Department of Classics Director of Graduate Studies

Christopher Eckerman
Email: eckerman@uoregon.edu
Phone: 541-346-4071
Office: 368 Susan Campbell Hall

Master of Arts: Language and Literature Degree Requirements

1. Complete at least 45 credits of graduate course work, which must include one seminar (ARH, HIST, GRK, LAT, or CLAS 507), one course in classical archaeology (CLAS 507), Introduction to Philological Methods (CLAS 611), and at least 9 credits in 600-699 level courses taken in residence.
2. Complete the general MA requirements stipulated by the UO Division of Graduate Studies.
3. Students are required to pass six (6) GRK or LAT 511 classes with a mid-B or better.
4. All graduate students shall study both Greek and Latin in all terms at the level of their competencies. Students may petition the department for an exemption from this requirement in any given term.
5. Choose one of two plans for completing the Master of Arts degree in Classics with specialization in Greek, Latin, or both:

Plan 1: Write a thesis in one of the fields mentioned above. At least 9 credits of Thesis 503 must be completed and may be counted toward the 45-credit minimum. Satisfactory completion of the thesis includes an oral defense.

Plan 2: Pass a comprehensive examination in two parts: translation and interpretative essay. In preparation for the comprehensive examination the students must read the works in the reading lists below, making any exchanges in consultation with their advisors. 

Note: Although students are not required to pass a translation exam in a modern foreign language, those planning to apply to Ph.D. programs in Classics are strongly encouraged to demonstrate competency in one of the following—German, French, Italian, or Spanish.

M.A. Reading Lists in Greek and Latin 

The lists below should be followed as closely as is possible, but alterations may be made in consultation with the graduate advisor.

Classics MA Reading List: Specialization in Greek Language and Literature

In addition to completing the reading list below, students should read a good historical overview of Greece (e.g. J. Bury’s and R. Meiggs’ A History of Greece) and a good history of Greek Literature (e.g. Cambridge History of Greek Literature, A. Lesky’s, A History of Greek Literature). This will aid the student in preparation for the essay portion of the M.A. exam.

• Aeschylus: one play
• Apollonius of Rhodes: one book
• Aristophanes: one play
• Aristotle: Poetics
• Callimachus: three hymns
• Demosthenes: Philippics
• Euripides: one play
• Gorgias: Encomium of Helen
• Greek Novelist: one book
• Herodotus: one book
• Hesiod: Theogony or Works and Days
• Homer: 4 books
• Isocrates: Against the Sophists
• Lucian: one book
• Pindar: three odes
• Plato: Apology
• Plutarch, Life of Antony
• Sophocles: one play
• Theocritus: 1-7, 10-11, 13, 16, 22, 24
• Thucydides: one book
• Xenophon: one book

Classics M.A. Reading List: Specialization in Latin Language and Literature

In addition to completing the reading list, students should read a good historical overview of Rome (e.g. M. Cary, History of Rome) and a good history of Latin Literature (e.g. Cambridge History of Latin Literature, Conte’s History of Latin Literature). This will aid the student in preparation for the essay portion of the M.A. exam.

• Apuleius: one book
• Caesar: De Bello Gallico: one book
• Catullus: all
• Cicero: in Catilinam 1 and 2; Somnium Scipionis
• Horace: Satires: Book 1.1 and 2. 6; Odes 1.9, 1.11, 1.37, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6
• Juvenal: Satires 1 and 3
• Livy: Book 21 or Book 22
• Lucretius: one book
• Martial: one book
• Ovid: one book
• Petronius: Cena Trimalchionis
• Plautus: one play
• Propertius: one book
• Sallust: Conspiracy of Catiline or Jugurthine War
• Tacitus: one book
• Terence: one play
• Tibullus: one book
• Vergil: Eclogues (complete); Georgics: one book; Aeneid: three books

Students intending to attend a PhD program in Classics should complete the MA in both Greek and Latin and, in order to do so, should complete the reading lists above for both Greek and Latin.

