Classics Graduate Student Handbook

Department of Classics 

1. Program Objectives 

The primary objective of the Fordham’s graduate program in Classics is the training of professional classicists both as teachers at all levels of instruction and as researchers. Because of the strong philological roots of the discipline, every Classics graduate student needs to acquire and demonstrate a mastery of the languages. In addition, students are trained and tested on their general knowledge of classical literature and civilization and of the trends and fields of scholarship in Classical studies. 

2. The Classics Consortium 

The Department is a full member of the Graduate Classics Consortium with the City University of New York and New York University. Course offerings cover a variety of subjects in Greek and Latin literature, ancient history, philosophy, and material culture. Students may enroll in any graduate course offered by the Consortium for Fordham credit and have access to the libraries of all three institutions. For CUNY and NYU courses, local calendars and regulations must be followed, and students are responsible for informing themselves of them. 

3. Graduate Tutorials 

Tutorials are not offered during the regular academic year. However, students may arrange for tutorials/directed readings during the summer. Only two such tutorials (a total of six credits) may be used towards a single degree. Full scholarships normally cover the cost of up to six such summer credits. 

4. Pedagogy and Teaching Preparation 

Great emphasis is placed on teaching, and teaching in a classroom is an integral part of a PhD curriculum in Classics at Fordham. In their third year Classics graduate students have the opportunity to teach at Fordham College as teaching fellows (TF), and 

before then tutoring undergraduate students in need is part of the duties of graduate students serving as graduate assistants (GA). A teaching workshop is typically held before the beginning of the new academic year, and faculty conduct class observations and meet with the teaching fellow to discuss their observation report. 

5. The Role of Chair as Director of Graduate Study 

Given the size of the program and its faculty, there is no Director of Graduate Studies, but the Chair of the department is in charge of the graduate program. Each student, however, is assigned to a faculty member who will act as her/his academic advisor until the student chooses her/his dissertation advisor (Spring semester of 4th year). Because of the size of the program and its faculty, every faculty member will play an active role in the education and formation of the graduate students in Classics. Students are therefore encouraged to take courses and familiarize themselves with the work of each faculty member. 

In addition to being familiar and complying with departmental and policies and procedures outlined in this Handbook, students are expected to know and follow the policies and procedures of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) which can be found on the GSAS Policies and Procedures Guidebook . 

6. Degrees

The Department offers both an MA with specializations in Greek, Latin, or Greek and Latin, and a PhD. All students, including those aspiring to the PhD, are initially admitted to MA candidacy. Students become PhD candidates upon completing the MA course work and receiving the approval of the Department to continue their studies. Students may choose or be advised to terminate their degree with an MA degree. MA students who are not admitted to the PhD program can only earn a terminal MA and may not apply for readmission. 

7. Requirements 

MA in Classics (specialization in Greek, Latin, or Greek and Latin) 

  • Ten credit-bearing courses (30 graduate credits). These courses must include Greek Prose Composition (for the MA in Greek), Latin Prose Composition (for the MA in Latin), or Greek or Latin Composition for the MA in Greek and Latin, unless exempted by examination 
  • Reading knowledge of French, German, or Italian. This can be demonstrated by examination or acquired by taking non-credit bearing courses designed for graduate students and passing with a B or above [(in French [one semester], in German [a two-semester sequence]) 
  • Written comprehensive examinations in translation in Greek, Latin, or Greek and Latin, depending on which M.A. the student is pursuing (see reading lists on the departmental website) 
  • Written comprehensive examinations in the history of literature in Greek, Latin, or Greek and Latin depending on the student’s choice of degree. 

N.B: Terminal Latin MA candidates who have no Greek must acquire it in courses that are not credited towards the degree, or demonstrate elementary proficiency. 

PhD in Classics 

  • Ten credit-bearing courses (30 graduate credits) beyond the MA, of which at least four must be in Greek authors 
  • Completion of courses in both Greek and Latin Prose Composition 
  • Reading knowledge of a second modern foreign language; one of the two languages must be German (see above) 
  • Comprehensive examinations in Greek and Latin translation (written). Students may elect a Greek or a Latin emphasis for the translation examinations (see reading lists on departmental website 
  • Comprehensive examinations in the history of Greek and Latin literature (oral). 
  • Written examinations in two special areas (e.g., Greek and a Latin author or a topic in history, ancient art, palaeography, usually related to the student’s dissertation) 
  • A doctoral dissertation. Both the dissertation proposal and the dissertation must follow the editorial conventions of the American Journal of Archaeology (see www.ajaonline.org under “Submissions”) 

PhD in Medieval Latin 

  • Ten credit-bearing courses (30 graduate credits) beyond the MA, of which at least two must be in Greek authors 
  • For those entering with an MA from another institution, a Latin Prose Composition course must be taken if not already taken for the MA 
  • Reading knowledge of a second modern foreign language; one of the two languages must be German (see MA section above) 
  • Comprehensive examinations in classical and medieval Latin translation (written) 
  • Comprehensive examinations in the history of classical and medieval Latin literature (oral) 
  • Written examinations in two special areas in classical and medieval Latin literature respectively 
  • A doctoral dissertation in any aspect of medieval Latin literature or the transmission of classical literature in the Middle Ages. Both the dissertation proposal and the dissertation must follow the editorial conventions of the American Journal of Archaeology (see www.ajaonline.org under “Submissions”) 

8. Exam Schedule 

Written exams will be administered on the last week of October in the Fall semester and on the last week of February in the Spring semester of any given academic year. 

