UCLA Department of Classics: An Overview

The UCLA Department of Classics is a distinguished institution dedicated to the study of ancient Greece and Rome, and their enduring political, social, artistic, and intellectual legacy. As one of the top-ranked humanities departments at UCLA, it offers a comprehensive exploration of classical antiquity, from the Mediterranean Bronze Age to the decline of the Roman Empire.

A Foundation for the Humanities

Classics forms the bedrock of the humanities, with its influence permeating fields such as philology, philosophy, government (including democracy), theater, linguistics, archaeology, and literary theory. The UCLA Department of Classics builds upon this foundation, providing students with a deep understanding of these disciplines and their historical roots.

Academic Programs

The department boasts robust undergraduate and graduate programs, catering to a diverse range of interests and academic goals. Each year, the department instructs approximately 2,000 undergraduate students in various facets of Greek and Roman culture, literature, philology, archaeology, and history.

Undergraduate Studies

UCLA Classics offers students the opportunity to pursue a varied set of interests under the guidance of a world-class faculty renowned for teaching, mentoring, and scholarship. Students can choose majors or minors in the study of ancient languages (Greek and/or Latin) or Classical Civilization. The department offers majors in Classical Civilization, Greek, Latin, and Greek and Latin, as well as minors in Classical Civilization, Greek, and Latin. Minors require three lower-division and five upper-division courses in the appropriate area.

Graduate Studies

The UCLA Classics Department has a strong graduate program. UCLA has an “M.A./Ph.D.” program. This means that students who enter with a B.A., or with a B.A. and an M.A. in a field other than Classics, start out in the “M.A. program.” The M.A. program consists of two years of coursework and exams plus the preparation and presentation of an M.A. paper, which serves as training for the presentation of papers at professional conferences. If all these requirements are met, the student will receive the M.A. If these requirements are met at a high enough standard, the student will advance to the Ph.D. program. The Classics Department does not offer a terminal M.A. Well-prepared students who arrive with a B.A. can finish in six years; students who arrive with an M.A.

M.A. Program Requirements

The courses presented for the Classics M.A. degree must include (1) four units of Classics 287, (2) two courses from Greek 200A-200B-200C and two courses from Latin 200A-200B-200C, and (3) three four-unit graduate seminars (two-unit seminars may not be counted). Students must receive a grade of B or better in each of the above courses. The four-unit 200A-200B-200C courses test the appropriate part of the departmental reading lists. The department’s capstone plan consists of a comprehensive examination plus an individual project. Students take an examination in each of the two courses from Greek 200A-200B-200C and each of the two courses from Latin 200A-200B-200C that are required for the M.A. degree. Students must earn a grade of B or better in each of these four courses to pass the comprehensive examination. For the individual project portion of this plan, students submit a research paper in winter quarter of their second year. In consultation with a faculty mentor, the student has revised this paper, which may be one previously submitted in a seminar in the M.A. program. The mentor and a second faculty member evaluate the revised paper, which is due on the last day of classes of winter quarter. Students must receive a grade of at least A- on this revised paper in order to complete the capstone and be admitted to the Ph.D. program. The terminal M.A. degree is offered only to students leaving the program if they have completed the necessary requirements. The courses required for the terminal M.A. degree in Classics must include: (1) four units of Classics 287; (2) Greek or Latin 210; (3) two courses from Greek 200A-200B-200C and two courses from Latin 200A-200B-200C; and (4) three four-unit graduate seminars (two-unit seminars may not be counted). Students must receive a grade of B or better in each of the above courses. Students presenting (1) four units of Classics 287, (2) Greek 210, (3) Greek 200A-200B-200C, and (4) four four-unit graduate seminars (two-unit seminars may not be counted) may apply for a Greek M.A. degree. Students presenting (1) four units of Classics 287; (2) Latin 210; (3) Latin 200A-200B-200C; and (4) four four-unit graduate seminars (two-unit seminars may not be counted) may apply for a Latin M.A. degree.

