CLASSICS

Classics is an interdisciplinary program devoted to the study of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Students may focus on the classics language track or the classical civilization track. Besides the sequences in the Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit languages, the department offers courses in Greek and Roman literature (including comparative literature), mythology, linguistics, history, culture, and philosophy.

The classics language track requires study of texts in the original languages, while the classical civilization track makes use of these same texts in English translations. Both classics tracks qualify graduates for appropriate careers in teaching, but can also be used as preparation for nonclassical academic and professional disciplines such as business, law, and medicine. The study of classics provides a background for the study of Romance and other languages, assists in the proper use of English, and underlies any understanding of Western civilization. For more information on the major and the Department of Classics, see www.pitt.edu/~classics/index.html.

Major Requirements

The requirements for the major, specific to the major track chosen, are:

The Classics Language Track: Greek and Latin

Thirty credits in language courses are required, including either GREEK 1700 Greek Prose Composition or LATIN 1700 Latin Prose Composition and at least 6 credits in Greek or Latin courses numbered 1300 or above. Classics majors may emphasize one language more than the other if they wish, but every student is required to take at least one year of Greek and at least one year of Latin. The department recommends courses offered by classics and other departments in ancient archaeology, art, history, language, literature, philosophy, religion, and science, as well as courses in later cultures (medieval, Renaissance, or modern) influenced by the classical tradition.

The Classical Civilization Track

Required courses for this track are offered by, or cross listed with, the classics department. The courses for the major will be distributed as follows:

• Two courses in Greek, Latin, or both;
• Two survey courses in Greek and Roman civilizations;
• One course from each of three different areas, chosen from archaeology and art, culture, history, language, literature, philosophy, religion, and science; and
• Three courses in an approved area of concentration.

The general rules and requirements for the classics major, regardless of the track chosen, are as follows:

• The classics major requires a minimum of 30 credits with an overall 2.00 GPA in courses counting toward the major. A maximum of two courses may be taken toward the language track major under the S/NC option (formerly the S/N option). Students in the civilization track major may take a maximum of four courses under the S/NC option (formerly the S/N option).
• Except for placement by examination in the language sequences, credit by examination is generally not granted, but the department will consider students with special circumstances.
• Students may either enroll in one of the W courses offered by the department or arrange with the instructor of an upper-level course for the addition of one credit of writing practicum.
• For the A&S-required related area, the classics department recommends other departments’ courses in ancient Greek and Roman archaeology and art, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, religion, and science.

Students have combined a major in classics with a second major or certificate such as anthropology, biology, communication, computer science, history, history of art and architecture, history and philosophy of science, nonclassical languages and literatures, psychology, and women’s studies. Students planning graduate study in classics may be required to obtain reading competency in German, French, or Italian. Such study might begin during the course of completing the undergraduate major or may be undertaken in graduate school.

Majors who have reached the end of the junior year with a GPA in departmental courses of 3.50 or higher may, in conjunction with a senior-level course, write an honors essay. Acceptance of the essay by the department will qualify the student for graduating with departmental honors in classics or classical civilization.

Minor Requirements

The department offers two types of minor tracks, one in classics (Greek and/or Latin), and one in classical civilization. The classics minor consists exclusively of courses in Greek and/or Latin. For the classical civilization minor, no language courses are required, although language courses may be counted if the student wishes.

For advice on alternative plans, please consult with the undergraduate advisor.

Classics Track

OR

Classical Civilization Track (minimal languages)

Fifteen credits in classics, Greek, or Latin courses, including at least one survey course in Greek civilization or history (3 credits), one survey course in Roman civilization or history (3 credits), and one course with a literary or textual component (3 credits). Any Greek or Latin course may count toward the literary/textual requirement.

COMMUNICATION

The study of communication is one of the oldest but still most contemporary of disciplines. The field examines important questions about society, communication, and persuasion in a way that combines the best of the ancient liberal arts tradition with the critical attention to the newest media technologies. In courses such as persuasion, argument, interpersonal communication, political rhetoric, rhetoric of science, nonverbal communication, history of media, media criticism, and television and society, our faculty offer diverse views on the roles of communication, media, and rhetoric in our lives.

A degree in communication is not vocational in design, although many of the Department of Communication’s graduates hold important positions in industry, education, the media, government, law, and various other professions. An understanding of communication as a human activity, as defined above, makes the department’s graduates attractive candidates when seeking employment or obtaining admission to graduate programs. For more information on the major or the Department of Communication, see www.pitt.edu/~website/communication.

