杜倫大學

Course Summary

This is a course geared towards preparing you for higher research into the interaction of the classical world with the Near East - partly through direct research training, and partly through modules taught by experts in their field, in small-group seminars.

The relationship between the classical world and neighbouring civilisations is among the most important and most rapidly expanding areas of classical scholarship, and we have particular strength in this field: we offer tuition in Akkadian, and can draw on the resources of the Oriental Museum in Durham and the expertise pooled in the Centre for the Study of the Ancient Mediterranean and the Near East. The course lasts for one year full-time (two years part-time).

Course Learning and Teaching

The MA in Greece, Rome and the Near East is principally conceived as a research training course, which aims to build on the skills in independent learning acquired in the course of the student’s first degree and enable them to undertake fully independent research at a higher level. Contact time with tutors for taught modules is typically a total of 5 hours per week (rising to 7 for someone beginning Latin or ancient Greek at this level), with an emphasis on small group teaching, and a structure that maximises the value of this time, and best encourages and focuses the student’s own independent study and preparation. On average, around 2 hours a week of other relevant academic contact (research seminars, dissertation supervision) is also available.

At the heart of the course is the Dissertation module, in which students write a 15,000 word dissertation of a research topic of their own devising. Core research training and support for students’ dissertation research is provided through the Dissertation seminars. These are weekly classes which in the first term introduce the range of research methods and resources available to someone working in the field of Classics, and over the year build the research skills needed for the dissertation. The classes comprise a mixture of lectures, student-led discussions and student presentations, and are tailored to the individual research interests of each cohort. In addition, students are matched with an individual Dissertation supervisor, who will be an expert in their field of interest, and from whom they will receive an additional five hours of individual dissertation supervision over the year.

All staff teaching on the MA are available for consultation by students, and run weekly office hours in addition to formal contact time. The MA Director acts as Academic Adviser to MA students, and is available as an additional point of contact, especially for matters concerning academic progress. In addition to the formal part of the course, the Department has a very vibrant culture of research seminars and talks. In particular, MA students are strongly encouraged to attend the Department’s two research seminar series. Although not a formal (assessed) part of the MA, engagement with these seminars across a range of subjects is part of students’ development as researchers and ought to be viewed as essential to their course. In addition, MA students are welcome to attend and present at the ‘Junior Work-in-Progress’ seminar series organised by the PhD students in the Department. Finally, our student-run Classics Society regularly organises guest speakers – often very high-profile scholars from outside Durham.