Ph.D. Program Requirements

In order to be admitted to the Ph.D. program, students must meet specific requirements. Students in the doctoral program are required, at the beginning of each quarter, to consult the department’s graduate adviser who assists in planning their programs of study. After the written qualifying examinations are completed, the student’s individual adviser shares responsibility for guidance. New students in the doctoral program normally have demonstrated proficiency in French, German, or Italian as described in the requirements for the M.A. degree. By the end of the second year of study in the Ph.D. program, students must demonstrate proficiency in a language not used to satisfy the M.A. requirement. As at the MA level, the main languages to choose from are German, French or Italian. But again, students may petition to substitute one of the above languages with a different modern language, depending on its relevance to the student’s research and on departmental expertise. They must consult with the graduate adviser to determine their choice of languages. Proficiency may be demonstrated either by passing German 5, French 5, or Italian 5 at UCLA (or an equivalent course) with a minimum grade of B, or by passing a one-hour written translation examination administered by the department. A minimum of 32 units of 200-series courses is required. These may include courses taken prior to the M.A. degree in this department in excess of M.A. requirements, and may include courses in other departments. The choices of courses are subject to the graduate adviser’s approval. Students who enter holding an M.A. degree in Classics may still be required to meet all or part of the Classic M.A. course requirements in Greek or Latin 200A-200B-200C. Students who enter with an M.A. Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. (1) One three-hour translation examination in Greek and one in Latin consisting respectively of passages from the Greek or Latin reading lists and unseen passages from the relevant language. (2) A significant research paper on a field or author of the student’s choosing outside of the area of the student’s expected specialization. (3) A special field examination in the form of a written three-hour examination in the general area of the student’s prospective dissertation topic. Each qualifying examination (Ph.D. language examination and special field examination) may normally be retaken once, with the option of a third opportunity by petition. Within one quarter of the special field examination, the student writes a dissertation prospectus and, after review and revision, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is administered by the doctoral committee. The prospectus, along with the committee nomination form, is due at least three weeks before the examination date. Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations. Full-time students are expected to complete the Ph.D. degree within 12 quarters after entry into the doctoral program. A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. A student may be recommended for termination for failure to correct deficiencies in performance the term following notification of these deficiencies by the graduate adviser.

Language Proficiency

In addition to taking courses in Greek and/or Latin, students at the MA level must demonstrate proficiency in one of the following three languages: German, French or Italian. Students must consult with the graduate adviser to determine their choice of languages. In addition, students may petition to substitute one of the above languages with a different modern language, depending on its relevance to the student’s research and on departmental expertise. Proficiency may be demonstrated either by passing German 5, French 5, or Italian 5 at UCLA (or an equivalent course) with a minimum grade of B, or by passing a one-hour written translation examination administered by the department.

Faculty and Areas of Expertise

The UCLA Department of Classics boasts a dedicated and diverse faculty of scholars and teachers, many at mid-career, whose areas of expertise represent a variety of disciplines at the heart of classical antiquity. Areas of faculty strength have long been in Classical philology and subfields of paleography, Classical linguistics, Byzantine studies, and medieval Latin, now supplemented with new fields of excellence in Greek and Mediterranean archaeology, Indo-European linguistics, ancient and medieval philosophy, particularly Greek philosophy, ancient Greek political thought, ancient sexuality and gender studies, and Neo-Latin and Renaissance studies.

Teaching Excellence

The department is renowned for its commitment to teaching excellence. Classics faculty have been awarded the national teaching award by the American Philological Association (APA) three times, and they have received the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award four times. This tradition of dedicated teaching extends to graduate students, who have the opportunity to serve as Teaching Assistants (T.A.’s). Ph.D.’s in their first time on the job market need to be able to demonstrate excellence in teaching both Latin, Greek, and classics in translation, and we aim to make that possible. Students normally begin teaching in their second year at UCLA and spend at least two and usually three or four years as T.A.’s. There are also opportunities for summer teaching. The department sets high standards for teachers, maintains close supervision of T.A.’s, and teaches a required course in teaching methods for all students in their first spring quarter. Entering students are offered similar funding packages: two years of fellowship and up to four years of T.A.ship (contingent on good performance). The department and university cover all tuition (non-resident tuition normally in the first year only) and fees; in addition, we offer a stipend or salary now set at $29,000 per year. All students can apply for summer or year-long Research Mentorships and also for Dissertation Year Fellowships, which are awarded by the university on a competitive basis. The undergraduates you will be teaching are wonderful.

