Classics

Faculty
Majors in Classics
Minors in Classics
Related Subjects
Honors
Independent Study

Study Abroad
Summer Support For Language Study
Placement In Greek And Latin
Satisfying The College Language Requirements With Greek Or Latin
First-Year Writing Seminars
Caplan Fellowships

The Department of Classics at Cornell is one of the oldest in the country. It offers both the traditional core training in the languages, literature, philosophy, art, and history of ancient Greece and Rome, and also newer approaches developed from the comparative study of Mediterranean civilizations, peace studies, and feminist and literary theory. The broad range of instruction includes courses offered by professors with appointments in the Departments of History, Philosophy, Comparative Literature, History of Art, Linguistics, and Near Eastern Studies, and in the Programs of Archaeology, Medieval Studies, and Religious Studies.

The department offers a wide variety of classical civilization courses in English translation on such subjects as Greek mythology, ancient mystery religions, early Christianity, and Greek and Roman society; ancient epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, satire, novels, and love-poetry; Periclean Athens, Republican Rome, the Roman Empire, and Plato, Aristotle, and Hellenistic philosophy. These courses are designed to introduce aspects of classical antiquity to the students with very divergent primary interests. Courses in art, archaeology, and dendrochronology also have wide appeal. These courses make use of the university’s large collections of ancient coins and of reproductions of sculptures, inscriptions, and other ancient objects. For example, since 1976 over 500 Cornell students have worked in the Aegean Dendrochronology Project’s laboratory, measuring the annual rings on thousands of samples of wood and charcoal, and using the rings to date structures as old as 7000 BCE. In the summers selected students have participated in collecting trips around the eastern end of the Mediterranean (dendro.cornell.edu). Students who wish to gain first-hand archaeological experience may also join one of several summer Cornell-sponsored field projects in Greece and Turkey.

The study of language is a vital part of classics. Offerings range from 1000-level classes designed to further the understanding of English through the study of the Latin and Greek sources of much of its vocabulary, to courses in linguistics on the morphology and syntax of the ancient languages, comparative grammar, and Indo-European (the reconstructed source of the family of languages that includes Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, and most modern European languages).

The core function of the department is the study of ancient Greek and Latin. Elementary Greek and Latin are taught in both two-semester courses and intensive summer courses. (For students whose Latin is a bit rusty, the department also offers a rapid, one-semester review class.) Students with a more advanced knowledge of Greek or Latin can choose from a wide selection of courses, from intermediate language classes at the 2000-level, which refresh and broaden knowledge of syntax and vocabulary, to graduate and faculty reading groups. All of these courses concentrate on exciting literary texts, whether the poems of Catullus and Virgil, or the dialogues of Plato and Xenophon, at the 2000-level, or, in the advanced reading groups, the latest papyrological discoveries, such as the “new” fragments of Empedocles’ cosmic poem or the “new” epigrams of Posidippus.

The primary purpose of language instruction is to make possible the study at first hand of the extraordinary range of powerful and challenging ideas embodied in Greek and Latin texts. The department offers undergraduate and graduate seminars on literary, linguistic, historical, and philosophical topics, studied through the Greek and Latin works of authors from Homer (probably from the eighth century BCE) to Boethius (sixth century BCE), and occasionally from later writers such as Dante, Petrarch, or Milton. The department strives to adapt its program to the needs of individual students from all disciplines.

Website: classics.cornell.edu

Faculty

C. Brittain, chair; F. M. Ahl, C. Barrett, T. Brennan, K. G. Fine, M. Fontaine, director of graduate studies; K. Haines-Eitzen, D. Mankin, S. Manning, A. Nussbaum, H. Pelliccia, V. Platt, director of undergraduate studies; P. Pucci, E. Rebillard, C. Roby, A. Ruppel, J. Rusten, B. Strauss, M. Weiss.

Majors in Classics:

The major in Classics offers four tracks, which are Greek, Latin, classics, and classical civilization. Only classes passed with a C– or better may be applied to the classics major.

Classics:

The classics track requires: (1) six courses in Greek and Latin numbered 2101 or above; (2) either CLASS 2675 /HIST 2650 or one term of CLASS 2681 /HIST 2670 –CLASS 2682 /HIST 2671 , and (3) two courses in other related subjects selected in consultation with the student’s departmental advisor (see Related Subjects). Classics majors are required to take a minimum of two 3000-level courses in one language and one 3000-level course in the other.