Major Requirements

The communication: rhetoric and communication major requires the completion of 33 credits with a grade of C or better in each course (if the course is to count toward the major). The distribution of courses is

1. Three core courses (all required). Each is a prerequisite for a specific upper-level course.

• COMMRC 0300 Communication Process
• COMMRC 0310 Rhetorical Process
• COMMRC 0320 Mass Communication Process

2. Two skills courses

• COMMRC 0520 Public Speaking and one of the following:
• COMMRC 0500 Argument, 0510 Debate, 0530 Interpersonal Communication, 0540 Discussion, or 0550 Speech Composition

3. Six upper-level courses that focus on specific topics or contexts of communication. Since these courses require substantive research and writing components, completion of the composition requirement is a prerequisite.

• COMMRC 1101 Evidence
• COMMRC 1102 Organizational Communication
• COMMRC 1103 Rhetoric and Culture
• COMMRC 1104 Political Communication
• COMMRC 1105 Television and Society
• COMMRC 1106 Small Group Communication
• COMMRC 1109 Nonverbal Communication
• COMMRC 1110 Theories of Interpersonal Communication
• COMMRC 1111 Theories of Persuasion
• COMMRC 1112 Theories of Rhetoric
• COMMRC 1113 African Americans and Mass Media
• COMMRC 1114 Freedom of Speech and Press
• COMMRC 1115 African American Rhetoric
• COMMRC 1116 Rhetoric of Cynicism and the Counter Culture
• COMMRC 1117 20th-Century Public Argument
• COMMRC 1118 Presidential Rhetoric 1
• COMMRC 1119 Presidential Rhetoric 2
• COMMRC 1120 Rhetoric of the Cold War
• COMMRC 1121 History of Mass Media
• COMMRC 1122 Media Criticism
• COMMRC 1123 Rhetorical Criticism
• COMMRC 1125 Media Theory
• COMMRC 1126 Media and Consumer Culture
• COMMRC 1142 Theories of Modern Rhetoric
• COMMRC 1143 Knowledge, Power, and Desire
• COMMRC 1145 History of Rhetoric
• COMMRC 1147 Rhetoric of Science
• COMMRC 1148 Rhetoric and Human Rights
• COMMRC 1730 Special Topics in Communication
• COMMRC 1731 Special Topics in Rhetoric
• COMMRC 1732 Special Topics in Mass Communication

The major also has the following rules and requirements:

• The Department of Communication offers three special project courses (not required). COMMRC 1710 Senior Thesis in Communication requires a GPA of 3.00 for enrollment; COMMRC 1900 Communication Internship requires a GPA of 2.75 and mandatory seminar attendance; COMMRC 1901 Independent Study requires a GPA of 3.00. Only COMMRC 1710 counts toward the major. The others will fulfill elective credits.
• Although any department could be a related area, past majors often have selected political science, sociology, business, English writing, psychology, anthropology, or history. Students who plan to do graduate work in communication are advised to do additional work in a foreign language.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

The Department of Computer Science (CS) of the University of Pittsburgh was established in 1966, which makes it one of the oldest such departments in the country. The Bachelor of Science degree program was begun in 1974 with the following objectives: to provide an opportunity for students to focus their educational efforts on computer science as a discipline; to prepare students for employment and positions of responsibility in an increasingly computer-oriented world; and to prepare students for graduate study in computer science.

The curriculum for the BS degree program is dependent on a set of required core courses followed by elective advanced courses. Four core courses provide an introduction to the fundamental areas and to the basic concepts of computer science. These courses include the study of modern languages such as JAVA. Also included is a careful investigation of fundamental problem-solving techniques used to solve a variety of computational problems. In addition, the computer science major is required to complete eight upper-level courses, three of which are required. The remaining five courses are selected by the student from major areas such as theory, programming, languages, systems programming, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. Finally, three courses in mathematics are required; these courses provide a level of mathematical maturity that is essential to the study of computer science. For more information on the major or the Department of Computer Science, see www.cs.pitt.edu.

The department also offers the scientific computing major jointly with the Department of Mathematics (see Department of Mathematics listing for information on this major) and the computer engineering major jointly with the School of Engineering’s Department of Electrical Engineering (see School of Engineering section for more information on this major).

Major Requirements

The computer science major requires 37 credits in computer science courses and an additional 11–12 credits in mathematics and/or statistics as detailed below:

1. A minimum of 13 credits must be satisfactorily completed in the following four core courses:

• CS 0401 Introduction to Computer Science
• CS 0441 Discrete Structures for Computer Science
• CS 0445 Introduction to Information Structures
• CS 0447 Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming

Students should have some programming experience (usually acquired in high school) before taking CS 0401. Any high school course that includes the writing of several BASIC, C++, or JAVA programs would be sufficient. It is also possible to take one of the department’s service courses, such as CS 0007 Introduction to Computer Programming: Pascal, as preparation.

