Classics

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2016-17 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

About the Program

The program of studies which leads to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Classics at Berkeley is designed to give a thorough preparation in the fundamentals of classical scholarship while encouraging the pursuit of intellectual enquiry and the development of original research according to the capacity and interests of the individual student. The examination and course requirements which every student must satisfy before being advanced to candidacy to write a dissertation are intended to ensure attainment, up to at least the minimum level essential for a classical scholar, of specific skills and all-round competence in the languages (ancient and modern), in the history, literature, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, in the fundamental techniques of scholarship, and in the ability to sustain informed and penetrating discussion; the dissertation is intended to demonstrate the student’s ability to make a successfully independent and original contribution to research.

In addition the program has a practical professional aim. The holder of a Berkeley PhD in Classics should be able to teach any lower division course in Greek or Latin, any upper division course in the language of special emphasis, and graduate courses in at least one area in the language of special emphasis and/or in an area common to both languages. This is the minimal aim, but all will be encouraged to go beyond it.

Visit Department Website

Admissions

Admission to the University

Minimum Requirements for Admission

The following minimum requirements apply to all graduate programs and will be verified by the Graduate Division:

  1. A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;
  2. A grade point average of B or better (3.0);
  3. If the applicant comes from a country or political entity (e.g., Quebec) where English is not the official language, adequate proficiency in English to do graduate work, as evidenced by a TOEFL score of at least 90 on the iBT test, 570 on the paper-and-pencil test, or an IELTS Band score of at least 7 (note that individual programs may set higher levels for any of these); and
  4. Sufficient undergraduate training to do graduate work in the given field.

Applicants Who Already Hold a Graduate Degree

The Graduate Council views academic degrees not as vocational training certificates, but as evidence of broad training in research methods, independent study, and articulation of learning. Therefore, applicants who already have academic graduate degrees should be able to pursue new subject matter at an advanced level without need to enroll in a related or similar graduate program.

Programs may consider students for an additional academic master’s or professional master’s degree only if the additional degree is in a distinctly different field.

Applicants admitted to a doctoral program that requires a master’s degree to be earned at Berkeley as a prerequisite (even though the applicant already has a master’s degree from another institution in the same or a closely allied field of study) will be permitted to undertake the second master’s degree, despite the overlap in field.

The Graduate Division will admit students for a second doctoral degree only if they meet the following guidelines:

  1. Applicants with doctoral degrees may be admitted for an additional doctoral degree only if that degree program is in a general area of knowledge distinctly different from the field in which they earned their original degree. For example, a physics PhD could be admitted to a doctoral degree program in music or history; however, a student with a doctoral degree in mathematics would not be permitted to add a PhD in statistics.
  2. Applicants who hold the PhD degree may be admitted to a professional doctorate or professional master’s degree program if there is no duplication of training involved.

Applicants may apply only to one single degree program or one concurrent degree program per admission cycle.

Required Documents for Applications

  1. Transcripts: Applicants may upload unofficial transcripts with your application for the departmental initial review. If the applicant is admitted, then official transcripts of all college-level work will be required. Official transcripts must be in sealed envelopes as issued by the school(s) attended. If you have attended Berkeley, upload your unofficial transcript with your application for the departmental initial review. If you are admitted, an official transcript with evidence of degree conferral will not be required.
  2. Letters of recommendation: Applicants may request online letters of recommendation through the online application system. Hard copies of recommendation letters must be sent directly to the program, not the Graduate Division.
  3. Evidence of English language proficiency: All applicants from countries or political entities in which the official language is not English are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. This applies to applicants from Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, most European countries, and Quebec (Canada). However, applicants who, at the time of application, have already completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better at a US university may submit an official transcript from the US university to fulfill this requirement. The following courses will not fulfill this requirement:
    • courses in English as a Second Language,
    • courses conducted in a language other than English,
    • courses that will be completed after the application is submitted, and
    • courses of a non-academic nature.

If applicants have previously been denied admission to Berkeley on the basis of their English language proficiency, they must submit new test scores that meet the current minimum from one of the standardized tests.

Where to Apply

Visit the Berkeley Graduate Division application page . 

Admission to the Program

Competition for admission to graduate study at Berkeley is extremely keen. In recent years there have been from 60-80 applicants per year, and the department’s admission quota has been around 12 to 16 admits, with the expectation that 5 to 7 new students will enroll each fall. While some applicants are denied admission for lack of adequate preparation or for undistinguished academic records, a substantial number each year who are judged capable of doing good graduate work at Berkeley are denied admission through a process of competitive ranking. The department's policy is to try to limit enrollment to the number of students who can be fully supported through a normal graduate career.

