Athens and the 5th century intellectual revolution

Aims of the course

This course will take you step-by-step through the major developments of the fifth century. Unlike many online courses which passively present the material to the student, those on this course are expected to learn mainly by discussion; with the tutor and with fellow students. Reading material is provided, and links are given to online resources for each week's topic, but most of the student's work will entail analysing these topics in forums and live tutorials, as well as the completion of an optional assignment at the end of the course.

Course content overview

Every week sees the introduction of a new aspect of the fifth-century revolution, and your tutor will suggest one or two topics for investigation and discussion. Resources are provided to equip you with the knowledge you will need to participate, and each week starts with a quiz to allow you to measure your familiarity with the topic and how much reading you will need to do. You will also be able to meet regularly with your tutor online in group chats and can request one-to-one discussions to discuss your work on the course.

Target audience

No knowledge of ancient Greece is assumed, but even those who have some background in the subject will find the experience of online learning both exciting and challenging. We also offers a number of other courses on the ancient world, so you may want to keep an eye on future opportunities which we offer for online study offered in this same format.

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)

Orientation Week: 6-12 July 2026

Teaching Weeks: 13 July-16 August 2026

Feedback Week: 17-23 August 2026

Teaching Week 1: Gods & Heroes

Teaching Week 2: Warfare

Teaching Week 3: Democracy

Teaching Week 4: Theatre

Teaching Week 5: Architecture

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Virtual Learning Environment

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).

Certificate of participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

Entry requirements

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a Certification of Participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion).

Concessions

For more information on available concessions, please visit the Concessions information page on our website.

Alison Fordham Bursary

The Institute is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our virtual learning platform, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.

Application criteria: 

• Applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study.    
• Applicants who can demonstrate financial need.  
• Apply here https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursary-application