Students who are considering graduate study in classics are strongly advised to complete the classics major.

Greek:

The Greek track requires: (1) GREEK 2101 ; (2) five courses in Greek numbered 2101 or above; (3) CLASS 2675 /HIST 2650 ; and (4) two courses in other related subjects selected in consultation with the student’s departmental advisor (see Related Subjects). The courses in Greek must include at least three at the 3000-level.

Latin:

The Latin track requires: (1) LATIN 1205 or LATIN 2201 ; (2) five courses in Latin numbered 2202 or above; (3) one term of CLASS 2681 /HIST 2670 –CLASS 2682 /HIST 2671 ; and (4) two courses in other related subjects selected in consultation with the student’s departmental advisor (see Related Subjects). The courses in Latin must include at least three at the 3000-level.

Classical Civilization:

The classical civilization track requires: (1) either (a) two 2000-level courses in either ancient Greek or Latin, or (b) one course at the 2000-level in ancient Greek and Latin; (2) either (a): CLASS 2601 or CLASS 2603 and one term of CLASS 2681 /HIST 2670 –CLASS 2682 /HIST 2671 , or (b): CLASS 2612 and CLASS 2675 /HIST 2650 ; (3) one course at the 2000-level in ancient Greek or Roman material culture; and (4) six additional courses in classical civilization, classical archaeology, ancient history, ancient philosophy, ancient Greek or Latin (at 2000-level or above), or related subjects (this last may number up to two, selected in consultation with the student’s departmental advisor).

Minors in Classics:

The department of Classics offers two minors:

The Minor in Classical Civilization consists of six coherent Classics courses, excluding 1000-level courses in Greek, Latin, or writing seminars. It does not include a language requirement.
The Minor in Classics consists of five coherent Classics courses, excluding first-year language classes. It includes a language requirement: students have to attain proficiency in either Greek or Latin. (The term “proficiency” is used to indicate that the student has passed a third semester class in that language.)

Since Classics comprises a diverse group of subjects, each minor is offered in four different tracks:

Classical Literature
Ancient History (with emphasis on either Greek or Roman)
Ancient Philosophy
Classical Art and Archaeology

To initiate either minor, the student selects a minor adviser from the Classics faculty, and in consultation with the adviser draws up a program of courses in the preferred track. The courses selected should form a coherent cluster that makes sense to both the adviser and the student. To be admitted to the minor, the student and adviser then submit this plan of study to the Classics Director of Undergraduate Studies for approval.

The plan of study must comprise at least six, for the minor in Classical Civilization, five for the minor in Classics, courses at the 2000-level or above, of which at least two must be at the 3000-level or above. The courses are to be chosen from those offered as CLASS, LATIN or GREEK. (Courses in Modern Greek do not count towards either minor.)

Students who complete the minor requirements will have their minor in Classics or Classical Civilization represented on their transcript.

Related Subjects:

Classics is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the study of Mediterranean civilizations from the 15th century BCE to the sixth century CE. Subjects in the field include Greek and Latin language, literature, and linguistics; ancient philosophy, history, archaeology, and art history; papyrology, epigraphy, and numismatics. In addition to the required courses in language and literature, the majors include a requirement for related courses intended to give breadth and exposure to the other disciplines within the field and to enrich the student’s study of classical languages and literature. Since the influence of the Greek and Roman world extended far beyond antiquity, a related course may focus on some aspect of the classical tradition in a later period. Students select related courses in consultation with their departmental advisors or the director of undergraduate studies.

Honors:

Candidates for the degree of bachelor of arts with honors in classics, Greek, Latin, or classical civilization must fulfill the requirements of the appropriate major and complete the two-semester honors course, CLASS 4721 –CLASS 4722 . (Credit for the honors course may be included in the credits required for the major.) Candidates for honors must have a cumulative average grade of 3.0 and an average of 3.5 in their major. Students choose an honors advisor by the end of their sixth semester, in consultation with the departmental honors committee or the DUS. By the second week of their seventh semester, they submit an outline of their proposed research to their advisor and the committee. The thesis is written in the second semester of the course, under the supervision of the student’s honors advisor. The level of honors is determined by the committee, in consultation with students’ advisors. Copies of successful honors theses are filed with the department. Further details about this program are provided in the brochure Guidelines for Honors in Classics, available in the department office, 120 Goldwin Smith Hall, or on the department website: www.classics.cornell.edu/undergraduate/honors-study/index.cfm.

