS - Classics

CONTACT INFORMATION

Department Chair: Edwin D. Floyd

Main Office: 1518 Cathedral of Learning

Phone: (412) 624-4493

Fax: (412) 624-4419

E-mail: classics+@pitt.edu

Web site: http://www.pitt.edu/~classics/

Research

The current research interests of the departmental faculty, while wide-ranging, concentrate on the major classical authors, with a particular focus on Homer, Pindar, Aeschylus, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, Vergil, and Propertius. Among other, more specialized areas of research are Indo-European poetics, the administrative structure of Greek cities, and the relationship of Greek tragedy and Japanese Noh. Authors covered in recent dissertations are Homer, Parmenides, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Vergil, and Horace.

Facilities

The department quarters on the 15th floor of the Cathedral of Learning comprise faculty and graduate student offices, a graduate seminar room, and departmental library. Most of the research tools (secondary literature, periodicals, etc.) that graduate students will be using are housed in Hillman Library, but the departmental library, adjoining the graduate seminar room, contains about 2,000 volumes, including Greek and Latin texts and standard commentaries, basic reference works, and CD-ROM materials, such as Thesaurus Linguae Graecae and L'AnnÈe Philologique.

Program in Classics, Philosophy, and Ancient Science

In addition to the MA and PhD programs in Classics, the Department of Classics cooperates with the Departments of Philosophy and History and Philosophy of Science in offering a graduate program in Classics, Philosophy, and Ancient Science. Students pursue the program through one of the three departments and obtain their PhD in their home department, spending one year longer on the degree than those in the three regular PhD programs. Students in the program work closely with one another and with the cooperating faculty, who are drawn from all three departments. The program offers specialized, interdisciplinary training in the methods and skills appropriate to the study of philosophy and science of Greek and Roman culture up to the Middle Ages.

In addition to specialized work in ancient philosophy or science, students who pursue the program through the Department of Philosophy or the Department of History and Philosophy of Science receive intensive training in the Greek and Latin languages and learn the skills of classical scholarship through courses in classical literature and history. Students who pursue the program through the Department of Classics concentrate on one of the other two departments, in addition to their own, and are trained in the later history and systematic techniques of that discipline. Through the seminars, colloquies, and conferences sponsored by the program, and through writing a dissertation supervised by an interdepartmental committee, students receive rigorous training that prepares them for teaching positions and research in college or university departments of classics, philosophy, history, or history and philosophy of science. Further information about this program can be obtained by writing to the Director, Program in Classics, Philosophy, and Ancient Science; 1518 Cathedral of Learning; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260; or upon application to one of the three departments.

Admissions

The Department of Classics is concerned with the interpretation of the culture and society of Greco-Roman antiquity with a focus on the central literary, philosophical and historiographical texts. The research and graduate-level interests of faculty include the Greek and Latin languages and literatures, comparative literature and theater, philosophy and science, history, linguistics, and rhetoric. Prospective graduate students with interest in any of these fields are invited to consider submitting an application to the program.

Students seeking admission must first meet the requirements of FAS Graduate Studies (see Admissions of the FAS section of this bulletin for details). Their undergraduate preparation should include training in both Latin and Greek, and they should have a general familiarity with the wider experience of Greco-Roman antiquity, especially its literature and history. The Graduate Record Examination is recommended for all applicants and is required for those applying for financial aid.

Upon acceptance of admission, each graduate student should obtain from the departmental office a copy of the Graduate Program in Classics.

Financial Assistance

The department attempts to provide financial assistance to students whose performance is at a consistently high level for the five-to-six years that they are in residence as students. Examples of such assistance include the following fellowships: Andrew Mellon Predoctoral, Provost's Humanities, Robert S. Marshall, Lillian B. Lawler, Provost's Development, and K. Leroy Irvis. A limited number of teaching positions are available during the Summer Sessions. The sources of such assistance are listed below, with further detail on each source provided in the FAS section of this bulletin under Teaching and Research Appointments or Fellowships and Traineeships.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The minimal requirements for the degrees established by the Graduate Faculty of the University and by FAS Graduate Studies and described, respectively, under General Academic Regulations and under FAS Degree Requirements, should be read in conjunction with the specific departmental requirements for these degrees in the following sections.

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree

The Master of Arts in Classics program is primarily designed as an intermediate experience in the student's preparation for the PhD degree. It may also be regarded as a goal in itself by those who do not wish to pursue the PhD degree. The course requirements are a minimum of eight one-term graduate credit courses (24 credits). At least four of these courses must be in the 2000 series, including at least one graduate reading course and two seminars. It should be noted, however, that award of the degree is not dependent on the completion of a set number of courses, but on the achievement of an acceptable level of competence. The foreign language requirement must be met in German. Candidates may elect to write an MA thesis, but it is not required; they must take a comprehensive written examination in three fields chosen in consultation with the department.

Requirements for the PhD Degree

The Doctor of Philosophy in Classics program is primarily designed to train professional scholars and teachers of the classics. Full-time students with a good background in Greek, Latin, and classical studies may complete the program in three years beyond the MA degree but they should recognize that more time may be needed. The requirements for the PhD degree are at least 72 graduate-level credits, 24 of which may also be counted for the MA. At least 12 courses numbered in the 2000 series, covering various specified authors and fields, must be included. All students are required to take part in the department's undergraduate teaching program as preparation for their duties as teachers of Greek, Latin, and classical civilization.