Applicants are judged by an admissions committee of 5 to 7 faculty members, including the graduate adviser. The committee represents a variety of specialties and interests, and different members assign somewhat different weights to the various criteria for admission, which include the following:

  1. Preparation: In Greek and Latin. Whether the applicant has a major in Greek or Latin or classical languages or some other subject, the committee is looking for, as a minimum, language preparation more or less equivalent to what is received in the undergraduate major at Berkeley itself. This includes a full year of introductory language study, three additional semesters in central authors or texts of each language (e.g., Homer [3-4 books], Plato [a short dialogue], Greek drama [1 complete play], Vergil [3-4 books], Republican prose [40-50 pages], Horace [30 poems]) plus two additional semesters of more advanced reading in either Greek or Latin. In practice, a student with two years of study in the weaker language is usually considered marginally prepared.
    An applicant with an MA is expected to offer substantially stronger preparation in at least one of the two languages, since the committee will be judging such an applicant against a real or notional pool of other MA students and not against students with only a BA.
    Elements of additional preparation which reflect favorably on an applicant include: courses in Greek or Latin composition; especially extensive reading in one or both languages; reading knowledge of modern languages (particularly German and/or French or Italian); courses in ancient history, classical civilization, ancient and world literature in translation, philosophy, art history, archaeology, anthropology, and other disciplines that are helpful to the broad range of classical studies.
  2. Academic Distinction: The committee considers overall GPA, GPA in junior and senior years, and GPA in classics courses, with emphasis on the last two and especially on the last. Successful applicants in recent years have usually offered a junior/senior GPA in the range of 3.6 to 4.0, with many above 3.8. A student who has floundered in other fields earlier in his or her undergraduate education and then performed well upon discovering classics is not necessarily at a disadvantage because of the earlier record, although the committee is duly impressed by candidates who have been able to achieve excellence in many disciplines.
    The department has had many students from overseas and in evaluating academic distinction makes every effort to make appropriate allowances for the differences in grading and examination systems. Successful applicants from Great Britain usually have a first class or a high second class degree.
  3. Letters of Recommendation: A minimum of three letters of recommendation is required. The Committee values letters that are frank and specific as to the applicant’s achievement and promise. If possible, recommenders should make comparisons with other students they know have applied to or enrolled at Berkeley. The contacts for letters of recommendation will be entered by you during the online application process. Recommenders will be contacted via email to submit their recommendation online.
  4. GRE Scores: GRE scores are normally required by the Classics Department of all students receiving a BA in North America and of those overseas students whose native language is English or who have studied for one or more years at a university at which classes are conducted in English. Applicants are strongly advised to take the October GRE, since results of later exams may not arrive in time to be given due consideration in the admission and fellowship competition. There is disagreement on most committees about how important and relevant the GRE scores are, and some members do not attend to the quantitative score. GRE scores older than 5 years old will not be accepted. Code 2609 (Classical Languages) should be used to have GRE scores reported to the department by ETS.
  5. Statement of Purpose: The committee appreciates clearly-written and cogent statements of purpose explaining why applicants are interested in graduate work in classics, what they hope to accomplish, and where their eventual specialization may lie. The statement of purpose is also the appropriate place for the applicant to address and explain any particular weaknesses in the dossier.
  6. Writing Sample: The committee finds it helpful for candidates to submit a sample of scholarly writing, such as a paper written for a course or a portion of a senior honors thesis. (A candidate who wishes to submit an entire honors thesis should submit a summary with the application and indicate its most representative sections.) Writing samples are submitted as part of the online application. Members of committees differ in their treatment of writing samples. Some refer to them only if they judge the previous five criteria insufficiently indicative.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Curriculum

Courses Required
CLASSIC 200Proseminar4
CLASSIC 203Approaches to Classical Literature4
Elective Seminars (40 units in 200 series; 200, 250, 260, not counted):
5 Electives Letter-graded A- or Higher
5 Electives in minimum of three out of six specified fields (with 2 electives minimum in one of six specified fields)
Greek Subjects (4 units must be CLASSIC 201A, CLASSIC 201B, OR CLASSIC 250)16
Latin Subjects (4 units must be CLASSIC 202A, CLASSIC 202B, OR CLASSIC 260)
CLASSIC 375Teaching of Classics: Methods and Problems3