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Courses Offered

The department offers a wide array of courses covering various aspects of classical antiquity. Here are some examples:

Greek 40: Greek Culture: Study of Greek life and culture from age of Homer to Roman conquest. Readings focus on selections from works of ancient authors in translation. Lectures illustrated with images of art, architecture, and material culture. Instructor(s): Richard Ellis, Sam Beckelhymer, Ella Haselswerdt.
Classics 50: Critical Inquiry: Discussion of and critical thinking about topics of current intellectual importance, taught by faculty members in their areas of expertise and illuminating many paths of discovery at UCLA. Instructor(s): Lydia Spielberg.
Art History 114C: Greek Art: Survey of major period, theme, or medium of Greek art and archaeology at discretion of instructor. Instructor(s): John Papadopoulos.
Greek 1: Elementary Modern Greek: Introduction to basic elements of modern Greek conversation for beginning students, including those with some knowledge of ancient (Attic) Greek. Conducted in modern Greek, with in-class conversation drills, regular homework assignments, and weekly quizzes. Instructor(s): Richard Ellis, Bryant Kirkland.
Greek 101: Intermediate Greek: Prose: Formal review of Greek grammar and syntax and development of skills in reading original texts of Greek prose. Readings selected to introduce literature and culture of ancient Greece. Instructor(s): Dieter Gunkel.
Greek 130: Topics in Modern Greek Language, Culture, and History: Covers topics in modern Greek language, culture, and history. Assigned materials are predominantly in modern Greek. Topics and geographical focus are diverse, ranging from literature and cinema to culture and history of Greek America. May be repeated for credit with topic change. Instructor(s): TBD.
Latin 40: Roman Culture: Study of Roman life and culture from time of city’s legendary foundations to end of classical antiquity. Readings focus on selections from works of ancient authors in translation. Lectures illustrated with images of art, architecture, and material culture. Instructor(s): Hannah Čulík-Baird.
Classics M112B: Ancient Democracy: Designed for juniors/seniors. Democracy was invented in ancient Greece as political form grounded on equality before law, citizenship, and freedom. It came into existence as struggle by “demos,” people, aware of its excellence and proud of its power, “kratos.” It became only regime capable of including all members of community while disregarding wealth, status, and diverging interests. Examination of history and theory of ancient democracy. Instructor(s): Giulia Sissa.
Classics 150: Ancient Empires: Investigation of one problem in ancient culture that involves discussion of both Greek and Roman material. Comparative study of several famous and influential empires of ancient world, spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, and Middle East. Exploration of archaeological remains and literary sources (in translation) of New Kingdom Egypt, Roman Empire, Achaemenid Dynasty of Persia, Gupta Empire of India, and Han China. Consideration of emergence, military strategies, political and social structures, economies, cultural diversity, and eventual decline of each empire in perspective. Particular attention paid to relationships between imperial participants, their enemies, and their subjects. May be repeated for credit with topic change. Instructor(s): Nicholas Bartos.
Classics 197: Individual Studies in Classics: Enforced requisite: course 1 or 2. Instructor(s): Mary Anastasi, Bryant Kirkland.
Classics 199: Directed Research or Senior Project in Classics: Instructor(s): TBD.
Classics M155: Displacement in Antiquity and the Digital Turn: Investigation of the politics of forced displacement in ancient and modern contexts through lens of critical refugee studies and with aid from digital archaeology tools. Focus on Greco-Roman antiquity and contemporary Vietnamese history. Study moves beyond understanding refugee experiences through sensationalized visualizations, dehumanizing statistics, and state-centered policies. Instead, students gain understanding through refugee narratives and materiality. Examination of how refugees have been discussed, portrayed, and treated. Exploration of refugeehood through the perspectives and experiences of refugees themselves. Students gain hands-on experience working with digitized artifacts from the Vietnamese Heritage Museum. Students create digital exhibits that feature museum artifacts alongside those from the ancient Greco-Roman world to aid in better understanding refugeehood across space and time. Instructor(s): Kelly Nguyen.
Classics 180A: Greek and Latin Roots of Medical Terminology: Introduction to specialized vocabulary of health sciences, which is rooted in Greek and Roman languages and in those two cultures from which much of history of modern medicine is derived. Students gain working knowledge of fundamental terminology used in medicine and health sciences as well as how this terminology has been composed. Development of ability to interpret and pronounce words. Students apply linguistic rules and how they operate in English and field-specific vocabulary to understand new terminology in various health science fields. Instructor(s): Zak Gram.
