Innovative teaching and learning

Alongside traditional assessment, such as essays, exams and presentations, we have developed practical modules where you engage with real-world scenarios.

You are assessed on the production of a wide range of media, such as:

posters
websites and mobile apps
education packs
performance plans
storyboards

Digital Transformations Hub

You can also make use of the excellent resources available in the Digital Transformations Hub for working with digital and graphic material.

I decided to make a project and I did an online museum exhibition, which was really fun. I did dyes, textiles and beading in Minoan fashion. I made pamphlets, posters and the actual exhibition online. It was really fun to just do something colourful and creative.
Hannah Parker, second-year Classical Civilisation student

Modules offering non-traditional assessment

Classics modules

'Communicating the Past'

Choose an area of Classics or Archaeology which interests you and communicate your chosen topic to the general public. How you do that is entirely up to you!

See examples of student projects, below.

Teaching includes lectures and special presentations on different possible project-types, as well as seminars based on discussion of individual projects.

'Classics and Popular Culture'

Explore the reception of ancient Greek and Roman culture in a variety of modern popular media, including films, theatre, novels, museums, architecture, art, children's literature, and comics.

Consider how the academic and non-academic worlds interact with and influence one another
Your lectures for this module include film-screenings and group-discussion

'Studying Classical Scholarship'

Develop your understanding of scholarship about classical antiquity, helping you approach your reading in a historically informed, engaged and critical way.

You will:

choose from a range of landmark works of classical scholarship on a variety of topics (literary, historical, archaeological)
analyse it during seminars based on student presentations and written coursework

Archaeology modules

'Archaeological Research: Theory and Practice'

Develop your research skills and discover how we interpret archaeological evidence from different perspectives.

Explore how changes in the wider social and theoretical landscape have changed archaeological understanding through time
Discover the concepts and methods that you will use in your third year dissertation
Learn how to develop a research proposal

Teaching is a mix of lectures, class workshops and research skills sessions.

'Archaeology and Society: Heritage and Professional Skills'

This module embeds professional practice and employability at the heart of the archaeology undergraduate curriculum.

You will:

learn how to work on real-world archaeology and heritage projects, following standard professional practice
develop key skills in project planning, teamwork and visual and oral communication
work in groups to create an innovative heritage project about a local site or topic

You are assessed as a team as well as by your individual contributions to the final project, which is presented to academic staff and external assessors.

'Communicating the Past' module projects

Alexia Burrows Charalambidou, Classical Civilisation BA (now studying Classics MA) – Created an Instagram based project on women in Greek mythology

I really enjoyed seeing the public interact with my content; I did polls before and after my posts, so I could gauge engagement, but also see how opinions may have changed.

Charlotte Rushforth, Classical Civilisation BA – Created a children's book on the Colosseum

Most university deadlines are long 3000-4000+ word essays and coursework, but after graduation and in the workplace, you often have to be innovative and dynamic with your work which is what this module teaches you.

More about Charlotte's project

A hand drawn ancient tombstone with a funerary inscription for Regina

Rachel Rolph, Archaeology BA (now studying MRes Archaeology) – Created an escape room based on Hadrian's Wall

We chose to focus on Hadrian’s Wall because we wanted to explore the ideas of Romanisation and multiculturalism, and the Wall provided the perfect context. Choosing to set all this within an escape room seemed like a mad idea at first, but we were determined that our project would be unique!

Alexander Gadd, third-year Ancient History BA – Created a clothing brand based on Palmyra

I designed several T-shirts and hoodies which conveyed information about the site’s art and architecture, history, and its eventual ruination by ISIL in 2015. I wanted to combine my interest of fashion with my love for the classical world, and this project gave me the opportunity to do so.

Department of Classics and Archaeology

University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

Contact details
Archaeology twitter
Classics twitter