In this programme, you study half of your modules (60 credits) in Classics and half in History of Art (60 credits)

First year

Classics: This year gives you a grounding in Greco-Roman culture, its historical contexts, and its continuing impact on the world we live in. In addition, you may choose to study Greek or Latin language.

History of Art: The first year serves as a foundation for the subject. Approaches to the History of Art introduces the methods and concepts employed in the study of art history. Other modules provide an outline of selected key historical periods and themes in the history of art such as Romanticism, Realism, the Renaissance, Modernism or the Enlightenment. Lectures and seminars are supported with study trips to galleries and current exhibitions in London or elsewhere.

The first year History of Art modules include:

• Approaches to the History of Art
• Object and Medium
• Ideas of the Renaissance
• Concepts of Modernism in the History of Art
• Enlightenment and its Discontents
• The Real Realism
• Romanticism and the Idea of Romantic Art

Second year

Classics: Our core modules take you to the heart of the Rome of Cicero and Augustus: through their literary, philosophical and political texts, we encounter the Romans at a time of crisis as Republic gives way to Empire. You also make your choice from our unique range of options in literature, culture, language, myth, religion, art, philosophy, archaeology and history. 

History of Art: The second year is structured to allow you to acquire greater depth by focusing a number of more specific subjects. You will have the opportunity to choose from a number of optional modules on themes or periods in the history of art. These are supported by a module on research techniques in the history of art as well as a study trip to a major artistic and cultural centre overseas, where you will have the opportunity to access works of art and architecture unavailable in Britain and to study them in situ.

The second year History of Art modules include:

• Renaissance Art in Italy and the Netherlands 1400-1460
• Art, Architecture and Design in Fin de Siècle Vienna
• Real and Ideal: Art and Society in Mid Nineteenth-Century France
• Prague, Cracow, Budapest. Art, Architecture and Politics in Central Europe, 1867-1918
• Inside the Gallery. Histories, Theories and Practices of Museums and Galleries
• Research Techniques in the History of Art
• Art History in the Field – Overseas Study Trip

Third year

Classics: In the first semester, our unique practical course in Athenian Drama brings to life the form of artistic expression which was the soul of Athens’ participatory democracy. In the second semester, we put tragedy and comedy in the context of other writings philosophical, political and historical, through which Athenians achieved lasting insights into the challenges of living together as a community. Once again, you make your choice from our menu of options, which changes from year to year. The highlight of the final year is your dissertation: a substantial research project on a subject of special interest to you.

History of Art: In the third year you focus on a special subject, which you study in depth and detail. In addition you have the opportunity to develop your research skills in a short Dissertation, a 6,000 word piece of writing on a topic of your own choice.

Final year History of Art modules include:

• The Special Subject. Recent subjects have included:  Michelangelo; British Landscape Painting 1750-1860; Inside Out. Interiors and Interiority in French Art, Design and Visual Culture 1840-1940; Contemporary Visual Arts and Postcolonialism; After Modernism. Art and Culture since the 1970s
• The Short Dissertation

Classical Literature and Civilisation

How will I be taught?

As a Birmingham student, you are joining the academic elite and have the privilege of learning from world-leading experts in their fields. Your learning with us will be your own voyage of discovery. This will be through small group projects in the first year, seminars in the second and third years and a dissertation in the third. In each year you’ll be guided by an expert in the subjects you’ve chosen, learning to research and analyse a variety of different source materials, to construct coherent arguments and to present the story orally or in writing. At first, you may find these new ways of working and learning a challenge, but we’ll help you to make the transition and you’ll soon be benefiting from some of the most highly regarded teaching in this subject in the country.

Support

Personal Tutor

From the outset, you will be assigned your own Personal Tutor who will get to know you as you progress through your studies, providing academic and welfare advice, encouraging you and offering assistance in any areas you may feel you need extra support to make the most of your potential and your time here at Birmingham.

Student Mentor Scheme

Our enthusiastic established students act as mentors to our new Classical Literature and Civilisation students.  This provides you with a friendly face to help you settle in. 

