Classics - BA (Hons)

Durham University

Explore all aspects of classical culture as you immerse yourself in the languages and society of ancient Greece and Rome.,The core of the Classics course is language, although how much language is studied and at what level, depends on you. The course is equally suitable for students who have A levels (or equivalent) in Greek and/or Latin and for those who have never studied an ancient language before. As such, we offer modules in both Latin and Greek, in both prose and verse, at every level appropriate to your experience or your particular interests. The course also put these languages into context by exploring the culture of these ancient civilisations. In your first year, you will gain a grounding in the central periods of Greek and Roman culture. In your second year you will then study how the genre of epic developed in Greek and Roman antiquity and beyond. In your final year you will bring together your studies and write a dissertation in your chosen area of interest. This will be supported by continuing language study and a choice of further learning which you can tailor to your own studies.Course structureYear 1 modulesCore modules:Introduction to the Greek World examines ancient Greek history, society and thought. It will introduce you to the central themes, topics and terminology in the study of Archaic and Classical Greece, and equip you to use the basic intellectual resources available to assist that study.Monuments and Memory in the Age of Augustus gives you an introduction to Roman history and culture and Latin literature, which will also serve as a basis for your further study in these areas. You will investigate a central, transitional epoch in the history of ancient Rome, from an interdisciplinary perspective.Beginners or Intermediate Greek and/or Latin Beginners or Intermediate Greek and/or Latin language modules, at the appropriate level based on your previous experience.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: Early Greek PhilosophyLanguage, Translation, InterpretationThe Craft of the Ancient HistorianLives of Objects – Greek and Roman Antiquity.Year 2 modulesCore modules:Traditions of Epic enables you to study representative examples of Greek and Roman epic, including its role as a device for recording and remembering lives and events, and you will explore the ways in which the genre developed, in ancient Greece and Rome and beyond.Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced modules in Greek and/or Latin language.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: Interpreting Greek Tragedy TodayAncient Political Thought and ActionEmperors and DynastiesAlexandriaClassical Receptions and Contemporary CulturesDialogues with AntiquityLiving in the Classical WorldThe City of AthensAncient ScienceYear 3 modulesCore modules:Dissertation The dissertation is a significant piece of work in which you research and analyse a topic in depth and write your findings and conclusions.Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Higher Greek and/or Latin language modules.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: Greeks and Persians (c. 560-336 BC)The Later Roman EmpireThe Origins of CivilisationAncient SlaveryThe History of Writing in the Ancient Mediterranean.Additional Pathways Students can apply to be transferred onto either the with Year Abroad or with Placement pathway. Places on these pathways are in high demand and if you are chosen your studies will extend from three years to four or four to five depending on course.