Classical Studies

This module introduces students to the core skills required to study history successfully at degree level. History makes sense of the past by analysing surviving evidence. Such evidence is either secondary, which requires in-depth critical reading, or primary or original, which demands critical contextualisation and analysis. All such evidence has uses to the historian, not necessarily obvious, and all contains partiality, which historians are trained to overcome. Working in small groups with one staff member per group, there will be a balance between developing awareness of these overarching core skills (such as conducting research and mastering referencing conventions) and a case study where students work on academic reading connected to a particular topic. This intensive small group environment will help students adjust to the university environment and provide a venue for delivering other transitional and transferrable skills.

This module builds upon Sources & Approaches in History, further developing students’ skills as independent researchers, and giving students an opportunity to do research of a critical nature, using both primary and secondary sources. Continuing to work in the same Case Study groups and topic as they did in Sources & Approaches, students undertake an individual research project, on a topic negotiated with a tutor. In addition, there will be an element of group work as students combine their individual findings, presenting on a subtopic of the module’s overarching theme. As this module concentrates upon developing skills there is an emphasis on training for future employment. Students will be expected to engage with careers service activities in semester 2 and to report their activities in a reflective blog.

This course presents an introduction to, and an examination of, life in classical Greece. Focussing on ancient Athens, where possible, we shall review the city’s rise to power and how that success was complemented by Athens’ emergence as a key site of great art and culture in the ancient world. Why Athens, of all cities? To try and answer that question we shall also consider the broader social and cultural forces that helped to shape the classical city. This is a foundational module that seeks to connect the different parts of life in the ancient Athens, even as it introduces students to the knowledge and skills required for future study of antiquity.

This module provides the students with a general introduction to the main literary genres of the Classical Greek world. The timeframe considered is approximately from the eight century BC to the second century BC (from the Homeric epics to the literature of the Hellenistic and Imperial age). This survey of literary material can include epic poetry, lyric poetry, oratory, historiography, epigram, and other major literary genres. The goal is for students to become familiar with the different forms of literature found in Classical Greek sources and to be able to identify the distinguishing elements of each literary genre. At the same time, this module provides the students with an opportunity to become familiar with the best-known practitioners of each literary genre in ancient Greece. The module may also make forays into how these literary forms influenced later writing in the Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, and modern world.

The module will introduce the study of classical archaeology, and the methodologies and approaches that distinguish it from classical history and other branches of classical studies. It is thematically based, covering topics such as social structure, economics, urbanism, religion and military affairs. Material culture, such as weapons, coins, pottery, villas, fortifications, etc., will be explored, and the contribution it makes to classical archaeology assessed.

The study of Roman civilisation is the historical and cultural study of a wealth of events, individuals, cultures, monuments, landscapes, and sources of evidence. This module is an introduction to the Romans in Britain, beginning with pre-Roman settlement and culture. We will examine ancient sources carefully, both written and material; the course will cover the basic historical outline of the earliest Roman interest and invasion of Britain with Julius Caesar, through settlement and Romanisation, until the withdraw of Roman troops in the early fifth century. In addition to the historical and political impact of the Romans, this module will also consider the cultural aspects of everyday life, women in the province, settlement and building projects, and the impact of Romanisation on the local cultures as well as the Romans living there themselves.

This module provides the students with a general introduction to the main literary genres of the Classical Roman world. The timeframe considered is approximately from the third century BC to the fifth century AD (from the beginnings of Roman literature with Livius Andronicus to the literature of the Imperial age). This survey of literary material can include epic poetry, elegy, oratory, historiography, epigram, satire, and other major literary genres. The goal is for students to become familiar with the different forms of literature found in Classical Roman sources and to be able to identify the distinguishing elements of each literary genre. At the same time, this module provides the students with an opportunity to become familiar with the best-known practitioners of each literary genre in ancient Rome. The module may also make forays into how these literary forms influenced later writing in the Medieval, Renaissance, and modern world.

