I.          INTRODUCTION

This handbook sets out many of the things you will want to know as a student in the Ph.D. program in Classics—not only the Department’s procedures and requirements and the regulations of the Graduate School, but also some more general thoughts that we hope will make your life here more profitable and pleasurable. Obviously, we cannot anticipate all the issues and problems that may arise; if there are any questions not answered here, we encourage you to direct them to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or the Chair.

In addition to this handbook, you will find useful information in the Graduate Record, which is available online

From time to time you may also want to consult the Graduate School’s website.

II.        THE PROGRAM: GOALS AND OVERVIEW

The study of Greek and Roman antiquity, its languages, literature, art, philosophy, religion, history, and government, constitutes a rich field that has absorbed the attention of countless men and women over the centuries. Some study the Classics for their general education. Others study it to become professional classicists. Graduate students usually belong to the latter category. They wish to equip themselves with the knowledge and tools necessary to make contributions in their turn, as teachers transmitting the subject to others and as scholars expanding, refining, and correcting what they have received.

In many disciplines, the graduate student enters a field significantly different from that of one’s undergraduate major. In Classics, by contrast, there is a high degree of continuity, and the graduate student continues to do many of the things the undergraduate did, only over a wider range of material and with greater speed and skill. But there are many new things to be encountered and mastered as well. The graduate program in Classics aims at the following objectives.

1. Mastery of the Greek and Latin languages. This is the indispensable basis for all further work and its importance cannot be sufficiently stressed.

2. Knowledge of the most important authors and of their historical and literary-historical context.

3. Acquaintance with the stylistic resources and characteristic means of expression of the ancient languages.

4. Knowledge of the political, cultural, and social history of Greece and Rome.

5. Awareness of the cultural presuppositions, both different from and similar to our own, that lie behind Greek and Roman literature, society, and institutions.

6. Familiarity with major scholarly tools such as the standard databases, classical encyclopedias, bibliographies, reference works, and journals.

7. Understanding of the contributions of earlier scholars to the study of the Classics and the ability to evaluate such material critically for oneself.

8. The ability to read scholarly articles and books in French, German, and Italian, as well as English, and to summarize and evaluate their contribution.

9. The ability to teach ancient languages, literature, and culture and to articulate what is distinctive and of enduring interest in them.

 

The Department offers certain courses that are specifically designed to introduce graduate students to the range of classical studies:

•  Survey courses in Greek and Roman literature offered in alternating years.
• Courses in Greek and Latin Composition.

 

An interdepartmental Proseminar in Ancient Studies is offered to graduate students of classical antiquity in Art and Archaeology, Classics, History, and Religious Studies every other year. The course will be on offer in the Fall 2023 (CLAS 7031) and all first- and second year students are expected to take it.

The Department offers courses on authors and topics each semester. Students are encouraged to take as many courses as they can handle. For students aiming at the Ph.D., we recommend three or four courses per semester the first year, three per semester the second year, and two per semester during the third year. The Classics Department requires 17 courses for the Ph.D.; after these courses have been taken, students are strongly urged to sit in on at least one course per semester to fill the gaps in their knowledge. Work done in these courses will be recorded in the student’s departmental file. Full time students must be registered for a total of 12 hours, which may include the directed research rubrics (8998, 9998, 9999).

The expectation is that all current students will reside in Charlottesville during the academic year. Under special circumstances, a written appeal can be made to the department to waive this requirement.

As a general rule, no graduate courses are offered during the summer, but summers offer valuable opportunities for continuing studies, especially for working on reading lists (years 1-3) and preparing your papers for publication. With the advice of the DGS, students should design a summer program that suits their needs. Many students form reading groups or work on their modern foreign languages. Others may attend summer sessions at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens or at the American Academy in Rome. Becoming a classicist is a year-round occupation.

III.       DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE M.A.

Students in the Ph.D. program will satisfy the degree requirements for an ‘en route’ M.A. by fulfilling the following within their first two years of study.

(For an overview of the timeline for the entire Ph.D. program, please see Appendix 6)

 1.         Thirty hours of graduate-level courses (numbered 5000 or above)

No more than six hours taken under any of the directed research rubrics (8970, 8980, 9970, 9990) may be counted toward this total. At least eighteen hours must be courses in Greek and Latin taken in the Department. Students are also strongly encouraged (though not required) to enroll in the departmental surveys in Greek and Latin Literature. The remainder may also be courses in Greek or Latin or may be chosen, in consultation with the DGS, from graduate courses related to classical antiquity offered by other departments, such as Art History, Politics, History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. To count toward the degree, courses must be passed with a grade of B- or better. NOTE THAT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL WILL NOT ALLOW COURSES TAKEN AT OTHER SCHOOLS TO COUNT TOWARD THE M.A. DEGREE.

 2.         Preliminary translation exam

A three-hour examination in the translation of either Greek or Latin. These exams are set in September and January, and consist of six passages, three or four of them drawn from the M.A. reading lists and the remainder at sight. A dictionary is not allowed. Students should not expect to take these exams at other times.

For this examination students are expected to know and to be able to scan the following meters of their major language:

     GREEK: dactylic hexameter, elegiac couplet, iambic trimeter, anapaestic dimeter

     LATIN: dactylic hexameter, elegiac couplet, Alcaic strophe, Sapphic strophe, hendecasyllabic.

We strongly recommend that students take the preliminary Greek or Latin translation exam at the start of their second year (in September).

3.         Translation exam in one modern foreign language

One-and-one-half hour examinations consisting of passages of scholarly prose in the modern foreign languages commonly used in classical scholarship—German, French, and Italian—are offered three times a year, in September, January and April. Students should not expect to take them at any other time. We strongly recommend that students take their modern foreign languages exams as early as possible in their graduate career, not only to get this requirement ‘out of the way,’ but to be able to use these languages in their course work and research.

4.         Greek or Roman history requirement

The choice of Greek or Roman history will normally coincide with the literature on which the candidate intends to take the preliminary translation exam. Students usually fulfill the history requirement by auditing HIEU 2031 or 2041 (Survey of Greek or Roman History, offered in the fall and the spring, respectively) and passing both the midterm and final exams with an averaged grade of B (83%) on both together.                                                                                           

Students with a strong preparation in ancient history may elect to fulfill the history requirement by sitting for a two-hour departmental exam on the history of Greece from the Mycenaean Age to the death of Alexander OR on the history of Rome from the origins to the death of Constantine. These examinations, which test specific knowledge in the form of identifications and interpretive knowledge in the form of essay questions are offered in August. The candidate will be offered some choice on the topics to be discussed.  Sample exams are available in the Constantine Library.

Again, we recommend that students fulfill their history requirement early in their graduate career, since it provides an indispensable framework for literary studies.

5.         Proficiency requirement in the second classical language

Candidates for the M.A. in Greek must have completed at least two years of college-level Latin and candidates in Latin at least two years of college-level Greek.

 

SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR M.A. STUDENTS

1.         Except in highly unusual circumstances, no fellowship or teaching assistantship will be given in the third year to a student who has not received the M.A. degree (in May or August) before the third year of study.

2.         Upon completion of the M.A. degree requirements, students must file a Master Degree Application form in early February, including a list of courses they have taken, and the Continuation to Ph.D. Form. Also, the Final Examination Form must be submitted to the Graduate School by 1 May. A copy of all these forms should also be deposited with the Department.

3.         Incoming Students with M.A.s

Students who enter the program with an M.A. may ask the department to consider counting this M.A. in their progress towards the Ph.D. They should make this request of the DGS in writing, to be discussed in their first meeting at the start of the fall semester. In choosing whether to count the M.A., the department will primarily take into consideration the student’s performance in coursework in the first semester at UVa, but the following will also be noted:

            • the transcript from the M.A. program

• the M.A. thesis

• the diagnostic exam taken on arrival at UVa

• any other relevant professional accomplishments, e.g., publications

The Department will make its decision no later than the start of the student’s second semester and will specify the number of transfer credits to be awarded.

IV.        DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE Ph.D.

An M.A. in the field of classics, either from the University of Virginia or elsewhere, is required for admission to the Ph.D. program. Students completing the M.A. in Classics at the University of Virginia must petition the Department to be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy. The Department reserves the right to refuse admission to the Ph.D. program to recipients of the Virginia M.A. if in its judgment their work does not show sufficient promise.

The Ph.D. should normally be completed in three or four years beyond the M.A. If it has not been completed in five years beyond the M.A., the candidate will be required to petition the department for permission to continue.

For an overview of the timeline for the entire Ph.D. program, please see Appendix 6 of this Handbook.