Courses

Literature and Culture:

Languages:

Classics

CLASSIC 200 Proseminar 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2012
An introduction to the general literature of classical philology, to methods of research, and to textual criticism.
Proseminar: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 201A Survey of Greek Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2015, Fall 2013
A sequence of readings and lectures on Greek literature.
Survey of Greek Literature: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 201B Survey of Greek Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Spring 2014
A sequence of readings and lectures on Greek literature.
Survey of Greek Literature: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 202A Survey of Latin Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2012
A sequence of readings and lectures on Latin literature.
Survey of Latin Literature: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 202B Survey of Latin Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2013
A sequence of readings and lectures on Latin literature.
Survey of Latin Literature: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 203 Approaches to Classical Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2016, Fall 2013
Introduction to basic methods of literary analysis and interpretation, and study of particular critical approaches of significance for the understanding of Classical literature. Close reading of selected passages of Greek and Latin will be emphasized. The critical approaches that are to be studied may vary from year to year. The course will be team taught.
Approaches to Classical Literature: Read More [+]

CLASSIC C204 Proseminar in Classical Archaeology and Ancient Art 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Spring 2012, Spring 2010
This seminar is intended to introduce graduate students--both archaeologists and non-archaeologists--to the discipline of classical archaeology, history, and evolution, and its research tools and bibliography. Since it is both impossible and undesirable to attempt to cover the entire discipline in one semester, after two introductory lectures on the history of the field, we will address a selection of topics that seems representative of its concerns.
Proseminar in Classical Archaeology and Ancient Art: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 211 Archaic Greek Poetry 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2014
. Topics in iambic, elegiac, and lyric poets from Archilochus to Pindar.
Archaic Greek Poetry: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 213 Hellenistic Poetry 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2011, Fall 2004, Fall 1999
. Study of Callimachus, Theocritus, Apollonius, or other topics in Hellenistic poetry and poetics.
Hellenistic Poetry: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 214 Greek Drama 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Fall 2013
. Study of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Menander, or other topics in Greek drama and dramatic theory.
Greek Drama: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 218 Greek Philosophers 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2015
Study of PreSocratics, Plato, Aristotle, Hellenistic Philosophy, or other topics in ancient Greek philosophy through Plotinus.
Greek Philosophers: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 219 Ancient Novel 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2010, Fall 2005, Spring 1996
Study of Greek novelists, Petronius, Apuleius, or other topics in Greco-Roman romance or novel.
Ancient Novel: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 220A Greek and Latin Epigraphy 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2011, Spring 2008
Greek epigraphy
Greek and Latin Epigraphy: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 224 Classical Poetics and Rhetoric 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Fall 1996
Ancient views of literature; theories and practice of criticism, scholarship, and education, from Homer to Byzantium.
Classical Poetics and Rhetoric: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 225 Papyrology 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2013, Spring 2010
The course introduces students to Greek papyrology. Its principal aim is to develop the skills necessary to edit and interpret papyrological texts. Sessions are devoted to learning the techniques of papyrology and to investigating historical issues to which the papyrological corpus has much to contribute (the ancient economy, gender in antiquity, education, etc.). Extensive use will be made of Berkeley's outstanding collection of papyri from Tebtunis.
Papyrology: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 226 Myth and Literature 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2009, Spring 2003
A study of the interplay of mythical thinking and formal literary expression in texts of all kinds in the Greco-Roman world.
Myth and Literature: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 228 Ancient Society and Law 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Fall 2009, Fall 2008
. Study of social, legal, or administrative structures of the Greek or Roman world.
Ancient Society and Law: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 230 Latin Poetry of the Republic and Early Empire 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2013
. Study of Lucretius, Vergil, Horace, Ovid, or other topics in Latin poetry from Ennius to Juvenal.
Latin Poetry of the Republic and Early Empire: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 239 Topics in Greek or Roman Literature, History, and Culture 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Select issues in ancient Greek and/or Roman literature or history or culture.
Topics in Greek or Roman Literature, History, and Culture: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 250 Advanced Greek Composition 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2015
Advanced instruction in the writing of Greek prose.
Advanced Greek Composition: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 260 Advanced Latin Composition 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Spring 2014
Advanced instruction in the writing of Latin prose.
Advanced Latin Composition: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 270 Seminar in Classical Archaeology 2 or 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016
Advanced study of ancient Greek art objects and sites.
Seminar in Classical Archaeology: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 298 Special Study 2 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016
Normally reserved for students writing the doctoral dissertation.
Special Study: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 299 Special Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session, Spring 2017
Special individual study for qualified graduate students.
Special Study: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 302 Teaching Practicum 3 - 6 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Supervised teaching of lower division Greek, Latin, or Classics or of discussion sections in Classics. Two semesters normally required for Ph.D. candidates.
Teaching Practicum: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 375 Teaching of Classics: Methods and Problems 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Seminar in problems of teaching. Required for all new graduate student instructors.
Teaching of Classics: Methods and Problems: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 601 Individual Study for Master's Candidates 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2014
Individual study for the comprehensive or language requirements in consultation with the graduate adviser or personal adviser. Units may not be used to meet either unit or residence requirements for a master's degree.
Individual Study for Master's Candidates: Read More [+]