This module surveys the great mythical worlds imagined by the Greeks and Romans, exploring the major myths of the ancient gods and heroes in their social, historical, literary and visual context. How did the categories of myth, those great tales of a heroic past, come about? Who told these tales and why? What is the relationship between myth and ancient history, ancient religion, and ancient philosophy? This module will combine the study of original literary texts (in translation) with the analysis of art and architecture as it, first, sets out the great tales of ancient mythology and then attempts to make some sense of the role of myth. As well as studying key mythical stories in antiquity, students will also review the relationship between Greek and Roman myths and consider the reception of mythical ideas and images in later cultures beyond antiquity.

Epic poetry had a pivotal role in the cultural, social, and political life of antiquity, and has had an enduring impact on the world’s cultural discourse across the ages. Students will read passages from the major Greek and Roman epic poems and follow some of the most widespread epic themes in their journey from the Bronze Age through the Roman Imperial era and on to the twenty-first century. Students will identify and discuss elements of continuity and innovation in the tradition, and focus on how epic literature was created, performed, and adapted in different contexts in order to create different national identities in antiquity, from archaic Greece to Imperial Rome. Furthermore, students may also consider various aspects of the reception of ancient epic through selected case studies.

This module considers the planning and preparation of research and the methods and skills used, with particular reference to – but not sole consideration of – the dissertation. A wide range of historical approaches and methods are assessed, including use of local and national archives, databases and online sources, media and newspapers, visual images, standing remains, landscape and the material environment, public history, oral sources and scientific data. Ethics in historical research are also examined. The module aims to help students to develop their career goals through a series of tutorials and workshops designed to assist them with planning for future directions after graduation. Students will be expected to engage with careers service activities and to report their activities in a reflective journal.

Classical Studies Optional Modules:

• The Glory of Athens and the Shadow of Sparta - 15 Credits
• Alexander the Great: in his Own Time - 15 Credits
• Rome: the Rise of the Eternal City - 15 Credits
• Imperial Rome: Caesar and Augustus - 15 Credits
• The Culture of Neoclassicism - 15 Credits
• The Greek World - 15 Credits
• Tragic Heroes and Cursed Houses - 15 Credits
• Collecting and Constructing Classics: Power and Politics in the Museum - 15 Credits

Other Optional Modules:

• The Global Middle Ages 
• The Renaissance Court: Power, Politics and Patronage 
• The Age of the Vikings 
• The Archaeology and Anthropology of Death and Burial 
• Emirs and Caliphs of al-Andalus: Iberia and the Umayyads, 756-931 CE 
• The Crusades 
• Field Trip 
• Work Placement 

The Dissertation (Extended Independent Study) is an 8,000 -10,000 thesis on a subject of a student’s choice. It makes an original contribution to historical knowledge and understanding. It demonstrates an advanced capacity to work as a historian and to employ the conventions of a historian. Students must produce by due deadlines a proposal acceptable to internal scrutineers, evidence of substantial progress by the end of the first module as part of the assessment for the Research Methods module, and a record of supervision completed by the supervisor with the Dissertation.

This module is taught through small seminar groups only. In these groups, students will be able to explore the nature of historical research and historical debate through reflection on their own dissertation and the sharing of best practice with other students. It will allow a more supportive learning environment whilst ensuring a more active engagement with individual research.

What first piqued your interest in history… A particular film, a video game, an enjoyable museum visit? In whatever ways we engage with the past, it is clear that history matters now. From political justifications to historical controversies, this module will give you the opportunity to explore how and why history features in our everyday lives. The material discussed throughout this module raises questions over the importance of historical narratives in popular media, politics, heritage, and education. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own academic study of history and how this can be mobilised for the wider benefit of society. Through an assessment of both academic and practical applications of history, this module will introduce you to the uses (and abuses) of history for public consumption and the varied employment options for graduates of the discipline.

Classical Studies Optional Modules:

• Pax Romana: From the Julio-Claudians to the Severans, AD 14-235 - 30 credits
• Ancient Greece and the Modern World - 30 credits
• Games & Gladiators: Sport and Leisure in the Ancient World - 15 credits
• Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece - 15 credits
• Minoans and Mycenaeans: the Greek Bronze Age - 15 credits