Classics

Research activity

The PhD programme in Classics focuses on teaching and research in a number of disciplines regarding the study of the Greek and Roman world and of its later reception: history and epigraphy, philology and literature, archaeology and the history of art, philosophy, and palaeography. Its chronological perspective extends from the Archaic Period until Late Antiquity and includes the study of the traditions of antiquity from the Middle Ages until modern and contemporary times. Students are expected to achieve a high level of innovation and specialisation in their doctoral theses. At the same time the Doctoral Programme strongly encourages them to develop a broad cultural vision, to participate in in-depth interdisciplinary work, and to learn a variety of methodologies. The Doctoral Programme attributes significance both to documents and to monuments.

The activity of research is accompanied by an intense organisation of seminars and conferences with the participation of the best scholars from the whole world; doctoral students are encouraged to suggest the topics for discussion, to participate in the preparatory phases, and to present their own original contributions. Doctoral students in archaeology and history have the opportunity to collaborate in excavations and topographical surveys, but experiences of this sort are considered beneficial for all students of the Doctoral Programme without distinction. Excursions organised by the teaching staff for the purpose of study in various locations, museums, and archives in Italy and abroad enrich the course offerings by transferring them from the classrooms of the Scuola Normale to those spaces of the Mediterranean and of Continental Europe in which the cultures of antiquity developed.

The open-stack Library and the Archive of the Scuola Normale contain large and valuable collections dedicated to the Greek and Roman world and to its reception. The Laboratory of History, Archaeology, Epigraphy and Traditions from Antiquity (SAET), closely connected with the Doctoral Programme, welcomes students and makes available to them cultural opportunities, advanced technologies, epigraphic, iconographic, and linguistic data banks, experience in the field, and opportunities for group work.

The teaching staff of the Doctoral Programme also consider it important that the students complete their training by studying with outside scholars and teaching centres of a high level of excellence. Doctoral students are encouraged to spend time abroad – both in shorter trips motivated by the needs of their research project and in longer stays of a didactic nature – and they are supported by the necessary financial resources, facilitated by the contacts of the professors of the Doctoral Programme and by specific exchange agreements with the best foreign universities. The doctoral thesis is the principal objective, but the professors stimulate students to work in parallel on other research topics intended for publication, starting already in the first year, in specialist journals of a high level or in collective volumes. This research is favoured by the rich stimulation offered by the courses and by their seminar form as well as by the unitary conception typical of this Doctoral Programme, which makes a contribution towards developing the doctoral students’ cultural and scientific profile at an early stage in an original manner.

Teaching activity

The teaching activities of the PhD Programme comprise lectures and seminars.

In consultation with their course coordinator, students will annually present a study plan to the Faculty Board of the PhD programme, specifying the teaching and research activities they plan to undertake in the coming academic year. During their four years at the Scuola  Normale, students will attend and pass the examinations of at least three annual courses. These courses are chosen to broaden their cultural foundation and to guide them towards a specific research project.

During the first year of the course, after consulting with the doctoral students, the Faculty Board of the PhD programme will appoint their supervisors for approval by the Faculty Council. Doctoral students will work, in agreement with their supervisors, on defining their thesis research. Mid-year monitoring of thesis progress is scheduled (around April) with faculty members from related disciplinary fields.

Throughout the four years of the course, students are expected to participate in seminars offered by the Scuola Normale and to undertake study and research periods at institutions both in Italy and abroad.

At the end of each academic year, with the exception of the final year, students will undergo an interview to verify the study and research activities they have carried out during the year. This interview will be conducted by a committee appointed by the Faculty Council and will include teachers from their course. For this review, each student will present a written report detailing their teaching and research activities, the results achieved, any participation in seminars, conferences, or other scientific initiatives, along with any publications produced. For admission from the first to the second year, it is optional, but not mandatory, to submit a text to the committee containing a short section of the thesis or a discussion of a research problem related to the thesis, of any length. For admission from the second year onwards, in addition to the summary report, a section of the thesis will be required; the indicative minimum length for this section is 20,000 words. Successfully passing this interview will secure the student's place and fellowship, thus granting admission to the following year.

PhD Scholarships funded by PNRR

• XXXVIII Cycle: as part of the M4C1 component "Enhancement of the offer of education services: from nurseries to universities" (Investment 3.4 and Investment 4.1), the PhD course in Classic has awarded n.1 PhD Scholarships (a.y. 2022/2023) - CUP: E53C23000760001 / I.4.1 Cultural Heritage
• XXXIX Cycle: as part of the M4C1 component "Enhancement of the offer of education services: from nurseries to universities" (Investment 3.4 and Investment 4.1), the PhD course in Classic has awarded n.2 PhD Scholarships (a.y. 2023/2024) - CUP: E53C23000760001 / I.4.1 Cultural Heritage