The requirements for the Ph.D. are as follows:

1.         A minimum of nine graduate courses (27 semester-hours) beyond the eight graded graduate courses required for the M.A. Of these nine courses, at least six must be courses in Greek and Latin taken in the Department and one must be the prospectus seminar.

In total, the requirements for the Ph.D. are seventeen graded graduate courses. The prospectus seminar is included in this number. Eight of these graduate courses are required for M.A., six of which must be courses in Greek and Latin taken at the department. Nine graduate courses are required beyond the M.A., six of which must be courses in Greek and Latin taken in the Department and one must be the prospectus seminar.

The remaining four courses may, if desired, be chosen, in consultation with the DGS, from graduate courses related to classical antiquity offered by other departments, such as Art History, Politics, History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. To count toward the degree, courses must be passed with a grade of B- or better. Hours taken under any of the directed research rubrics (8998, 9998, 9999) do not count toward the required total. Note, however, that graduate courses taken in the Department before the award of the M.A. but beyond the eight courses required for the M.A. will count toward this total.

NOTES:

a. The Graduate School formulates these requirements as three years of full-time graduate study and 51 semester-hours (17 courses) of graded graduate courses of which 36 credits (12 courses) must be coursework in Greek and Latin taken in the Department and 3 credits must be Classics 9995 (prospectus seminar) completed with a grade of S.

This number includes 30 semester-hours (e.g., eight courses plus six hours of non-topical research) taken here or elsewhere for an M.A.

In the fourth year, in addition to auditing courses that fill in the gaps in their knowledge, students should be preparing for and taking their Ph.D. examinations (in the fall). If all exams are passed on time, the candidate should obtain committee’s approval for the dissertation prospectus by the conclusion of the seventh term, with the first chapter finished by the end of the spring semester.

b.         A student enrolled for research hours only must demonstrate progress toward the degree during the semester in question. Evidence of such progress is taking the Ph.D. examination or submission of written work on the dissertation. The dissertation director judges whether the student has made progress toward the degree, and will award the grade ‘Unsatisfactory’ when satisfactory progress has not been made. Consult your director if in doubt. The expectation is that the student will reside in Charlottesville; under special circumstances, a written appeal can be made to the department to waive the requirement.

c.         While students at the M.A. stage may concentrate in either Latin or Greek, those pursuing the Ph.D. degree in Classics should aim at equal or near equal proficiency in both ancient languages. The Ph.D. student needs on the one hand to develop a special area of personal competence and on the other to acquire a general overall knowledge of classical antiquity. Most college and university classics departments look for people who can teach both Greek and Latin well.

d.         Students whose performance has been unsatisfactory (e.g., a semester of only B’s) will meet with the DGS at the start of the following term and be warned that they are on probation; decisions as to whether they will continue to be supported with teaching in the following year or semester will be contingent on satisfactory progress in midterms that semester.

2.         Modern Foreign Language Examinations

Ph.D. candidates must pass two examinations (one of which will normally have been taken for the M.A.) testing their reading knowledge of modern foreign languages. (The examinations are described above under the M.A. requirements.) One of the languages offered must be German, and the second either French or Italian.

NOTE: Candidates must pass both modern language examinations before attempting the Ph.D. General Examinations.

3.         Ancient History Requirement

Ph.D. students must fulfill a second ancient history requirement before taking the Ph.D. General Examinations. As with the M.A. history requirement, students usually fulfill this requirement by sitting in on HIEU 2031 or 2041 (whichever has not been passed previously), offered in the fall and the spring, respectively, and passing both the mid-term and final exams with an averaged grade of B (83%) on both together.

Students with a strong preparation in ancient history may elect to fulfill the history requirement by sitting for a two-hour departmental exam on the history of Greece from the Mycenaean Age to the death of Alexander OR on the history of Rome from the origins to the death of Constantine. These examinations, which test specific knowledge in the form of identifications and essay questions, are offered in August. The candidate will be offered some choice on the topics to be discussed.  Sample exams are available in the Constantine Library.

4.         Ph.D. General Examinations

These exams consist of four parts: translation exams in Greek and in Latin, a commentary exam on a set author, and an oral exam on Greek and Latin literature. The commentary exam will normally be taken in September or January of the third year; students are encouraged to pick their set author with a potential dissertation topic in mind.

The translation exams should be taken in September of the fourth year, to be followed by the orals. These exams are intended to provide the candidate and faculty with an indication of the candidate’s general knowledge in the critical areas of languages, history, philology, and literary history and the candidate’s readiness to embark on the dissertation. The examinations treat areas essential for both teaching and research. The translation exams and orals are offered twice a year, in September and in January, with retakes of individual exams available also in April. Students should not expect to be able to sit for exams at other times.

Candidates preparing for the Ph.D. General Exams are advised to talk with the Director of Graduate Studies and individual faculty members about the best way to prepare for them. The faculty is eager to help and can give advice on what primary and secondary sources should be read. We recommend, in addition to the obvious, a thorough review of notes from graduate courses.

a.         Translation Exams in Latin and Greek

These two exams are each of three hours and are intended to demonstrate the candidate’s ability to translate Greek and Latin prose and poetry. Each exam will consist of five passages. No dictionaries are allowed. Three or four passages will be drawn from works on the Ph.D. Reading Lists.

b.         Commentary exam

This exam, two and one-half hours long, consists of the discussion of two passages chosen by the examination committee from a pre-selected author in the following terms:

1. A detailed discussion of philological particulars such as style, vocabulary and meter;

2. The contribution each passage makes to the work and/or its connections with themes from elsewhere in Greek or Latin literature;

3. Any other observations the candidate thinks should be made.

These discussions should be partly essays, partly line-by-line commentaries on the passages.

In preparation for this exam, the student should consult with the DGS to select an author and an appropriate lead examiner from among the faculty. Working with that examiner, the student will draw up a reading list of primary and secondary literature, usually in the Spring of the second year in preparation for taking the exam in September or January of the third year:

           • The primary reading list should in most cases consist of at least half an OCT. Students are welcome to select                      works from the reading list. The texts may be chosen either in preparation for a potential dissertation on a related                  subject, or in order to develop a secondary area of expertise.

• The secondary reading list should be designed to ensure that the student can discuss both philological particulars (e.g., textual tradition, dialect, meter) and current interpretative issues. Thus, students will need to be familiar not only with the standard commentaries, but also with a representative sample of recent scholarly work on the author in question.

In lieu of an individual author, a collection of related texts of comparable size (e.g., the Choephori and the two Electra plays) may also be chosen.

c.         The Ph.D. Oral Examination

The two-hour exam focuses principally on the authors included on the Ph.D. Reading Lists, but the candidate is expected to be familiar with the whole range of Greek literature from Homer to the Second Sophistic and Latin literature from the beginning to Apuleius. Candidates will be expected not only to show a command of dates and facts, but also to be able to express their own views and interpretations and to be aware of the most important works of secondary literature as well as significant scholarly methods and approaches.

In assessing performance on the oral examination, the examiners ask 1) Does the student have a satisfactory knowledge of the reading list? 2) Does the student have a satisfactory knowledge of broader issues of literary history not specific to the reading list? 3) Does the student have a satisfactory knowledge of the secondary literature required by professional classicists, e.g., commentaries and standard reference works?

The Ph.D. oral examination is a single examination, and is passed or failed as a whole. The examiners may, at their discretion, ask the candidate to retake only a portion of the exam. In such cases the candidate is officially deemed to have failed the exam, the relevant portions being waived on the retake.

NOTE: If a graduate student fails any examination (other than the modern language examinations) twice, the student must apply to the faculty for permission to continue in the program.

5.         Dissertation Prospectus

All third-year students must enroll in the Dissertation Seminar offered in the spring semester. This seminar consists of a series of exercises designed to develop a draft of the dissertation prospectus. Participants in the seminar are all third-year students and their dissertation directors. For purposes of registration and planning, a student should have at least a general idea of the dissertation topic and should have chosen a dissertation director before the start of the spring semester of the third year.

The student should turn to polishing the draft of the prospectus from the dissertation seminar directly after passing the Ph.D. oral examination, usually in September of the fourth year. At this point, in consultation with the dissertation director and DGS, the student should also identify a dissertation committee. In addition to the dissertation adviser, the dissertation committee consists of at least two members of the Graduate Faculty. (The dissertation will also be evaluated by a member of the Graduate Faculty from another department, representing the Graduate School, who may be designated at a later date.)

For the prospectus to be approved the student will make a 10-15 minute presentation on it to the dissertation committee (advisor and two readers), and answer questions on it. If already chosen, the outside member of the committee may be invited to participate. Presentation and approval of the prospectus should take place within a semester of the candidate’s passing the Ph.D. oral examination (i.e., normally by December of the fourth year). The approved prospectus is circulated to the entire faculty by the dissertation director or the DGS.

