English and Classical Studies

Our joint honours English and Classical Studies degree combines investigation of the ancient Graeco-Roman world with the study of works from all periods of English literature, many of which reflect or reanimate ancient texts and topics.

Both halves of the course give you the opportunity to follow your own interests and particular enthusiasms through optional units, including Latin or Ancient Greek.

You may also study ancient arts, such as epic or drama, alongside their more modern forms in literature written in English. In all cases - and drawing on the centrality of the classical tradition to Western culture - your study of the literature of antiquity will profoundly inform your reading of later works.

Your dissertation in the third year may draw on your interests and expertise from both departments to address a comparative topic or can alternatively focus on the material from either side of the course.