Students who wish to take one of the examinations are required to register with the chairman in response to an email circulated at the end of the semester prior to their desired examination date. Upon registering, the student must submit a list of her/his choices of specific readings for those authors in which the reading lists allow a choice. If a student wishes to withdraw from an examination, s/he must inform the chairman by no later than the end of the second week of the semester in which s/he registered to take the examination. 

Students will be notified of the results of their examinations within a month of their exam.

9. Timeline 

MA 

Fall semester, 2nd year: registration for translation examination 1 

Spring semester, 2nd year: translation examination 1 

registration for translation examination 2 

Fall semester, 3rd year: translation examination 2 

Spring semester, 3rd year: written examination in the history of Greek, Latin, or Greek and Latin literature 

PhD 

Fall semester, 2nd year: registration for translation examination 1 

Spring semester, 2nd year: translation examination 1 

registration for translation examination 2 

Fall semester, 3rd year: translation examination 2 

Spring semester, 3rd year: oral examination in the history of Greek or Latin Literature 

Fall semester, 4th year: oral examination in the history of Greek or Latin Literature 

Spring semester, 4th year: special topics (related to dissertation proposal) 

Fall semester, 5th year: dissertation proposal 

Spring semester, 6th year: defense of dissertation 

9. Satisfactory Academic Performance and Progress 

In addition to the grades received for coursework (i.e., academic performance), students are evaluated on the basis of their progress toward the degree. Registering for and passing the exams according to the timeline outlined above constitute Adequate Progress (AP). Failure to do so is equivalent to Lack of Progress (LP), which will be communicated to the GSAS and may affect the student’s funding. 

Students who have failed an exam are allowed to retake it once. If they fail an exam a second time, they will have to leave the program. 

10. Dissertation, Dissertation Mentor, and Dissertation Committee

By the time a student is ready to take her/his special topic exam (Spring semester of 4th year), s/he should choose a dissertation advisor. Students are permitted to work with a faculty member from the other universities in the Consortium (CUNY and NYU), but, if they choose a non-Fordham faculty member as their mentor, they will have to have a Fordham faculty member as co-mentor. Moreover, at least three Fordham faculty members including the co-mentor should be on the dissertation committee in conformity with the GSAS policy. By the time the student is ready to submit his dissertation proposal (Fall semester of 5th year), s/he will have to choose her/his two readers and two examiners. 

11. Enrollment and Registration 

With regards to all matter pertaining to enrollment and registration, students are required to be familiar and comply with the GSAS Policies and Procedures Guidebook. Courses are listed on the fordham.edu portal and on the departmental website. 

A note on Incompletes: incompletes are granted very rarely. They are reserved for circumstances outside of the student’s control and are approved at faculty discretion. Students must follow the GSAS policy and submit a Request for Grade of Incomplete signed by the instructor by the deadline to the GPA. Incompletes incurred in a fall semester must be resolved by June 1, and incompletes incurred in a spring semester or summer session must be resolved by January 1. Incompletes not resolved by these dates will result in an F grade on the students’ transcript. 

12. Departmental Life and Resources 

12.a Departmental lectures and talks 

The Department sponsors a number of lectures and seminar-style talks each semester. Graduate students in residence in the New York City area are expected to attend these lectures and talks unless they have an unavoidable conflict in their schedules. These events are organized primarily for the students’ benefit and are part of the graduate students’ educational experience. The events contribute to the intellectual enrichment of the students and provide excellent opportunities for networking with practicing 

professionals in the field. 

12.b Departmental offices 

The Department in its new premises has two small backrooms (E and F). These are equipped with desks and computers and house a portion of the departmental library. The precise use of these rooms will vary, depending on the needs from semester to semester. Part-time faculty and teaching fellows may use them during posted hours reserved for them to meet with their students and prepare for class. Make-up exams and written comprehensive exams can be given in them. When they are not in use, graduate students should feel free to use them for study. If you are using the Department’s reference library, these rooms will provide a good space to work in. 

12.c Study abroad 

For students of the classical world, study and travel abroad in the Mediterranean and Europe are very enriching, and the Department encourages them. Fordham University is a contributing member of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the American Academy in Rome. A number of our graduate students over the years have studied, with the support of various scholarships and grants, in both the regular and the summer programs of these institutions. Graduate students are urged to familiarize themselves with the opportunities afforded by them. Locally, scholarships for summer study at both institutions are offered by the New York Classical Club and the Classical Association of the Atlantic States.