Program Expectations

NOTE for present students: The requirements described here are new, and apply to students entering in fall 2023 and later. Present students are, strictly speaking, subject to the old requirements, but the spirit of the new requirements will be applied wherever possible, following this transition plan.

Here we draw attention to some of the main responsibilities students take on when they enter the program and as they work toward meeting requirements:

Latin and Greek reading

It is expected that students will read widely and carefully in Greek and Latin literature throughout their time in graduate school, outside the readings assigned in their courses.

All students are expected to continue working intensively on language and literature, drawing on the advice and mentorship of faculty members as appropriate and making use of the elective options provided within the coursework requirements in consultation with the graduate chair. Coursework alone is not enough; students should be in the habit of using their free time to read Greek and Latin texts and improve language skills in Greek, Latin, and relevant modern languages.

Some indication of the range of reading experience and competency that we expect from students after their first or second year is given by the Short List that is the focus of each Reading Greek and Reading Latin course, together with the Long List of authors. But these are by no means exhaustive.

Research seminars

We believe that research seminars are the cornerstone of graduate education. They introduce students to skills, methods, and subjects that will closely inform their future work. This explains the requirement that at least six seminars be taken during the program and that one be taken every semester (with flexibility only in the third year).

We also believe that the seminars taken in the program should not be limited to topics in Greek and Latin literature, and this is the basis for the designation that the six required seminars be in “Greek or Roman literature and culture (including ancient history, archaeology, linguistics, philosophy, reception, etc.) (usually 7000-level in ANCH / CLST / AAMW / GREK / LATN).”

Seminars allow students from different years to communicate both with faculty and with each other, to create a productive working dialogue. First-year students learn how to talk in a seminar from listening to their older peers, while more advanced students learn pedagogical and mentoring skills from interacting with their juniors. Seminars provide students' first and most important opportunity to practice many of the skills that will prove essential to them in the profession, when they will have to produce conference papers, lectures, academic books and articles, and classroom presentations. Skills practiced in the seminar environment include the ability to communicate in a clear and engaging way with students and colleagues; the ability to present ideas, both through class presentations and through seminar papers; the ability to respond constructively to challenges and alternative perspectives.

Students are encouraged to maximize the quality of each seminar. Program requirements permit students to combine seminar work, which is always substantial, with other elective options.

Independent studies

Two other crucial components of graduate education are: (i) the student’s ability to articulate goals specific to their needs and interests and to develop independent work habits in pursuit of these; and (ii) experience in working with a faculty mentor to specialize in a topic, acquiring the methods and materials relevant to research in the chosen subject area.

These correspond to the two types of independent study allowed for in the program:

(i) Truly independent and self-guided independent studies are the elective options that include:

  • CLST 6699 Graduate Reading Group in Greek and/or Latin, in which two or more students propose a course of reading and topics in literary history
  • CLST 8888 Local Project, focusing on a specific community-service or public-facing project or participation in an outreach program
  • CLST 9999 Independent Study, pursuing a specific research topic, reading in a specific subject area or scholarly literature in English and other languages,  or preparing a conference paper, publication, or comparable project.

These options do not involve weekly tuition or meetings with faculty, though students are encouraged to consult with faculty each month.

Each requires a faculty sponsor—a faculty member with whom the student(s) have discussed the proposal and who has approved it as a viable course of study. Students are required to check in with the faculty sponsor on a monthly basis, and participants are welcome to invite other faculty members for discussion of specific topics, but without weekly supervision.

These studies are subject to advance approval by the graduate chair, who will review both the proposal and the outcome of the work in consultation with the faculty sponsor; students receive a grade of S / U (Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory). Proposals must be submitted at least one week prior to the beginning of classes, using the official template that can be obtained by emailing the graduate chair. 

(ii) Supervised independent studies are the more circumscribed, required coursework designated by CLST / GREK / LATN 9991 Special Topic, of which two are required in the third year. These are a kind of tutorial in a special subject and typically involve weekly meetings with a faculty advisor.

Each of the two Special Topics allows a student to work closely with the advisor to gain a thorough acquaintance with a field of study that will be the focus of one set of questions in the Preliminary Examination at the end of the third year.
They are taught as an overload by faculty (i.e., they are taught over and above the faculty member’s regular courseload); students receive a letter grade.

For both kinds of independent study, the expectation is that students will have a clear idea of their proposed topic, including a preliminary bibliography and account of the motivation for the study, before approaching faculty for sponsorship or advising.

It is important to note that independent studies need to be treated as significant coursework with an equivalent or potentially greater time-commitment to regular coursework. Students proceeding from the first to the second year of the program, in particular, will face an increase in workload due to the continuing requirement to enroll for 3 c.u. of coursework while undertaking teaching responsibilities during the second and third years. Students are thus urged to ensure that their courseplan does not result in the “squeezing” that could result in the neglect of their independent studies.