University undergraduate studying in the Monica Partridge building lecture theatre. Friday November 5th 2021.

Classics BA

University Park Campus, Nottingham, UK

Course overview

Build your love for, and understanding of, the ancient world to new levels.


Classics is a language-based course. You will investigate the culture and history of ancient Greece and Rome by examining texts in their original language. Immerse yourself in ancient speeches, drama, epic, and satire in the original Greek or Latin, and explore how language and culture inform one another.

Reading ancient texts in their original Latin or Greek is one of the greatest pleasures of studying Greek and Roman culture. You can learn either language from scratch, or build on your existing knowledge.


Studying Latin and ancient Greek will give you greater insight into the texts you’re reading in translation. You can combine modules on the history, art, and culture of the ancient Mediterranean with detailed study of both Latin and Greek. Learning an ancient language also builds skills in linguistic analysis and literacy that are valued by employers.

Indicative modules

Mandatory

Year 1

Studying the Greek World

Mandatory

Year 1

Studying the Roman World

Optional

Year 1

Latin or Greek Texts: 1-6

Optional

Year 1

Beginners' Latin or Greek: 1

Optional

Year 1

Beginners' Latin or Greek: 2

Optional

Year 1

Interpreting Ancient Art and Archaeology

Optional

Year 1

Interpreting Ancient History

Optional

Year 1

Interpreting Ancient Literature

Optional

Year 1

Comparative World Prehistory

Optional

Year 1

Greek and Roman Mythology

Optional

Year 1

Rome to Revolution: Historical Archaeology of Britain

Optional

Year 1

Great Discoveries in Archaeology

Optional

Year 1

Understanding the Past I – Introduction to Archaeology

Optional

Year 1

Understanding the Past II – Landscapes and Surveying

Optional

Year 2

Beginners' Latin or Greek: 1

Optional

Year 2

Beginners' Latin or Greek: 2

Optional

Year 2

Intermediate Latin or Greek: 1 and 2

Optional

Year 2

Latin or Greek Texts: 1-6

Optional

Year 2

Communicating the Past

Optional

Year 2

Extended Source Study

Optional

Year 2

Studying Classical Scholarship

Optional

Year 2

The Silk Road: Cultural Interactions and Perceptions

Optional

Year 2

The Archaeology of Mycenaean Greece

Optional

Year 2

Conquerors, Caliphs, and Converts: The Making of the Islamic World, c.600-800

Optional

Year 2

Pompeii: Art and Culture in a Roman Town

Optional

Year 2

Christian Empire

Optional

Year 2

Virgil and the Epic Tradition

Optional

Year 2

Oedipus through the Ages

Optional

Year 2

Animals in the Ancient World

Optional

Year 2

Greece in the Archaic Age, c. 800-500 BC

Optional

Year 2

Greeks and Persians

Optional

Year 2

Classics and Film

Optional

Year 2

Coins, Cults and Cities: Coinage in the Eastern Roman Provinces (30 BC to AD 270)

Optional

Year 2

Employing the Arts

Optional

Year 2

Arts Work Placement Module

Optional

Year 3

Advanced Latin or Greek: 1 and 2

Optional

Year 3

Latin or Greek Texts: 1-6

Optional

Year 3

Intermediate Latin or Greek: 1 and 2

Optional

Year 3

Dissertation in Classics and Archaeology

Optional

Year 3

The Silk Road: Cultural Interactions and Perceptions

Optional

Year 3

The Archaeology of Mycenaean Greece

Optional

Year 3

Sparta

Optional

Year 3

Mapping the Humanities

Optional

Year 3

Heritage and the Media

Optional

Year 3

Pompeii: Art and Culture in a Roman Town

Optional

Year 3

Christian Empire

Optional

Year 3

Virgil and the Epic Tradition

Optional

Year 3

Oedipus through the Ages

Optional

Year 3

Animals in the Ancient World

Optional

Year 3

Greece in the Archaic Age, c. 800-500 BC

Optional

Year 3

Greeks and Persians

Optional

Year 3

Classics and Film

Optional

Year 3

Coins, Cults and Cities: Coinage in the Eastern Roman Provinces (30 BC to AD 270)

Optional

Year 3

Greek Tragedy

Optional

Year 3

Masculinity and Citizenship in Greece and Rome

Optional

Year 3

"Otherness" in Classical Art

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About modules

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. This content was last updated on Thursday 22 August 2024. Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.

