London Summer School in Classics

The 2023 London Summer School in Classics took place in a hybrid format, hosted by the Department of Greek and Latin, University College London. A variety of ancient languages were offered, including Ancient Greek and Latin (at all levels) as well as Biblical Hebrew, Byzantine Greek, Hittite, Sumerian, and Sanskrit. In addition to daily language classes, the eight-day summer school offered lectures and epigraphy workshops.

Bursary recipients commented:

‘Christie turned out to be the perfect teacher for me at this time, with her specialism in Sumerian love poetry, her excellent knowledge and clear teaching style. […] I’m so glad I persevered, because now I have a comprehensive understanding of Sumerian grammar and can read transliterated Sumerian on my own to a level that surpassed my expectations.’

‘I […] found that it was incredibly valuable to be able to discuss translations and grammar points with other students, which furthered my understanding of the things we were learning. Since I am home educated and mostly self-study, it was a great experience to learn Latin in a class.’

‘As a student who will be starting university in 2024, the summer school has prepared me for what to expect in terms of workload, independence and participation in university. […] The lectures, particularly related to The Aeneid, were helpful to not only myself by many other students as it is a parto of the A-level Classical Civilisation specification and these lectures helped my understanding of the text.’

‘Without the support of the bursay, I would not have been able to attend the summer school […] most importantly, like my passion for the Roman remit flowered from Latin, embarking upon Greek has opened up the other half of the ancient world for me and the zeal to explore it.’

‘UCL has provided me with an excellent and appropriate learning environment, promoting me to fulfil my ambition to learn Biblical Hebrew. […] The summer school course established a firm biblical foundation for my ensuing in-depth research on the development of religious text and authority from a cross-cultural perspective.’