Classical Civilisation

Classical civilisation is the study of the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome in their full richness: their literature, history, philosophy, art, architecture, myth, religion, and political thought. It differs from classical studies in that it does not require knowledge of the ancient languages, making the texts and ideas of antiquity accessible to students who want to engage seriously with what Greece and Rome produced without the linguistic training that reading them in the original demands. The discipline addresses some of the most enduring questions about human society, creativity, and thought through the evidence of two of the most influential civilisations in history.

At the University of Warwick this part-time programme is designed to reflect your individual interests in classics, offering flexibility within the department's strong research-active environment. You will engage with the primary texts of antiquity in translation, with the archaeology and material culture of the ancient world, and with the philosophical, political, and literary traditions that have shaped Western thought from the Renaissance to the present. The part-time mode allows you to pursue this study alongside other commitments, and Warwick's department is one of the UK's leading centres for classical scholarship.

Graduates of classical civilisation work in education, heritage, museums, libraries, publishing, arts administration, and the cultural sector, where knowledge of the classical tradition has direct relevance. The analytical and communicative abilities the discipline develops, close reading of complex texts, the construction of historical and interpretive arguments, and the capacity to engage with ideas across very different cultural contexts, are valued across a wide range of careers. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in classical studies, ancient history, philosophy, or related fields.

Others move into teaching, journalism, public history, or the civil service, where the intellectual formation of classical study gives them a distinctive profile.