CLASSIC 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Candidates 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2014
Individual study in consultation with the graduate adviser or personal adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare themselves for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D. May not be used for unit or residence requirements for the doctoral degree.
Individual Study for Doctoral Candidates: Read More [+]

Greek

GREEK 1 Elementary Greek 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Beginners' course.
Elementary Greek: Read More [+]

GREEK 2 Elementary Greek 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Beginners' course.
Elementary Greek: Read More [+]

GREEK 10 Intensive Elementary Greek 8 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
Beginners' course (intensive); equivalent to Greek 1-2.
Intensive Elementary Greek: Read More [+]

GREEK 15 The Greek Workshop 10 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Summer 2017 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2015 10 Week Session
Designed for anyone who wishes to acquire reading knowledge of ancient Greek; replaces 2+ semesters of traditional study. Lectures, discussions, drills and tutorial sessions on grammar and vocabulary; readings in prose and poetry (e.g., Homer, Plato, Greek Tragedy, the Gospels).

The Greek Workshop: Read More [+]

GREEK 40 Intermediate Greek Prose Composition 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014
. Development of skills in writing Attic prose and sight reading; grammar review.
Intermediate Greek Prose Composition: Read More [+]

GREEK 98 Directed Group Study for Freshmen and Sophomores 1 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012

Directed Group Study for Freshmen and Sophomores: Read More [+]

GREEK 99 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013

Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]

GREEK 100 Plato and Attic Prose 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Readings from Plato's or , and from other Attic prose authors (e.g., Xenophon, Lysias); some review of grammar.
Plato and Attic Prose: Read More [+]

GREEK 101 Homer 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Selected readings in the or .
Homer: Read More [+]

GREEK 102 Drama and Society 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Reading of one Greek tragedy, and of further selections from the dramatists and/or prose literature of fifth century Athens.
Drama and Society: Read More [+]

GREEK 105 The Greek New Testament 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2012
Readings in the Gospels and/or Acts and/or Epistles.
The Greek New Testament: Read More [+]

GREEK 115 Archaic Poetry 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2008
Readings in various Greek poets.
Archaic Poetry: Read More [+]

GREEK 116 Greek Drama 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2015, Spring 2013, Spring 2012
Selected readings from Greek tragedy and/or comedy.
Greek Drama: Read More [+]

GREEK 117 Hellenistic Poets 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2009, Fall 2002, Fall 2000
Readings in various Hellenistic poets.
Hellenistic Poets: Read More [+]

GREEK 120 Herodotus 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2012, Spring 2006
Readings in Herodotus.
Herodotus: Read More [+]

GREEK 121 Thucydides 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2014, Spring 2011, Fall 2007
Readings in Thucydides.
Thucydides: Read More [+]

GREEK 122 Attic Oratory 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2013, Fall 2006
Readings in oratory.
Attic Oratory: Read More [+]

GREEK 123 Plato and Aristotle 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Spring 2013
Readings in Plato and Aristotle.
Plato and Aristotle: Read More [+]

GREEK 125 Greek Literature of the Hellenistic and Imperial Periods 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2016, Spring 2014, Fall 2011
Selected readings in Greek prose or poetry written by authors active during the Hellenistic Age and the Roman Empire (3rd century BCE to 6th century CE).
Greek Literature of the Hellenistic and Imperial Periods: Read More [+]

GREEK H195A Honors Course in Greek 2 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 1998
This is a two-semester Honors course [H195A-B]. The work for the Honors course may either build on work in a previous upper division course used in fulfillment of the Greek major or may be a newly conceived project. The work will result in the writing of a thesis, to be evaluated by an Honors committee of three members. Written thesis due the Monday of the 13th week of the semester in which the course is taken.
Honors Course in Greek: Read More [+]

