Greek and Latin texts

Research into Greek and Latin texts in OU Classical Studies encompasses a wide range of literary and epigraphic material in different genres and from various socio-political contexts. Texts are explored in various ways, from close textual analysis as works of literature to studies that use texts as points of intersection with material culture and reception, all from multiple theoretical perspectives. Expertise in the department ranges from Greek epic, tragedy, comedy, historiography and oratory to Latin poetry and Augustan literature. Specialist interests include the areas of spatial theory, memory studies, humour, the body and the senses, disability studies, new materialist approaches, digital applications, and pedagogy.

Full- or part-time study applications are particularly welcome in areas that correspond with these research interests. Proposals should be detailed and well-thought-out, setting out your specific research questions and strategies for addressing them and outlining the originality of your topic and/or approach. We recommend getting in touch to discuss your ideas informally before submitting a formal application and to offer advice (such as how your project relates to work being carried out in the department; what facilities or skills, such as language ability, you might need for your project; and how it could contribute to existing work in the field).

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and an MA with a minimum grade of merit. If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English. 

Potential research projects

• Greek epic, including Homer, Hesiod and the epic cycle
• Greek comedy and humour studies
• Greek tragedy oratory and cultural history
• Greek and Roman historiography
• Greek and Latin epigraphy
• Latin literature

Current/recent research projects

• Rethinking Monsters and the Monstrous in Classical Antiquity and Beyond
• Tracing the establishment of political society; remembering and forgetting in ancient Greek literature
• Choral authoritativeness in Sophodes
• Audience Sensory Experience in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War
• Virgil’s Treatment of Augustus and Claudian’s Treatment of Stilicho.

Potential supervisors

• Professor Elton Barker
• Dr Emma Bridges
• Dr Jasmine Hunter Evans
• Dr Joanna Paul
• Dr Christine Plastow
• Professor. James Robson
• Professor Naoko Yamagata
• Dr Marchella Ward

Fees and funding

Some of our research students are funded via the Open‐Oxford‐Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership; others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

Links

• Classical Studies at The Open University
• Classics Confidential website