Former Ph.D. Program Requirements | Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

New Ph.D. Requirements Were Approved by the Graduate Council December 2006

A minimum of 12 course credits is required for the Ph.D.. Required also is familiarity with methods of research in old world archaeology and art (AE200 or equivalent), and at least four subject seminars in the field. All students must take the following three seminars:

AE201 Problems in Old World Archaeology
AE202 (CL201, HA225) Research Seminar in Greek Art and Architecture
AE203 (CL235, HA235) Research Seminar in Roman Art and Architecture

One or more additional seminars should be taken from among the following:

AE204 (HA220) Research Seminar in Old World Archaeology
AE205 (HA146, with extra work) Medieval Archaeology
AE206 (CL212) Greek Historical Literature and Documents
AE207 (AN258) Archaeology of Tribes and Societies
AE208 (AN270) Principles of Archaeology

The progress of all degree candidates will be monitored annually in conference with the individual by the Institute faculty who are charged with the direction of the program.

Fieldwork

Archaeological fieldwork is required. Students are encouraged to participate in a season of excavation, survey, or study, preferably in the Mediterranean area. This requirement may, however, be met by taking AE5 (CL5) Archaeological Fieldwork, or CL6 Archaeological Field Methods. At the discretion of the faculty of the Institute, fieldwork experience prior to a student's enrollment at Brown may be used to fulfill this requirement.

Languages

Command of languages is considered essential for professional work in the archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean and related areas. Each candidate for the Ph.D. will therefore be required to demonstrate competence in at least one ancient language and two modern languages (one of which must be German).

The ancient language examination is a three-hour written examination with dictionary. Each modern language examination is a two-hour written examination, one hour with dictionary and one hour without.

All language examinations must be passed before the completion of three years of residence. Exams are scheduled to be given each year toward the end of each semester: between December 1-15 and between April 1-15. Any examination not passed must be retaken during the next scheduled exam period. If an exam is not passed a second time, the same rule applies. There is no fourth opportunity; failure to pass an exam on the third attempt results in the student's being terminated from the program.

During the first year of residence, a student must take one examination in an ancient language and one examination in a modern language. At the end of semester 3, a student must take the remaining examination in the modern language. Students who fail any exams are encouraged, but not required, to take appropriate language courses.    

Ancient History

Each candidate will demonstrate a command of ancient history either by examination (3 hours' duration in either Greek or Roman History) or by successfully completing CL121-122 (Greek History) or CL131-132 (Roman History). With the approval of the student's advisor, seminars in an appropriate field of ancient history may be substituted (in whole or in part) for the foregoing requirement. The examination in Ancient History must be taken by the end of the first year of residence (either between December 1-15 for students entering in September and between April 1-15 for those students entering in January). If it is not passed it must be retaken during the exam period at end of the student's second year of residence. These exams will not be scheduled a third time.

Examinations

Qualifying examinations will be taken before the completion of three years of residence. They may be taken earlier, but not before the completion of one year of residence. All the examinations will be administered within the scheduled time periods (between December 1-15 and between April 1-15).

These are written exams. Each consists of a group of questions of which the candidate is required to answer a selected number. For example: there may be five questions, of which two must be answered, but the number and ratio may change. The qualifying examinations of three hours each, taken on three consecutive days, will consist of one examination in an archaeological period and two examinations in individual fields. Examples of the period examination are Archaic Greece, Roman Archaeology -- Julio-Claudians through the Flavians -- or the Italian-Sicilian Bronze Age. Examples of the field examinations are Greek Black Figure Vase Painting, the Architecture of Roman and Central Italy before 27 BC, Anatolia and the Aegean in the 2nd Millennium BC, Settlement programs in Roman and early Medieval Britain.

No student will be formally declared a Ph.D. candidate until the qualifying examinations are passed. If any portion(s) of these exams is/are not passed, it/they may be retaken once at the end of semester 7.

Dissertation

Students are expected to select a dissertation topic under the supervision of one of the Institute faculty during the second year of residence.

Following the qualifying examinations, the candidate for the Ph.D. will present a summary dissertation proposal for approval by the faculty of the Institute. The proposal will be discussed with the candidate by a committee of three or more of the Institute faculty together with any professor or professors of the University whom the committee may invite to participate. The dissertation should be an original contribution to the field of investigation.

Three faculty of the Institute approve the subject matter of the dissertation as well as the composition of the dissertation committee. A dissertation committee consisting of the dissertation advisor and two other members will be appointed by the faculty of the Institute. The advisor and at least one other member of the committee must be drawn from the Institute faculty.