6.         Dissertation

This piece of independent research, carried on under the direction of a dissertation adviser, must make a substantive contribution to the field and demonstrate the ability to evaluate previous scholarship. In preparing the final copy of the dissertation, the candidate must follow strictly the specifications for final copies to be deposited in the University archives (information on these requirements is available on the Graduate School website).

Graduate students will need to have two completed dissertation chapters by 31 January of Year 5 to be considered for sixth-year support.

A bound copy of the approved dissertation is to be delivered to the Director of Graduate Studies, who will add it to the Constantine library.

7.         Final Oral Examination

All members of the dissertation committee must have read and approved the dissertation in its final form before the final examination. The external representative of the Graduate School should also be given adequate time to review the dissertation before the final examination.

At least one week, but preferably two, before the final examination, the candidate will deposit a copy of the dissertation in the Department office so that other members of the Department can read it.

At the final examination, the candidate will first give a talk of about 30 minutes’ length, open to the general public, outlining the results of the dissertation. Following this there will be a closed session, in which the candidate will respond to questions about the dissertation from the examiners and other faculty.

IMPORTANT: Students should be aware that faculty are generally not available during the summer months for dissertation supervision or for Ph.D. oral exams.

 V.       NOTES ON EXAMINATIONS.

1.         General.

Responsibility for the scheduling and administration of examinations (except the dissertation defense) rests with the departmental exam coordinator.

Once a candidate has notified the exam coordinator of an intention to sit for an examination, he or she is committed to doing so. Candidates who fail to sit for an examination they have previously requested will be regarded as having failed. Late requests to sit for examinations will be accepted only at the discretion of the exam coordinator.

If a graduate student twice fails any written or oral examination (other than the modern language examinations), the student must apply to the faculty for permission to continue in the program.

Both written and oral examinations are graded on the following scale: Fail, Pass, High Pass, Distinction.

Results of examinations are reported by the exam coordinator to the DGS, who will communicate them to the candidate in writing. Students’ written exam papers are kept on file in the Department.

Candidates who require special accommodations should make that request of the exam coordinator when requesting the examination. Candidates seeking accommodations should be prepared to present documentation from the Student Disability Access Center on request.

2.         Written Examinations

Written examinations are normally set and read by two faculty members, who are assigned by the exam coordinator. If the examiners are unable to agree on a verdict, the DGS casts the deciding vote. If the DGS is one of the examiners, the deciding vote is cast by the exam coordinator, or by a third reader agreed on by the examiners.

The content and format of written examinations are laid out in the appropriate section of the Graduate Handbook. On issues not prescribed by the Handbook (e.g., length of passages on translation exams), setters may follow the example of past examinations, but are not bound by it. Questions or concerns relating to the content or format of a particular examination should be addressed to the exam coordinator.

The judgment of the examiners is final, and candidates should not expect to reverse it. Candidates who have failed a written exam may ask to discuss the exam with one of the examiners, with a view to improvement on the next attempt. Such requests should be directed to the DGS as soon as possible after the exam.

Copies of previous examinations are available in the Constantine Library and may be consulted in preparation for taking examinations.

3.         Oral Examinations

Ph.D. oral exams are administered by at least four faculty members. The DGS attends Ph.D. oral exams where possible, either in a presiding role or as one of the examiners.

The structure of oral examinations and the division of responsibility for questioning are at the sole discretion of the examiners.

Responsibility for the scheduling of oral examinations is as follows:

• The Ph.D. oral exam is scheduled by the exam coordinator.
• The dissertation defense is scheduled by the dissertation director.

VI.     TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS IN CLASSICS

 The Department of Classics offers a wide range of teaching opportunities for its graduate students. We have structured our Teaching Assistantships in such a way as to offer a solid apprenticeship beginning with sections closely supervised by faculty to more independent teaching opportunities. In general, entering first-year students do no teaching. In the second, third, and fourth years, students teach half time (10 hours a week), with their funding supplemented by fellowship aid. Classics students do not teach in their fifth year.

Teaching Assistants in sections of Latin 1010-1020 and Greek 1010-1020, usually second-year students, attend three faculty lectures a week and meet their sections two or three times a week in order to drill and review materials from the lectures as well as to make up and grade weekly exercises and quizzes.

Students in their third and fourth years can expect a variety of teaching assignments:

—their own section of Latin 2010 or 2020 three hours a week under the supervision of a faculty member who coordinates the sections. Teaching Assistants administer all tests—exams are given in common—and are in charge of grading.

—their own section of Latin 1030, an accelerated course that meets four times a week, in which they are in charge of all tests and grading. Again, a faculty advisor is available for coordination and help.

—discussion sections for one of our three larger courses in translation (Greek Civilization, Roman Civilization, and Mythology), in which Teaching Assistants conduct three one-hour discussion sections each week, usually attend the general lectures, and meet frequently with the faculty instructor to plan discussion topics. Teaching Assistants usually grade papers and quizzes and keep the grade books for their sections. Teaching Assistants may also be encouraged to give one lecture in the course and receive faculty feedback.

All Teaching Assistants hold office hours and attend meetings with faculty coordinators.

Every Teaching Assistant will be observed at least once each year, if not every semester, followed by a conversation with the faculty supervisor.

Students are reminded that they may not be employed over 20 hours per week total at the University of Virginia without the permission of the DGS and the Associate Dean of the Graduate School.

VII.    GRANTS

1.         The Classics Department has at its disposal a limited amount of discretionary money, in part through the Hyman Mankin and L. T. Brown Funds, to support students presenting papers at meetings. Typically, awards will be granted for travel to one conference per year. Applications should be directed to the DGS.

2.         The Department awards Francis Lazenby grants to support travel, participation in scholarly programs, the learning of modern languages at UVA and abroad, or research in Charlottesville during the summer. The number of grants and the award amount varies from year to year. The DGS will solicit requests in the Fall.

Requests for funds for conference travel through January and summer support will be due in early October; requests for travel funds for the spring will be due in early February.

Graduate students who have faculty approval for their abstracts will have priority in receiving travel funding.

VIII.       CONSTANTINE LIBRARY

All graduate students in Classics are entitled to keys to the Constantine Library. Non-key-holders are not to be admitted.

No books are to be removed from the Library. Unauthorized removal of books is a violation of the University’s Honor Code. The sole exception to this rule is that faculty and graduate students may remove volumes for up to one half hour for photocopying in the Department office. Please return books to the shelves after use. Copies of past departmental exams—also not to be removed—are on file.

IX.        SOME RULES OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

1.         Time limits. For the M.A. degree all work must be completed within five years from the time of admission if the work is done wholly during the regular academic session, and within seven years if the work is done wholly or in part in summer sessions. For the Ph.D. degree, all requirements must have been completed within seven years from the date of admission into the Ph.D. program. These limits may be extended by the Dean on petition from the Department.

2.         Fee requirements. M.A. candidates must pay the tuition and fees associated with the minimum of 30 credit-hours required for the degree. Ph.D. candidates must pay the tuition and fees associated with at least 51 credit-hours of graduate courses.

3.         Grades. The lowest grade accepted as passing by the Graduate School is a B-. When a student receives a grade below B-, the Dean of the Graduate School will ask the department to make a recommendation as to whether the student should be permitted to continue in the program.

4.         Degree applications. Check the College Calendar for exact dates! Applications for all degrees must be submitted by late September for January degrees, in early February for May degrees, and early July for August degrees. Candidates who find that they will not be able to receive the degree in the session for which their application was approved must remove their names from the degree list by a specified date in the session; otherwise, they will be charged a fee by the Registrar. All candidates on whom degrees are to be conferred must notify the Registrar if they do not plan to be present at Final Exercises.

5.         Title Pages of Theses and Dissertations. There are firm deadlines on when these are due in the Graduate School Office. Consult the Graduate School calendar.

6.         Format for Theses and Dissertations. These are specific and stringently enforced. See the information on the Graduate School website.

X.       REQUESTS FOR EXCEPTIONS TO DEPARTMENTAL RULES

From time to time circumstances arise that constitute a prima facie reason for granting an exception to a departmental rule. Requests for such exceptions should be made in writing to the DGS, who will normally seek the advice of the Classics Faculty.

XI.     SOME GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

Below are some more general suggestions for getting the most from your experience in the program. Not all are equally applicable to all students, but collectively they are meant to help create and support an active community of scholarship and learning.

1.         Although the object of study remains the same, the scale of study and the concentrated thought required from a graduate student are worlds away from undergraduate experience. The faculty can provide you with information and introduce you to many of the skills required for advanced work in classical studies. But there are also qualities that you must develop yourself. Of these, perhaps the most important is a capacity for working and learning independently. The courses you take impart a methodology, a demonstration of the way in which problems can be approached; it is up to you to apply the lessons learned there as you explore other material on your own.

