Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
Department of
Classics
Nottingham’s Department of Classics incorporates
scholars of international standing and several
dedicated research centres and institutes. With an
excellent reputation for both teaching and research,
the Department has special strengths in Greek
drama; Greek political and institutional history;
Roman history, society and culture; late antiquity;
visual culture; and the reception of the classical
world in European culture.
The Department of Classics has excellent resources and expertise to
support high-calibre postgraduate study. The main University library has
generous holdings of books in several key fields of classics and many of the
principal journals relating to the ancient world.
There are also many opportunities for postgraduates to present and discuss
their work and ideas at seminars and conferences. These include the
Department’s own regular research workshops, the annual regional meeting
of the Midlands Classical Seminar and the Classical Association’s national
conference, as well as conferences and special events held at Nottingham.
There is also a postgraduate seminar programme run by postgraduate
students, which aims to familiarise graduates with each other’s research in a
friendly and relaxed environment.
The Department hosts the Centre for Ancient Drama and its Reception
(CADRE), and coordinates several cross-disciplinary research centres: the
Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies, the Institute for the Study
of Slavery, and the Centre for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies – all
of which organise regular seminars and conferences and have extensive
international contacts.
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
Postgraduate study
The Department’s lively research culture includes
regular research seminars, which offer the chance
to hear visiting scholars from across the globe as
well as opportunities for staff and postgraduates
to present research in progress in a friendly and
constructive environment.
These occasions also allow postgraduate students to broaden their
knowledge of the ancient world and gain a better sense of how research
develops as part of an interactive process. The local branch of the Classical
Association also hosts visiting speakers from the Hellenic and Roman
Societies.
The Department has recently been involved in two major research
projects, involving postdoctoral research associates and PhD students.
The first, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and directed by Professor Alan
Sommerstein, investigated the Oath in Ancient Greece in its various
religious, social, cultural and political ramifications. The second, funded
by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and directed
by Professor Stephen Hodkinson, is entitled Sparta in Comparative
Perspective, Ancient to Modern, and combines the study of Spartan
social institutions in comparative perspective, with an examination of the
appropriation of Sparta within European thought as a comparative model for
contemporary societies.
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
Key facts
Taught courses offered by the Department
We offer a range of courses which are available either full-time or
part-time:
• MA in Ancient Drama and its Reception
• MA in Ancient History
• MA in Classical Literature
• MA in The Visual Culture of Classical Antiquity
• MA in History: Warrior Societies pathway
• MA in Greek and Roman Studies (by Research)
Research opportunities
Supervision for research leading to a PhD or MPhil can be provided in most
areas of Greek and Roman history, society, culture, art and literature.
The MA in Greek and Roman Studies (by Research) is designed for
students who wish to explore a particular area of classics in special depth,
primarily by independent work.
Entry requirements
Funding
The Department of Classics has a variety of funding opportunities for UK,
EU and international postgraduate students. For up-to-date information and
application forms on these and other funding opportunities, please visit the
Department’s website www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
Opportunities for funding are available to overseas students through the
International Office which also offers expert support to international students
applying for scholarships from their home countries.
Students may also search the University’s funding database, designed to
give an indication of University scholarships for which they may be eligible to
apply. For further information, please visit
www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/funding
The University Graduate School operates two schemes of its own to help
support current postgraduate research, The Graduate School Travel Prize
and Universitas 21 funding. For more information, please visit
www.nottingham.ac.uk/gradschool/funding
Masters courses
Candidates are normally expected to hold an honours degree at 2:1 or
above (or its international equivalent) in a subject that has included some
study of an aspect of classical antiquity – classics, archaeology, ancient
history. Other candidates will be considered at the discretion of the
Department. Latin or Greek is an advantage, but those without can start
learning a classical language during the MA.
Applications
MPhil/PhD research
Candidates are normally expected to hold a masters degree (or an
equivalent qualification) in a subject that has included some study of an
aspect of classical antiquity – classics, archaeology, ancient history. Other
candidates will be considered at the discretion of the Department.
Department of Classics
The University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham
NG7 2RD
UK
t: +44 (0)115 951 4800
e: [email protected]
w: www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
International students
Those whose first language is not English must achieve an overall score on
the British Council IELTS test of at least 7.0 with no less than 6.0 in each
element, or a TOEFL score of 600 (250 for computer based tests) with a
TWE of at least 4.5, or a TOEFL iBT score of 100 (with no less than 19 in
any element). Test results should be no more than two years old.
Students who cannot demonstrate this level of proficiency may take a
course in the Centre for English Language Education at the University.
Candidates are encouraged to apply online at
https://pgapps.nottingham.ac.uk
Contact the Department
For further information, please contact:
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
MA in Ancient
History
This course introduces students to a range of
approaches to the study of the history of the
Graeco-Roman world, combined with opportunities
for specialisation in particular areas.
