Classics

Former Ph.D. Programs and Tracks

Ancient History Program

The Ancient History program is currently paused and not accepting applications as it undergoes restructuring. Applicants interested in studying Ancient History with a strong language focus in Ancient Greek and Latin are encouraged to apply to Classics, which houses several distinguished ancient historians.  

The program is operated and supervised by a Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with an Executive Committee comprised of other Brown faculty in Ancient History. Tenured faculty contributing to the program, in addition to the ancient historians mentioned previously, are drawn from the departments of Classics, History, Archaeology, Egyptology and Assyriology, and Religious Studies.

Ancient History Graduate Program Handbook

Sanskrit Track

Prof. Fitzgerald (Director of Graduate Study for Sanskrit) retired at the end of the Fall 2018 semester - as such, no graduate students will be admitted for Sanskrit until his successor has been appointed.

Sanskrit Language and Literature Ph.D. track and the Classics and Sanskrit Ph.D. track allow interested classicists to add a Sanskrit component to their Classics Ph.D. The Sanskrit program is focused entirely upon the Sanskrit language and its literatures, but its fundamental philosophy and approach to scholarship is the same as that of the program in Greek and Roman classics. Texts are examined and interpreted within their broad cultural and historical context on the basis of a rigorous preparation in the study of the Sanskrit language. 

Brown University has engaged in the study and teaching of Sanskrit for over a century and was recently under the leadership of the Purandara Das Professor of Sanskrit in Classics, James L. Fitzgerald, a scholar of ancient Indian religions, literatures, and philosophies. He was joined by Lecturer David Buchta, a scholar of Sanskrit literature, Indian philosophy and the Pāṇinian tradition of grammatical analysis.