Classics and Ancient History at Bristol

Studying Classics and Ancient History at the University of Bristol sees students and researchers explore enduring problems and issues from Greek and Roman antiquity through to the present day. Academically, the Department covers everything from Latin and Greek language and literature to history, art and archaeology, critical theory and ancient philosophy, reflecting also on the parallels with modern post-classical texts, art and even popular music and cinema. Bristol is an exciting place to study the ancient world: we combine traditional skills and approaches with a forward-thinking idea of the boundaries and importance of the field. Throughout all of our courses, you’ll get the opportunity to develop existing skills (for example in languages or literature); but we also aim to make you think in new ways about the ancient world, and to develop increasingly sophisticated views on its history and culture. This might mean applying distinctive theoretical positions to classical texts or ancient societies, or thinking in detail about the ways in which classical culture and history have been received and used over the subsequent 2000 years (a subject which was pioneered by members of our Department). We encourage you to gain experience of the many different methods and approaches involved in the study of Classics and Ancient History today. These approaches are closely based on our own research activities, providing you with the latest critical thought on the subjects being taught. We also give you the opportunity to compare ancient and modern art, literature, politics and popular culture.

Unit structure

The department offers many classes that are based in a single semester, and can therefore accept unit requests from Study Abroad students who want to join Bristol for just the autumn or spring semester.

Unit levels

The department offers units across all undergraduate levels of study: year 1 (level C/4), year 2 (level I/5), and year 3 (level H/6) units. Postgraduate units are not available.

Unit codes

Unit codes in the Department of Classics and Ancient History begin with 'CLAS'. This is followed by a number indicating the year (1, 2, 3). For example:

• CLAS10000 = year 1 unit
• CLAS20000 = year 2 unit
• CLAS30000 = year 3 unit.

For more information about each unit, check the University's unit catalogue for 2023/24. Applicants on all study abroad programmes must review the unit details on the catalogue before listing unit choices on their application form. This includes checking the format of assessment for each unit. The unit catalogue for 2023/24 is expected to be updated by the end of April 2023.

Your unit choices cannot be guaranteed. Some units may not have capacity to accommodate all of the unit requests we receive. Registration on a unit also depends on whether you meet the pre-requisite conditions through prior study at your home university.

Units available on the study abroad programme in 2023/24

The following units from the Department of Classics and Ancient History are open to inbound Study Abroad students.

Information about our language units

Students who wish to take Greek and Latin language units need to meet requirements in terms of language proficiency.

• Level A is for beginners in the language, and a student must take A1 in TB1 before progressing to A2 in that same language in TB2.
• Level B is for a student who has A-level or equivalent qualification in that language, or who has done one year of a university-level intensive beginners course.
• Level C is for an advanced level student; this may be a second-year who studied the language before university, or a third-year who started the language at university.
• Level D is only for third-year students who studied the language before university and have kept studying it throughout their course.

The Department is happy to advise on what level would be appropriate for individual Study Abroad students.

Application queries

Contact the Centre for Study Abroad inbound team if you have any queries about the application process for the study abroad programmes:

Phone: +44 117 39 40207
Email: cfsa-inbound@bristol.ac.uk