BA in Ancient Greek

Some of the most penetrating, moving, and influential texts in the history of Western civilization arose from the world of ancient Greece. The major in Ancient Greek teaches students to read archaic and classical Greek texts (such as Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, Plato, and Thucydides) in their original language. Students acquire the skills necessary to read and translate these works accurately and also to explore and discuss orally and in writing the meaning of the texts through study of genre, style, cultural context, and the place of individual works in the literary and cultural history of ancient Greece. Study of Ancient Greek provides an excellent foundation for students wishing to pursue the MA in Ancient Greek and for further studies in classical archaeology, philosophy, history, religion and theology, linguistics, English literature, comparative literature, and a wide range of other humanistic disciplines, as well as providing a solid foundation for law school or medical school.

Learning Outcomes

Students majoring in Ancient Greek should be able to:

• Demonstrate broad understanding of the history and culture of ancient Greece.
• Demonstrate sufficient understanding of the vocabulary, morphology, and syntax of Ancient Greek to read standard works of the classical period accurately.
• Acquire the skills necessary to use dictionaries, grammars, and other resources that aid the reading and understanding of Ancient Greek texts.
• Demonstrate, in their reading of Ancient Greek, an understanding of genre, style, cultural context, and the place of the text within the literary history of the ancient world.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing, ideas about Ancient Greek literary texts.

Requirements

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Ancient Greek will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy most BU Hub requirements in Philosophical, Aesthetic & Historical Interpretation and the Intellectual Toolkit, as well as some requirements in Communication. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

Ancient Greek majors will also satisfy College of Arts & Sciences requirements, including the CAS Second Language Requirement, described here.

A major in Ancient Greek requires a minimum of ten 4-credit courses*. The requirements are as follows:

• CAS CL 101 or CAS CL 321 or CAS CG 101
• Eight courses above CAS CL 162 from the Ancient Greek listing of courses*
• One additional classical studies (CAS CL) course, at the 400 level or higher, in either a classical language or a topic in classical civilization or history

Up to two courses in Modern Greek above CAS CG 112 may be used to fulfill the requirements. With the permission of the faculty advisor, one course from the offerings under classical civilization may be counted toward this major.

Courses

*Required courses are divided into four categories: classical civilization (works read in translation), Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, and Latin. Refer to the Classical Studies programs section of this Bulletin for the full list of courses and their categories that may be used to fulfill the requirements stated above and for information on the CAS foreign language requirement for classics majors and minors.

Honors in the Major

The department encourages work toward graduation with Honors in the Major. For students wishing to complete a written honors project, the primary requirement is successful completion of a two-semester program of directed research and writing in their senior year, culminating in an honors thesis and oral defense with a minimum of two examiners. The thesis should exhibit knowledge of primary and secondary sources, with bibliography (if a research paper), or the equivalent at the discretion of the readers, and ordinarily it should not exceed 10,000 words. For students completing a written honors project, the submission of a detailed outline by the end of the fall semester is also required. With advisor approval, students majoring in Ancient Greek may choose a two-semester program of directed research and writing or fulfill the requirement for honors through graduate courses, including at least one seminar course and one course with a substantial research component.

In order to qualify for any of these honors tracks, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a department GPA of no less than 3.4, must submit an application to their faculty project advisor in the spring of their junior year, and must have approval from the director of undergraduate studies and department chair.