 2.         Both the preliminary and general Ph.D. exams are founded on the reading lists. Some items on these will likely be covered in course work; many will not. For this reason, you should plan to use the winter and summer recess to read authors and works not covered. We recommend that you approach this task systematically, and that you develop a plan of study in consultation with the faculty and the DGS.

 3.         We also strongly encourage you to work with one another—in studying the reading list, in preparing for exams, and in all aspects of the program. Try to help create and participate in a community in which senior students are a source of leadership and advice. Do not assume that you can learn only from the faculty. If you pursue an academic career, you will find your fellow graduate students a continuing resource as you advance in the profession, and you should try to profit as much as you can now from your interaction with people of different outlooks and interests (including those in allied fields, such as ancient history and art history).

4.         Classics is an inherently interdisciplinary field. To think that you can devote yourself wholly to one language and literature to the exclusion of the other is foolish. But you should also work to develop an understanding of allied areas such as history, art history, linguistics, philosophy, religious studies, and literary theory. These subjects regularly intersect with ours, and approaches and methodologies developed for one field have often proved fruitful in another. While your primary focus should always be on Greek and Latin literature, we encourage you to explore other disciplines both informally and in your coursework and to build relationships with faculty and graduate students in other departments.

5.         Mastery of modern foreign languages (especially German, French, and Italian) will give you access to a great many important resources. For this reason we urge you to acquire such a mastery as early as possible, through individual study, formal coursework, or both. You may wish to explore taking a modern foreign language through the University’s Summer Foreign Language Institute. We also strongly encourage you to use the departmental examinations in modern foreign languages as a diagnostic tool. Sit for them as early as possible. Even if you think you are unlikely to pass, the practice and feedback will be useful to you, and no stigma attaches to failure.

 6.         Teaching is one of the most important and rewarding aspects of an academic career. It is also one of the most demanding and time-consuming. Carry out your teaching duties responsibly, but not to the exclusion of your own work. Be accessible to your students, but not at every hour of the day and night. Be sympathetic to their problems, but resist the temptation to serve as therapist or parental substitute. Do not hesitate to ask the faculty or other graduate students for help and advice. The Director of Undergraduate Studies is likewise available for consultation.

7.         Graduate students are reminded that faculty are often not in residence in the summer and hence not available to read dissertations or serve on exam committees. You will avoid potential difficulty, as well as the expense of registering for the summer session, if you plan your work with a view to completing requirements or defending your dissertation during the academic year.

8.         The Department strongly encourages students to join the Society for Classical Studies and the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (which have low-cost student memberships), and the Classical Association of Virginia, and to attend their meetings where possible. Such events offer excellent opportunities to meet scholars and students from other institutions, to hear about important work in progress, and to gain a sense of the profession as a whole. Membership in the SCS includes a subscription to its journal, TAPA; membership in CAMWS includes a subscription to Classical Journal.

9.         Each year the Department sponsors a variety of lectures and seminars by visiting scholars (as well as occasional larger events). Regular attendance at these events is expected of all graduate students. They offer a valuable way to learn about new topics and to meet prominent figures in the profession. They also provide valuable training in how (and, occasionally, how not!) to present one’s work to others in an oral setting. Students should also plan to attend the Tuesday Luncheon, which offers an informal opportunity to hear work by other Classicists and faculty in related fields on Grounds.

10.       Much important work in Classics is to be found not in books but in journals. We recommend that you familiarize yourself as early as possible with the major periodicals in the field (see Appendix 2). From browsing recent issues of these periodicals you will see what scholarly topics are currently “hot.” You will also find that reading articles is an excellent way of training yourself for writing papers.

You should also subscribe electronically to the (free) Bryn Mawr Classical Review, which provides an excellent way of keeping abreast of new work in the field. Spend some time browsing in review journals such as Classical Review and Gnomon.

11.       Classics, like other academic fields, has felt the impact of the information revolution produced by the rapid development of digital technology. Make an effort to familiarize yourself with the specific electronic resources available for the study of Greek and Latin. Be aware that expertise in information technology is highly valued on the job market. Take advantage of the opportunity to acquire such skills, either informally or through the workshops sponsored by ITC and other university programs.

12.       The delivery of a conference paper is an opportunity to present oneself and one’s work to future colleagues and potential employers. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver papers at professional meetings or conferences. Recent years have also seen a proliferation of graduate student colloquia, including our own graduate student conference. These events help introduce students to an important aspect of the academic profession, whether as organizers or presenters, at an earlier stage and in a less formal way. We encourage you to explore these opportunities, but to do so sensibly and not at the expense of your coursework and preparation for exams. We also urge you to work closely with a faculty member when preparing abstracts, papers and articles. We frequently arrange practice sessions for students to present their work. See Section VIII for information on travel funding.

13.       Ph.D. students in particular should consider the advantages to their work of spending either a year or a summer at the American Academy in Rome or the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. There are open competitions for scholarships. See the DGS for more information.

14.       The primary (though not the only) purpose of the Ph.D. program is to train future scholars and teachers, and we assume that most of our Ph.D. candidates have an interest in ultimately finding a position at the college or university level. Unfortunately, the academic job market is very much a ‘buyer’s market,’ in which there are more candidates than jobs. While the faculty will make every effort to prepare you for the job search, the ultimate responsibility rests with you. It is never too early to learn about the process, or to begin thinking about how to present and market yourself. Talk to the faculty and to more advanced students who are currently going through the process. Look through the listings of positions and observe what criteria are stressed. You should also think seriously about what alternative career tracks are open to you; many of the skills you have learned as a scholar and teacher have applications outside college and university teaching.

15.       Finally, and above all, we urge you to enjoy and use to its fullest the brief time you spend here. The opportunity to pursue knowledge for its own sake and to live and work as part of a community of scholars and teachers is a rare privilege and pleasure. We welcome you to membership in that community.

APPENDIX 1: DEPARTMENTAL READING LISTS

 

GREEK Preliminary                                    Ph.D. (in addition to the Preliminary list)

 

Homer Iliad 1-3, 6, 9,                                    rest of Iliad & Odyssey

  16, 18, 22, 24

  Odyssey 1, 5-12

 

Hesiod Works and Days                                 Theogony

 

Lyric Poets: Sappho, Archilochus,                 rest of Campbell’s collection and

Theognis & Solon in Campbell                      new packet of readings (in Constantine

and “Clas grad exam info” Collab site)

 

Aeschylus Agamemnon                                  Eumenides, Prometheus

 

Pindar Olymp. 1 & 11                                     Olymp. 7, 14, Pyth. 1, 4

 

Sophocles Antigone, Oed. Tyr.                       Ajax, Oedipus at Colonus

 

Euripides Medea, Hippolytus                         Bacchae

 

Herodotus 1                                                    8, 9

 

Thucydides 1-2.65                                          3.70-85; 5.84-116; 6.1-23, 7.21-87

 

Lysias 1                                                           12

 

Aristophanes Clouds, Frogs                           Lysistrata

 

Plato Apology, Euthyphro                               Symposium, Phaedrus, Republic 1 & 10

 

Isocrates          -----------                                 Panegyricus

 

Xenophon       Hellenica 1-2                          Hieron, Symposium

 

Demosthenes   Philippics 1, 3                        On the Crown

 

Aristotle          Poetics                                    Nicomachean Ethics 1

 

Menander        -----------                                Dyscolus

 

Callimachus    Aetia frr. 1-2, 67-75                ---------------

 

Theocritus       1, 15                                        2, 7

 

Apollonius      --------                                     All Hopkinson

 

Hellenistic Epigrams in Hopkinson                ---------

 

Plutarch           ---------                                    Alexander

 

Lucian             ----------                                   True History 1

 

Polybius          -----------                                 Book. 6 pp. 239-64 (Buettner-Wobst)

 

Longus            ------------                               Daphnis and Chloe

 

 

