BA Classical Literature and Philosophy (Not recruiting from 2025/26)

Programme overview

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements are available on the Course Search entry

Programme specification

The information on this page is accurate for students entering the programme in 2023/24 or before. For students entering the programme from September 2024 or after, you can find the details of your programme: BA Classical Literature and Philosophy(For students entering from September 2024 onwards)

Classical Literature gives you the chance to explore some of the most important texts in world literature, and how they have been received in other cultures. You’ll combine core and optional modules to appreciate works by writers such as Homer, Virgil, Aeschylus, Apuleius, Plato and Ovid, all read in English translation, offering a window into Ancient Greek and Roman culture and history. You'll explore poetry, prose, comedy, and tragedy plays in the ancient theatre and discover how later writers from the ancient world to the present day have been inspired by the classics. You can also choose to study Ancient Greek and Latin in every year of the degree.

With philosophy at Leeds, you can explore fundamental questions about how we understand the world: what’s the difference between belief and knowledge? Why are we here? How do we know what we know – and can we ever know anything at all? Through core and optional modules you’ll learn how to construct arguments and study key topics such as ethics and logic, as well as specialist knowledge in topics from ancient and moral philosophy to the ethics of life and death, philosophy of language or aesthetics.

Throughout the course, you will develop valuable interpretative and analytical skills, as well as becoming a confident researcher. You will demonstrate these qualities in when you undertake a Final Year Project on a topic of your choice in either Philosophy or Classical Literature.

Students on this programme may apply for transfer to an International Degree. The opportunity to apply for a work placement (Industrial Degree) is also available. Classics at Leeds has exchange links with Verona University (Italy) and modern language classes are available before you go to prepare you for the experience. There are also opportunities at our partner universities across the world where courses are taught in English.

At Level 3, all students will take a 40 credit capstone project appropriate to their degree programme. Alongside the capstone projects, students will be able to take 80 further credits of optional specialist modules.

Year 1

(Not recruiting from 2025/26)

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS1615	Greek Poets	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
CLAS1625	Roman Poets	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL1260	How To Do Philosophy	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Optional Modules

Candidates will be required to study at least 20 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PHIL1080	The Good, The Bad, The Right, The Wrong	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL1090	Knowledge, Self and Reality	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

The remaining credits may be taken either as Discovery credits, or as choices from the optional modules listed below, or as a combination of both.

Candidates may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PHIL1005	The Mind	10	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL1007	Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion	10	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHIL1015	Thinking About Race	10	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Candidates may study the following optional module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS1100	Ancient Lives	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Candidates may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS1030	Advanced Ancient Greek	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS1200	Intermediate Ancient Greek	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS1810	Beginners Ancient Greek (Level 1)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Candidates may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS1045	Advanced Latin	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS1250	Intermediate Latin	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS1910	Beginners Latin	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Discovery Modules

Candidates may study up to 40 credits of discovery modules.

Year 2

(Not recruiting from 2025/26)

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

To be eligible for a joint honours award, students must pass at least 40 credits at level 2 and 40 credits at level 3 in each of the named subjects.

Compulsory Modules

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS2800	Evidence and Enquiry in Classics	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Candidates will be required to study at least 20 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS2600	Virgil's Aeneid	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS2700	Homer's Iliad	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Candidates will be required to study at least 40 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PHIL2615	How Do You Know? Topics in Epistemology	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHIL2631	God, Thought and the World: Topics in Philosophy of Religion	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL2906	Do the Right Thing: Topics in Moral Philosophy	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHIL2915	How to Live Together: Topics in Political Philosophy	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL2925	Reality Check: Topics in Metaphysics	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Candidates may study up to 40 credits from the following optional modules. Not all modules in this list will run every year.

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS2120	Traversing Time: The Voyage of Argo	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
CLAS2125	Writing Love in the Ancient World	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2220	Classical Receptions in the Brotherton Archives and Special Collections	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS2450	Screening Antiquity	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2595	Heroines: Representations of Mythological Women from Antiquity to the Present	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2750	Happiness and the Good Life in the Greek and Roman Worlds	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2760	Thinkers and Storytellers: Myth and Reason in the Ancient World	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS2790	Greek Tragedy	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2924	Ancient Comedy	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2925	The Ancient Novel	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL2045	From Inferno to the world. Reading Dante’s Divine Comedy in a global context	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Candidates may study up to 40 credits from the following optional modules. Not all modules in this list will run every year.