You will be taught via a mixture of large-group lectures and smaller, interactive seminars. You might also be taught through tutorials and supervisions. These are one-to-one meetings or discussions with an academic tutor.

All students are assigned a personal tutor at the start of each academic year. Your personal tutor oversees your academic development and personal welfare.

Peer mentoring

All new undergraduate students are allocated a peer mentor, to help you settle into life at Nottingham.

Find out more about the support on offer.

Teaching quality

88% of our class of 2020 graduated with a 1st or 2:1 degree classification. Source: UoN student outcomes data, Annual Monitoring (QDS) Analyses 2020.

Nine academics from the Department of Classics and Archaeology have received Advance HE recognition for their contribution to education, becoming Teaching Fellows.

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops
  • Field trips

Our courses are modular, and range from full-year to semester-long modules. Assessment normally takes place towards the end of each semester, while beginners’ language modules are usually assessed by a coursework portfolio running throughout the semester.


Assessment methods


Assessment is based on a combination of coursework, including essays, close-reading exercises, research projects, and the dissertation, oral presentations, and formal examinations. The precise assessments vary between modules and across the years of your degree. Some of our modules (such as 'Communicating the Past', or 'Classics and Comics') include the option of producing more artistic or creative coursework projects.


"I designed several T-shirts and hoodies which conveyed information about the site’s art and architecture, history, and its eventual ruination by ISIL in 2015. I wanted to combine my interest of fashion with my love for the Classical world, and this project gave me the opportunity to do so."


- Alexander Gadd, on the 'Communicating the Past' module
 

Feedback

We offer detailed written comments on all coursework, and the opportunity to discuss ideas and coursework with your tutor is an integral part of your studies at Nottingham. Whether by giving feedback on an essay plan or discussing the results of an assessment, we help you work to the best of your ability. There are appointed days in each semester to get feedback from tutors and module convenors, as well as other opportunities to discuss pieces of work.

Assessment methods

  • Commentary
  • Dissertation
  • Essay
  • In-class test
  • Portfolio (written/digital)
  • Presentation
  • Written exam

 

You’ll have at least the following hours of timetabled contact a week through lectures, seminars and workshops, tutorials and supervisions.

  • Year one: minimum of 12 hours
  • Year two: minimum of 10 hours
  • Final year: minimum of 8 hours

Your tutors will also be available outside these times to discuss issues and develop your understanding. We reduce your contact hours as you work your way through the course. As you progress, we expect you to assume greater responsibility for your studies and work more independently.


Your tutors will all be qualified academics. Our largest lectures, 'Studying the Greek World' and 'Studying the Roman World' are typically attended by up to 150 students, whereas the corresponding seminars are typically no bigger than 15. Other popular optional module lectures may be attended by up to 100 students, with up to 25 in each seminar group.


As well as scheduled teaching, you’ll carry out extensive self-study such as:

  • reading
  • locating and analysing primary sources
  • planning and writing essays and other assessed work
  • collaborating with fellow students

As a guide, 20 credits (a typical module) is approximately 200 hours of work (combined teaching and self-study).

 

A degree in classics gives you a wide range of transferable skills, including:

  • ability to process and critically evaluate data
  • applying theoretical and scientific principles to problems
  • critical analysis and argument
  • experience of fieldwork, post-excavation and laboratory techniques
  • ability to interpret spatial data numerical, statistical, IT and analytical skills
  • strong team working
  • written, oral and visual communication
  • awareness of other linguistic cultures

Read our Classics and Archaeology student and alumni profiles for more about the range of skills you will gain, as well as the careers which our graduates go into.

You can learn more about subject-related careers opportunities from our Careers and Employability Services.

 

Average starting salary and career progression

78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.

HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017 to 2021 cohorts). The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.


Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.


The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2020, High Fliers Research).

 

University undergraduates studying in the Monica Partridge building. Friday November 5th 2021.Megan Mahoney (blue top); Jane Israel (denim jacket); Sara Bintey Kabir (yellow top) and Khaqan Khan (red jumper).

Studying Classics at Nottingham helped me to discover many interesting topics. The lecturer’s teaching never fails to pique interest and their enthusiasm makes every lecture brilliant. 

"Jasmine Newton-Rae

Classics BA

Course data

Open Day June 2022