GREEK H195B Honors Course in Greek 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
The work for the Honors course may either build on work in a previous upper division course used in fulfillment of the Greek major or may be a newly conceived project. The work will result in the writing of a thesis, to be evaluated by an Honors committee of three members. Written thesis due the Monday of the 13th week of the semester in which the course is taken.
Honors Course in Greek: Read More [+]

GREEK 198 Directed Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012

Directed Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates: Read More [+]

GREEK 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014

Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]

Latin

LATIN 1 Elementary Latin 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Beginners' course.
Elementary Latin: Read More [+]

LATIN 2 Elementary Latin 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Beginners' course.
Elementary Latin: Read More [+]

LATIN 10 Intensive Elementary Latin 8 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014
Beginners' course (intensive); equivalent to Latin 1-2.
Intensive Elementary Latin: Read More [+]

LATIN 15 The Latin Workshop 10 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Summer 2017 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2015 10 Week Session
Designed for anyone who wishes to acquire reading knowledge of Latin; replaces 2+ semesters of traditional study. Lectures, discussions, drills and tutorial sessions on grammar and vocabulary; readings in Latin prose and poetry (e.g., Cicero and Ovid).
The Latin Workshop: Read More [+]

LATIN 40 Intermediate Latin Prose Composition 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
Development of skills in writing Latin prose and sight reading; review of grammar.
Intermediate Latin Prose Composition: Read More [+]

LATIN 98 Directed Group Study for Freshmen and Sophomores 1 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012

Directed Group Study for Freshmen and Sophomores: Read More [+]

LATIN 99 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013

Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]

LATIN 100 Republican Prose 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Selected readings in Caesar, Sallust, and Cicero; some review of grammar.
Republican Prose: Read More [+]

LATIN 101 Vergil 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Selected readings from Vergil.
Vergil: Read More [+]

LATIN 102 Lyric and Society 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Reading in Catullus and Horace, and of short selections from prose literature of their periods.
Lyric and Society: Read More [+]

LATIN 115 Roman Drama 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2009, Fall 2008, Fall 2007
Readings in Comedy (Plautus and/or Terence) and Tragedy (Seneca).
Roman Drama: Read More [+]

LATIN 116 Lucretius, Vergil's Georgics 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2016, Spring 2013, Fall 2011
Readings in the De Rerum Natura and the Georgics.
Lucretius, Vergil's Georgics: Read More [+]

LATIN 119 Latin Epic 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2014, Spring 2010
Readings in Latin epic poetry.
Latin Epic: Read More [+]

LATIN 120 Latin Prose to AD 14 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2009
Readings in Latin prose authors such as Sallust, Cicero, Caesar, and Livy.
Latin Prose to AD 14: Read More [+]

LATIN 121 Tacitus 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2012, Fall 2008, Fall 2005
Readings in Tacitus.
Tacitus: Read More [+]

LATIN 122 Post-Augustan Prose 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2015
Readings in Seneca, the younger Pliny, and other prose writers.
Post-Augustan Prose: Read More [+]

LATIN 140 Medieval Latin 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
Introduction to medieval Latin: readings in prose and poetry from Cassiodorus to the Italian Renaissance, with emphasis on certain periods.
Medieval Latin: Read More [+]

LATIN 155A Readings in Medieval Latin 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2015, Spring 2010, Spring 2006
Study of texts selected from the early, high, or late medieval periods. Focuses on prose.
Readings in Medieval Latin: Read More [+]

LATIN H195A Honors Course in Latin 2 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This is a two-semester Honors course [H195A-B]. The work for the Honors course may either build on work in a previous upper division course used in fulfillment of the Latin major or may be a newly conceived project. The work will result in the writing of a thesis, to be evaluated by an Honors committee of three members. Written thesis due the Monday of the 13th week of the semester in which the course is taken.
Honors Course in Latin: Read More [+]

LATIN H195B Honors Course in Latin 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This is a two-semester course [H195A-B]. The work for the Honors course may either build on work in a previous upper division course used in fulfillment of the Latin major or may be a newly conceived project. The work will result in the writing of a thesis, to be evaluated by an Honors committee of three members. Written thesis due the Monday of the 13th week of the semester in which the course is taken.
Honors Course in Latin: Read More [+]