Students broaden and deepen their knowledge and understanding of
ancient history and have the opportunity to acquire and practise specific
study-skills, such as historiography, methodology, and ancient and modern
languages. The course also prepares students for original independent
research. This course is particularly suitable for students with a first degree
in ancient history or a related subject, and can be completed one year fulltime or two years part-time.
The core modules, Researching the Ancient World and Approaches to
Ancient History, provide a strong foundation in the skills and techniques
necessary for effective research in this field.
In addition, this course offers an annually changing choice of optional
modules, which enables students to develop their knowledge and
understanding of the history and culture of the Greek and Roman worlds to
the end of antiquity.
The flexible nature of the course allows students to choose modules
according to their personal interests and aspirations. Students also have
the option of taking a language module in Greek or Latin at Advanced,
Intermediate or Beginners level, depending on the level of previous language
study. Students interested in the history, archaeology and visual culture
of the city of Rome, have the opportunity to take a module involving a two
month residential course at the British School at Rome. Please note that all
module details are subject to change.
The course leads to a 10-15,000-word dissertation, which students
complete during the summer period towards the end of the course.
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
MA in The Visual Culture
of Classical Antiquity
This innovative degree course, which can be
completed one year full-time or two years parttime, is concerned with the visual culture of
classical antiquity and modern theories of its
study — Greek and Roman sculpture, architecture,
mosaics, painting, urbanism.
It brings together archaeological, art historical and historical approaches
to examine how visual material was treated and understood in antiquity
and reinvented for centuries to come. As well as learning how to look at
ancient visual evidence and to use it to construct art-historical and historical
arguments, students also study a range of responses to and theories around
it.
This course enables students to develop their understanding of the visual
culture of classical antiquity. It combines iconographical, theoretical and
cultural approaches to a wide range of visual material to examine both its
functions and resonances in antiquity, and its restoration, decontextualisation
and reinvention in the modern world.
The Department’s Showing Seeing Centre offers students a range of
equipment including a camera, scanner and projection equipment to help
them prepare presentations, project posters and exhibition elements. The
University Museum and the collection of Roman art at the Nottingham City
Museum and Galleries offer a wide range of artefacts for autopsy study. The
course also includes study trips to sites in the region, such as Kedleston
Hall and Castle Howard, as well as to the British Museum and museums in
Oxford, Cambridge and Liverpool.
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
MA in Ancient Drama
and its Reception
The course is ideal for those who have a first
degree in classics, classical studies or a related
subject, and have a special interest in ancient
drama and its influence on European culture and
beyond.
The course, which can be completed one year full-time or two years
part-time, explores the nature of ancient drama – in its various forms and
stages of development – as a literary, theatrical and social phenomenon.
Students are encouraged to investigate the responses of other later cultures
to ancient drama and become acquainted with the methods by which the
subject is studied, while using topics of current interest and controversy in
ancient drama research to study particular dramatic texts in depth.
Students complete four 30-credit taught modules, or their equivalent. Two
of these are compulsory core modules, Researching the Ancient World and
Approaches to Ancient Drama. In addition, students may undertake:
• a further specialised module, Studies in Ancient Drama and its Reception
• a Greek or Latin language module at Advanced, Intermediate
• or Beginner level depending on previous language study and experience
• one or more modules in a range of approved subjects
Please note that all module details are subject to change. The course leads
to a 10-15,000-word dissertation, which students complete during the
summer period towards the end of the course.
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
MA in Classical
Literature
This course focuses on Greek and Latin literature
in its cultural context. It examines different ways
of reading and using literary texts across a wide
range of authors, genres and periods, combined
with opportunities for in-depth specialisation in a
particular area.
As well as learning about a range of methodologies and approaches,
students are encouraged to explore responses to Latin and Greek literature
in later cultures, from Neo-Latin epic to modern cinema. Students begin or
continue an ancient language as necessary to bring their language skills up
to an appropriate level for studying classical texts in the original.
This course is suitable for those who have a first degree in classics, classical
studies, Latin, Greek or related areas such as English, modern languages,
but also for those who have not yet studied a classical language.
This MA is a fulfilling experience for those interested in the literature of the
classical past as well as excellent training for anyone considering doctoral
research.
Through core modules in Researching the Ancient World and Thinking
with Texts students receive a strong foundation in the skills and techniques
necessary for effective research in this field. These modules engage with a
wide range of genres and approaches. In addition, students have the option
to study a thematic literary module, which explores a specific theme in
ancient literature.
Students also complete a dissertation on their chosen specialism and either
begin or continue with study of an ancient language. This is a highly flexible
course, which can be tailored to reflect students’ personal interests.
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
MA in History
Warrior Societies
This exciting new multi-disciplinary pathway, which
can be completed one year full-time or two years
part-time, is run by the School of History and the
Department of Classics.
This course is available in two versions: one is designed for students to
supplement their first degree with a postgraduate qualification in history; the
other is a more structured programme designed for those wishing to pursue
doctoral research after the MA. The MA combines taught modules with a
dissertation that encourages independent comparative research.