LATIN	Preliminary	Ph.D. (in addition to the Preliminary list)
Archaic Latin		Livius & longer fragments of Ennius in Warmington (Loeb); Courtney, Archaic Latin Prose
Plautus	Menaechmi	Amphitruo
Terence		Eunuchus
Lucretius	1.1-158 3 (complete)	4.1037-1287 5.772-1457 6.1138-1286
Catullus	1-64, 70-87	65-69, 88-116
Caesar	BG 1	BG 7
Cicero	In Cat. 1-2 Pro Archia Pro Caelio Somnium Scipionis	De Natura Deorum 1 De Oratore 3 Letters in Shackleton Bailey (Green and Yellow)
Sallust	Catiline	Jugurtha
Virgil	Eclogues 1, 4 Georgics 1, 4 Aeneid 1-6	rest of Eclogues Georgics 2-3 Aeneid 7-12
Horace	Odes 1-3 Satires 1.1, 4-6, 9-10 Epistles 1.1, 7, 14, 19-20	Epodes Odes 4, Carmen Saeculare Satires 2.1, 2.6 Epistles 2.1, Ars Poetica
Tibullus	1.1, 3, 4	1.7, 2.1, 2.5
Sulpicia		all
Propertius	Book 1	3.1-5, 11 4.1, 4, 6-9
Livy	Preface, Book 1	Book 21
Ovid	Ars 1 Heroides 7 Metamorphoses 1 Tristia 4.10	Amores 1 Fasti 4 Met. 8, 14, 15.745-879
Seneca	Epistles 28, 53, 54, 56, 57, 86, 122	Epistles 7, 47, 67, 77, 107, 114 Thyestes Apocolocyntosis
Persius		Prologue, 1
Lucan	Book 1	Book 2 and 6.413-830
Petronius	Cena Trimalchionis	1-5, 85-87, 110.6-113.9
Quintilian		10.1
Martial		Selections in Watson
Statius		Silvae 2

 

Tacitus	Agricola Annals 4	Dialogus Annals 1 and 14 Histories 1
Pliny	Epistles 1.1, 3.21, 6.16, 6.20, 10.96-97	Epistles 1.12-13, 1.15, 2.11, 3.5, 3.14, 4.19, 5.8, 7.9, 7.20, 7.27, 9.2, 9.6, 9.23, 10.33-34
Juvenal	1, 3, 10	4, 6
Suetonius		Claudius
Apuleius		Met. 1 Met. 4.23-6.24

APPENDIX 2: MAJOR CLASSICAL JOURNALS (with Shannon call numbers)

The list below is, of course, not complete, and neglects many journals devoted to more specialized or ancillary topics. It does, however, include most of the major journals in the field—those that any graduate student should be familiar with. Most are accessible on-line through VIRGO.

General (Greek and/or Latin Literature)

American Journal of Philology (P1.A5)

Arethusa (PA1.A7)

Arion (PA1.A72)

Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt [ANRW] (DG209.T36)

Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies [BICS] (PA25.L8)

Cambridge Classical Journal [formerly Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society] (P11.C3)

Classical Antiquity [formerly California Studies in Classical Antiquity] (PA1.C2)

Classical Journal (PA1.C4)

Classical Philology (PA1.C5)

Classical Quarterly (PA1.C6)

Classical World [formerly Classical Weekly] (PA1.C8)

Greece and Rome (DE1.G7)

Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies [GRBS] (D51.G7)

Harvard Studies in Classical Philology (PA25.H3)

Helios (PA1.H415)

Hermes (PA3.H5)

Journal of Hellenic Studies (DF10.J8)

Journal of Roman Studies (DG11.J7)

Latomus (PA.2002 L3)

Maia (PA9.M32)

Materiali e discussioni per l’analisi dei testi classici (PA9.M37)

Mnemosyne (PA9.M6)

Museum Helveticum (DE1.M8)

Papers of the Leeds (or Liverpool) Latin Seminar [PLLS] (PA3019.L58)

Phoenix (PA1.P4)

Philologus (PA3.P5)

Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society [PCPS] (now Cambridge Classical Journal) (P11.C3)

Rheinisches Museum (PA3.R4)

Rivista di filologia e di istruzione classica [RFIC] (PA9.R56)

Studi italiani di filologia classica [SIFC] (PA9.S7)

Transactions of the American Philological Association [TAPA] (P11.A53)

Wiener Studien (PA3.W5)

 

Linguistics

Glotta (PA 3 G5)

Indogermanische Forschungen (P501.I4)

 

Papyrology & Epigraphy

Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists [BASP] (AS36.A497.A2)

Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik [ZPE] (PA3339.Z45)

Journal of Epigraphic Studies [JES]

 

Historiography

Histos: The On-line Journal of Ancient Historiography (https://histos.org/)

 

Ancient History

American Journal of Ancient History [AJAH] (D51.A48)

Chiron (D53.A2.C45)

Klio (D51.K6)

 

Philosophy

Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy (B1.O95)

 

Book Reviews

Classical Review (PA1.C7)

Gnomon (PA3.G6)

Bryn Mawr Classical Review [BMCR] <http://www.bmcr.org&gt;

[The journals above are entirely devoted to reviews; many other journals, of course, include reviews along with articles]

APPENDIX 3: RESOURCES FOR LITERARY HISTORY AND LANGUAGE

The Department’s preliminary and Ph.D. exams require familiarity with basic dates and facts of ancient literature as well as individual authors, movements and genres. The easiest way to acquire a sound preparation for these exams is to take or audit the survey courses in Greek and Latin literature.

The works on the reading list have been chosen not only because of their intrinsic significance but also because good modern commentaries are often available. Make use of these. It is essential that you accustom yourself to reading a text with the help of a good commentary. It will not only make the task of reading easier and inform you of the main problems and issues raised by the specific text, but it will also provide good way of building up the body of miscellaneous knowledge you will need to understand other texts.

Bibliographical surveys are a good way to orient yourself to work on particular authors. Such surveys can be found in Classical World (and its predecessor, Classical Weekly), Lustrum, and (for Roman topics) ANRW. There is also a great deal of bibliographical material to be found on the Internet, though usually in the form of unannotated lists rather than critical surveys. The online series Oxford Bibliographies covers many classical authors and topics.  L’Année Philologique, now partially available on the Internet, is the yearly bibliographic survey in all areas of Classical Studies. The journal Gnomon includes regular bibliographic lists. The site TOCS-IN is a searchable database of Classics Journals (http://projects.chass.utoronto.ca/amphoras/tocs.html).

Useful short studies of individual authors have appeared as supplements to the journal Greece and Rome. If you are exploring a previously unfamiliar author, these are often good starting points. Recent years have also seen a plethora of Companion to ______ volumes, especially from Blackwell, Cambridge and Brill.

Finally, be aware that there is no substitute for wide and intensive reading of the primary texts. While we expect that Ph.D. students in particular will be familiar with the basic secondary literature of the field, your success as a classicist ultimately depends upon your knowledge of and response to the works of the ancient writers themselves.

You will also find it helpful to spend some time with one or more of the standard literary histories available in English, e.g.:

          GREEK:

• Albrecht Dihle, A History of Greek Literature (London and New York, 1994).
• Jacqueline de Romilly, A Short History of Greek Literature (Chicago, 1985).
• Albin Lesky, A History of Greek Literature (London, 1966).
• P.E. Easterling and B.M.W. Knox, ed. The Cambridge History of Classical Literature. I. Greek Literature (Cambridge, 1985).

 

