CLASSICS (BA)

The Ancient Greek and Roman worlds offer a wealth of fascinating areas of study, including history, literature, archaeology and philosophy. The BA Classics enables you to develop a high level of competence in Ancient Greek and/or Latin, which you can make the main focus of your degree or use to enrich your study of a wide range of complementary option modules across these different Classical disciplines. Full-time Classics students must have at least introductory-level knowledge of either Greek or Latin, which can be acquired (for example) at a summer school immediately before starting the programme; without this level of preparation, absolute beginners are encouraged to take the four-year part-time version of this course. On the programme, you will develop your skills in one or both languages at a range of levels; you will also have the chance to read ancient texts in depth in the original. 

The modules which you can select to complement your language learning cover the culture or history of Greek and Roman societies across the Mediterranean and Near East, from the archaic period to the Roman imperial period and Late Antiquity, and the reception of Classical culture in later periods of history. Like the language modules, these are taught by international experts in the relevant fields of Classics.

The BA Classics is a structured programme of taught modules, designed to develop understanding and critical skills and a deep knowledge of Classical language, literature and culture. It involves examining the nature of our understanding of the Classical past and its literature. We encourage you to engage with textual material and to question accepted traditions about the past, so that you will develop the ability to construct and present a convincing argument.