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At Part II of the Classics Tripos, students have the option for one of their scheduled papers to be examined by dissertation rather than the 3 hour written exam, on a subject of the student’s choice within the field of Classics.  Past dissertations have covered:

  • Ÿ cross-dressing in antiquity
  • Ÿ the phenomenon of Asterix
  • Ÿ Classical influences on contemporary American poetry
  • Ÿ Greek tragedy and politics
  • Ÿ Homer and Virgil
  • Ÿ comparative linguistics
  • Ÿ the nature and role of pleasure in human life
  • Ÿ art and archaeology in Roman Egypt

 

In Year 2 (Part 1B), students will have the opportunity to find out more about the options to choose for Part II at a series of advisory sessions held at the beginning of the Easter Term.

 

Advice and guidelines on the Part II thesis option will be available to students in the Part II Thesis Advice document accessed via the Faculty’s Moodle site. Key deadlines are:

Application deadline: second Monday of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

Changes to applications: a deadline date in Lent Term communicated to students by email.

Thesis submission deadline: the first Monday of the full Easter Term in which the examination is to be held.

 

A selection of samples of good work of Part II dissertations is available for perusal from the Classics library issue desk.

 

The regulations for the Part II Classics course can be found in the University's Statutes and Ordinances.

 

Latest news

Dr Ben Gray, Assistant Professor in Classics (Ancient History)

20 October 2025

The Faculty is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Ben Gray ( Birkbeck, University of London) as Assistant Professor in Classics (Ancient History) from 1st January 2026.

Teaching Associate in Classics

17 October 2025

The Faculty of Classics is seeking to appoint a Temporary Teaching Associate in Classics (Ancient Greek Literature) starting from the earliest date possible until 30 September 2026. See link for further details . Closing date: 31 October 2025

Museum and Collections Assistant

7 October 2025

The Faculty invites applications for a Part-Time Museum and Collections Assistant in the Museum of Classical Archaeology. The closing date is 22 October 2025. For further details please follow the link given below: Museum and Collections Assistant (Part Time) | University of Cambridge

“Decoding the Desert” and “Middleton’s Architectural Odysseys” now on CUDL

29 September 2025

Two collections from the Faculty Archives, the photographs of archaeologists Richard Norton and Richard Goodchild in Libya, and notebooks of Victorian architect J. H. Middleton, have been digitised and are available to view on the Cambridge University Digital Library. A gift from the family of Professor Joyce Reynolds -...