Join us to explore the diversity of ancient Mediterranean society, spanning Greek and Latin literature and the evolution of Athenian democracy. With plenty of opportunity for peer collaboration, we’ll draw on a wide range of sources and ask how they continue to challenge and inspire us today.
Course Dates
Course details
Tutors
Key Features
Course highlights
During this part-time online certificate course, you will:
- study Greek and Roman literary texts in English translation
- gain an appreciation of ancient cultures and learn how modern political contexts make us understand them anew
- develop key study and writing skills.
During the course we will examine the enduring power of literary masterpieces from the golden age of Greek theatre and the Latin epic tradition. Within this cultural context, we’ll also explore the birth of Athenian democracy and how it evolved in the age of empire.
As part of our learning community, you will:
- discuss works by Greek playwrights including Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes
- consider what these plays tell us about ancient Greek culture and the city-state of Athens
- explore famous and lesser-known works of Latin epic while considering questions of historical context, interpretation and influence
- examine the enduring power of the Aeneid, its role within the epic tradition, and Virgil’s own influence on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy
- learn about the birth of Athenian democracy and its relationship with leadership and the growing empire.
Course breakdown
The course will run from Tuesday 14th October 2025 to Wednesday 10th June 2026.
Most of the teaching for each term will usually take place on Tuesday evenings, with occasional social sessions taking place on Saturdays.
Michaelmas term: Greek Literature: The worlds of ancient Greek drama
For nearly two and a half thousand years, ancient Greek drama has been inspiring, moving, and challenging audiences. From the stately tragedies of Aeschylus to the raucous comedies of Aristophanes, ancient dramatists confronted questions of love, war, politics, justice, and family that still resonate today. Coming of age in democratic Athens in the fifth century BCE, ancient Greek drama was seen as an integral part of civic life and education, helping define the terms in which Athenians thought about key issues of their time. In this course, students will explore the varied worlds of ancient tragedy and comedy, not only engaging in close reading of dramatic texts, but learning about the political, cultural, and historical context in which these plays were conceived. We will also pay special attention to the plays as performance texts, discussing both the original performance context and the ways in which these plays have been adapted and re-imagined for the modern stage.
- Unit 1 start date: Tuesday 14th October 2025
- Unit 1 end date: Wednesday 7 January 2026
Lent term: Latin Literature: Power and poetry in Latin epic
This unit will explore three Roman epic poems: Vergil’s Aeneid, Lucan’s Bellum Civile, and Statius’ Thebaid. For the Romans, epic was the genre of national poetry, a means by which matters of state were celebrated, but also concerns revealed. The course of this unit will track how changing societal and political pressures in the early days of the Roman empire manifest in these monumental poems, each of which was written at key moments of national change. We will further explore the artistry of these three poets as they combine complex and ancient literary traditions with contemporary political concerns.
- Unit 2 start date: Tuesday 6 January 2026
- Unit 2 end date: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Easter term: Athenian Democracy in the Age of Athens’ Empire
At the end of the sixth century BCE, the Greek city-state of Athens embarked on a political experiment. Political power, once the domain of a few wealthy families, was thrown open to the entire citizen population – that is, those who were free, male, and native born. This new system was given the name demokratia – “strength of the people” – and has gone down in history as the first clearly-documented democracy. At the same time as Athenian democracy was being built, Athens was also obtaining an overseas empire that would grow to encompass most of the islands and coastline of the Aegean Sea. This course will explore the tensions and complications of Athens in the fifth century BCE between democracy at home and imperialism overseas. Attention will also be paid to those who did not have a place in the demos, the Athenian citizen-body: free women, enslaved people of all genders, and resident foreigners who lived and worked in Athens without enjoying the benefits of citizenship.
- Unit 3 start date: Tuesday 14 April 2026
- Unit 3 end date: Wednesday 10 June 2026
After the course
Do you have a passion for the ancient world? Having focused on its literature, why not look at the subject through the lens of landscape and archaeology? You could join us to study the Certificate in Archaeology of Ancient Britain or the Certificate in the Study of Medieval England.
Entry requirements
There are no formal academic entry requirements for this course, which is open to all students with an interest in the subject area.
English language requirements
If you are applying to study an Undergraduate Certificate, Diploma or Advanced Diploma and your first language is not English, you will need to meet the requirements of one of the language proficiency tests below. Your test must be completed and the results submitted to our admissions team no later than Friday 5 September 2025.
IELTS (Academic), IELTS for UKVI Academic, IELTS One Skill Retake
Overall score of 7.0, with not less than 7.0 in Speaking, Listening and Writing, and 6.5 in Reading.
