Classics

Academic Year: 
2020-21
Department for Program: 
Classics
Address: 
East Pyne
Phone: 
609-258-5802
Website: 
Department of Classics
Program offerings: 
Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Studies
Brooke Holmes
Graduate Program Administrator
Jill Arbeiter

Overview

Princeton's Ph.D. program in the Department of Classics recognizes the increasing diversity of approaches and subjects housed within the discipline and aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop a varied and comprehensive course of study appropriate to their developing research interests. The department currently offers four curricular options: literature and philology, history (Program in the Ancient World), classical philosophy, classical and Hellenic studies.

Students concentrating on history are normally members of the Program in the Ancient World (PAW); those concentrating on philosophy, of the Program in Classical Philosophy (PCP); and those concentrating also on Byzantine and modern Greek studies, of the joint Program in Classical and Hellenic Studies (CHS).

Students select their curricular option at the beginning of the program, though later changes are possible in consultation with the director of graduate studies and the graduate committee. Membership in PAW is open also to students concentrating on literature and philology (LP), who must normally declare their decision to join PAW no later than January of their first year.

All students, irrespective of their curricular option, are required to acquire a broad knowledge of classical literature and history by the time they complete their general examinations.

Students make steady progress toward the completion of examinations and dissertation at a pace that takes account of their preparation at entrance and their progress while in residence. Students regularly complete the general examinations by October of their third year and complete the dissertation by the end of the fifth.

The Department of Classics also offers a one-year, fully funded pre-doctoral Fellowship that includes an offer of regular admission to the Classics doctoral program for the following year (assuming steady academic progress). The Fellowship is intended for students who would benefit from an additional year of training before formally entering the PhD program. The field of Classics is broadly defined (including Greek and Latin Literature, Greek and Roman History, Classical Philosophy, and Reception Studies). For more information on applying to the program please visit https://classics.princeton.edu/programs/pre-doc-fellowship.

Applying

Application Deadline: 
December 15 - 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time
Program Length: 
5 years
Application Fee: 
$95
Application Requirements: 
Statement of Academic Purpose
Resume/Curriculum Vitae
Recommendation Letters
Transcripts
Fall Semester Grades
English Language Tests
GRE : 
General Test optional/not required
Additional Departmental Requirements: 

Sample of written work.

Optional: Applicants may submit a statement with their application, briefly describing how their academic interests, background, or life experiences would advance Princeton’s commitment to diversity within the Graduate School and to training individuals in an increasingly diverse society. Please submit a succinct statement of no more than 500 words.

Ph.D.

Ph.D. Requirements: 
Courses:

The department normally requires each student to complete a total of 12 courses over three years. Students are strongly encouraged to take courses in the fields of art and archaeology, classical philosophy and linguistics, as well as literature and history.

Language(s):

It is expected that all students will enter the program with a command of both Latin and Greek sufficient to undertake research projects based on source materials in either language. This competence will be assessed by a diagnostic sight translation exam encompassing Greek and Latin poetry and prose to be administered at the beginning of the first semester. Students who do not pass all components of this exam will be required to undertake independent study in the appropriate language and must re-attempt the sections they failed until all are passed or until they demonstrate their proficiency by passing the sight component of the final examination for the survey courses in Greek and Latin literature. All sections of the diagnostic exam must be passed no later than the end of the second year. CHS students are also required to develop proficiency in Byzantine or Modern Greek at an early stage in the program.  

A reading knowledge of both French (or Italian) and German is desirable for admission. No student is permitted to enter the second year without demonstrating proficiency in at least one of these languages; proficiency in the other must be demonstrated no later than the end of that same year.

General Exam:

The general examinations in literature, history and philosophy are designed to test the candidates' in-depth knowledge of the subject. For a full description of the examination required of students in different degree options, consult "The Twelve Tables" on the department’s website.

Qualifying for the M.A.:

The Master of Arts (M.A.) is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy, but may also be awarded to students who for various reasons leave the Ph.D. program. In order to qualify for the M.A., a student must have passed the sight translation examinations, successfully completed at least 12 seminars, and written at least six acceptable research papers.

