UCL Department of Greek and Latin

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Public Engagement

Beyond publishing its wide-ranging research in academic books and journals, the Department of Greek and Latin aims at disseminating its results and its educational activities beyond the academic community to the interested public. Students and staff in the Department are therefore engaged in a variety of activities, which give people the opportunity to experience what is going on in the Department and to profit from the expertise of its members.  More significant activities include:

Open Days

The department participates in several Open Days throughout the year, organised by UCL (typically in June / July) and the University of London (typically in September), which enables prospective students in particular to learn about the courses offered by the Department. Regular Taster Days (typically in the spring), as part of the London Taster Course Programme, offer a taste of what teaching and learning about the Ancient World is like at UCL. The London Summer School allows people of all abilities and backgrounds to learn ancient Greek and Latin.

The Greek Play

Students in the Department annually produce a Greek play (in English translation) at the UCL Bloomsbury Theatre. Performances (each February) are open to the general public and have proved very popular in the past.

In February 2011 the Department produced Aristophanes' Lysistrata. 

The Classical World today

Members of staff in the Department are engaged in research on reception. In this context the Department has recently arranged for funding to restore film projectors in the UCL Bloomsbury Theatre, which has made it possible to screen rare silent films on topics from antiquity to a diverse audience.

The Iris Project

The Department supports the Iris Project with funding and resources. The Iris Project is a registered educational charity promoting Classics in the United Kingdom, by running initiatives in state schools and communities, which give access to Classical subjects. It targets socially-excluded boroughs of inner London and schools with high numbers of disadvantaged children. A number of students in the Department work as teachers for this project.

Involvement with a wider audience

Over the years many members of the Department have collaborated with a wide variety of institutions by giving advice or by delivering talks and presentations in a number of contexts. Colleagues have participated in the UCL Lunch Hour Lectures Series, have given talks at schools in the UK and beyond and have cooperated with the British Museum, BBC Television, BBC Radio 3, Channel 4 and City Lit. Topics covered include a wide range of Greek and Roman authors as well as the reception of the ancient world, e.g. sport in antiquity, Homer and Byzantium or Rome on film. An annual activity in cooperation with the British Museum and City Lit is the Classics Day, an exciting day of talks, discussions and gallery visits on themes relating to Ancient Greece and Rome.

• Details of the 2011 Classics Day (which took place on the 5th of March)

• More information on Greek and Latin courses at City Lit
• Special events at City Lit

The Department welcomes enquiries and is happy to help with expertise in the planning and realization of Classics related events. Please contact the Departmental Administrator Amanda Cater (at a.cater@ucl.ac.uk) for further information or get in touch with the relevant member of staff

• Greek and Latin staff list