Ancient History and Classical Culture MA

The MA in Ancient History and Classical Culture offers a wide range of modules on the history and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, drawing on the expertise of internationally recognised scholars.

Key Features

Every aspect of the modern world has its roots in the civilisations of the Classical world. This MA in Ancient History and Classical Culture allows students to study a range of topics related to the history and culture of the classical world, from the Mycenaean world to the later Roman Empire. The range of options within the Ancient History and Classical Culture MA allows students to specialise in history or literature, or to combine study of the two.

Students on the Ancient History and Classical Culture MA are encouraged to develop a methodological awareness and are introduced to key concepts and interpretative techniques that shape the study of the ancient civilisations in the modern world. This programme develops research skills needed for high-level work in any field of Ancient History and Classical Civilisation.

Students have the opportunity to study ancient Greek or Latin.

The College of Arts and Humanities has a Graduate Centre. The Graduate Centre fosters and supports individual and collaborative research activity of international excellence and offers a vibrant and supportive environment for students pursuing postgraduate research and taught masters study. The Centre provides postgraduate training to enhance academic and professional development and facilitates participation in seminar programmes, workshops and international conferences.

The full-time course structure in Ancient History and Classical Culture is split across the year with three modules offered in each academic semester (a total of six modules in part one) and then a dissertation over the summer (part two). Students study one compulsory module, plus two modules of a language and three optional modules. The dissertation component is written on a specialist research topic of your choosing.

Part-time students take one compulsory module, a language and an optional module in the first and second years and write their dissertation in the third year.

Modules

Modules on the Ancient History and Classical Culture course typically include:

• Research Methodologies in Ancient History
• Greek or Latin
• Being Greek under Rome: Greek Literature and Culture in the Imperial Period
• Roman houses and households
• Royal Space: The King and His Palace in the Ancient World
• Explorers, Travel and Geography in the Ancient World
• Saints and Sinners in Christian Late Antiquity
• Magic in the Ancient World: Exploring the Sources
• Reaching the Public: Museums and Object Handling
• Romance Refracted and novels renewed
• Archaeology and Topography of Ancient Rome
• Reading Academic German

Student Quote

"I studied the BA Ancient History and then the MA in Ancient History and Classical Culture. I chose Swansea University because of the variety of courses on offer in Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology. During my study I immersed myself in both academic and extra-curricular student life. I took up archery and I was a regular member of the University archery team. I enjoy both reading and writing fiction and in my final year of study, I was selected as one of four finalists in the “Swansea Life Young Writing Category” of the “Dylan Thomas Prize”. I held several positions of responsibility in the Society of Ancient Studies which was amazing; and I organised social events such as visits to sites such as Hadrian’s Wall, the British Museum, Caerleon, and Rome. I also had the opportunity to work on the Church Hill archaeological excavation (a suspected Roman villa) and the excavation at Oystermouth Castle organised jointly by the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust. I thoroughly enjoyed my four years at Swansea."

Shaun Mudd, MA in Ancient History and Classical Culture

Visit the Ancient History and Classical Culture MA page on the Swansea University website for more details!