Teaching:

Teaching experience is an essential component of doctoral training. Under normal circumstances, Princeton Ph.D. candidates are required, as part of their training, to teach for at least two terms. Post-generals students are encouraged to apply for a teaching assistantship for one of the undergraduate lecture courses, which generally involves two to three classroom contact hours a week; language teaching is normally scheduled after candidates have served as assistants in a lecture course. Appointments are made by the department chair, according to the needs of the undergraduate program, to third-, fourth-, and fifth-year students. The department expects students to fulfill the departmental teaching requirements before accepting any external teaching.

Dissertation and FPO:

The fourth and fifth years of study are devoted to the writing of the doctoral dissertation. No later than May 31 of the third year, each student must successfully defend a detailed dissertation proposal before a faculty committee. Students participate in a dissertation workshop seminar during their final two years.

In addition to the supervisor the dissertation is read by two readers. Once it is accepted by the department on their recommendation, the candidate must pass a final public oral examination.

Faculty

Chair

  • Michael A. Flower

Director of Graduate Studies

  • Brooke A. Holmes

Director of Undergraduate Studies

  • Joshua H. Billings

Professor

  • Yelena Baraz
  • Joshua H. Billings
  • Marc Domingo Gygax
  • Denis Feeney
  • Andrew M. Feldherr
  • Harriet I. Flower
  • Michael A. Flower
  • Andrew L. Ford
  • Barbara Graziosi
  • Johannes Haubold
  • Brooke A. Holmes
  • Joshua T. Katz

Associate Professor

  • Emmanuel C. Bourbouhakis
  • Dan-El Padilla Peralta

Assistant Professor

  • Caroline Cheung
  • Mirjam E. Kotwick
  • Daniela E. Mairhofer
  • Katerina Stergiopoulou

Associated Faculty

  • Melissa Lane, Politics

Lecturer with Rank of Professor

  • Brent D. Shaw

Lecturer

  • Melissa Haynes
  • Alan M. Stahl
For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