Greek language reference works

• Dictionaries
• The standard dictionary is ‘LSJ’, the ninth edition of the Greek-English Lexicon of H. G. Liddell and R. Scott, revised by H. S. Jones and R. McKenzie (with the revised supplement edited by P. G. W. Glare and A. A. Thompson); it is available as an iPhone app, although not without some errors in the accents. For Homer and other early epic poetry, the extremely detailed entries of the Lexikon des frühgriechischen Epos (ed. B. Snell et al.) are also invaluable, especially for bibliographies on individual words. Also useful is ‘BDAG’, the third edition of A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (W. Bauer, rev. by F. W. Danker). While restricted to words found in early Christian writing, it also has good bibliographies which often refer to articles that discuss general changes in words’ meanings between the Classical period and the first and second centuries ad. The standard English-Greek dictionary is S. C. Woodhouse’s English-Greek Dictionary, 2nd edn., with supplement (London, 1932).
• The best etymological dictionary is P. Chantraine’s Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque, with supplement (Paris, 1999; reset in 2009). It covers not only the Indo-European (IE) origins of words, but also their historical development within Greek, and is generally more accurate than LSJ at treating rare or disputed words: it is, for example, a much better place than LSJ to look up Homeric hapax legomena. R. Beekes’s two-volume Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden, 2010) is convenient, works with IE reconstructions that are rather more up-to-date than Chantraine’s (although they sometimes incorporate idiosyncrasies of the Leiden school), and contains some new bibliography not found in Chantraine—but it does not always do a good job of presenting all competing etymological theories without bias. Occasionally both Chantraine and Beekes use the shortcut of referring to H. Frisk’s Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (Heidelberg, 1960–72), which thus also remains essential.
• Grammars
• The standard student grammar is H. W. Smyth’s Greek Grammar, rev. G. M. Messing (Cambridge, MA, 1956). For the Greek verb, one may also consult W. W. Goodwin’s Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek Verb (London, 1897) and A. Rijksbaron’s The Syntax and Semantics of the Verb in Classical Greek, 3rd edn. (Chicago, 2006). For particles, use J. D. Denniston’s The Greek Particles, 2nd edn., rev. K. J. Dover (Oxford, 1954). Do not be daunted by its size, for it has an extremely useful index locorum (a full 58 pages long!) and can thus be easily consulted in connection with any unusual particle use that comes up in your reading.
• The main reference grammars are R. Kühner’s Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, (the two volumes on phonology and morphology were revised by F. Blass [Hanover, 1890–2]; the two volumes on syntax by B. Gerth [Hanover, 1898–1904]) and E. Schwyzer’s Griechische Grammatik (vol. 1 covers phonology and morphology [Munich, 1939]; vol. 2, completed and edited by A. Debrunner, covers syntax [Munich, 1950]); the title page of the latter volume includes a † after both authors’ names, which perhaps may be taken as a health warning). Kühner–Blass and Kühner–Gerth are generally better at synchronic description of Greek, Schwyzer(–Debrunner) at the diachronic origins of Greek forms. As a sign of the relative utility of these works to most classicists, those that are by far the most cited in Cambridge “Green and Yellow” commentaries are the Kühner–Gerth syntax volumes.
• For the grammar of Homer in particular, P. Chantraine’s two-volume Grammaire homérique (Paris, 1953–8) is indispensable. For the later development of Greek, one may also consult L. R. Palmer’s somewhat out-of-date The Greek Language (London, 1980), G. Horrocks’s Greek: A History of the Language and its Speakers, 2nd edn. (Malden, MA, 2010), which is excellent for post-Classical developments, and the various chapters in E. J. Bakker’s A Companion to the Ancient Greek Language (Malden, MA, 2010) and, somewhat more uneven in quality, A.-F. Christidis’ A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity (Cambridge, 2007). For the dialects, C. D. Buck’s The Greek Dialects is still the fullest account in English (Chicago, 1955), but for those who don’t need as much detail, S. Colvin’s A Historical Greek Reader: Mycenaean to the Koiné (Oxford, 2007) has recent bibliography, a more user-friendly lay-out, and (perhaps the most important for the average Hellenist) devotes space not only to dialect inscriptions, but also to the dialects of literary texts; it includes many samples, together with commentaries. Finally, for the pronunciation of Classical Greek, refer to W. S. Allen’s Vox Graeca, 3rd edn. (Cambridge, 1987).

        LATIN

• Michael Grant, Roman Literature, rev. ed. (Harmondsworth, 1964).
• G. B. Conte, Latin Literature (Baltimore, 1994).
• Michael von Albrecht, A History of Roman Literature, 2 vols. (Leiden, 1996).
• Albrecht Dihle, Greek and Latin Literature of the Roman Empire (London and New York, 1994).
• S. Harrison, Companion to Latin Literature (Blackwell, 2005).
• E.J. Kenney and W.V. Clausen, ed. The Cambridge History of Classical Literature II. Latin Literature (Cambridge, 1982).
• R. Rutherford, Classical literature: a concise history  (Blackwell 2004/05).

The Cambridge history of classical literature (CHCL) is perhaps the ‘standard’ work of reference: volume 2 deals with Latin literature. Its contributions range from the brilliant to the banal, and it contains a useful bibliographical appendix. [Like CHCL, the more recent Companion to Latin Literature edited comprises the work of many different contributors, in essays grouped by ‘Periods’, ‘Genres’, and ‘Themes’ (e.g., ‘Decline and Nostalgia’, ‘Sex and Gender’) and pitched to a more general audience than CHCL; each essay is followed by suggestions for further reading and there are useful chronological tables.]  Three recent and more personalised works are Conte, Dihle, von Albrecht.  This last has good bibliographies. A generic approach is followed by Rutherford.

 

LATIN LANGUAGE REFERENCE WORKS.

Dictionaries

The most convenient reference dictionary for classical Latin is the Oxford Latin Dictionary (OUP 1968-82, Rev. 2012), abbreviated as OLD. Shorter OLD entries can be cited simply by headword, e.g., “OLD s.v. pulueratio.” In most cases, however, you will be citing it for a particular sense or usage and should employ the section and subsection references, e.g., “OLD s.v. pulsus 2b.”

Be aware that the OLD’s coverage extends only through the second century AD; it includes no material from Christian writers (including the Latin Bible) or late antique authors. For this reason it does not completely replace Lewis & Short’s A Latin Dictionary, whose coverage extends into the 6th century. Best avoided, despite its promising title, is A. Souter A Glossary of Later Latin (OUP 1949).

Compiled on similar principles to the OLD but extending through the early 7th century AD is the Thesaurus linguae Latinae (Leipzig 1900- ), abbreviated as TLL. It is written entirely in Latin, and so far covers the letters A-M, O-P, and early portions of N and R.  The organization of articles takes some getting used to; new users will find it helpful to read through the Praemonenda, which are available in various languages, including English. Longer articles typically include many logical subdivisions, within which quotations are ordered chronologically. Especially confusing to neophytes is the use of parentheses, which gather similar or repeated usages following the earliest occurrence, and thus may appear at first glance to violate chronological order. TLL entries should normally be cited by volume, column, and line number(s), e.g., “TLL 1. 372. 45-50.” Note, however that many volumes are divided into two or three parts, so that references will often have four components, e.g., “TLL 6. 3. 2289. 26” (= volume 6, part 3, column 2289, line 26). Abbreviations of authors and works can be elucidated by reference to the Index (2d ed. 1990), which lists both current and earlier abbreviations, along with the most reliable editions. It is a useful reference work in its own right (comparable to the TLG Canon) especially for pseudonymous or otherwise problematic texts.

TLL is now available electronically, and searchable, for all published volumes via Virgo:

https://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/u6743663

All published fascicles can be downloaded without cost in PDF format from the TLL website:

http://www.thesaurus.badw.de/tll-digital/tll-open-access.html

The best one-volume dictionary of medieval Latin is R.E. Latham, Revised Medieval Latin Word-List from British and Irish Sources (London, 1965). It is based on material prepared for the multi-volume Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, abbreviated DMLBS, which now covers the whole alphabet. Both works have value well beyond their stated geographical limits.

Note that while the OLD, TLL and DMLBS do include definitions, all are essentially collections of grouped quotations illustrating Latin usage. When you refer to one or the other what you are actually doing is citing a collection of passages that illustrate or prove the existence of a particular sense or idiom. A simple citation of one of these works can often save several lines of parallels in a footnote.

There is a reverse index of Latin words by O. Gradenwitz, Laterculi vocum latinarum (Leipzig 1904). For English–Latin see W. Smith & T.D. Hall, Smith’s English–Latin Dictionary (repr. Wauconda 2000). For etymology there is A. Ernout and A. Meillet, Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine: Histoire des mots, 4th ed. (Paris, 1960) and M. de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages (Leiden, 2008). There are also valuable dictionaries devoted to some individual authors, e.g., G. Lodge, Lexicon Plautinum (Leipzig, 1924-33) or A. Gerber and A. Greef, Lexicon Taciteum (1877-1903). Useful for Latin poets’ metrical usage is L. Quicherat, Thesaurus poeticus linguae Latinae (Paris, 1846). On the history of lexicography note C.A. Stray (ed.), Classical dictionaries: past, present and future (Duckworth, 2010).

Grammar and syntax

Widely used in the USA is Allen & Greenough’s New Latin Grammar, which is available on the Web at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgibin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0001. Also useful, and much fuller, are B.L. Gildersleeve & G. Lodge, Latin grammar (repr. 1992 and often), and H.J. Roby, A grammar of the Latin language, 2 vols. (1886-7).

‘Bradley’s Arnold’: Latin prose composition (ed. J. Mountford, 1938 and often repr.) is extremely thorough on the various constructions [there is a new updated ed. by Bolchazy-Carducci 2006]. E.C. Woodcock, A new Latin syntax (1959, repr. BCP and elsewhere), is first-rate. Students who are uncertain about grammatical and syntactical terms (e.g., ‘sentence’, ‘subject’, ‘verb’, ‘pronoun’ etc.) should note N. Goldman & L. Szymanski, English grammar for students of Latin (Olivia & Hill Press [USA] 1993 / Arnold [UK] 2000).

The ‘standard’ works are both in German: R. Kühner & C. Stegmann, Ausführliche Grammatik der lateinischen Sprache, 2 vols. (repr. 1971), and M. Leumann, J.B. Hofmann & A. Szantyr, Lateinische Grammatik, 2 vols. (1977).

