Elevator pitch: Why study Classics?

Studying the ancient world delivers rich insights into our distant past, alongside thoroughly modern and transferable skills. Two experts in the in the field give their elevator pitch on why Classics is worth studying, and where it can take you

James Burbidge is Head of Classics at Tonbridge School. He studied Classics at Oxford, where he later worked as a lecturer in Latin and Greek before becoming a teacher. His favourite things in Classics are the epic poems of Homer and Virgil.

What makes Classics so brilliant?
It takes you into other worlds where the values and mindset were completely different from nowadays. Imagining and exploring those strange worlds is fun; it also gives you a perspective on the modern world.

What made you choose it?
I enjoyed the languages, but what really made me want to study Classics at university was the fabulous literature of Rome and Greece.

Transferable skills and knowledge acquired?
The subject encourages students to develop a close attention to detail, the ability to analyse difficult material, and the imagination to reconstruct lost worlds. Studying the Classics is nothing less than examining the roots of western civilisation.

What pathways does it open?
Classics has traditionally been a favoured route into the legal profession, the civil service, the City and academia. But, in fact, classicists have a very broad and rigorous training, so they can (and do) go on to do almost anything.

2 things students may not realise Classics covers…
Visual art (painting, sculpture, architecture) often features. Archaeology helps us learn new things about that world all the time.

James Hardie is teacher of Latin and Greek at Maida Vale School. He studied for a BA in Classics and an MA in Linguistics at University College London. He specialises in Latin and Greek and is particularly interested in their historical development and their modern teaching methods.

What makes Classics so brilliant?
Classics puts students in touch with something larger than themselves. Parts of the subject have been taught in an unbroken tradition for over two thousand years. Classics develops your understanding of humanity: the great span of our civilisation, the universals and particulars of our thought, and your own small but important role to play in our continuing history.

What made you choose it?
Many people never get the chance to study it, others find it boring or difficult. I wanted to stand out.

Transferable skills and knowledge acquired?
Classics is the king of interdisciplinarity. You learn how to solve problems methodically, how to memorise and deploy information, and how to critically analyse content. You also get a crash course in European languages and the history of ideas.

What pathways does it open?
All of them and none of them. Outside of education, there are no careers that require a classical education. Instead, it represents a broad base of skills and knowledge, providing an edge in a competitive world – on any path.

2 things students may not realise Classics covers…
The structure of communication – a reflection of the structure of the mind. North Africa and the Near East.