The programme compares and contrasts a number of warrior societies:
• the hoplites of ancient Greece
• the legionaries of ancient Rome
• the knights of medieval Europe
• the Japanese Samurai
• the armies of Early Modern England
This pathway covers far more than just tactics and battlefields; the modules
examine the societies that produced warriors in these cultures.
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
Research culture and
opportunities
The Department has special strengths in Greek
drama; Greek political and social history; Roman
history, society and culture; late antiquity; the
history of ancient slavery; visual culture; and the
reception of the classical world in European
culture.
The Department’s lively research culture includes regular research
seminars, which offer the chance to hear visiting scholars from
across the globe as well as opportunities for staff and postgraduates
to present research in progress in a friendly and constructive
environment. These occasions also allow postgraduate students to
broaden their knowledge of the ancient world and gain a better
sense of how research develops as part of an interactive process.
The local branch of the Classical Association also hosts visiting
speakers from the Hellenic and Roman Societies.
The Department’s compulsory MA module, Researching the Ancient
World, provides students with a solid foundation in research.
Research students have access to this module plus an extensive
range of modules provided by the Graduate School, including
beginner language courses and courses on such topics as
approaching your thesis, reading modern scholarship critically, and
publishing webpages.
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
Research culture and opportunities
MPhil
Students research their chosen topic and write a dissertation of
at least 60,000 words. The MPhil is an internationally recognised
research degree.
PhD
Undertaking a PhD requires an original contribution to knowledge
and a dissertation thesis of between 80,000 and 100,000 words.
Most students who wish to pursue a PhD register first for the MPhil
which can be upgrade.
What our students say
Jack Lennon – PhD student
“It was while I was doing a masters degree at Nottingham that
I decided to stay on to do a PhD. Everybody in the Department
was friendly and approachable, and the staff are well-equipped to
assist with all sorts of research interests, from the more traditional
fields of Classics to newer and more unusual subjects. I am writing
my own thesis on ideas about impurity in Roman religion – blood,
death, sexual behaviour – and I have always been given plenty of
encouragement and support about how to approach and steer my
research.
The Department provides research students with generous office
space and facilities to help with their studies, including our own
computers. There is a really friendly working environment, with
regular weekly activities and social events. There is a special
postgraduate-staff lunch every Tuesday which ensures that
everyone knows everyone else, and masters and PhD students
hold their own research talks each week, so that we can discuss
our research in a less formal setting. There is also plenty of support
from the Graduate School, which makes sure that we can meet
postgraduates from other parts of the University as well. Doing a
PhD is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things I have ever
been able to do, and Nottingham is an ideal place for it!”
Postgraduate Study
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics
Staff profiles
Dr Mark Bradley
Areas of interest:
• the visual and intellectual culture of late Republican and early imperial Rome
• colour and perception in the Roman world
• Roman religion and society, especially dirt, pollution and taboo
• classical reception in colonial and postcolonial Europe
Dr Patrick Finglass
Areas of interest:
• early and classical Greek poetry, especially Pindar and Sophocles
• textual criticism, editions, commentaries
• history of classical scholarship, especially the life and work of Peter Elmsley (1773-1825)
Dr Lynn Fotheringham
Areas of interest:
• Cicero’s speeches
• ancient rhetoric
• Ciceronian reception, especially in 19th and 20th centuries
• the structure of Latin texts
• Homer, especially oral theory
Professor Stephen Hodkinson
Areas of interest:
• the society and economy of archaic and classical Sparta
• Sparta in comparative perspective
• ancient Greek agrarian economy and society, especially
• pastoralism
Dr Andreas Kropp
Areas of interest:
• art and archaeology of the Roman Empire
• The Near East in the Hellenistic and Roman periods
Dr Doug Lee
Areas of interest:
• warfare and international relations in late antiquity
• ate Roman religious life
• exile and exiles in late antiquity
Dr Helen Lovatt
Areas of interest:
• Latin literature, especially epic
• epic gaze
• reception of epic
Dr Simon Malloch
Areas of interest:
• Roman History of the late Republic and early Empire
• Latin historiography, in particular Tacitus
• Exemplary literature, in particular Frontinus
• History of Classical Scholarship
Professor Judith Mossman
Areas of interest:
• Greek drama, especially Euripides
• Greek biography, especially Plutarch
• reception of both of the above
Professor Alan Sommerstein
Areas of interest:
• any topic on, or related to, Greek drama
• oaths in the Greek world, especially, though not exclusively, in
• literary or judicial contexts
Dr Betine van Zyl Smit
Areas of interest:
• Greek and Latin literature, especially drama
• reception of Classical literature
Dr Kostas Vlassopoulos
Areas of interest:
• Greek social and economic history
• politics
• historiography of ancient and modern history
• comparative history
Dr Richard Winton
Areas of interest:
• Classical Greek intellectual history
• Thucydides
Dr Katharina Lorenz
Areas of interest:
• Greco-Roman art and society
• Pompeii and visual culture
For more details about staff, as well as publications and research
interests and activities, please visit our website
www.nottingham.ac.uk/classics