On the history of the Latin language see the general works of J. Clackson  & G.C. Horrocks (edd.), The Blackwell history of the Latin language (2007), and J. Clackson (ed.), A Companion to the Latin Language (OUP 2011).  L. R. Palmer’s The Latin Language (1954) is still useful for its treatment of the development of Latin literary language, but its discussion of the Indo-European origins of Latin is outdated. One should instead use M. Weiss, Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin (Ann Arbor, 2009).

APPENDIX 4: PROFICIENCY AND MASTERY EXAMS

The Department of Classics offers proficiency and mastery exams as a service to other departments. These exams are offered three times a year, at the start of each semester and near the end of spring semester. Candidates should not expect to take exams at other times.

Requests for exams should be made by the DGS of the department concerned (not the student) and should be directed to the Classics faculty member in charge of departmental exams. The Classics Department will provide and grade the exam. The student’s department is responsible for administering the exam and returning it to Classics for grading. Results will be reported to the DGS of the requesting department. The exam itself will not be returned. 

Proficiency Exams are available in the following fields: Classical Greek, New Testament Greek, Patristic Greek,[1] Classical Latin, Patristic Latin,[2] Medieval Latin.[3] All exams consist of one passage of straightforward prose, of about 25 lines in Oxford Classical Text format or the equivalent. To demonstrate proficiency, candidates should be able to translate the set passage with reasonable accuracy and without major misunderstanding.

Mastery Exams are available in Classical Greek, Classical Latin, and Medieval Latin. Exams consist of two passages of 15-20 lines, one of which may be verse. The standard for translation on mastery exams is high accuracy, comparable to that expected of Classics M.A. students.

Time: All exams are one and one-half hours.

Translation Aids: Candidates may use a dictionary of their choosing, but no other aids.

Format: Completed exams should be typed or written neatly, and double-spaced.

Grading: Exams are graded as either “pass” or “fail.” Requests for other forms of grading will not be honored. Questions relating to the grading of the exam should be raised by the DGS of the requesting department (not the student).

APPENDIX 5: DEPARTMENTAL STYLE SHEET

This style sheet should be used for all your graduate papers unless the instructor tells you otherwise.

Format.

Use double spacing (or 1.5 spacing) and leave ample margins in the text, in block quotations, and in the notes. Use 12 point type throughout. Greek must be fully typewritten (including breathings and accents). Use footnotes rather than endnotes. Pages should be numbered (use Arabic numerals) either at the foot of the page or in the upper right corner. (The latter is the format required by the Graduate School.)

 

Quotations.

Use double quotation marks as the first level of quotation, with single quotes within a quotation. Terminal punctuation belongs inside the quotation marks in American style.

Italicize Latin quotations of up to four words. Longer Latin quotations go in quotation marks without italics. In brief verse quotations, use a “spaced vertical” to mark each verse-end: “huc omnis aratri | cessit amor.”

Longer quotations (e.g., several sentences, or several lines of verse, or a whole paragraph) are placed in a block in the center of the page, without italics or quotation marks. Block quotations in Greek and Latin should be followed by English translations.

Latin or Greek quotations should be integrated into the syntax of an English sentence only where this can be done without disruption:

When Virgil writes “Arma uirumque cano,” he is issuing a programmatic declaration. 

However, you should avoid doing this when it creates problems of agreement or leaves syntactic units dangling:

Horace refers to yet a third class of women, those “quae neque magno | stet pretio,” and on this occasion ...

There are two problems here: “those” is plural but quae…stet is singular, and neque presupposes a following neque that the writer has left out. In this case both problems can be solved by adjusting the lead-in and quoting a coherent syntactic unit:

Horace refers also to the sort of woman “quae neque magno | stet pretio neque cunctetur cum est iussa uenire.” On this occasion ...

But in many cases (and especially with longer quotations) it is better to re-cast the sentence entirely.

 

Citations of ancient works.

References to ancient works, especially when brief, should normally be placed in parentheses in the text. Use the abbreviations for authors and titles found in the Oxford Classical Dictionary (for Greek authors not covered by OCD, use the abbreviations in LSJ; for Latin authors not covered, use the TLL Index).

Book and chapter numbers should always be given in Arabic numerals (Verg. Aen. 12. 467; NOT Verg. Aen. XII. 467). Where two competing systems of chapter numbering exist (e.g., for Cicero’s speeches or Pliny’s Natural History), you should always use the more precise system, i.e. that which breaks the text up into smaller sections.

In citing fragments, be sure to specify the edition whose numbering you follow. Keep an eye out for idiosyncratic reference systems (e.g., that used in Diels-Kranz, Fragmente der Vorsokratiker).

 

Abbreviations.

Do not italicize the abbreviations ad loc., cf., e.g., etc., i.e., s.v., viz. and vol.

Avoid the potentially confusing abbreviations l. and v. Reserve the abbreviation n. for “note” (not “number”).

 

Transliteration of Greek.

Be consistent in the transliteration of Greek names (if you write “Hermokrates” then do not write “Clitodemus”). You may, however, use Roman spellings of common names that are accepted in English (e.g., Achilles, Socrates).

Individual Greek words may be transliterated if they have achieved currency in scholarly literature and have no good English equivalent (e.g., kleos, polis). Otherwise, Greek quotations should be given using the Greek alphabet.

 

Conventions relating to the Latin alphabet.The initial words of Latin sentences (and lines of verse) may be either capitalized or left uncapitalized provided that a consistent format is followed. Similarly, you may distinguish between vocalic ‘u’ and consonantal ‘v’ (virtus) or use ‘u’ for both (uirtus), provided you do so consistently.

Be especially attentive to these conventions when cutting and pasting from another document or an online text that may follow a different convention.

 

References to secondary literature.

Styles of scholarly annotation have evolved over the years, and different journals and presses have adopted different styles. Whatever the style chosen, apply it consistently.

We recommend using the style combining abbreviated citation and a separate bibliography of “Works Cited.” In this convention, citation by author’s last name, date of publication in parenthesis, and page number is standard in the text or (preferably) notes:

Zanker (2004) 37. 

Full references in alphabetical order are then assembled in a list of “Works Cited” at the end of the paper:

Zanker, G. 2004. Modes of Viewing in Hellenistic Poetry and Art. Madison.

Note the difference in form between an entry in the list of “Works Cited”, and a reference in text or footnote. In text and footnotes only the author’s last name is given, and the date is placed in parentheses.

NOTE: Some instructors prefer that full bibliographical information for each item be given on first occurrence in the notes as well as in the “Works cited” list. When such a reference is given it should take the following form:

G. Zanker, Modes of Viewing in Hellenistic Poetry and Art (Madison, 2004).

Note the difference in form between such a reference and an entry in the “Works Cited” list. When the work is cited in full in the text or notes, the author’s name appears in its everyday form, i.e. initial(s) followed by last name. The date comes at the end, following the place of publication (both in parenthesis). (Note also that while the VIRGO catalog will provide citation forms appropriate to a “Works Cited” list, it does not give them in the proper format for a footnote.)

 

Suggested format for List of “Works Cited”

Entries appear in alphabetical order by author’s last name. Note that the “de” of the Romance languages counts as part of the last name for these purposes (e.g., “de Romilly, J.”) but “von” does not (e.g., “Wilamowitz, U. von”). Dutch “de” is not counted when alphabetizing, but may be placed either before the surname or after the abbreviation of the given name(s) (e.g., “de Jong, I. J. F.” or “Jong, I. J. F. de”, in either case alphabetized under J).

Give authors’ initials only, not full first name. (“Fraenkel, E.,” NOT “Fraenkel, Eduard”). Give two initials if you find them in your source (“Woodman, A. J.,” NOT “Woodman, A.”). Leave space between the first and second initials.

If you list more than one work by the same author, the author’s name should be replaced by three “em dashes” (—) for the second and subsequent entries.

For items by a single author published in the same year, give date and “a” “b” etc., e.g., 1998a.

For monographs (and edited volumes, conference proceedings, etc., but not journals) give place of publication but not publisher.  Use English spelling for place names where it differs (“Rome” NOT “Roma”).

For the titles of journals and standard reference works, use the abbreviations listed in the American Journal of Archaeology 104 (2000) 3-24; that list may be supplemented from L’Année philologique.

For journals that are consecutively paginated within a volume (this includes most classical journals), only the volume number need be given, not the issue number.

In giving volume and page numbers, use Arabic rather than Roman numerals wherever possible. Number inclusively, e.g., 35-40, 100-102, 101-105, 125-135. Give precise pagination (35-45, never 35f.) In addition to f. and ff., avoid the abbreviations ibid. and op. cit. Use p. and pp. only when required for clarity.

Use a hanging indent for entries that run over onto a second line.

Some sample entries illustrating the “Works Cited” format, with notes and observations.

