Classics and Beginners' Czech

Classics is the study of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds through their languages, literature, history, philosophy, and material culture. It is one of the oldest and most demanding disciplines in the humanities, and its influence on Western thought, law, politics, and the arts is immeasurable. Czech and Slovak add a Slavic dimension to this classical foundation, opening access to the literature and culture of Central Europe, a region whose histories, languages, and cultural traditions deserve far more attention than they typically receive in the English-speaking world.

This four-year full-time programme at the University of Oxford is designed for students who have no prior knowledge of Czech: the language is taught from scratch, and the programme is designed to take you to a high level of proficiency through intensive study and immersion. Alongside Czech, you will learn enough Slovak to understand and engage with the closely related language spoken in the neighbouring country. The classics component covers Latin, Ancient Greek, ancient history, philosophy, and classical archaeology and culture, drawing on Oxford's unparalleled resources in the discipline.

The combination demands intellectual commitment and range, but it produces graduates with an unusual and genuinely distinctive education.

Graduates from this programme enter careers in academia, diplomacy, journalism, translation and interpretation, publishing, law, and international organisations focused on Central and Eastern Europe. Oxford's reputation amplifies the value of any degree, and the combination of classical training with Central European language expertise is rare enough to be noticed by employers. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in classics, Slavic studies, linguistics, comparative literature, or international relations, and the research skills and intellectual habits developed at Oxford provide excellent preparation for doctoral work in any of these areas.