The preliminary written examination is identical with the comprehensive written examination for the MA degree in Classics. The PhD foreign language requirement in German and either French or Italian must be met as soon as possible. In preparation for the comprehensive written examination for the PhD degree, candidates are furnished with reading lists appropriate to their chosen authors and fields. The examination is in four parts:

1. Special author in Greek
2. Special author in Latin
3. Special genre (in both Greek and Latin)
4. Special field

Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination and all other requirements, the student, in consultation with a dissertation advisor, presents a dissertation prospectus to a faculty committee and, upon approval of the prospectus, is advanced to candidacy. When the dissertation is finished, a final oral defense completes the doctoral requirements.

Course Listings

The following undergraduate courses (1000 series) may be taken for graduate credit. Courses in Greek and Latin may be repeated with the permission of the department when the author and/or work covered changes.

GREEK 1300 Greek Authors 1

GREEK 1302 Greek Authors 2

GREEK 1400 Greek Reading: Epic

GREEK 1402 Greek Reading: Tragedy

GREEK 1404 Greek Reading: Comedy

GREEK 1406 Greek Reading: Lyric

GREEK 1416 Greek Reading: Historians

GREEK 1418 Greek Reading: Orators

GREEK 1420 Greek Reading: Philosophers

GREEK 1530 Hellenistic Literature

GREEK 1700 Greek Prose Composition

 

LATIN 1030 Medieval Latin

LATIN 1300 Latin Authors 1

LATIN 1302 Latin Authors 2

LATIN 1400 Latin Reading: Epic

LATIN 1402 Latin Reading: Drama

LATIN 1406 Latin Reading: Lyric

LATIN 1410 Latin Reading: Satire

LATIN 1412 Latin Reading: Elegy

LATIN 1416 Latin Reading: Historians

LATIN 1418 Latin Reading: Orators

LATIN 1420 Latin Reading: Philosophers

LATIN 1422 Latin Reading: Epistolography

LATIN 1700 Latin Prose Composition

 

CLASS 1210 Greek History

CLASS 1220 Roman History

CLASS 1312 Plato

CLASS 1314 Aristotle

CLASS 1510 Greek Art

CLASS 1520 Roman Art

CLASS 1710 Sanskrit 1

CLASS 1720 Sanskrit 2

CLASS 1730 Sanskrit 3

CLASS 1740 Sanskrit 4  

Graduate reading courses and seminars in Greek and Latin are offered in the Fall and Spring Terms; they may be repeated for credit provided that the author and/or works treated are different. Other 2000 courses are offered from time to time as the need arises.

CLASS 2210 Social History of Ancient World

CLASS 2300 Studies in Ancient Philosophy

CLASS 2310 Studies in Presocratic Philosophy

CLASS 2312 Studies in Plato

CLASS 2314 Studies in Aristotle

CLASS 2316 Studies in Hellenistic Philosophy

CLASS 2390 Topics in Ancient Philosophy

CLASS 2902 Directed Study For MA Students

CLASS 2970 Teaching of Greek

CLASS 2971 Teaching of Latin

CLASS 2972 Teaching of Classical Civilization

CLASS 2990 Independent Study

CLASS 3000 Research and Dissertation for the PhD Degree

CLASS 3902 Directed Study for PhD Students

 

GREEK 2100 Greek Reading: Epic

GREEK 2102 Greek Reading: Tragedy

GREEK 2104 Greek Reading: Comedy

GREEK 2106 Greek Reading: Lyric

GREEK 2116 Greek Reading: Historians

GREEK 2118 Greek Reading: Orators

GREEK 2120 Greek Reading: Philosophers

GREEK 2140 Greek Reading: Poetics

GREEK 2190 Topics in Greek

GREEK 2200 Greek Seminar: Epic

GREEK 2202 Greek Seminar: Tragedy

GREEK 2204 Greek Seminar: Comedy

GREEK 2206 Greek Seminar: Lyric

GREEK 2208 Greek Seminar: Pastoral

GREEK 2216 Greek Seminar: Historians

GREEK 2218 Greek Seminar: Orators

GREEK 2220 Greek Seminar: Philosophers

GREEK 2230 Greek Seminar: Special Topics

GREEK 2990 Independent Study

GREEK 2992 PhD Reading Examination

 

LATIN 2100 Latin Reading: Epic

LATIN 2102 Latin Reading: Drama

LATIN 2106 Latin Reading: Lyric

LATIN 2110 Latin Reading: Satire

LATIN 2112 Latin Reading: Elegy

LATIN 2116 Latin Reading: Historians

LATIN 2118 Latin Reading: Orators

LATIN 2120 Latin Reading: Philosophers

LATIN 2122 Latin Reading: Epistolography

LATIN 2190 Topics in Latin

LATIN 2200 Latin Seminar: Epic

LATIN 2202 Latin Seminar: Drama

LATIN 2206 Latin Seminar: Lyric

LATIN 2208 Latin Seminar: Pastoral

LATIN 2210 Latin Seminar: Satire

LATIN 2212 Latin Seminar: Elegy

LATIN 2214 Latin Seminar: Novel

LATIN 2216 Latin Seminar: Historians

LATIN 2218 Latin Seminar: Orators

LATIN 2220 Latin Seminar: Philosophers

LATIN 2222 Latin Seminar: Epistolography

LATIN 2230 Latin Seminar: Special Topics

LATIN 2300 Latin Palaeography

LATIN 2990 Independent Study

LATIN 2992 Graduate Reading Examination