Master of Arts: Classical Archaeology and Material Culture Degree Requirements

This track emphasizes Greek and Roman material cultures. The degree provides training for several career paths. With its coursework in material culture, theory, and languages (students must still demonstrate competency in either Greek or Latin), this MA track prepares students for PhD work in classical archaeology and in related disciplines. It may also be a helpful conduit in preparing students for law school, especially for those interested in Art and Cultural Heritage Law. It can also lead to successful careers in museum work or in professions dealing with public policy and heritage management. For example, training in archaeological methodology makes students attractive employees as archaeologists for the Bureau of Land Management. This track also provides excellent training for those looking to become teachers.

Requirements:

1. Complete at least 45 credits of graduate course work, which must include:
   1. Introduction to Philological Methods (Classics 611)
   2. At least 8 credits in Classics 507 courses when Classics 507 is devoted to a topic in archaeology and material culture (Classics 507 is to be repeated with change in topic).
   3. At least 4 credits in a 500 level art history course (to be chosen from Art History 507 [when on relevant topics; see note under course listing below], 510, 521).
   4. At least 4 credits in a 500 level anthropology course (to be chosen from Anthropology 546, 548, 571). Students are encouraged to take multiple classes from the anthropology department since classical archaeology, as a discipline, is now steeped in interdisciplinary work with anthropology.
   5. At least 9 credits in 600-699 level courses taken in residence (in addition to the mandatory Classics 611, these may be chosen from Classics 607, 609, Anthropology 681, 685, 688, 689, Art History 611, History 612).
2. Complete the general MA requirements stipulated by the UO Division of Graduate Studies.
3. Pass with a grade of mid-B or better two courses in Greek or Latin authors at the 511 level. The language not chosen for the 511 level (Greek or Latin) must be completed through the level of 303.
4. Write a thesis. At least 9 credits of Thesis 503 must be completed and may be counted toward the 45-credit minimum. Satisfactory completion of the thesis includes an oral defense.

Note: Although students are not required to pass a translation exam in a modern foreign language, those planning to apply to Ph.D. programs in Classics are strongly encouraged to demonstrate competency in one of the following—German, French, Italian, or Spanish.

Course options within classics:

• Classics 503: Thesis
• Classics 507: Various seminars on topics related to Classical Archaeology and Material Culture. These include Classics 507: Archaeology of Iron Age Italy (1000-300 BCE); Classics 507: The Etruscans; Classics 507: Pompeii.
• Classics 601: Research
• Classics 605: Reading and Conference
• Classics 607: Topics in Classical Archaeology
• Classics 609: Practicum: Field Excavation

External Courses:

• Anthropology 546: Practical Archeobotany
  • (Studying botanical remains found in excavations.)
• Anthropology 548: Gender and Archaeology
  • (Theoretical approaches in dealing with material culture and gender.)
• Anthropology 571: Zooarchaeology
  • (Studying faunal remains found in excavations.)
• Anthropology 575: Regarding Remains 
  • (Establishing, building, maintaining and working with skeletal collections.)
• Anthropology 681: Archaeology and Anthropology
  • (Theoretical approaches to the study of material culture.)
• Anthropology 685: Professional Writing
• Anthropology 688: Social Theory I
  • (Topics in social theory that apply to the ancient Mediterranean world (post-colonialism, power, difference).)
• Anthropology 689: Social Theory II
  • (Social theory that apply to the ancient Mediterranean world (post-colonialism, power, difference).)
• Art History 507 (Seminar) or 510 (Experimental Course); (if the course is related to ancient Mediterranean art and/or archaeology) 
  • (Sites, monuments, and material culture specific to the ancient Mediterranean world.)
• Art History 521: Ancient Mediterranean Art: Classical Greek Art
  • (Sites, monuments, and material culture specific to the ancient Mediterranean world.)
• Art History 611: Graduate Studies in Art History
  • (Theoretical tools for “reading” the material culture (including art) of the ancient Mediterranean world.)
• History 512: Ancient Greece
• History 514: Ancient Rome
• History 612: Historical Methods and Writings