Overview of the Department
Dear visitors,
The Department of Classics and Philosophy, as is indicated by its name, cultivates two distinct academic fields, Classics and Philosophy.
Classics is the study of ancient Greeks and Romans. Their civilisations represent two of the world’s most ambitious and pioneering ages — they produced outstanding work in poetry, theatre, historiography, oratory and the arts, and developed innovative ways of thinking and original approaches to politics. Philosophy, for example, and democracy are inventions of ancient Greece. The sustained significance of these civilisations for subsequent cultures has earned them the label ‘classic’ and made them function as a point of reference for intellectuals, writers, poets, artists and political theorists of all ages. In other words, Classics is as much about the present as it is about the past!
Philosophy investigates fundamental questions about morality and politics, language, mind, logic, knowledge, art, existence and reality, God etc. Examples of philosophical questions in relation to morality, politics and art can be the following: What is morally right and what is morally wrong? How should we live? What do we owe to others? How should a just society be organised? What is the legitimacy of political power? Is political disobedience permissible? What is art? What makes something art? What is the nature of beauty?
The Department has a number of strengths that allow it to carry out its activity in the most effective way. Its academic staff consists of internationally recognised scholars with extensive experience in research and teaching, while teaching is conducted in small audiences, so academic staff can provide students with personalised guidance. There is another advantage that should not be overlooked: Cyprus was part of both the ancient Greek and Roman world; this means that Classics in Cyprus is taught and researched in its ‘natural’ setting.
The academic profile of the Department, its mission and priorities for the period 2021-2025 are described in its Strategic Plan, whereas its commitment to the University of Cyprus’ Quality Assurance Policy is to be found in this document.
What can the Department offer you?
This section will briefly describe what the Department has to offer at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels, and in terms of postdoctoral research and career opportunities.
If you are a secondary-level pupil, thinking to pursue a university degree, our Department offers two major programmes of UNDERGRADUATE STUDY, Classics or Philosophy. Here you will find answers to such questions as what Classics is, why it is an important field and what job opportunities this field opens up. Similar questions regarding Philosophy are answered in this section. If you choose Classics as your area of study, you will be taught the courses specified here, whereas the course list of the Philosophy programme is found here. The normal duration of the two programmes is eight academic semesters.
If you are already pursuing an academic major at the University of Cyprus, you can obtain a MINOR PROGRAMME IN CLASSICS or a MINOR PROGRAMME IN PHILOSOPHY in addition to your major. You will find information about these two programmes here.
If you already hold a degree in Classics or a similar field, you are welcome to our Department to pursue POSTGRADUATE or DOCTORAL STUDIES IN CLASSICS. The research areas cultivated by our academic staff are described here, but also on their personal websites. Also, here you can see some of our books. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us either by phone or by email.
If you already hold a doctoral degree, you may be interested in pursuing POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH. The University of Cyprus and other research organisations, e.g. the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation, offer funding to aspiring researchers through competitive processes. The Department hosts several postdoctoral researchers, and is open to further academic collaborations of this sort. So you are welcome to discuss such possibilities with us, bearing in mind that the Department focuses on specific research areas, which are described here as well as on the personal websites of the academic staff. Also, some of our books can be found here, whereas other types of our academic publications can be found on our personal websites. For postdoctoral programmes that have already been completed or are currently in progress, please see here.
PhD-holders have also the opportunity to WORK in the Department as teaching fellows in specified subjects, under a specified purpose contract (‘teaching special staff’). Every semester the Department invites applications for such posts through an announcement on the website.
Finally, the CAREER OPPORTUNITIES that are available to the graduates of the Department are described here, where you can also watch a video recording of a relevant event.
Studying Classics... And then?
The Department organised an event (1st of February 2024) on the career prospects of graduates of Classics. The event featured Classics graduates who already have a successful career in areas such as education, business administration, human resources management, finance, and know from personal experience the link between a degree in classical studies and the job market. The event can be watched here.