Greek/ History

Ancient Greek is one of the richest and most rewarding languages in the world's literary tradition, giving access to a body of poetry, drama, philosophy, history and oratory that has shaped Western thought, literature and culture in ways that continue to reverberate today. Studying Greek alongside history develops two complementary disciplines: the close textual and linguistic skills needed to engage with Greek authors in the original, alongside the historical methods and analytical frameworks for understanding the ancient world and tracing its influence across subsequent centuries.

At the University of Glasgow, this part-time programme includes a year abroad and offers a programme in which you will read, depending on your options, Homer and other Greek poets, Athenian tragedies and comedies, orators and historians, and philosophers including Plato. You will also engage with Greek political and social history, philosophy, religion and art, developing a comprehensive understanding of the ancient world across its textual, cultural and historical dimensions. History modules provide methods and frameworks for studying the past more broadly, developing your ability to work with primary sources, construct historical arguments and engage with historiographical debates.

The year abroad gives you the opportunity to pursue both subjects in a different academic environment.

Graduates of Greek and History programmes go on to careers in teaching, academic research, publishing, heritage and museum work, archival roles, journalism, the civil service, law and the cultural sector. The combination of linguistic precision, historical understanding and sustained critical argument is valued in many professional contexts beyond the academic. Further study at postgraduate level in Classics, ancient history, Classical languages, history or a related field is the natural route for those who want to pursue academic careers or specialist professional roles in the study of the ancient world.