Courses

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

ART 512 Death in Greece: Archaeological Perspectives (also
CLA 516
/
HLS 524
) Chronological and thematic survey of the major funeral monuments, assemblages, and cemeteries of ancient Greece, from the Late Protogeometric to the Hellenistic periods. Course examines how material culture at the grave memorialized the deceased, comforted the living, and negotiated status. Students evaluate grave goods, tomb rituals, grave markers, cemetery layout, and the treatment of the body in their historical, social, and political contexts. Topics include: memory, gender, family, mortuary variability, the afterlife, the senses, ethnicity, and the dialectic presence/absence. Close work with objects from the PUAM collection.
ART 513 Seminar in Roman Art (also
CLA 518
) The seminar pursues research on a varying set of topics (differing every year) on ancient Roman art and architecture.
ART 519 The Orientalizing Phenomenon in Greek Art and Archaeology (also
CLA 523
/
HLS 519
) A study of the origins, nature, and impact of Greek contact with the Near East in the Iron Age. Course examines chronology; regional variation and distribution; technology and innovation; differences across media; modes of communication and exchange; patterns of consumption and display; and the social function of the "exotic." Analyzed with a view to changes and developments in settlement and society, particularly migration, colonization, social stratification, and the rise of the polis.
ART 520 Social Identities in Ancient Egypt (also
CLA 525
/
NES 501
) Ancient Egyptians, like all people, had multiple, intersecting aspects to their identity that were linked profoundly to their social communities. What kinds of objects, images, and material traditions linked ancient people together? What material forms acted as crucial modes of communication within communities and among them? We examine a wide range of material culture considering various sections of society, and we then look in-depth at several ancient sites to examine how these various groups intersected in shared spaces and across time.
ART 529 Ancient Egyptian Kingship in Image, Architecture & Performance (also
CLA 528
/
AAS 529
) The institution of kingship was central to the ancient Egyptian worldview. Kings and their administrations sought to express the complex nature of a strong leader with access to the gods and secret knowledge, exceptional skill as a warrior and diplomat, and unrivaled power over and sacrifice to his people by using both mystery and overwhelming display. In this seminar we consider the nature of Egyptian kingship and how a vast body of material and visual culture shaped and expressed this essential concept from its origins in the beginning of the 4th millennium to the era of Roman rulers.
ART 599 The Greek House (also
CLA 597
/
PAW 599
/
HLS 599
) A study of the archaeology of the Greek house (Early Archaic huts through Hellenistic palaces). Emphasis on the close reading of archaeological sites and assemblages and the integration of literary with material evidence. Topics include the discovery of houses, the identification of farms, the integration of the house with urban plans and natural landscapes, the organization and use of space, gender, domestic economies, and religious practice. Attention devoted to social, political, and regional dynamics; to the concept of the "private" in ancient Greece; and to questioning the heuristic value of the term "house".
CLA 500 Greek Prose Composition A weekly exercise in translating selected passages of English into Greek, with intensive study of grammar and style. Research paper not required for credit. Offered alternately with 501.
CLA 501 Latin Prose Composition A weekly exercise in translating selected passages of English into Latin, with intensive study of grammar and style. Research paper not required for credit. Offered alternately with 500.
CLA 502 Survey of Selected Greek Literature (also
HLS 502
) The course concentrates on reading selected texts within a particular genre or genres or period. Research paper not required for credit. Offered alternately with 503.
CLA 503 Survey of Selected Latin Literature The course concentrates on reading selected texts within a particular genre or genres or period. Research paper not required for credit. Offered alternately with 502.
CLA 504 Homer Iliad or Odyssey, depending on the instructor's and the students' interest. Content and emphasis vary, but normally include study of traditional and contemporary categories of interpretation and a close analysis of poetic style. Lectures by the instructor; short reports.
CLA 505 Greek Lyric Poetry The origin and development of Greek elegiac, iambic, and melic poetry; reading and analysis of the works of the various authors, with attention to linguistic, metrical, textual, and historical problems. Lectures and reports.
CLA 506 Greek Tragedy (also
HLS 506
) The origin and development of tragedy, the Greek theater, and the history of our texts. The course involves the reading and analysis of selected tragedies, with an emphasis on the language, meter, and interpretation of the plays. Lectures and report.
CLA 508 Greek Comedy The course centers on two, possibly three, comedies of Aristophanes, and, if time and interest permit, on Menander's Dyskolos. Reports on selected problems of Old Comedy are assigned, such as origins, metrics, parody, politics, and textual problems. Occasional lectures by the instructor.