Academic Writing Advisory Service

The Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) will provide you with individual support from an academic writing advisor and postgraduate subject-specialist writing tutors.  You’ll receive guidance on writing essays and dissertations at University-level which can be quite different from your previous experiences of writing.  Support is given in a variety of ways, such as small-group workshops, online activities, feedback through email and tutorials.

Learning settings

Lectures are led by experts in their field who provide the background to your own discoveries; the background which is itself based on the latest research and discovery. Their main purpose is to challenge and stimulate, encouraging you to come to your own conclusions based on further reading and seminar debates.

Small-group tutorials/personal tutorials run alongside the lecture course, addressing any individual questions you may have and allowing you to consolidate lecture material, engage in constructive debate and expand your understanding. Some options and all final-year special subjects are also taught in small seminar groups.

Discussion classes are designed to provide the background to your understanding of each subject area introduced in our lectures.

Supervised self study. In your final year you’ll undertake your dissertation, a substantial piece of independent research. We support you in this through a series of workshops, as well as one-on-one supervisions with a tutor who’ll be an academic expert in your chosen topic

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is an excellent tool for supporting our academic courses, allowing you to share thoughts on assignments with other students via the discussion group facilities, and even submit your work electronically.

Enquiry Based Learning (EBL) means that learning is driven by the shared enquiry of students and tutors. We will guide you in methods of research, give you feedback on each task, help you improve your style of writing and your use of referencing. We’ll show you how to examine the views of scholars critically as well the evidence they have used. Gradually, you’ll come to rely on the evidence you have found for yourself and the judgements you have formed about it more than the text books you started with. Soon it will be natural to question rather than accept, to argue your own theories and to be unafraid to disagree with us as well as your classmates.

History of Art

How will I be taught?

As a Birmingham student, you are joining the academic elite and have the privilege of learning from world-leading experts in their fields. During your programme we will encourage and support you to engage with complex and challenging problems, and to reflect critically on what you experience. This will involve weighing up evidence and the opinions of others to reach your own conclusions. Independent study will develop your skills through the use of available resources and in addressing problems, constructions solutions, identifying new questions and creating new knowledge.

Support

Personal Tutor
In addition to academic tutors and lecturers, you will also be assigned a personal tutor. Their role is to provide general support and guidance to you during your degree programme, and help you monitor your own academic progress. They will be your first port of call if you are having problems of any kind whether academic or personal. Your personal tutor will receive reports from your academic tutors on your attendance, interim assessments and general involvement in the programme, and ensure you receive feedback on your progress.

Student Mentor Scheme
Our enthusiastic established students act as mentors to our new History of Art students. This provides you with a friendly face to help you settle in.

Academic Writing Advisory Service
The Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) will provide you with individual support from an academic writing advisor and postgraduate subject-specialist writing tutors. You?ll receive guidance on writing essays and dissertations at University-level which can be quite different from your previous experiences of writing. Support is given in a variety of ways, such as small-group workshops, online activities, feedback through email and tutorials.

Learning settings

Lectures provide a framework for presenting the themes and ideas that are central to individual modules. Their main purpose is to challenge and stimulate, encouraging you to come to your own conclusions based on further reading and seminar debates.

Small-group seminars run alongside the lecture course, providing the opportunity for you to discuss and explore the ideas presented in lectures and for more informal interactions between tutors and students. They take a variety of forms, including group discussion and student presentations.

Study trips play an important part in the teaching on the programme. These include visits to galleries and museums in Birmingham and the West Midlands, as well as overseas group trips that are funded by the University. Recent destinations have included Rome, Berlin and Paris, and provide you with the opportunity to examine works of art and architecture in situ.

One-to-one tutorials become increasingly important as you progress through your course. This is particularly the case in your final year, when a major part of your programme will be a dissertation on a topic of your choice. Tutorials enable you to discuss your research with your project supervisor in depth.

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is an excellent tool for supporting our academic modules, allowing you to share thoughts on assignments with other students via the discussion group facilities, and even submit your work electronically.

Enquiry Based Learning (EBL) means that learning is driven by the shared enquiry of students and tutors. This places you, the student, at the centre of your own degree: you learn through involvement and ownership, not simply by being a passive recipient of information. We believe that this is the best way of learning while you?re at Birmingham as it?s very effective in enabling you to acquire the key skills and attributes that are valued by employers: creative and independent thinking, self-motivation, self-organisation, team-working, goal-setting and problem-solving.

