Classical Studies

Classical Studies opens a window onto the civilisations that shaped the modern world. Greece and Rome between them gave us foundational ideas in philosophy, politics, literature, history, and the visual arts, and the discipline asks you to engage with those ideas directly, reading their texts, examining their material culture, and questioning the assumptions that ancient writers brought to their world and that we bring to ours.

At Swansea you will read a wide range of texts in translation from across the ancient Mediterranean, spanning poetry, drama, history, oratory, and philosophy, while developing a deep understanding of Greek and Roman culture from the archaic period through to the fall of the Roman Empire and beyond. You will encounter epic poetry and tragic drama alongside political treatises and comic novels, learning to analyse literary form and cultural context in tandem. The degree builds skills in critical reading, argument, and research that are applicable far beyond the classical world itself.

You will consider questions of gender, power, religion, and identity as they were understood in antiquity and as they continue to be debated by scholars today.

Over three years of full-time study you will move from broad surveys of Greek and Roman civilisation towards more focused work in areas that interest you most, whether that is ancient history, literary criticism, myth, or the reception of the classical world in later periods. Writing clearly and arguing persuasively are central to the discipline, and you will develop those abilities steadily across the programme.

Classical Studies graduates are found across a very wide range of professions. The combination of analytical rigour, strong written communication, and cultural breadth that the degree develops is attractive to employers in law, the civil service, publishing, journalism, education, heritage, and the arts. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in classics, ancient history, archaeology, or related fields, and the degree also provides excellent preparation for graduate-entry professional training routes.