2. Nine credits in these three upper-level required courses:

• CS 1501 Data Structures and Algorithms
• CS 1502 Formal Methods in Computer Science
• CS 1550 Introduction to Operating Systems

3. Fifteen additional credits in upper-level courses (numbered 1000) must also be completed. Internships, directed studies, and co-op courses (see below) may not be used to satisfy this requirement.

4. A minimum of 12 credits in mathematics must be completed as follows:

• MATH 0220 and 0230 Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1 and 2
• STAT 1000 Applied Statistical Methods or STAT 1151 Introduction to Probability

Students should complete their required mathematics courses early. Typically, MATH 0220 would be completed in the freshman year. Strong students may elect also to take MATH 1180 Linear Algebra 1.

Additional rules and requirements for the major in computer science are as follows:

• A grade of C or better in all CS courses is required for graduation. Grades lower than C but passing are acceptable in the mathematics courses. All CS courses for the major must be taken for a letter grade, while required mathematics courses may be taken with the S/NC option (formerly the S/N option).
• Some computer science courses that fulfill the departmental writing (W course) requirement will be offered each term.
• A 12-credit related area may be completed in approved mathematics and/or statistics courses. Other options include economics, business, chemistry, physics, psychology, or philosophy.
• To graduate with honors, a CS major must complete one additional upper-level course and have a GPA of at least 3.50 in major courses, as well as an overall GPA of at least 3.25.

Minor Requirements

The requirements for the minor are CS 0401, CS 0445, CS 1501, and any two of the three courses: CS 0447, CS 0449, and CS 0441. The total number of credits is 16. CS 0401 requires programming experience as a prerequisite. A student without any programming background would be advised to take the three credit course CS 0007 as preparation for CS 401. The minor is essentially five of the six courses that are considered the "core" of the CS major. This is a rigorous minor. This minor is not intended for casual students interested in computer literacy.

BS/MS Five Year Degree

The BS degree in computer science requires 120 credits of course work, including 37 credits in computer science and 11 or 12 credits in mathematics and statistics. Typically, a student completes this degree in four academic years. Well-prepared students may apply for admission to the combined bachelor/master’s degree program. This accelerated program allows students to begin taking graduate courses in their senior year and complete the combined BS/MS degree in five years. Please contact the Department of Computer Science for additional information.

Co-op Program

Through the assistance of the School of Engineering’s Office of Cooperative Education, formal arrangements are established with industry that permit students to rotate four-month terms between the workplace and the classroom. At the University of Pittsburgh, this rotation begins after the completion of the sophomore year and extends into the senior year, with the co-op student completing at least three four-month work periods. These employment sessions, which are typically with the same employer, allow job duties to increase as the knowledge and skills of the student progress. During the co-op sessions, students earn competitive salaries, thus making this program financially rewarding. The co-op credit does not count toward the 37 computer science credits needed for the completion of the computer science program. It does, however, count as Arts and Sciences elective credit.

EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures offers courses in the language, literature, film, linguistics, and culture of China, Japan, and Korea. An undergraduate major is available in either Chinese or Japanese. There is a multiyear sequence of courses in the modern standard languages of China, Japan, and Korea, plus a wide variety of offerings (ranging from introductory to specialized) designed to illuminate various facets of these Asian civilizations. Students whose interests range broadly across the civilization of East Asia may alternatively develop an interdisciplinary studies major or take advantage of the Asian Studies Certificate program. The departmental curriculum is composed of three main categories:

• courses designed to develop competence in the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) of the Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language, plus courses for advanced study in Chinese and Japanese;
• courses taught in English and focused on the mainstream of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean culture as reflected in literature, drama, and film; and
• courses for the advanced study of literature and linguistic analysis.

For more information on the Chinese and Japanese majors, courses in Korean language, or on the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, visit the Web site www.pitt.edu/~deall.

Requirements for Both Japanese and Chinese Majors

Students majoring in either Japanese or Chinese should follow these rules and requirements:

• A total of 51 credits with a 2.00 GPA average in departmental courses.
• The first-year language courses may be taken on a S/NC basis (formerly the S/N option), but not the second-year language courses. In the third and fourth years, majors have the option of taking two additional courses S/NC (formerly the S/N option), one of which may be an advanced language course.
• Majors should enroll in one of the W courses offered by the department or make arrangements with the advisor to enroll in a 1-credit writing practicum associated with a number of courses for the major.