Art History M113A: The Art of Italy Before the Roman Empire: Arts of Italic peninsula from circa 1000 BC to end of Roman Republic. Instructor(s): Sarah Beckmann.
Classics 101: Intermediate Greek: Prose: Requisite: course 100. Instructor(s): Alex Purves.
Classics 102: Intermediate Latin: Prose: Requisite: course 100. Instructor(s): Lydia Spielberg.
Classics 103: Advanced Latin Composition: Requisite: course 100. Work in sight reading and grammatical analysis of classical prose texts; writing of classical prose. Instructor(s): Hannah Čulík-Baird, Lydia Spielberg.
Classics 107: Modern Greek Literature: Requisite: course 9C. Covers topics in modern Greek language, culture, and history. Assigned materials are predominantly in modern Greek. Topics and geographical focus are diverse, ranging from literature and cinema to culture and history of Greek America. May be repeated for credit with topic change. Instructor(s): TBD.
Classics 191A: Greek Prose Composition: Enforced requisite: course 1. Instructor(s): Tianran Liu, Bryant Kirkland.
Classics 191B: Latin Prose Composition: Enforced requisite: course 2 or 14. Instructor(s): Samuel Beckelhymer, JuliAnne Rach, Grant Hussong, Collin Moat.
Classics 108: Readings in Greek Prose: Requisite: course 20. Introduction to developing skills of reading longer, continuous passages of original Greek prose and/or poetry texts, with attention to literary and cultural background. Course is normally requisite to other courses in Greek 100 series. May be repeated for credit with change of assigned readings and with consent of instructor. Instructor(s): Kathryn Morgan.
Classics 109: Readings in Latin Poetry: Requisite: course 100. Instructor(s): Sarah Morris, Francesca Martelli.
Classics 185: Seminar in Classical Civilization: Focused study of one aspect of ancient Greek or Roman culture or reception of classical tradition. Topics are interdisciplinary in nature (literature, arts, religion, politics, culture) and make connections between ancient and postclassical eras. Instructor(s): Zak Gram, David Blank, Nicholas Bartos, Meghana Gella, Zachary Borst, Lydia Spielberg, Sarah Beckmann, Kelly Nguyen, Bryant Kirkland.
Classics M111A: Ancient Political Theory: Exposition and critical analysis of major thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, St. Instructor(s): Giulia Sissa.
Art History M112C: Greek Art of the Fifth Century: Study of development of art and architecture of Greek world from approximately 490 through 350 BC. Instructor(s): David Schneller.
Classics 162: Greek History: The Archaic Age: Requisite: course 10 or History 1A. Instructor(s): Nicholas Bartos.
Classics 190: Advanced Seminars in Classical Studies: Requisites: courses 10, 20, at least four upper-division major courses. Limited to declared junior/senior departmental majors; minors may be admitted with consent of instructor. Topical research seminar on important themes, periods, genres of ancient Greek and Roman world. Intended to provide students with opportunity for serious engagement with research in discipline under close faculty supervision. Readings, discussions, oral presentations, and final research paper or project. May be repeated for credit. Instructor(s): Bryant Kirkland.
Philosophy M101A: Plato: Preparation: one philosophy course. Study of selected topics in early and middle dialogues of Plato. Instructor(s): Staff.
Classics 185: Seminar in Classical Civilization - Art and Politics in Ancient Rome: In this seminar, students will consider the role of art in shaping public opinion and political discourse. Meetings examine civic arts and campaign propaganda in ancient Rome and the historical present; case studies are designed to help students 1) develop skills in visual interpretation and critical analysis; 2) understand how public art shapes, influences, and critiques dominant beliefs / worldviews; and 3) realize their ability to participate in civic dialogues. Early seminar meetings introduce students to political arts in ancient Rome, providing them with the foundation to explore the classical reception -rhetoric, imagery, and ideals -in modern political movements (e.g. American democracy; Mussolini and Italian fascism). This work culminates in a final project that asks students to engage with contemporary political dialogues; students will create a poster vel sim. advocating for a particular cause or issue. Instructor(s): Sarah Beckmann.
Classics 185: Seminar in Classical Civilization - Reclaiming the Classics: Classical antiquity has long been perceived as the privileged inheritance of white Euro-American culture. While there has been a long history of the Greco-Roman classics being (mis)used to justify domination, there has also been an equally profound history of it being reappropriated for liberation. for different social justice movements. Instructor(s): Kelly Nguyen.

