Program Overview

Classical Civilisation BA

Overview

The Classical Civilisation BA course at the University of Nottingham offers a comprehensive exploration of the ancient world, covering a wide range of topics from literature and history to art and archaeology. Students will gain a deep understanding of the cultural interactions of the ancient Mediterranean and their lasting influence across time.

Course Structure

The course is divided into three years, with each year consisting of a combination of mandatory and optional modules.

Year One

• Interpreting Ancient Literature: This module introduces students to the interpretation of ancient literary texts as sources for ancient culture.
• Studying the Greek World: This module provides a wide-ranging interdisciplinary introduction to the history, literature, and culture of the ancient Greek World.
• Studying the Roman World: This module gives a wide-ranging interdisciplinary introduction to the history, literature, and art of the Roman world.
• Myth in Greek and Roman Society: This module introduces the interpretation of ancient Greek and Roman myth, focusing on a representative range of texts and themes.
• Interpreting Ancient Art and Archaeology: This module explores Greek and Roman art, from the Bronze Age to the end of the Roman Empire.
• Interpreting Ancient History: This year-long module is devoted to the history of the ancient world, investigating some of its key themes and approaches through a series of historical case studies.
• Classical language pathways: Students can choose to study either Latin or Classical Greek, with options for beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Year Two

• Exploring Ancient Evidence: This module examines a piece of ancient evidence and builds key skills in source analysis and presentation.
• Studying Classical Scholarship: This module focuses on the history and development of the scholarship on ancient Greece and Rome and on specific theories, approaches, and methods used by modern scholarship.
• Conquerors, Caliphs, and Converts: This module examines the remarkable speed and success of the Islamic conquests and their profound and transformative consequences for Middle Eastern society.
• Law and Society in the Greco-Roman World: This module explores how law is understood and formulated, the impact of law on society, and how society in turn influences the creation of law.
• Performance and Display: This module explores a range of sources that illustrate how ancient people created public representations of themselves and others.
• The Lives of Ancient Objects: This module critically assesses interdisciplinary perspectives on ancient material culture from ancient history, art history, and archaeology.
• Communicating the Past: This module allows students to get creative and build their knowledge on an aspect of Classics or Archaeology which interests them.
• Religion and the Supernatural: This module brings together archaeology, history, and literature to examine religious beliefs and practices in classical antiquity, alongside other beliefs in the supernatural.
• Classical language pathways: Students can continue to study either Latin or Classical Greek, with options for intermediate and advanced levels.

Year Three

• Christian Empire: This module examines a fascinating and tumultuous period of Roman history, from Diocletian's seizure of power to the sack of Rome by a Visigothic army.
• Coins, Cults and Cities: This module explores the city or 'civic' coinage of the Roman Empire, focusing on the Near East.
• Classics Research Project: This module gives students the opportunity to delve deeper into a topic of their choice, subject to approval.
• Special Subject in Classics: This module allows students to choose from one of four topics and attain deep familiarity with the latest developments in scholarship on that area.
• Introduction to Ancient Greek Medicine: This module introduces students to aspects of ancient Greek medicine, with sources ranging from the earliest surviving medical texts to Galen and Soranus.
• The Bronze Age Aegean: This module examines visual and material culture, as well as epigraphic and literary sources, to explore the real-life civilisations that inspired legends.
• Classics and Modern Media: This module deepens students' understanding of the modern reception of the classical world in film, TV, comic books, or children's literature.
• Classical language pathways: Students can continue to study either Latin or Classical Greek, with options for advanced and higher levels.

Admission Criteria

• Qualification: BA Hons
• Entry Requirements: ABB
• Start Date: September 2026
• UCAS code: Q820
• Duration: 3 years full-time (available part-time)
• Fees: £9,535*

Additional Costs

• Equipment: Students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
• Books: Students may wish to buy their own copies of core texts, with a recommended budget of £100 per year.
• Volunteering and placements: Students will need to pay for transport and refreshments for volunteering and placements.
• Optional field trips: Field trips are optional, and costs vary according to the trip.

Scholarships and Bursaries

• Faculty of Arts Alumni Scholarships: Our Alumni Scholarships provide support with essential living costs to eligible students.
• International students: We offer a range of international undergraduate scholarships for high-achieving international scholars.

Careers

• Transferable skills: A degree in classical civilisation gives students a wide range of transferable skills, including effective communication, planning a research project, constructing a logical argument, thinking and study independently, and the ability to synthesise and evaluate information and opinions.
• Job prospects: 78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate-level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation, with an average annual starting salary of £23,974.