CLA 511 Greek Historiography An intensive study of one or more major historical writersHerodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, and others.
CLA 512 Greek Historiography An intensive study of one or more major historical writers---Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, and others.
CLA 513 Ancient Literary Criticism (also
COM 516
/
HLS 513
) Study of a selection of critical texts, such as the following: Plato, Republic and Phaedrus; Aristotle, Poetics and Rhetoric; "Longinus," On the Sublime; Cicero, De oratore, etc.; Horace, De arte poetica; and Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria.
CLA 514 Problems in Greek Literature Special problems are selected for intensive investigation, such as the origin and development of a genre, analysis of form, and history of ideas.
CLA 515 Problems in Greek Literature (also
HLS 515
) Special problems are selected for intensive investigation, such as the origin and development of a genre, analysis of form, and history of ideas.
CLA 517 Problems in Post-Classical and Byzantine Literature (also
MED 517
/
HLS 517
) As the late antique present began to dramatically assert its variance with the venerable Greco-Roman past, historical writing took on a significance hardly surpassed before, or after. Course surveys the diverse corpus of historiography in Greek from the 4th to the 7th centuries (and perhaps a bit beyond) when an unprecedented number of registers entered and enlarged the historiographic genre. Class reads texts in Greek (for accuracy and formal concerns) as well as in translation (for scope). Scholarship will buttress our weekly discussion.
CLA 520 Greek History (also
PAW 520
/
HLS 521
) A comprehensive introduction to central topics and methods of Greek history, offering a chronological overview of periods and significant developments; a survey of research tools and specialized sub-disciplines (e.g., epigraphy and numismatics); as well as important theoretical approaches to the study of the past (e.g., positivism, or the Annales School).
CLA 521 Problems in Greek History Special problems, such as Athenian imperialism, Sparta, political structures, and the political role of cults and festivals, are studied in rotation.
CLA 522 Problems in Greek History (also
HLS 531
) Special problems, such as Athenian imperialism, Sparta, political structures, and the political role of cults and festivals, are studied in rotation.
CLA 524 Roman History A seminar that introduces graduate students to current methods and debates in Roman history and historiography. Provides a chronological overview of the history of Rome and her expanding empire from early times (8th century BC) to the end of the Severan era (AD 235), accompanied by the study of a wide variety of ancient sources, including texts, inscriptions, coins, material culture, art, and archaeology, and the methods commonly used by modern historians to analyze them. Students acquire the basic tools needed to do research in Roman history.
CLA 526 Problems in Greek and Roman Philosophy (also
HLS 527
/
PHI 522
) Special problems are selected for intensive investigation. The subject matter of the course changes to adapt to the particular interests of the students and the instructor.
CLA 529 Topics in the Hellenic Tradition (also
HLS 529
/
COM 527
) An interdisciplinary seminar devoted to the study of aspects of the post-classical Greek literary and cultural tradition, including modern Greek literature, and its relation to classical literature and civilization.
CLA 533 Vergil The seminar generally considers either the Aeneid or the Georgics and Eclogues. Discussions and reports center on the interpretation of the poems in themselves and in the light of Augustan literature and politics.
CLA 534 Roman Lyric and Elegiac Poetry One or more of the following poets are considered in any given year: Catullus, Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid.
CLA 537 The Roman Novel Study of Petronius's Satyricon or Apuleius's Metamorphoses or both, with some attention to Greek and Roman formative influences and the later romance and novelistic traditions.
CLA 538 Latin Poetry of the Empire Intensive study of Lucan, Seneca, Statius, and/or other writers.
CLA 539 Latin Historiography An intensive study of one or more major historical writers such as Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus.
CLA 540 Latin Historiography An intensive study of one or more major historical writers such as Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus.
CLA 542 Problems in Latin Literature Special problems are selected for intensive investigation, such as the origin and development of a genre, analysis of form, and history of ideas.
CLA 543 Problems in Latin Literature Special problems are selected for intensive investigation, such as the origin and development of a genre, analysis of form, and history of ideas.
CLA 545 Problems in Roman History Larger themes, such as Roman imperialism, the decline of the republic, and the rise of the multicultural empire, are considered in rotation with the study of specific problems and ancillary disciplines.
CLA 546 Problems in Roman History Larger themes, such as Roman imperialism, the decline of the republic, and the rise of the multicultural empire, are considered in rotation with the study of specific problems and ancillary disciplines.
CLA 547 Problems in Ancient History (also
PAW 503
/
HLS 547
/
HIS 557
) Study of a topic involving both ancient Greece and ancient Rome, such as imperialism or slavery, from a comparative perspective.
CLA 548 Problems in Ancient History (also
HLS 548
/
PAW 548
/
ART 532