TOELF iBT or TOEFL Home Edition
https://www.ets.org/toefl.html
Overall score of 100, with no element below 25.
Cambridge English C2 Proficiency
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/proficiency/
Overall score of 200, with no element lower than 185.
IT requirements
The course content will be delivered, and the learning outcomes met, through video-based teaching platforms and a dedicated course Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
You will therefore need to have access to:
- the internet via a computer, laptop, tablet or other smart device
- speakers or headphones in order to hear any pre-recorded material
- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available
Identity Check
As part of your application you are required to provide a copy of your ID. At the beginning of the course, you will be required to attend a live zoom session, so that we can verify your identity. Please note we will not be able to issue the award if an identity check has not been completed.
As part of our open and inclusive learning environment, you can enjoy the world-class resources and expertise of the University of Cambridge wherever you are on your academic journey.
Our video-based teaching platforms offer a flexible way to access lectures, while our Virtual Learning Environment makes it easy to study and learn online and interact with your tutor and fellow students.
Our teaching methods include lectures, presentations by guest speakers and facilitators, and interactive and experiential learning activities. We will also give you reading and assignments to complete outside of classroom sessions.
You will normally be asked to submit two assignments totalling 3,000-4,000 words for each unit to demonstrate your learning. There are more details about how this course is assessed in the course guide we will send you once you have enrolled.
Qualifications
This course is equivalent to half of the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree. It offers 60 CATS credits, which are recognised by higher education institutions and employers.
How many hours of study are required?
The award of academic credit is a means of quantifying and recognising learning and within the UK, one credit notionally represents 10 hours of learning. This course attracts 60 credits, so students should expect to need to study for approximately 600 hours in total to complete all units successfully. However, it is recognised that students study at different paces and use a variety of approaches, so this is a recommendation, rather than a hard-and-fast calculation.
SEEC Credit Level Descriptors for Higher Education (2021) here.
The fee for this course is £3,300. You can either pay:
- in full when you enrol,
or - Your account will be set up for you to pay in 3 equal instalments: the first when you enrol, the second by 1 January, and the third and final instalment by 1 April – (standard instalment plan). The exact dates will be confirmed in your booking details.
Important: your place on the course is not secured until we receive your first payment along with any required documents, such as proof of English language proficiency.
If you are offered a place, you will receive instructions as to how to register and pay.
Help with fees
We have many sources of financial support that you can explore.
Refunds
This course will require a minimum number of students to run. In the rare event that the course is cancelled by us, due to minimum numbers not being met, or for any other reason, you will receive a full refund of any fees paid.
Disability Support
The University’s Accessibility & Disability Resource Centre Non-Matriculated Service (ADRC NMS) provides advice, guidance, and resources to University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) award-bearing undergraduate and postgraduate students who have a diagnosed disability or medical condition, including mental health conditions. The support provided can include:
- appointments with a Senior disability adviser or Neurodiversity disability adviser
- reviewing/assessing medical or diagnostic evidence
- production of a Student Support Document (SSD)
- signposting to sources of disability-related funds (Disabled Students’ Allowances [DSA], as well as other internal funds for home and international students)
- coordination of human support, such as specialist mentoring or specialist study skills
- neurodiversity screening service (Autism, Specific Learning Difficulties, ADHD)
- signposting to disability library services
- signposting to assistive technology and software support
If you would like to access support then please indicate this on your course application form and then complete the ADRC NMS online Student Information Form so they can work with you to fully support your studies. Please upload medical evidence (written in English) when prompted to within the Student Information Form. The following links to guidance on medical evidence or diagnostic evidence will help to answer any questions you may have.
If you have any questions concerning disability support then please contact the ADRC NMS team via [email protected] or view their website.
Wellbeing Support
It is important that all our learners feel safe in their learning environment and student wellbeing is our key priority. We have a dedicated Student Support team who can offer a variety of support mechanisms to those who are experiencing challenges maintaining positive mental wellbeing. The PACE Student Support Team are here to support you throughout the duration of your studies with us and can:
- meet with you via teams/zoom (camera can be off) to discuss any concerns surrounding your wellbeing, mental health, academic pressures, or welfare
- advise you on options and signpost you to appropriate sources of guidance which range from self-guided resources to wellbeing conversations
- direct you to specialist support and help concerning welfare, wellbeing, safeguarding and prevent
- in specific circumstances (where there is a clear need unmet elsewhere) provide access to counselling
- provide access to study skills resources
If you have any questions concerning learning support, then please contact us.
