Graduate
We offer a master of arts degree in Classics (Latin and Greek together) and in Latin alone. Many of our students are preparing for careers in teaching at the secondary level or for careers in related fields, or planning to pursue a Ph.D.
The M.A. in Classics requires 10 courses (30 credits) in Greek and Latin at the graduate level, completion of an independent reading list, demonstration of proficiency in a modern foreign language, usually French or German, and comprehensive written and oral examinations.
Six advanced language courses a year are normally available to graduate students. Additional courses may be available through the Boston-area consortium and (with departmental permission) classical civilization courses may be taken at BC. Students are encouraged to develop a seminar paper into a conference paper for presentation.
Proficiency is demonstrated by a one-hour translation test in which the use of a dictionary is allowed. This test does not form part of the comprehensive exams. It should be taken at a student's earliest convenience, the sooner the better.
These include written translation exams in Greek and Latin, a two-hour written essay exam in Greek literature, a two-hour written essay exam in Latin literature, and a one-hour oral exam.
Each written translation exam, one for Greek and one for Latin, requires the translation of three (out of four) passages. The translation exams are based on the reading list; use of a dictionary is not allowed.
The comprehensive exams, one on the Greek side and one on the Roman side, offer four essay topics of which the student will choose three. These essays are an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of the ancient world by drawing on different authors, genres, and other kinds of evidence to comment on larger thematic issues in the ancient world.
The oral exam is open-ended, testing whether a student can engage in an hour-long conversation about classical literature, its historical contexts, and its place in the modern world. A supplementary reading list suggests books on political, social, and literary history to help prepare.
The reading list lays out the works we expect students to gain familiarity with in the course of their studies. Some of these works will be the focus of our courses while others should be the object of individual and group study.
Supplementary Reading List
As a general background to the study of classical antiquity, we strongly recommend that you read some basic works on the political and social history of Greece and Rome, especially if you have never taken a course on those subjects. The books below are recent classics that we like, but there are many available; feel free to make substitutions.
For Greece
- Robin Osborne, Greece in the Making, 1200-479 BC
- Simon Hornblower, The Greek World, 479-323 BC
- Loren J. Samons, ed. Cambridge Companion to the Age of Pericles
- Greek social history: e.g. J.N. Davidson, Courtesans & Fishcakes: The Consuming Passions of Classical Athens
For Rome
- Harriet Flower, Roman Republics
- Colin Wells, The Roman Empire
- Ronald Syme, The Roman Revolution
- Roman social history: e.g. Robert Knapp, Invisible Romans; Potter & Mattingly, Life, Death, and Entertainment in the Roman Empire (esp. good on religion, demography, & spectacles); Michael Peachin, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Roman Social Relations; T. Wiseman, Catullus and His World
For literary history
- Gian Biagio Conte, Latin Literature: A History
- Tim Whitmarsh, Ancient Greek Literature
Limited scholarship aid is available, chiefly in the form of tuition remission. A teaching assistantship, which carries a stipend in addition to free tuition, is offered for one semester.
The M.A. in Latin requires 10 courses (30 credits) in Latin at the graduate level, completion of an independent reading list, demonstration of proficiency in a modern foreign language (usually French or German), and comprehensive written and oral examinations.
Four courses a year are normally available to graduate students. Students who follow this track either supplement their coursework by taking courses at consortium universities (BU, Brandeis, Tufts), or pursue the degree part-time over three years. Consortium courses are covered by tuition benefits, but must be approved by BC faculty.
Proficiency is demonstrated by a one-hour translation test, in which the use of a dictionary is allowed. This test does not form part of the comprehensive exams. It may be taken at a student's earliest convenience, the sooner the better.
These include a two-hour exam in Latin poetry, a two-hour exam in Latin prose, and an oral exam.
Each written exam requires the translation of three passages and the composition of an essay about one of them; the essay asks a student to identify the passage in its literary context and the author in his historical context. Written exams are based on the reading list and on a student's coursework. Use of a dictionary is not allowed.
The oral exam is open-ended, testing whether a student can keep a conversation going for an hour on the topic of Latin literature in its historical context. A supplementary reading list suggests books on political, social, and literary history.
The list contains options as well as requirements. Each student will be expected, before taking comprehensive exams, to submit an individualized list.
As a general background for the study of classical literature, a student should read several books on Roman history. Many are available. This list contains suggestions, but feel free to make substitutions.
- Harriet Flower, Roman Republics
- Colin Wells, The Roman Empire
- Ronald Syme, The Roman Revolution
- Roman social history: e.g. Robert Knapp, Invisible Romans; Potter & Mattingly, Life, Death, and Entertainment in the Roman Empire (esp. good on religion, demography, & spectacles); Michael Peachin, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Roman Social Relations; T. Wiseman, Catullus and His World
For literary history, the standard reference work is now the Cambridge History of Classical Literature, (Vol. I = Greece, Vol. II = Rome). The articles on individual authors are, in general, state of the art and the bibliographies are ample (up-to-date to 1982). Copies are available in the reference section in O'Neill Library.
For shorter articles and bibliography (to c. 1996) on authors, genres, historical figures, mythology, etc., see the Oxford Classical Dictionary, 3rd edition, available in the Classics Department office and in O'Neill Library.
Affordable in paperback and still useful for reference are H. J. Rose's Histories of Greek and Latin Literature; for mythological references the most convenient guide is Edward Tripp, The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology.
Limited scholarship aid is available, chiefly in the form of tuition remission. A teaching assistantship, which carries a stipend in addition to free tuition, is offered for one semester.
Additional Ancient Language Study Opportunities
The Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Theology and Ministry offer coursework and host reading groups in the languages of the Bible, Church Fathers (Patristic Texts), ancient Greece and Rome both for graduate and undergraduate students.
