Joint PhD Program in Social Thought and Classics

Our joint PhD program in Social Thought and Classics (STC) enables students to combine their study of an issue or text from the ancient Greek and Roman world with a broadly interdisciplinary approach and a professional mastery of philological skills.

Initially, STC students apply to and are admitted to either the Department of Classics in the Program in Classical Languages or Literatures (PCLL) or the Committee on Social Thought. After students have completed at least our two-quarter survey course in either Greek or Latin, they apply to the second department. Admission by the second department constitutes admission to joint degree status, but the student’s original department will remain their sole department for the purposes of registration, financial aid, and fellowships.

STC students will have two faculty advisors. One advisor will hold a primary appointment in the Committee on Social Thought and the other will hold a primary appointment in the Department of Classics.

To complete the joint PhD, students will need to fulfill both:

The degree requirements for the PhD Program in Classical Languages and Literatures.
The degree requirements for the PhD in Social Thought.

They must also be aware of the following:

STC students must offer a majority of non-classical texts on the Social Thought Fundamentals Exam in the third or fourth year. This requirement ensures that the combination of Classics and Social Thought is genuine and rigorous. The faculty advisors will help students to select courses on non-classical subjects to prepare for the exam.
The Social Thought requirement of a high pass in a foreign language exam will be automatically met by the PCLL degree requirements.
The dissertation proposal must be approved by both the Department of Classics and the Committee on Social Thought.
The dissertation committee must include at least professor from each department.
The committee chair should be a member of the student’s registered department.

Because students can access joint degree status through either department, the typical roadmap for degree completion can vary.

An STC student entering the joint PhD from the Department of Classics might progress through the program in the following manner:

Year 1	Take the following courses: Survey of Greek or Latin literature Prose composition in Greek or Latin One 300-level or higher course in the other classical language Two seminars in Classics Two courses in Social Thought Pass translation exam in language of survey Submit two seminar research papers to the Department Demonstrate competence in French or German
Year 2	Take the following courses: Survey of remaining classical language Prose composition in remaining classical language Two seminars in Classics Four courses in Social Thought Pass translation exam in language of survey Submit two seminar research papers to the Department
Year 3	Take three courses in Social Thought Begin to fulfill fellowship teaching requirements Pass the PCLL Comprehensive Exam Demonstrate competence in remaining modern language
Year 4	Pass the Social Thought Fundamentals Exam Assemble dissertation committee and submit dissertation proposal
Candidacy	Research, write, and defend dissertation

An STC student entering the joint PhD from the Committee on Social Thought might progress through the program in the following manner:

Year 1	Take the following courses: Survey of Greek or Latin literature One 300-level or higher course in the other ancient language Five additional courses Pass translation exam in language of survey Demonstrate competence in French or German
Year 2	Fulfill the remaining requirements for the A.M. in Classical Languages and Literatures, including: Survey of remaining classical language Prose composition in Greek or Latin Two seminars in Classics Take three additional courses Pass translation exam in language of survey
Year 3	Pass the PCLL Comprehensive Exam Begin to fulfill fellowship teaching requirements Demonstrate competence in remaining modern language
Year 4	Pass the Social Thought Fundamentals Exam Assemble dissertation committee and submit dissertation proposal
Candidacy	Research, write, and defend dissertation

These students should note that it may take longer to complete the requirements for the A.M. in Classical Languages and Literatures.

Students may exchange the third and fourth years by sitting the Social Thought Fundamentals Exam before the PCLL Comprehensive Exam.

In all cases, STC students need to fulfill all degree requirements for both PhDs.