English and Classical Civilisation

English and classical civilisation is a combination that sets the study of literature in its deepest historical context, connecting the English literary tradition with the ancient world from which so much of Western culture draws its forms, values, and ideas. English literature trains close reading, textual analysis, and the construction of literary argument across a wide range of periods and genres. Classical civilisation opens up the art, literature, philosophy, religion, and material culture of ancient Greece and Rome, engaging with primary sources in translation alongside archaeological and visual evidence, and tracing the ways in which antiquity has shaped every subsequent cultural moment.

At Nottingham, this three-year degree allows you to develop both disciplines in depth, building analytical and writing skills that work equally well with a Shakespearean sonnet, a Roman comedy, a Victorian novel, or a piece of Greek sculpture. You will have the opportunity to study Latin or Classical Greek through optional modules across all three years, with the level of language study tailored to your existing knowledge and experience, allowing you to engage directly with primary sources in their original language if you wish. The combination of literary rigour and cultural breadth that this degree provides trains a particular kind of analytical mind, one that can move between periods and media and that understands contemporary culture as deeply rooted in historical precedent.

Graduates of English and classical civilisation degrees move into careers across an unusually wide range, from publishing, journalism, law, and the civil service through to education, heritage, cultural institutions, and the creative industries. The capacity to read carefully, write persuasively, and think across historical periods is valued in any profession that deals with complex communication. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in English literature, classical studies, ancient history, or creative writing, while others enter the professions directly, taking the intellectual skills developed through the degree into their working lives.