Modules

A Foundation Year is the perfect way to boost your academic skills, build your confidence and develop your wider subject knowledge so you can succeed at Winchester. This course offers an extra year of study at the start (Year 0) which leads onto a full degree programme (Years 1, 2 and 3).

A Foundation Year is ideal if you are returning to education after a break; haven’t quite achieved the entry qualifications required; are wanting more support during the transition to studying at university; or are unsure about which subject you wish to pursue.

In Year 0, you will study a set of modules from across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences which are designed to develop your academic and practical skills. This broader focus in your first year introduces you to studying at university level and provides you with a better understanding of Classical Studies and related subjects.

You will experience a variety of teaching methods including lectures, discussion-based seminars and independent study. You will also receive support to boost your academic skills to prepare you for the rest of your time at Winchester. Find out more and hear from our Foundation Year students at winchester.ac.uk/foundation

In Year 1(second year of study) your studies continue by establishing a framework of Classical history, both chronologically and geographically. You are introduced to Classical archaeology, art and architecture (for example, temples, sculpture and inscriptions); Classical drama (comedy and tragedy), and literature (epics and lyrics).

Next, in Year 2 (third year of study), you explore the nature of history as a discipline and its changing assumptions, methods and definitions. You choose from a range of modules covering civilisation, archaeology and history including the high point of Athenian democracy and the Classical Greek world, death and ritual in the ancient world and the world of Alexander the Great. In Year 2 (third year of study), you may also undertake a volunteer placement in a museum or art gallery, go on a week-long field trip to sites relevant to the Classical world, or take part in our Study Abroad exchange with a university in America or Bulgaria.

In the final year (fourth year of study), you hone your research methods, write a dissertation and undertake more specialised modules that focus on the Pax Romana, the archaeology of Roman Italy, Minoan art and architecture, or Greek and Roman comedy.

After three years you’ll have a grounding in the political, cultural, and economic basics of the Greek and Roman worlds that lends itself to understanding how we continue to interact with the Classical world in our modern society. The skills you cultivate on your modules – time management, critical reading and writing skills, independent thinking and public speaking – transfer readily to today’s workplace.

As such, our graduates are valued in a wide variety of occupations including business, law and accountancy, the civil service, local government and social services. Others teach or write for television, film and radio.

Some of our graduates go on to postgraduate work, and often study MA degrees in related subjects, such as classical archaeology, ancient history and Latin languages and literature. Becoming a specialist is the first step towards pursuing an academic career as a lecturer or researcher.