PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION   

Classical Archaeology

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BA

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Full Time

| UCAS code: V414
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

This programme offers a broad range of options in Greek and Roman art and archaeology; as well as the opportunity to include elements of Greek and Roman history, literature and thought. Modules focus on specific chronological and/or geographical areas, or present general themes anchored in the ancient world. Extensive use is also made of the collections of the British Museum. Prior acquaintance with Greek or Latin is welcomed, but not assumed. We encourage the learning of Greek and Latin as fundamental to the study of the ancient world, teaching both from beginners' level up, but this is not compulsory.

Why study Classical Archaeology at King's?

The main reason is the variety of specialisms covered by the staff, from the more traditional foundations of Greek pottery and sculpture to the younger disciplines of Roman landscapes and mosaics. There is also a module (‘Grand Tour’) that contains several tours to local institutions in order to explore how classical material and visual culture has been collected and displayed in London. The chronological range covers the Bronze Age to the Byzantine periods, while the geographical journey will take you from the entire Mediterranean and Near Eastern regions through to Roman Britain. The fundamentals of archaeological and art historical skills and methods are introduced through these rich and vibrant cultures.

Staff are dedicated to exploiting the world-class opportunities that our position in the centre of London allows access to, including the British Museum, the Museum of London and Sir John Soane's Museum. For example, you will be able to take modules that offer the opportunity to handle Greek vases in the teaching room of the British Museum. If you are interested in maximizing the opportunities that our proximity to London's great cultural institutions allows, then this is the programme for you.

Greek Play
Every year (since 1953), students in the Department of Classics have produced and performed a Greek play - the only production in the UK to be performed annually in the original Greek. Read more about the Greek Play (and its history) at King's: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/classics/about/greek/index.aspx

Study abroad
It is easier now than ever before to spend part of your time as a King's student studying abroad. The destinations currently favoured by Classics students are both in the US:

  • The University of California
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Find out more about studying abroad: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/studyabroad




ABOUT THE Department of Classics

CAREERS
A King’s Classics degree, particularly the rigour of language learning, will equip you with the transferable skills of research, analysis, presentation and critical thinking that are valued by future employers. Our alumni enter a wide range of professions, including law, banking, the civil service, information technology, librarianship, education, heritage industries, the media, journalism and the performing arts. A significant proportion proceed into higher professional or academic qualifications, often pursuing postgraduate degrees at King’s.

Recent graduates have found employment as
• Assistant Tax Advisor, Ernst & Young
• Human Resources Administrator, Health resources International
• Web Administrator, Intrico Products Ltd
• Illustrator, Self Employed Illustrator
• Marketing and Publishing Graduate scheme, the telegraph Media group
• Research Intern, Environment Agency
• Sales Operations Admin, Associated Press TV news
• Latin Teacher at a university
• Client Relations Associate, Fidelity Investment Managers
• Customer Management Executive, CMC Markets
• Senior Course Support Assistant, Coventry University


TEACHING STYLE
Teaching in the Department of Classics takes a wide variety of forms, including language-classes, large-group lectures, seminars, and individual supervisions. The particular mix will depend in part on your year of study and in part on the combination of courses you choose. A number of courses involve museum and gallery visits, field trips, and the use of study collections; a growing number have their own web resources and e-discussion groups. Seminar presentations and discussion are important in the first- and second-year modules. One-to-one supervision is a special feature of the third-year dissertation. This range of teaching will equip you with the transferable skills of analysis and presentation that employers value.

STRUCTURE OF PROGRAMMES & ASSESSMENT
Our degree programmes combine focus and flexibility. In each programme you take a set number of modules directly related to the programme subject and then choose from a wide selection of optional modules. A generous allowance of free choice means that you can explore much more widely all aspects of the cultures of Greece and Rome. All programmes involve some language work, in either ancient Greek or Latin, or both. Assessment is by a combination of coursework and end-of-year examinations.

LOCATION
London is a superb place to study and experience the Greek and Roman worlds, and all the major resources are within easy reach (and often walking distance) from the centrally located Department of Classics at King's. The British Museum houses one of the world's premier collections of not only Greek and Roman but also Egyptian and Mesopotamian archaeology and art, and is supplemented in this by the Soane Museum, the Museum of London, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. We collaborate closely with the British Museum in our undergraduate teaching.

The major London galleries are full of classically-themed work, just as central London is full of Neoclassical, Greek revival and other classically-inspired buildings. Classical and classically-inspired drama can be experienced first-hand more richly and more frequently in London theatres than anywhere else in the world.

For libraries, normal student needs are served by King's Maughan Library and Information Services Centre, as well as the University of London (Senate House) Library; for the investigation of special topics, there are the world-class research collections of the Institute of Classical Studies and the Warburg Institute.


SPECIAL NOTES
The King’s Greek Play has been an annual tradition since 1953 and it is the only production in the country to be performed every year in the original Greek. Students (with all levels of Greek) participate in the direction, production and performance of the play, bringing to the stage playwrights from Aeschylus to Aristophanes.

Students run the Classics Society, which publishes the Satyrica newsletter and organizes regular lectures, theatre outings, themed parties, private tours around museums, nights out and trips abroad – in recent years, group expeditions have been made to Italy and Turkey.

The department also promotes teaching Latin in disadvantaged primary schools through the Iris Project; this offers students a highly unusual experience that is both enriching and will impress future employers.

All students are offered the unique opportunity to study abroad as part of a Classics degree at King’s, and recent popular destinations include The University of California and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Our students also have opportunities to attend the annual summer schools at the British Schools in Athens and Rome, and participate in archaeological excavations in Greece and Italy, as well as further afield.