Graduate Studies
Graduate Study in Classics At Northwestern
The Department of Classics collaborates with other units to offer interdisciplinary graduate training in classical studies leading to the doctorate in a variety of fields (e.g., philosophy, political science, comparative literary studies, religion, theatre and drama, English).
To matriculate in classics at Northwestern, students undertake the PhD in another field and affiliate with the Classical Traditions Graduate Cluster. Classics is not an option at the application point in the process.
Our program takes this interdisciplinary form by design.The academic field of “Classics” is a longstanding model of interdisciplinary research in which different sorts of knowledge can be used together to form the bases of argument and new knowledge. Classics models, in an especially successful way, how interdisciplinary research across fields of history, political theory, myth, philosophy, art, material culture, literature and more, can be productive. In addition, it bears little doubt that the Classical world and its literature, its philosophy, its art, and its myths have exerted unparalleled influence on all fields of humanistic studies.
Increasingly today, moreover, classical studies embrace the reception history of ancient sources. This involves study of the way ancient sources are used to invigorate critical work in a subsequent period as well as the way in which fresh looks at the ancient sources can inform critical study of the record of these uses. Graduate study in Classics at Northwestern is designed to offer students an opportunity to include exploration of these possibilities in their training.
The faculty in Classics at Northwestern has particular strength in Greek and Latin poetry and drama, Greek history and politics, ancient philosophy, visual culture, mythology, and reception studies.
See pathways of graduate study affiliated with the Department of Classics and Classics and CTI Affiliated Faculty
Graduate Courses 2009-10
The Classical Traditions Core Seminar for affiliates this year is Classics 400 Classics and Reception: The Platonic Dialogue, to be taught in the Fall quarter by Prof. John Wynne.
Additional 2009-2010 courses suitable for graduate students affiliated with the Classical Traditions Cluster include
Fall 2009
Classics 342 Early European Medicine (Garrison)
Classics 392 Topics in Ancient History: International Cities of the Ancient Mediterranean / with Art History 390 (Ng)
Latin 310 Lucretius (Wynne)
Greek 301 Readings in Greek Literature: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics / with Philosophy 310 (Kraut)
Classics 400 Classical Traditions Core Graduate Seminar / with Philosophy 410 (Wynne)
Winter 2009-10
Classics 392 Topics in Ancient History: Archaeology and Nationalism / with Humanities Seminar 395 (Gunter)
Latin 310 Tacitus' Germania (Tataranni)
Greek 301 Readings in Greek Literature: Sophocles' Women of Trachis (Mueller)
Latin 400 Graduate Seminar in Medieval Latin (Newman)
Classics 400 Classical Traditions Core Graduate Seminar--Classics and Reception: Classics and Class (Hall)
Spring 2010
Classics 392 Topics in Ancient History: Women in Greek and Roman Literature and Society (Fishman)
Classics 394 Topics in Greek and Latin Literature: Cicero's Rhetorical Theory (Wynne)
Latin 310 [topic and instructor TBA]
Greek 301 Readings in Greek Literature: Euripides (Bosher)