Course Requirements for Japanese Major

Students majoring in Japanese must take 51 credits in departmental courses, distributed as follows:

• Three years of language courses (a total of 29 credits), including
  • JPNSE 0001 First Year Japanese 1
  • JPNSE 0002 First Year Japanese 2
  • JPNSE 0003 Second Year Japanese 1
  • JPNSE 0004 Second Year Japanese 2
  • JPNSE 1020 Third Year Japanese 1
  • JPNSE 1021 Third Year Japanese 2

• One additional language course beyond the third-year level from among one of the following (or an equivalent course):
  • JPNSE 1030 Readings in Japanese Literature
  • JPNSE 1032 Readings in Social Science
  • JPNSE 1040 Introduction to Classical Japanese
  • JPNSE 1050 Fourth Year Japanese

• Two courses (6 credits) from the following list of courses in literature, drama, film, and linguistics:
  • JPNSE 0080 City Life East Asian Culture
  • JPNSE 0083 Introduction to Japanese Literature (required course)
  • JPNSE 0085 Introduction to East Asian Culture
  • JPNSE 1022 History of the Japanese Language
  • JPNSE 1023 Aspects of the Japanese Language
  • JPNSE 1025 Exploring the Japanese Language and Mind
  • JPNSE 1035 Pragmatics of Japanese
  • JPNSE 1045 Language of Japanese Aesthetics
  • JPNSE 1056 Japanese Literature and the West
  • JPNSE 1057 Japanese Culture and Society through Cinema
  • JPNSE 1058 Westerns and Samurai Films
  • JPNSE 1059 Japanese Literature on Screen
  • JPNSE 1071 The World of Japan
  • JPNSE 1072 Writers and Thinkers
  • JPNSE 1080 Ghosts, Masks, and Actors
  • JPNSE 1081 Forms of Japanese Theatre
  • JPNSE 1085 Introduction to East Asian Cinema
  • JPNSE 1098 Directed Writing for Majors

• Two additional courses, including JPNSE 0083 Introduction to Japanese Literature and one of the following linguistics courses: JPNSE 1022 History of the Japanese Language, 1023 Aspects of the Japanese Language, 1025 Exploring the Japanese Language and Mind, or 1035 Pragmatics of Japanese.

Course Requirements for Chinese Major

Students majoring in Chinese must take 50 credits in departmental courses, distributed among three areas:

• Modern language skills: speech, writing, and reading courses (32 credits) to be chosen from the following:
  • CHIN 0001 and 0002 First Year Spoken 1 and 2
  • CHIN 0003 and 0004 Second Year Spoken 1 and 2
  • CHIN 1005 and 1006 Third Year Spoken 1 and 2
  • CHIN 0011 and 0012 First Year Reading 1 and 2
  • CHIN 0013 and 0014 Second Year Reading 1 and 2
  • CHIN 1020 and 1021 Third Year Reading 1 and 2

• Courses in literature, film, culture, and classical Chinese offered within the department. Twelve credits are to be chosen from the following:
  • CHIN 0080 City Life and East Asian Culture
  • CHIN 0081 East Asia in the World
  • CHIN 0082 Hong Kong Cinema
  • CHIN 1040 Literary Chinese 1: Classical
  • CHIN 1041 Literary Chinese 2: Classical
  • CHIN 1047 Chinese and Western Poetry
  • CHIN 1065 Sources on East Asia
  • CHIN 1070 Love Power
  • CHIN 1082 20th Century Chinese Art
  • CHIN 1083 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature: Premodern
  • CHIN 1084 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature Film: Modern
  • CHIN 1085 Introduction to East Asian Cinema
  • CHIN 1086 Love in Chinese and Western Literature
  • CHIN 1087 Introduction to Chinese Narrative
  • CHIN 1088 New Chinese Cinema
  • CHIN 1089 The World of China
  • CHIN 1090 Great Minds of China
  • CHIN 1562 Confucianism: Basic Texts

• Six credits of China-related courses chosen from other departments in the humanities and social sciences.

Minor in Japanese (15–19 credits)

Two options are available:

• Japanese language, linguistics, literature, film, and theater option (19 credits)
  • JPNSE 0001 First Year Japanese 1, 5 credits
  • JPNSE 0002 First Year Japanese 2, 5 credits
  • Three 3-credit departmental courses taught in English, listed as culture, film, linguistics, literature, or theater.
• Japanese culture, film, linguistics, literature, and theater option (15 credits)
  • Five 3-credit departmental courses taught in English, listed as culture, film, linguistics, literature, or theater.