Qualifying Translation Examinations Reading List

It is expected that Ph.D. students will read Greek and Latin literature widely and carefully throughout their time in graduate school. While students will read a number of authors closely in language courses, literature surveys, and seminars, they should also be in the habit of employing their free time to read Greek and Latin texts.

The purpose of the Translation Exam Reading List is to provide students with an organized program of steady reading in Latin and Greek in order to improve and perfect their command of the languages and to gain familiarity with the various periods and styles of literature. The list is designed to be manageable for students who maintain a regular regimen of reading, and it is expected that students will finish reading the works on the list by the end of the fourth semester of the Ph.D. program.

While all of the works on the Translation Exam Reading Lists have literary and/or historical significance, the lists are not intended to limit the student’s readings to these authors and works, nor are they designed to be fully representative of the authors and works that constitute Classics as a field of study.

While the Greek and Latin Survey courses will not focus exclusively (or even primarily, as the syllabus is formed at the discretion of the Professor) on texts represented on the Translation Exam Reading Lists, the extensive reading required for these classes is certain to help students in their preparation both for the Translation Exams and for their Oral Examinations later.  

The main goal of the Qualifying Translation Exams is to test whether students are able to read Latin and Greek with near-complete comprehension.

Phd Reading List