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS2255	The Worlds of Alexander the Great	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
CLAS2352	The World of Herodotus	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2390	The Rise of Rome: Myth and History	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
CLAS2420	Augustus and his Legacy	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2650	The Image of Sparta	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
CLAS2680	Greek Art and Society	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
CLAS2740	Greek Religion	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2890	The City in the Roman World	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
CLAS2926	A Water History of the Ancient World	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS2927	Time, Space and Place in the Greek and Roman Worlds	20	Not running in 202526

Candidates may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS2200	Intermediate Ancient Greek (Level 2)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS2810	Beginners Ancient Greek (Level 2)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Discovery Modules

Candidates may study up to 40 credits of discovery modules.

Year 3

(Not recruiting from 2025/26)

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

To be eligible for a joint honours award, students must pass at least 40 credits at level 2 and 40 credits at level 3 in each of the named subjects.

Optional Modules

Candidates will be required to study ONE of the following modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS3200	Major Research Project	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PRHS3000	Independent Research Project in Philosophy, Religion or History of Science	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PRHS3001	Integrated Research Project in Philosophy, Religion or History of Science	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PRHS3700	External Placement: Beyond the University	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

If CLAS3200 is taken, candidates will be required to study at least 40 credits from the following optional modules; if either PRHS3000 or PRHS3001 is taken, candidates may study up to 40 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PHIL3011	Philosophy of Language	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL3012	Ancient Philosophy	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL3013	Bioethics	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHIL3125	Continental Philosophy	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL3310	Philosophy of Sex and Relationships	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL3322	Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHIL3700	Feminist Philosophy	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHIL3723	War, Terror and Justice	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHIL3855	Philosophical Issues in Technology	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

If either PRHS3000 or PRHS3001 is taken, candidates will be required to study at least 40 credits from the following optional modules in Baskets 1-4; if CLAS3200 is taken, candidates may study up to 40 credits from the following optional modules in Baskets 1-4:

Basket 1: candidates may study up to 40 credits from the following. Not all modules in this list will run every year.

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS3001	Ancient Comedy	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3002	The Ancient Novel	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
CLAS3003	Thinkers and Storytellers: Myth and Reason in the Ancient World	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS3005	Happiness and the Good Life in the Greek and Roman Worlds	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3007	Writing Love in the Ancient World	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3120	Traversing Time: The Voyage of Argo	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
CLAS3220	Classical Receptions in the Brotherton Archives and Special Collections	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS3450	Screening Antiquity	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3595	Heroines: Representations of Mythological Women from Antiquity to the Present	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3790	Greek Tragedy	20	Not running in 202526
MODL3045	From Inferno to the world. Reading Dante’s Divine Comedy in a global context	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Basket 2: candidates may study up to 40 credits from the following. Not all modules in this list will run every year.

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS3004	A Water History of the Ancient World	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3006	Time, Space and Place in the Greek and Roman Worlds	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3150	The Worlds of Alexander the Great: From Pella to Punjab	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
CLAS3352	The World of Herodotus	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3390	The Rise of Rome: Myth and History	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
CLAS3420	Augustus and his Legacy	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3650	The Image of Sparta	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
CLAS3680	Greek Art and Society	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
CLAS3740	Greek Religion	20	Not running in 202526
CLAS3890	The City in the Roman World	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Basket 3: candidates may study up to 20 credits from the following:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS3230	Intermediate Ancient Greek (Level 3)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS3815	Beginners Ancient Greek (Level 3)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS3835	Advanced Ancient Greek	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Basket 4: candidates may study up to 20 credits from the following:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS3260	Intermediate Latin (Level 3)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS3915	Beginners Latin (Level 3)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
CLAS3935	Advanced Latin	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Discovery Modules

Candidates may study up to 40 credits of discovery modules.   

Last updated: 13/10/2025 17:00:32

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