BAClassical Literature & Civilisation and Philosophy

Study location	United Kingdom, Birmingham
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	3 years
Study language	English
Awards	BA

Entry qualification	High school / secondary education (or higher)

Language requirements	English Accepted proof of proficiency: FCE or CAE, IELTS 6+ or TOEFL 79+

Other requirements	At least 1 reference(s) should be provided.

More information	birmingham.ac.uk/..ion-and-philosophy.aspx

Overview

Interested? To learn more about this study programme, entry requirements and application process, please contact one of our consultants in a country nearest to you.

Programme structure

First year

Classics: The first year introduces you to literature, culture and history of the Graeco-Roman world. In core lectures you will study key texts such as the Homeric epics and Virgil’s Aeneid, and immerse yourself in Greek and Roman history from the Bronze Age to the early Roman empire. In small group tutorials you will acquire new study skills and study aspects of Greek or Roman culture in detail. If you already have GCSE or AS/A level in Greek or Latin you will be able to continue your study of the language and literature.

Philosophy: We offer a thorough grounding in mainly mainstream western philosophy, with some modules based around philosophical problems (e.g. the problem of scepticism, the problem of free will, and so on), some based around important historical figures (e.g. Aristotle, Descartes, Hobbes and Rousseau), and some aimed at providing you with the skills you need to study philosophy in later years.

Second Year

Classics: Our core modules take you to the heart of the cultures of Athens and Rome: In Rome, you will be immersed in the age of Cicero and the dying days of the Roman republic, studying authors such as Catullus, Sallust and Lucretius as well as the many and varied works of Cicero himself. You also make your choice from our unique range of options in literature, culture, language, myth, religion, art, philosophy, archaeology and history. If you want to learn Latin or Greek as a beginner, you have the opportunity to do so now. If you are continuing past GCSE or AS/A level study, you will now have the chance to take part in advanced text-reading seminars.

Philosophy: In the second year, all students are given some freedom of choice, so you can pursue the topics and questions that interest and inspire you such as Sex, Ethics and Philosophy; Feminist Philosophy; Philosophy of Mind and the Ethics of Killing. No modules in Year 2 are compulsory, so you can concentrate on the areas of the subject that interests you most.

Final Year

Classics: The highlight of the final year is your dissertation: a substantial research project, developed in collaboration with your supervisor, on a subject of special interest to you. In addition to this, you make free choices from our unique range of options. If you studied a language, you have now gained expertise in this, and are able to read and translate a wide repertoire of texts.

Philosophy: Your final year gives you an even greater choice of modules and students should begin to get a real feel for philosophy at the cutting-edge. Some areas, like ethics and metaphysics, will be familiar to you, but will be studied at a more advanced level; others will be totally new. Modules include Prejudice, Race and Gender; Philosophy of Mathematics; Philosophy of Cognitive Studies; Philosophy of Religion and Global Bio-ethics. You will also in your final year research and write a dissertation with the help of a supervisor who advises you and guides you through the process.