1) Monograph:

Zanker, G. 2004. Modes of Viewing in Hellenistic Poetry and Art. Madison.

Note that place of publication is given, but not publisher.

 

2) Volume in a monograph series:

Wigodsky, M. 1972. Vergil and Early Latin Poetry. Hermes Einzelschriften 24. Wiesbaden.

Here Hermes is italicized because it is the name of a journal. Note that the published versions of lectures delivered in a lecture series (e.g., Sather lectures, Martin lectures) do not constitute a monograph series; they should be treated as ordinary monographs.

 

3) Article in a journal:

Haslam, M. W. 1991. “Kleitias, Stesichoros, and the Jar of Dionysos.” TAPA 121:35-45.

 

4) Article in an edited volume:

Moles, J. L. 1993. “Truth and Untruth in Herodotus and Thucydides.” In C. Gill and T. P. Wiseman, eds. Lies and Fiction in the Ancient World, 88-121. Exeter.

or

Moles, J. L. 1993. “Truth and Untruth in Herodotus and Thucydides.” In Gill and Wiseman (1993) 88-121.

In the second case, the edited volume would have its own entry in the list. The second form may be convenient when more than one item from a volume is cited.

 

5) Article in a volume of conference proceedings:

Amandry, P. 1997. “Recherches sur la cella du temple de Delphes.” In J. G. Heintz, ed. Oracles et prophéties dans l’antiquité: Actes du Colloque de Strasbourg 15-17 Juin 1995, 271-82. Paris.

or

Amandry, P. 1997. “Recherches sur la cella du temple de Delphes.” In Heintz (1997) 271-82.

In the second case, the volume will have its own entry in the list, under the editor’s name.

Note that the reference year is always the date of publication, not the year the conference was held. Note here that in accordance with French (and Italian) usage, only the first word of the title is capitalized (except for proper names).

 

6) Article in Pauly-Wissowa:

Gundel, W. 1933. “Mond.” RE 16.1:76-105.

Latte, K. 1929. “Steinigung.” RE 2nd ser. 3.2:2294-2295.

Note that volume and part number are given as on the spine (but in Arabic numerals). Do not use the confusing form found on the title page (in this case “Einunddreissigster Halbband”). Note that the last third of the alphabet (R-Z) constitutes a second series (numbered 1A etc.), which should be distinguished from the original series (as above). Be aware that the individual sections of longer articles sometimes have different authors; the name at the end of the entry may not be the author of the whole article. Where only the author’s last name is given, you may need to do some research to determine the appropriate initial.

 

7) Untitled book review:

Papadopoulou, T. 2001. review of Burnett (1998). JHS 121:184-5.

The work reviewed would appear further up the list as “Burnett, A. P. 1998.” (etc.) with full bibliographical information.

 

8) Article or review in an electronic journal:

Clauss, J. 2005. Review of Zanker (2004). BMCR 2005.01.02. http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2005/2005-01-02.html (accessed May 1, 2007).

Cross-reference to entry for the book itself. Note that the reference here follows BMCR’s format with year/month/review number. This would not apply to other online journals.

IMPORTANT: Note that print journals accessed online in .pdf format (e.g., through JSTOR) should normally be cited as a print work and follow the corresponding format—not as an online journal with URL, date accessed, etc.

 

9) Reprinted volume:

Bonnet, M. 1890. Le latin de Grégoire de Tours. Paris (Reprinted Hildesheim, 1968).

Note that the year given in the entry is that of the original publication, not the reprint; avoid giving the impression that nineteenth-century scholars were still hard at work decades after their death. For a photographic reprint (such as this one), reference to the reprint could simply have been omitted. Note here that following French (and Italian usage) “latin” is not capitalized, but the proper name “Grégoire de Tours” is.

 

10) Translated volume:

Hartog, F. 1988. The Mirror of Herodotus. Trans. J. Lloyd. Berkeley (originally published 1980).

Note that in this case the year given is the date of the translation, but the publication date of the original French book is also given.

 

11) Work in German:

Kienast, D. 1979. Cato der Zensor. Seine Persönlichkeit und seine Zeit. Darmstadt.

Note use of German conventions for capitalization and use of umlaut. The symbol ß, where it appears, may either be retained or expanded to -ss-.

 

12) Work in Modern Greek:

Brown, L. T. 1987. “Ο κυνικισμός στον Ησίοδον.” ARF 3:11-15.

Note use of monotonic accent system without breathings.

 

13) Work by two or more authors:

Furley, W. D. and Bremer, J. M. 2001. Greek Hymns. 2 vols. Tübingen.

Authors should be listed in the order given on the title page (which may or may not be alphabetical). Each author’s last name should be followed by his or her initials.

 

14) Reprinted article:

Heitsch, E. 1963. “Das Prometheus-Gedicht bei Hesiod.” RhM 106:1-15 (reprinted in Heitsch (1966) 424-435).

———, ed. 1966. Hesiod. Darmstadt.

In the second entry note “ed.”, indicating that this is a volume of essays edited by Heitsch, not a book authored by him.

 

15) Works by same author published in same year:

Nagy, G. 1994a. “Copies and Models in Horace Odes 4.1 and 4.2” CW 87:415-426.

———. 1994b. “The Name of Apollo: Etymology and Essence.” In J. Solomon, ed. Apollo. Origins and Influences, 3-7. Tucson.

 

16) Unpublished thesis or dissertation:

Stoddard, K. 2000. “The Narrative Voice in the Theogony of Hesiod.” Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Virginia.

Note use of quotation marks, not italics, for title.

 

Care and Accuracy.

Your instructors are busy people. It is unreasonable (and discourteous) to expect them to spend time correcting misspelled words and other careless errors. Such mistakes make it more difficult for them to address your arguments and ideas and they leave a poor impression of your academic competence. You should make sure that any work you hand in (including drafts) is prepared in a professional manner. In particular:

• You should make sure to verify all quotations and references against the source. This holds especially for quotations in Greek and Latin, where errors of transcription are especially likely.
• Make sure all items cited in the body of the paper appear in the list of “Works Cited” (and vice versa).
• Check to make sure that foreign names and titles are spelled correctly in the “Works Cited” list.

When you receive a draft back with corrections, make smaller corrections immediately so that they do not persist into subsequent versions. There is nothing more irritating to a supervisor than correcting the same error twice.

 

Other Resources.

For further conventions of spelling, punctuation and printing, consult The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. (Chicago, 2010).

There is much good sense in the following works:

            William Strunk, The Elements of Style, rev. E.B. White, 4th ed. (Boston, 2000).

            Richard Lanham, Revising Prose (New York, 1979).

The Writing Center in Bryan Hall offers appointments and walk-in hours. They do not offer editing or proofreading services, but will happily work with you to clarify your ideas, strengthen your argument, improve your transitions, brush up on your grammar, and improve other writing skills. See

            https://writingrhetoric.as.virginia.edu/welcome-writing-center

Above all, keep in mind that humans are imitative learners. One of the best ways of learning to write about Classics is to read the work of other scholars, not only for content, but also as models of presentation and style.

Appendix 6: overview of the Ph.D. Timeline

 

                        Coursework                                                  Exams and Writing

 

Year One         4 courses one semester                                   one modern language exam

                        3 courses + history audit one semester            first history audit completed by                             the end of year 1

 

Summer:          Work on reading list and languages; prepare for the preliminary exam. 

 

Year Two         3 courses both semesters                                Sep: preliminary translation exam

 

                                                                                             second modern language

 

Summer:         Work on reading list and languages.

 

Year Three       2 courses fall semester                                   Sep/Jan: commentary exam

                        2 courses spring semester (including               second history audit completed by

                        prospectus seminar)                                       the end of year 3

                        + second history audit one semester

 

Year Four         --                                                                   Sept: translation exams, orals

Dec: obtain committee’s approval for the dissertation prospectus

                                                                                             spring: first dissertation chapter

 

Year Five         1 audit both semesters, recommended             second and third dissertation chapters

 

Year Six           1 audit both semesters, recommended             fall: defend dissertation

                                                                                             spring: job talk preparation, further research

 

• No teaching in Years One and Five.

• To be eligible for the Graduate School’s sixth-year dissertation fellowships, two finished chapters are needed by January of Year Five

 

 

For students entering with MAs, Year One in effect combines Years One and Two of the regular track:

 

Year One         3 courses one semester                                   one modern language exam

(≈ Year 1+2)    2 courses + history audit one semester

 

Year Two         2 courses one semester                                   one modern language exam

(≈ Year Three) 2 courses (including prospectus seminar)        Sep/Jan: commentary exam

                        + history audit one semester                          

 

From Year Three on, these students on will be following the schedule of Year Four, etc., above.