Independent Study:

Independent study at the 3000-level may be undertaken by undergraduates upon completion of one semester of work at the 3000-level in the relevant field and only with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies.

Study Abroad:

Cornell is associated with four programs that provide opportunities for summer, semester, or year-long study abroad in Greece and Italy. The American School of Classical Studies at Athens offers a summer program for graduate students and qualified undergraduates; College Year in Athens offers semester-long courses (consult Cornell Abroad for details). The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome provides semester-long courses in Latin, Greek, ancient history, art, archaeology, and Italian; the American Academy in Rome offers both full-year and summer programs for qualified graduate students. The Department of Classics awards several travel grants each year for graduate students from the Townsend Memorial Fund; undergraduates are eligible for the Caplan Travel Fellowships (see “Caplan Fellowships,” below). Detailed information on these programs is available in the department office, 120 Goldwin Smith Hall.

Summer Support for Language Study:

The Department of Classics has at its disposal resources to assist students who wish to enroll in intensive Latin or Greek in the Cornell summer session. These courses are designed to enable students to enter second-year Latin or Greek the following fall. Preference is given to undergraduate majors in classics and other students needing Latin or Greek for completion of their majors or graduate programs; dyslexic students are accorded additional preference. Two different kinds of support are available: (1) The Kanders–Townsend Prize Fellowship provides full tuition, and a stipend for living expenses, for either GREEK 1103 or LATIN 1203 , and is open only to freshman or sophomore classics majors (or potential classics majors) who have already begun one classical language and wish to start the other in the summer. (2) Classics department tuition support is open to Cornell undergraduate and graduate students and provides some level of tuition support, up to the full amount; no stipend for living expenses is offered. Applications are due to the chair of the Department of Classics by March 31. See also “Caplan Fellowships,” below.

Placement in Greek and Latin:

Placement of first-year undergraduates in Greek and Latin courses is determined by examinations given by the Department of Classics during orientation week. For details concerning these examinations, contact the director of undergraduate studies.

Satisfying the College Language Requirements with Greek or Latin:

Ancient Greek: Option 1 is satisfied by taking GREEK 2101 or above. Option 2 is satisfied by taking either (a) GREEK 1101 , GREEK 1102 , and GREEK 2101 or (b) GREEK 1103 and GREEK 2101 . (GREEK 1103 counts as two courses. Although credits for GREEK 1103 and GREEK 2101 add up to only 9, this sequence does satisfy Option 2 of the college’s language requirement.)

Modern Greek: Option 1 is satisfied by taking GREEK 2144 . Option 2 is satisfied by taking GREEK 1141 , GREEK 1142 and GREEK 1143 .

Latin: Option 1 is satisfied by taking LATIN 2201 or above. Option 2 is satisfied by taking either (a) LATIN 1201 , LATIN 1202 , and LATIN 1205 or (b) LATIN 1203 and LATIN 1205 . (LATIN 1203 counts as two courses. Although credits for LATIN 1203 and LATIN 1205 add up to only 9, this sequence does satisfy Option 2 of the college’s language requirement.) The sequence LATIN 1204 –LATIN 1205 does not satisfy Option 2. Students can place into LATIN 2201 with an A– or better in LATIN 1202 , LATIN 1203 or LATIN 1204 . Upon completing LATIN 2201 , they satisfy Option 1. LATIN 1204 overlaps with LATIN 1202 therefore cannot be taken (or counted toward the degree) after completing LATIN 1202 or LATIN 1203 .

First-Year Writing Seminars:

The department offers first-year writing seminars on a wide range of classical and medieval topics. Consult the John S. Knight Institute website for times, instructors, and descriptions.

Caplan Fellowships:

The Harry Caplan Travel Fellowships are awarded annually to one or two outstanding juniors by the College of Arts and Sciences for summer travel or projects in Europe or the Near East. Interested juniors should consult the director of undergraduate studies.