The M.A. program in Classics in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures offers a degree with courses in Greek and Latin languages, literatures and cultures, as well as allied offerings in ancient and medieval history, ancient and medieval philosophy, archaeology, and Greek and Roman art. The mission of the M.A. Program is to train classicists who would become Latin teachers, or who, having obtained a solid knowledge of the classical languages, would pursue a Ph.D. degree in Classics, History, Philosophy, Divinity, or other related fields.
A distinctive feature of UK Classics is the opportunity to study the Latin patrimony from antiquity until modern times. The Neo-Latin patrimony, in particular, immensely vast, multicultural and interdisciplinary in its very nature, provides infinite opportunities for study and research of the classical tradition in many fields and pertaining to many regions and populations.
Students approach Latin as a living language of teaching, scholarly work, and communication with the classical authors and among themselves. This fosters a personal connection to the language and is invaluable preparation for the classroom. At the University of Kentucky, there is a vibrant community, in which students not only study Latin, they live Latin.
In line with the communicative approach adopted in Latin, the study of ancient Greek lays emphasis on the written production in the language through composition courses in both prose and verse. Seminars in Greek papyrology and paleography feature significant components focused on digital humanities and digital restoration of texts. Seminars in Greek historiography, epigraphy and poetry round out our offerings.
General goals:
- To offer superior teaching in Latin and Greek language and literature at an advanced level.
- To offer superior teaching in translation studies, and opportunities for research and presentation skills in Classics through graduate workshops.
- To offer (in combination with the Graduate Certificate in Latin Studies) the unique opportunities for advanced understanding and application of Latin through the active, spoken use of the language both in and out of the classroom.
- To offer advanced study of Ancient Greek language, literature, and culture, and its contacts with other Mediterranean languages such as Hebrew and Arabic, and opportunities for special focus on Ancient Greek's status as the lingua franca of the Ancient Mediterranean world until the Arab conquest.
- To expose students of Ancient Greek to the full range of texts from the Archaic to the Imperial periods
- To familiarize students of Latin with the full history and sweep of the language into the Middle Ages and Renaissance, through the Modern Period, and into the present day.
- To instill an understanding of the Classical past and how this heritage forms and remains vital to contemporary society and culture.
- To give future teachers of Classics in schools an outstanding and careful preparation to be competitive for teaching positions.
- To give students moving on to doctoral studies an exceptional and sound background of graduate study to be competitive in PhD program applications.
All essential information about our graduate programs should be available to you on-line at this site and that of the Graduate School. If you have additional questions about graduate studies at UK and in MCLLC programs, please contact the MCLLC Director of Graduate Studies:
Prof. Milena Minkova
1037 Patterson Office Tower
University of Kentucky
Lexington KY 40506-0027
859-257-5710