Connections and Resources

The Department enjoys strong bonds with related departments and disciplines within UCLA. Besides our strengths in Greek and Latin language, literature and culture, our program also benefits from and contributes to the university’s strengths in Archaeology (the Cotsen Institute), Indo-European Studies, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (including Egyptology), Philosophy, Women’s Studies, and LGBT Studies. Departments and programs with which we have close ties include Art History, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS), the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology and the Interdepartmental Archaeology Graduate Program, History, the Program in Indo-European Studies (PIES), Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC), and Philosophy. The UCLA library system is a top-ranking collection; the main research library, the YRL, is a pleasure to use, with a friendly, helpful, erudite staff. There are over a dozen universities and colleges in the L.A. Los Angeles itself is an endless resource, with a world-class symphony (led by the prodigious Gustavo Dudamel); architectural wonders in every neighborhood; curiosities like the Museum of Jurassic Technology and the Velavaslay Panorama; the marvelous Central Library; the Griffith Observatory (as seen in “Rebel Without a Cause”); the Gamble House (as seen in “Back to the Future”); the Bradbury Building (as seen in “Blade Runner”); food from every corner of the globe; night spots like the Edison Club; every kind of sport and activity; the Huntington Library specializes in early printed books; the ONE Institute Archive has major holdings in LGBT periodicals, rare books, and ephemera.

Career Paths

An education in Classics offers a unique perspective on relations between the past and the present and cultivates both breadth of knowledge and precision in writing and thinking. Majors and minors gain linguistic and analytical skills that have proved highly useful for careers in law, medicine, business, communications, academia, and the arts. The department’s commitment to small class sizes at the upper division level and a distinguished faculty actively engaged in undergraduate teaching have led to high levels of student satisfaction and the admission of Classics majors to top-ranked graduate and professional programs.

Program in Indo-European Studies

If your main interest is in Indo-European linguistics, you may wish to consider applying to the Program in Indo-European Studies (“PIES”).

General Information

The UCLA General Catalog is published annually in PDF and HTML formats. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in the UCLA General Catalog. However, all courses, course descriptions, instructor designations, curricular degree requirements, and fees described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice. Consult this Catalog for the most current, officially approved courses and curricula. Other information about UCLA may be found in materials produced by the schools of Arts and Architecture; Dentistry; Education and Information Studies; Engineering and Applied Science; Law; Management; Medicine; Music; Nursing; Public Affairs; Public Health; and Theater, Film, and Television. All students in the M.A. programs are supervised by the department’s graduate adviser, a member of the regular departmental faculty. Students are required to consult the graduate adviser (or the department chair when the graduate adviser is unavailable) at the beginning of each quarter to plan their programs, and as needed to discuss changes in programs, and are required to notify the graduate adviser of plans for examinations. Students also should consult with the adviser about problems they are experiencing in the program. Twice during each academic year, the graduate adviser conducts a review of all graduate students at a full departmental faculty meeting. The results of the review are recorded in the departmental minutes. Students with serious problems noted at the midyear meeting are sent a warning letter within 30 days.

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