Ancient and Modern History

This course enables students to study history from the Bronze Age Mediterranean and Near East, through the Roman Empire, middle ages, and early modern period, right up to British, European and world history in the present day. Fruitful comparisons between societies abound, and the methods by which we study them are mutually illuminating. The course offers an extraordinary range of choices (more than 90 options), reflecting the breadth of interests of those who teach here.

Places at Christ Church: 1–2

Skyline in Rome showing ancient and modern architecture

More about the course

The Oxford Classics and History Faculties are world-famous for teaching and research. Most of the people who will teach you here will be leading researchers in their field, and lecturers are encouraged to put on new courses which reflect their own interests. The study of original sources forms the basis of Further and Special Subjects.

At Christ Church, your work is divided between lectures and classes, tutorials (one or two a week), and private study (including preparing essays for your weekly tutorials). Oxford historians typically move on to careers in fields as varied as law, investment banking and consultancies, advertising, accountancy, the Civil Service, publishing, journalism and the media, global charity work, museums, librarianship and archive work, and teaching.

Students interested in this course might also like to consider Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Classics, other History courses, or History of Art.

View a list of our academic teaching staff

Faculty websites:

www.history.ox.ac.uk

www.classics.ox.ac.uk

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Other related courses

You may be interested in other history and joint schools courses

History

History is about people and societies in the past – what made them tick, and why they did what they did. It helps us understand ourselves and others. Studying the past challenges our prejudices, broadens our outlook, and enables us to think for ourselves; writing about the past develops our analytical skills, and teaches us to organise clear and persuasive arguments.

Classical Archaeology and Ancient History (CAAH)

CAAH is the opportunity to study the history, archaeology and art of societies and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. The course lasts three years and involves work both in university classes led by an archaeologist and historian, and in tutorials.

Classics

The Oxford course lasts four years and spans authors and periods from the Greek ‘dark ages’ to the period when the Roman empire dominated the Mediterranean – almost a millennium.