Classical Studies (with Foundation Year)

Classical studies is the ultimate humanities subject, drawing together insights from an exciting range of related disciplines and approaches. Our BA in Classical Studies is designed with this variety in mind, encouraging you to develop deep appreciation for the history, politics, and culture of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and their legacy.

• Sector-leading for student satisfaction: Classical Studies achieved 100% for academic support and teaching quality in the 2024 National Student Survey

• Study diverse aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and their reception: Classical studies offers exciting topics delivered by experts in their fields, with particular strengths in women's and gender history, the cultural history of death, and the legacy of the classical world in modern culture

• Develop intellectual independence, integrity and maturity: Classical Studies graduates are curious, broadminded, and culturally literate

Classical studies is the ultimate humanities subject, drawing together insights from an exciting range of related disciplines and approaches. Our BA in Classical Studies is designed with this variety in mind, encouraging you to develop deep appreciation for the history, politics, and culture of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and their legacy.

Our BA in Classical Studies explores the rich heritage of ancient Greece and Rome and their cultural interactions within the broader Mediterranean. Studying with us, you will gain a critical yet empathetic appreciation of different worldviews on a course that blends the study of history, politics, and culture and spans the Bronze Age to the twenty-first century.

Your Foundation Year is the perfect way to boost your academic skills, build your confidence and develop your wider subject knowledge so you can succeed at Winchester. This course offers an extra year of study at the start (Year 0) which leads onto a full degree programme (Years 1, 2 and 3). A Foundation Year is ideal if you are returning to education after a break; haven’t quite achieved the entry qualifications required; are wanting more support during the transition to studying at university; or are unsure about which subject you wish to pursue.

Study continues in Year 1 by establishing a framework for classical studies. You are introduced to key events, figures, themes and concepts via a range of sources and methods. The year is a fascinating, multidisciplinary mix of history, literature, politics, mythology and religion, philosophy, archaeology, art and architecture.

In Year 2, you explore the nature of classical studies as a discipline and its changing assumptions, methods and definitions. As well as offering multidimensional insight into the culture, history, and politics of the Greek and Roman worlds, modules also provide opportunities to reflect on the impact of these worlds in later societies, right up to the present day. Topics may include the high point of Athenian democracy, the world of Alexander the Great, the Roman Republic and early Empire, and the construction of the classical past in modern museum collections.

In your final year, you will hone your research methods, write a dissertation, and undertake more specialised modules that focus on the areas of academic expertise of the teaching staff. Topics may include gender and sexuality in the classical world and its modern legacy, the Pax Romana, popular culture in the classical world, the Trojan War in the ancient imagination, and ancient approaches to death and ritual.

The course is designed with students' academic, personal, and professional development and well-being in mind, and our sector-leading National Student Survey results are testament to the support we offer to our students. There is no classical languages requirement for our degree, and there is no expectation that you have studied Classical Civilisation or Ancient History at either GCSE or A Level.

https://www.winchester.ac.uk/48nx