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Classics focuses on exploring the literary works, historical events, artistic achievements, and physical artifacts of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Students can learn Latin and/or Greek at any stage of their studies.
Those advancing to Honours programs will have the chance to spend a minimum of three weeks (typically during the summer break after third year) exploring archaeological sites and museums in Italy and Greece. All Single Honours students receive financial assistance for this trip. Additionally, third-year students may opt to study at institutions in North America, Australia, New Zealand, or Europe. The curriculum covers classical civilization, including the history, literature, and culture of ancient Greece and republican Rome. Students engage with Homer's epics, Herodotus and Sallust's historical accounts, Plautus's comedies, and Cicero's orations. The program also examines the literature, culture, history, and politics of democratic Athens and the peak of the Roman Empire. Works studied include tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, comedies by Aristophanes, Plato's dialogues, historical texts by Thucydides and Tacitus, Virgil's Aeneid, Juvenal's satires, and Petronius's unconventional novel. For increased flexibility, students may now choose to take any pre-Honours Classical Civilisation courses (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B) online instead of attending traditional in-person classes.
Our recent graduates have pursued careers in various fields including education, government service, administration, library science, archival work, and museum/gallery curation.