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Classical & Archaeological Studies is very interdisciplinary in nature making it an ideal joint honours subject. Studying it with Comparative Literature enables you to transcend boundaries of place, period and language. The heritage of the Classical still shapes literary culture today, whereas archaeology draws upon interpretative strands from may different disciplines.
Overview
Classical & Archaeological Studies explores a hugely interesting and varied range of subjects – literature, mythology, drama, archaeology, art and architecture, history, languages and philosophy – and the way they all connect in the study of ancient civilisations, including those of Egypt, Greece, Rome and their neighbours. At Kent, you also have the opportunity to learn Latin or Ancient Greek, which are taught at beginners, intermediate and advanced levels.
Comparative Literature gives you a broad international perspective on literary history, movements and genres. You study texts from Classical Antiquity to the present day in English translation, including works by such famous authors as Homer, Ovid, Dante, Goethe, Dostoevsky, Balzac, Flaubert, Proust and Kafka, as well as British classics such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Joyce and Woolf.
This joint honours programme equips you with a greater appreciation of our cultural heritage, and how it threads through all cultures today.
Independent rankings
In the National Student Survey 2015, Archaeology and Classics were ranked 1st in the UK for student satisfaction. Classics and Ancient History ranked 7th overall in The Guardian University Guide 2017
In the National Student Survey 2015, Comparative Literature at Kent was ranked 4th in the UK for student satisfaction and 96% of our students were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course.
Course structure
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.
Teaching and assessment
Classical & Archaeological Studies
All modules have a weekly seminar, and most also have weekly lectures. Archaeology modules sometimes include museum and site visits. We encourage students to take part in excavations and surveys with staff and associated institutions, and student bursaries are available to support this.
Assessment at all stages varies from 100% coursework to a combination of examination and coursework.
Comparative Literature
Comparative Literature students can choose to take a module that is linked to our SWIPE (Student Work in Progress Exposition) conference. SWIPE is an annual one-day conference organised by Comparative Literature students: it is a platform for our third-year students who give 15-minute presentations on their final-year dissertation projects. SWIPE is a fantastic experience for students, as they learn everything about planning, organising and running a conference, as well as about the art of preparing and giving professional conference presentations. For more information on SWIPE, please consult our website: www.kent.ac.uk/secl/complit/swipe.html
We also offer a module designed specifically for students who are planning to embark on a career in teaching: Comparative Literature and English & Linguistics in the Classroom.
For most modules, you have one two-hour seminar per week. The Final-Year Dissertation is based entirely on your private research but is supervised by a tutor and includes workshops and the chance to participate in an undergraduate conference.
Assessment varies from 100% coursework to a combination of examination and coursework.
Programme aims
The programme aims to:
- instil knowledge of European intellectual, cultural and historical traditions, interacting with other component disciplines
- encourage widening participation within an active regional role
- teach students about the diverse societies and cultures of the Ancient World and their interaction, through literature, history and archaeology
- provide carefully graded programmes in Classical Studies, Ancient History and Archaeological Studies
- survey the main areas and genres of Classical Literature, both Greek and Latin
- study the history of ancient Greece and Rome, and the contemporary civilizations of ancient Asia Minor, Persia and Egypt, from ca. 600BC to ca. AD600
- examine the archaeology of the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome within the wider context of the Mediterranean, and of the broadly contemporary cultures of temperate Europe, over the period ca. 1000BC to ca. AD600, and to introduce some aspects of earlier prehistory
- study selected themes, regions and periods in literature, history and archaeology
- introduce key elements by which early Europe acquired its social, political, cultural and intellectual foundations
- explore different types of evidence: literary, historical, art-historical and archaeological, using primary source material wherever possible, focusing on different approaches and techniques
- examine problems of interpretation in source materials through critical analysis
- equip students with critical thinking and communication skills
- provide learning opportunities within a research-led framework and offer appropriate support for students from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- another culture, focused on literature, thought, art and religion, or history and political and social organisation, or material culture, with an informed sense of the similarities and differences between it and our own culture
- complementary subject (Comparative Literature)
- the origins and development of archaeology as a discipline
- selected themes, periods and regions of Classical Literature, and/or Ancient History and methods of historical interpretation, and/or the Archaeology of selected periods and themes relating to the Mediterranean region and temperate Europe in the context of current debate
- a diverse range of primary materials and appropriate methods of interpretation.
Intellectual skills
You gain the following intellectual abilities:
- the skills needed for academic study and enquiry
- analyse, evaluate and interpret various types of evidence in an independent and critical manner
- select, gather and synthesise relevant information from a wide variety of sources to gain a coherent understanding
- deploy a range of techniques and methodologies of study
- problem-solving skills
- study and reach conclusions independently.
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in the following:
- the ability to make a critical evaluation of a variety of sources for literary and/or historical and/or archaeological study, such as texts, inscriptions, and discuss their implications
- extract key elements from complex data, identify and solve associated problems
- select and apply appropriate methodologies in assessing data, according to pathway, such as bibliographical research, textual analysis, historical analysis, visual skills, collection and analysis of archaeological data, use of statistics and philosophical argument
- gather, memorise and deploy evidence and information, and show awareness of the consequences if such evidence is unavailable
- show familiarity with the basic concepts which underpin the different branches of the programme pathways
- the ability to marshal argument lucidly and communicate interpretations using the appropriate academic conventions.
Transferable skills
You gain transferable skills in the following:
- the abililty to communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals
- take responsibility for your personal and professional learning and development
- evaluate and learn from your own academic performance
- time-management, prioritise workloads, write and think under pressure
- problem-solving in a variety of theoretical and practical situations
- work creatively, flexibly and adaptably with others and understand how groups function
- the ability to use IT skills effectively, such as producing word processed text with footnotes, formatting, research using databases and text-files, locating and exploiting websites.
Careers
Studying on the Classical & Archaeological Studies and Comparative Literature programme, you gain key transferable skills such as the ability to analyse and summarise complex information, to manage and organise your time, and to express your opinion persuasively and with sensitivity, skills that will leave you well placed to embark on a graduate career.
Possible careers include archaeology, the heritage industry, museums, business, journalism, Civil Service, computing, media, librarianship, teaching, further academic study, general ‘arts degree’ employment requiring literacy and versatility.
Entry requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | ABB |
| Access to HE Diploma | The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above. |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | The university will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 16 points at HL |
International students
The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.
Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | ||
| Part-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page.