Classical Studies MA (Hons)

In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take the required modules in Classical Studies alongside modules in at least one other subject.

The Classical Studies programme is very flexible and can incorporate modules in Ancient History, Latin and Greek alongside or even in place of specialist Classical Studies modules (though there are some minimum requirements), so that you can pursue your interests in the Greeks and Romans wherever they lead.

1st Year

In the first year, most students take:

• Images of Augustan Rome: studies a range of literary works that were written during the lifetime of the first emperor of Rome, Augustus, and that react in different ways to the new regime that he established.
• Myth and Community in Ancient Greek Literature and Culture: explores some of the most dynamic literary and artistic achievements of archaic and classical Greek culture.

You can also choose from first-year modules in Ancient History, Greek and Latin.

2nd Year

In the second year, most students take:

• Culture and Thought in the Late Roman Republic: sets the main literary texts of the Late Roman Republic against the broader backdrop of Roman art, culture and social life. All prescribed texts will be studied in translation.
• Early Greek Poetry and Philosophy: explores the diversity of early Greek thought at the crossroads of poetry and philosophy, starting with Hesiod’s struggle to reorder the world of gods and humans.

You can also choose from modules in Ancient History, Greek and Latin.

Honours

If you decide to take Classical Studies in your third and fourth years, you will choose further modules for more advanced study of ancient texts, discourses and images.

Here is a sample of Honours modules which have been offered in previous years:

• Greek Theatre
• Art of the Roman Empire
• Religions of the Greeks
• Pleasure, Goodness and Happiness: Hellenistic Ethics
• Roman Praise
• Herodotus
• Greek Painted Pottery
• Magic in Greco-Roman Literature and Life
• Animals in Greco-Roman Antiquity
• Modern Classics: Classics in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.

You will also have access to Honours modules from the Ancient History and Ancient History & Archaeology programmes.

In fourth year, students also have the opportunity to undertake a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice. This independent project enables you to develop key research skills which are desired by both prospective employers and by graduate schools offering postgraduate degrees.

The sub-honours modules listed here are typical modules that students take in order to graduate in this subject. However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above.