Program Overview

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Classical Studies

Course Overview

The BA in Classical Studies is designed to provide students with a deep appreciation for the history, politics, and culture of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and their legacy. The course explores the rich heritage of ancient Greece and Rome and their cultural interactions within the broader Mediterranean.

Course Features

• 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

Course Details

Learning and Teaching

• Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.
• You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.
• In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars, you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.

Independent Learning

• Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff.
• You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.

Overall Workload

• Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.
• Teaching is student-centred and designed to develop increasingly independent learners as students progress through the three years of the degree.
• A broad foundation at the start of the course sets out the chronology and civilisation of the Classical world and introduces students to the relevant disciplines to study it - art, archaeology, architecture, drama, history, literature and philosophy.
• These themes are developed in Year 2, which also explores the legacy of the Classics, and are studied more intensively during Year 3.

Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled teaching and learning activity

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 312 hours
• Independent learning: 888 hours

Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled teaching and learning activity

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 300 hours
• Independent learning: 816 hours
• Placement: 84 hours

Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled teaching and learning activity

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 276 hours
• Independent learning: 924 hours

Teaching Hours

• All class based teaching takes places between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday during term time.
• Wednesday afternoons are kept free from timetabled teaching for personal study time and for sports clubs and societies to train, meet and play matches.
• There may be some occasional learning opportunities (for example, an evening guest lecturer or performance) that take places outside of these hours for which you will be given forewarning.

Assessment

• Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning.
• An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.
• We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes.
• As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

• The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose.
• The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:
  • Year 1 (Level 4): 81% coursework, 13% written exams, 6% practical assessment
  • Year 2 (Level 5): 67% coursework, 20% written exams, 13% practical assessment
  • Year 3 (Level 6): 80% coursework, 7% written exams, 13% practical assessment

Modules

Year 1

• Exploring Classical History and Culture (30 Credits)
• Responding to Classical Myth and Literature (30 Credits)
• Monuments, Myths and the Mind: (Re)constructing Life in the Classical World (30 Credits)
• Case Study in History (30 Credits)

Year 2

• Classical Studies: Theories, Methods, and Approaches (30 Credits)
• From Homer to Alexander: The Making of Classical and Hellenistic Greece (30 Credits)
• The Roman Republic: from Romulus to Augustus Caesar, 753 BC - AD 14 (30 Credits)
• Optional modules (15 Credits)

Year 3

• Dissertation (30 Credits)
• Popular Culture in the Classical World: Leisure, Culture and Entertainment (30 Credits)
• Depth Study in History (30 Credits)
• Optional Modules (15 Credits)

Entry Requirements

• UK: 104-120 points
• International: Equivalent qualifications and English language proficiency

Tuition Fees

• UK: £9,535 per year (2025/26)
• International: £16,700 per year (2025/26)

Additional Costs

• There may be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying, for example if you take part in a field trip.

Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards

• We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course.

Career Prospects

• When top employers look for culturally literate and engaged graduates, Winchester’s Classical Studies students cannot fail to shine.
• Our graduates are valued in a wide variety of occupations including education, the civil service, local government and museums and heritage.
• Others teach or write for television, film and radio.
• Many also pursue postgraduate degrees, and often study MA degrees in related subjects, such as classical archaeology, ancient history, Latin or Greek languages and literature, and classical reception.

Programme Leader

• Dr Polly Stoker is Lecturer in Classical Studies. Polly was awarded her PhD in Classics from the University of Birmingham in 2019 with a thesis titled: "Classical Reception in Contemporary Women’s Writing: Emerging Strategies from Resistance to Indeterminacy". She went on to hold the position of Teaching Fellow at the University of Birmingham ), before joining the History team at Winchester in the summer of 2021.