LATIN 198 Directed Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012

Directed Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates: Read More [+]

LATIN 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Offered through: Classics
Terms offered: Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013

Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]

Faculty and Instructors

+ Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Faculty

Frank Bezner, Associate Professor. Medieval Latin literature; Medieval literary culture; Neo-Latin; Intellectual history.
Research Profile

Susanna Elm, Professor. History of the Later Roman Empire, pagan - Christian interactions, ancient medicine, slavery and the evolution of Christianity, leadership and empire, reception of antiquity.
Research Profile

Giovanni R. F. (John) Ferrari, Professor. Classics, ancient philosophy, Greek culture, ancient poetics and rhetoric.
Research Profile

+ Mark Griffith, Professor. Gender and sexuality, Greek literature and performance, Greek and Roman education, Greek tragedy and comedy, Hesiod and wisdom literature, ancient music.
Research Profile

Christopher Hallett, Professor. Classics, Roman art, visual culture, portraiture, Hellenistic art, Roman Asia Minor, Hellenistic and Roman Egypt.
Research Profile

Todd Hickey, Associate Professor. Classics, papyrology, Greek, Egyptian, social and economic history, late antiquity.
Research Profile

+ Leslie V. Kurke, Professor. Classics, Greek literature and culture, archaic Greek poetry, Herodotus.
Research Profile

Sara Magrin, Assistant Professor.

Maria Mavroudi, Professor. Byzantine studies.
Research Profile

+ Kathleen Mccarthy, Associate Professor. Classics, Roman literature and culture, slavery.
Research Profile

Trevor M. Murphy, Associate Professor. Ethnography, classics, Roman prose authors.
Research Profile

Ellen Oliensis, Professor. Latin Literature, Ovid.
Research Profile

Nikolaos Papazarkadas, Associate Professor. Greek epigraphy, Greek history.
Research Profile

J. Theodore Pena, Professor. Roman archaeology, Roman and pre-Roman Italy, city of Rome, Pompeii, ancient economy, ceramic analysis, material culture studies.
Research Profile

Dylan Paul Sailor, Associate Professor. Rhetoric, classics, Greek literature, Latin Literature, ancient Greek, Latin, historiography, ancient Rome, ancient Greece.
Research Profile

Kim S. Shelton, Associate Professor. Ceramics, classical civilization and archaeology, Aegean prehistory, religion/mythology.
Research Profile

+ Andrew F. Stewart, Professor. Archaeology, classics, Greek sculpture, ancient art and architecture, the Hellenistic east after Alexander, the Renaissance reception of antiquity.
Research Profile

Lecturers

Lisa Pieraccini, Lecturer.

Tom Recht, Lecturer.

Yasmin Syed, Lecturer.

Emeritus Faculty

William S. Anderson, Professor Emeritus. Classics, Latin Literature.
Research Profile

David J. Cohen, Professor Emeritus. Human rights;war crimes & trials;Indonesia & East Timor; Guantanamo & Abu Grahib;Sierra Leone Special Court;International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda & Former Yugoslavia;Classics;ancient rhetoric & history, classical Greek law;political/legal theory.
Research Profile

William Fitzgerald, Professor Emeritus.

+ Erich S. Gruen, Professor Emeritus. Classics, Greek and Roman history, Jews in the Greco-Roman world.
Research Profile

Ralph J. Hexter, Professor Emeritus.

Robert Knapp, Professor Emeritus.

Anthony A. Long, Professor Emeritus. Classics, Greek literature, ancient philosophy.
Research Profile

Donald Mastronarde, Professor Emeritus. Classics, Greek literature, Greek drama, Greek textual transmission, Greek literary papyrology, Greek palaeography.
Research Profile

Stephen G. Miller, Professor Emeritus. Archaeology, classics, Greek and Roman art, ancient architecture, Greek athletics.
Research Profile

Michael N. Nagler, Professor Emeritus.

Ronald S. Stroud, Professor Emeritus. Classics, Greek history and literature, Greek epigraphy.
Research Profile

Leslie L. Threatte, Professor Emeritus.

Florence Verducci, Professor Emeritus.

Contact Information

Department of Classics

7233 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-4218

Fax: 510-643-2959

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Ellen Oliensis

7211 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-9207

eolien@berkeley.edu

Head Graduate Adviser

Kathleen McCarthy

7221 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-0216

kmccarth@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Services Adviser

Miguel Valencia

7222 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-643-8741

mvalencia@berkeley.edu

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