) Study of a topic involving both ancient Greece and ancient Rome, such as imperialism or slavery, from a comparative perspective.
CLA 561 Historical/Comparative Grammar of Latin Introduction to Latin historical/comparative grammar via reading of preclassical texts, including both literary texts (Cato, Ennius, Saturnian poetry) and nonliterary forms (early inscriptions, the Twelve Tables, the Latin grammatical tradition); the position of Latin among the languages of ancient Italy; and the development of the literary language.
CLA 562 Historical/Comparative Grammar of Greek Introduction to Greek historical/comparative grammar, based primarily on early Greek epic material (including Hesiod), with special attention to topics in Homeric linguistics and poetics. (For Greek dialects and Mycenaean, see CLA 564.)
CLA 564 Problems in Indo-European Linguistics Special topics are selected for investigation, such as comparative syntax or Indo-European particles. Or, a particular Indo-European dialect may be studied, such as Osco-Umbrian or Hittite.
CLA 575 Introduction to Sanskrit (also
LIN 525
) Introduction to Classical Sanskrit aimed at developing a proficiency in reading prose and verse, with attention to the history of the language in its Indo-European context.
CLA 575 Introduction to Sanskrit (also
LIN 575
) Introduction to classical Sanskrit aimed at developing a proficiency in reading prose and verse, with attention to the history of the language in its Indo-European context.
CLA 598 Methods in Byzantine Literature and Philology (also
MED 598
/
HLS 598
) This course emphasizes proficiency in post-Classical and Medieval Greek language through close readings and translations of literature. In addition to surveying the principal genres of literature and the questions surrounding them, it also introduces Ph.D. students to the instrumenta studiorum of Late Antique and Byzantine philology, such as palaeography, codicology, text editing, databases and bibliography.
CLA 599 Dissertation Writers' Seminar A practical and theoretical introduction to scholarly writing at the dissertation level and beyond. This seminar is normally required of all post-generals students and will provide information and guidance on the proposal and dissertation writing process; the seminar will meet every two or three weeks throughout the year, providing a forum for dissertators to circulate work in progress for feedback, and to discuss issues that arise in their work.
HUM 595 Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities (also
ENG 594
/
CLA 595
/
HLS 595
) In the IHUM tradition, this course is team-taught, often by faculty from two different departments. Courses that fall under this topic are widely cross-listed and intended to attract students from many departments and programs. These topics are the most interdisciplinary of the IHUM offerings, aiming to bring together combinations of art, philosophy, literature, history in theory and practice, criticism, and methods from the qualitative social sciences.
HUM 596 Humanistic Perspectives on Literature (also
EAS 537
/
CLA 596
/
HLS 596
) Marking the 10th anniversary of Derrida's death, this course provides an opportunity to "unpack" Derrida's library, to remember several of his lessons - about philosophy, literature, history, politics, religion, economics, ideology, law, rights, nationalism, racism, colonialism, the media, university institutions, capitalism, rogue states, the war on terror, justice, responsibility, language, friendship, love, life, death, and mourning - all of which are more urgent and necessary than ever before.
HUM 597 Humanistic Perspectives on History and Society (also
CLA 590
) In this seminar we locate Spinoza and the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670) in the exciting currents of seventeenth-century philosophy, theology, biblical scholarship and exegesis. Resituating Spinoza in Golden Age Holland we examine the resources and relevant controversies that shaped the Tractatus, with an eye to common concerns and traditions: the legacies of humanism and Reformation in the Netherlands, for instance, the larger worlds of his friends, as well as the vibrant Jewish community in Golden Age Amsterdam and the varieties of Christian lay piety that fall broadly under the banner of "the Radical Reformation."
PHI 500 The Philosophy of Plato (also
CLA 555
/
HLS 530
) The course is a study of the development of Plato's thought and an examination of the validity of his major contributions in the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, cosmology, and ethics.
PHI 501 The Philosophy of Aristotle (also
CLA 519
/
HLS 508
) The course is an historical and critical study of the major concepts of the metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and ethics of Aristotle. Particular attention is given to the Metaphysics, to parts of the Physics, Categories, Posterior Analytics, and the de Anima, and to the Nicomachean Ethics.
PHI 503 Plato's Political Philosophy (Half-Term) (also
CLA 530
/
POL 556
) This course discusses central issues in Plato's Political Philosophy based closely on study of the pertinent Platonic dialogues.
POL 507 Topics in Plato (Half-Term) (also
CLA 507
/
PHI 507
/
HLS 507
) A study of fundamental questions of political theory in Plato¿s works, focusing on one or another of those works (or some part of one or more of them) while attending to the broader thematic and historical frameworks in which they must be interpreted. Topics may include part or all of Plato¿s Apology, Crito, Gorgias, Republic, Statesman, and Laws.