MA Classical Studies and Persian
About this course
Classical studies and Persian is a pairing of genuinely unusual intellectual depth, bringing together the foundational cultures of ancient Greece and Rome with one of the world's great literary languages and the civilisation it carries. Classical studies encompasses not only the literature of antiquity but the social and cultural history of the Graeco-Roman world, its philosophy, religion, art and the long reception of Greek and Roman culture in subsequent centuries. Persian, the language of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, opens a classical literary tradition that includes some of the most celebrated poetry ever written in any language, alongside contemporary significance as a language of major regional and geopolitical importance. At the University of St Andrews you will study across four years of full-time study, including a year abroad that deepens your linguistic and cultural engagement. The classical studies component takes you from the power of Greek tragedy and the imposing beauty of Roman sculpture to the twists of Platonic argument and the reception of antiquity in modernity. You will develop Persian alongside this, working towards genuine linguistic fluency and engagement with the Persian literary and cultural tradition. The combination opens comparative analytical possibilities that neither discipline alone could provide. Graduates with classical studies and Persian backgrounds are particularly valuable in academic research, where the combination of ancient and Islamic cultural expertise is rare and sought after. The diplomatic and intelligence services, international organisations, journalism and cultural institutions also value this unusual combination of classical learning and Persophone linguistic and cultural competence. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in classical languages or literature, Persian studies, Middle Eastern history or Islamic studies, where the cross-civilisational perspective the degree builds provides a distinctive scholarly foundation.
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