Classics/Theology & Religious Studies

Classics and theology and religious studies address some of the deepest questions that have occupied human minds, and they do so in ways that illuminate each other. Classical civilisation, encompassing the literature, history, art, and material culture of Greece and Rome, cannot be understood without understanding the religious life and philosophical traditions of the ancient world: the Olympian gods, Stoic and Epicurean ethics, Neoplatonism, and the Judeo-Christian inheritance that Rome eventually carried to western Europe. Theology and religious studies take those traditions forward, asking how religious thought has developed, what different traditions believe, and how religion shapes culture, ethics, and society.

At Glasgow you will engage with Greek and Roman literature, history, philosophy, and art alongside the systematic study of religion and theology. Classics training develops your ability to work with ancient languages and texts, to understand archaeological and historical evidence, and to situate ancient thought in its cultural context. Latin and ancient Greek are available as part of your classical studies.

Theology and religious studies develops your capacity to engage seriously with religious traditions, from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam to Buddhism, Hinduism, and secular thought, and to ask what religious belief and practice mean for individuals and communities. The four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different national context where these traditions are approached from another perspective.

Graduates pursue careers in education, heritage, the church and religious organisations, chaplaincy, journalism, publishing, the civil service, and international development. Many continue to postgraduate study in theology, classical studies, ancient history, or religious studies.