Classics

Who is Roman? (CLAS 43226) Autumn 2026
This seminar will study claims to Roman identity across cultures, regions, and periods. Who belonged to the Roman community at any time and who was excluded? How did foundation narratives, asylum, conquest, the expansion of citizenship, notions of ethnicity, processes of assimilation, and the passage of time shape the contours of groups who saw themselves as Roman? Literature in many genres and languages, and over many centuries, addresses these questions. The course will not be limited to the ancient Roman experience but will expand to include claims in the medieval West and especially the eastern Roman empire, aka Byzantium. A self-defined Roman community persisted there longer than elsewhere, in fact down to the present. Selected claims to be the new Romans in the medieval and modern West will also be examined. Students will read and discuss original sources (in Greek and Latin, depending on their language skills) and modern scholarship. MA students and undergraduate students (by instructor permission) are welcome. (Anthony Kaldellis, Michèle Lowrie)

Lucian Of Samosata (GREK 34000) Autumn 2026
Lucian of Samosata (b. approx. AD 120), like many authors of the New Testament, wrote in Greek but was born and grew up in an Aramaic speaking community. His idiosyncratic literary output comprises around 70 prose pieces which reflect a engaging synthesis of comedy, satire, popular philosophy, and theological musing. Many of his works present a savvy commentary on his cultural and religious environment, and especially enjoyable is his mirthful abandon in identifying religious quackery and the victims of it. As one of the most important and prolific pagan authors of the early centuries AD, Lucian's works form an important background to the early Christian movement, both in his direct references to Christians (in the Peregrinus and Alexander) and in his sensitive description of the vast religious amalgam in which early Christianity grew. (David Martinez)

Lucan’s Bellum Civile (LATN 32426) Spring 2027
The goal of this course is threefold: 1. To read through some 1500 lines of Lucan’s epic on the war between Caesar and Pompey in Latin; 2. To read all of the epic in English; 3. To explore and discuss the critical responses to this work in the 20th century, including literary, philosophical, and psychological frameworks. (Shadi Bartsch)

A complete listing of offerings is available at the Department’s course page.
 

The Classical Languages Specialization is intended for students who wish to study Classics at the graduate level but require additional strengthening of their language skills in order to meet the admissions requirements of most major PhD programs. Students interested in the Classical Languages Specialization must have at least two years of either Greek or Latin and one year of the other language before beginning MAPH. All students are welcome to take Classics courses at all levels without pursuing the Classical Languages Specialization.

The students will take a placement test on arrival, in both Greek and Latin, and meet with the DGS and the language program director in Classics for advice on courses in Classical languages.

Students who complete the following requirements will receive a Classical Languages notation on their transcript:

• MAPH Core course (Foundations of Interpretive Theory)
• Seven elective courses, six of which must be in Greek or Latin
• Completion of a thesis on a Classical topic
• Passing the MAPH translation exam in Greek and/or Latin, taken in Spring quarter

The translation exam in Latin, Greek, or both languages can be taken in the Spring quarter. Two-Year Language Option students typically take one or both exams at the end of their second year, but students who feel sufficiently prepared can take it on their first year.

• The exam consists of two passages, one prose (ca 150 words), one poetry (ca 20 lines), for which the student will be given 2 hours of time and will be allowed to use a dictionary (LSJ or Brill for Greek, OLD or Lewis and Short for Latin) to produce a translation into English. Digital dictionaries will not be allowed.
• Students should register for the exam by notifying the Director of Graduate Studies in Classics by the third week of Spring quarter. The exam will be given during exam week.
   

"Showcase of the Immortals: Ancient Greek Wrestling Narratives as Sports Entertainment"
Caden Kennedy, MAPH '26
Advisor: Jonah Radding

"Barbarians in the Salvation Narrative of Orosius’ Historia"
James Schmidtlein, MAPH '26
Advisor: Anthony Kaldellis

"The Catastrophic Horizon: A Mnemohistorical Reading of Atlantis and Phaethon"
Nathan Anderson, MAPH '26
Advisor: Carolina Lopez-Ruiz

“The Integumental Interpretation of the Timaeus and its Influence on Dante”
Jack Drury, MAPH TLO ‘25
Advisor: Sarah Kunjummen

“Iphigenia at Aulis: A New Translation for the Stage”
Claudia Sturgell, MAPH ‘25
Advisor: Christina Filippaki 

“Revenge and Cannibalism in Seneca’s Thyestes: Bacchic Wrath and Restoration”
Miaohan Wang, MAPH TLO ‘25
Advisor: David Wray