Classical Literature and Civilisation

Graduates of Classical Studies, like all arts and humanities students, develop a wide range of skills which are highly attractive to employers. Studying Classics involves analysing the ancient world in a political, social, and cultural context. This helps the development of skills in research and analysis of complex information, working independently and as part of a team, and articulate communication of judgments and arguments. Students also have the opportunity to carry out self- directed project work which helps self management, organisation and research skills.

The University of Birmingham has graduate employability rates for Classical Literature & Civilisation graduates above the national average and in the top 10 for the subject from UK universities. Ninety per cent of our Classical Literature and Civilisation graduates go into work or study within six months of graduation. Our graduates go on to careers in a wide range of areas such as law, business, education and the media, with employers including central and local government, museums, cultural and heritage organisations, charities and a range of commercial companies. Specific jobs include PR and communications, human resources, legal work, library work, events planning and tourism.

Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal. This is a unique careers guidance service tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. This includes individual careers advice and events to give you insight into the professions and employers of interest to our graduates, inlcuding our ‘Careers in heritage, archaeology and museums’ event.

We also hold events covering careers in teaching, event management, law marketing and working with charities. The newly developed optional professional skills module allows students in their second year to gain experience in a working environment which can lead to the development of further valuable skills. Placements are offered with the support of local employers, and we are developing links with heritage and cultural organisations to create more opportunities for students.

In addition, our students are encouraged to apply their skills in the workplace by undertaking internships in the summer; the work experience bursary scheme enables students to apply for funding for those career areas where placements are often unpaid. You can even apply for our ‘Global Challenge’ to work overseas on an expenses paid placement during your summer vacation.

History of Art

As a History of Art student you'll have an excellent opportunity to develop skills that are highly prized by employers, including visual and textual analysis and interpretation, clear and effective writing, visual discernment, making opinions, and respecting the views of others even if you disagree with them.

The University of Birmingham has graduate employability rates for History of Art graduates above the national average and in the top 10 UK universities for the subject. Over 50% of job vacancies advertised for new and recent graduates don't specify a degree subject, and our graduates have gone on to highly successful careers in art galleries and other cultural institutions, as curators, researchers and administrators. Others pursue careers in auction houses and the art business, teaching, and in administrative and management roles for a wide range of employers. Some also decide to pursue graduate study in specialist art and cultural areas or professions such as teaching and law.

Employers of Birmingham History of Art graduates have included the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Bodleian Library, Cath Kidston, Historic Royal Palaces, The National Portrait Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum. Examples of jobs they have taken up include Archivist, Assistant Curator, Curator of Fine Art, Gallery Coordinator, Programme Coordinator and Researcher.

Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal. This is a unique careers guidance service tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team who can give you expert advice. This includes individual careers advice and events to give you insight into the professions and employers of interest to arts graduates, and access to internships and job vacancies. Events that may appeal to History of Art students include the 'Careers in Art Business' and 'Heritage and Museum Careers' workshops that are held as part of the Creative Careers Series. We also make work placement opportunities available to you in the University's Cultural Collections and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.

Extra-curricular activities

To enhance your career prospects even further, you will need to think about engaging in some extra-curricular activities while you're at university to broaden your skills and your network of contacts. This can include the many societies at the Guild of Students and also the many voluntary opportunities offered with local arts organisations. Our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

Our College of Arts and Law undergraduate research scholarship scheme enables interested students to work on a current academic research project being run by one of the College's academic researchers. Undergraduate research scholars gain work experience over the summer after their first or second year and have the chance to develop skills in both collaborative and independent research.

Cultural Internships

Our innovative Cultural Internships offer graduates the opportunity for a six month paid internship at a leading cultural institution in the West Midlands. These internships are a unique opportunity to learn fundamental, transferable business and interpersonal skills, through experience of real work in an established cultural institution. Our current partners include Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, Birmingham Royal Ballet, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust and the Library of Birmingham. We have plans to expand the scheme to include our own major cultural assets, such as Winterbourne House, the Lapworth Museum, and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. This scheme will give you professional experience to set you apart in a competitive graduate market.