Council of University Classical Departments

The 28th Denys Haynes Memorial Lecture: Monument, movement and the ritual body: ancient Indian, Roman and Greek art Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience.

Join us on Friday 10 Oct at 6pm: Denys Haynes Memorial Lecture: Monument, movement and the ritual body: ancient Indian, Roman and Greek art: shorturl.at/upBPy

One of Britain's leading art historians, Prof Jaś Elsner, will look at the religious context of some of the great monuments of antiquity.

👏With huge thanks to @lcostantini89.bsky.social our annual CUCD statistics report is up at:

cucd.blogs.sas.ac.uk/files/2025/0...

📣Highlights include: overall increase in UG students, an increase in students taking Greek ab initio, and higher PGT student numbers! Read more for details.

REF 2029 UPDATE! With congratulations to those appointed so far and what happens next. Read more here: cucd.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2025/09/05/r...

CUCD’s letter at: cucd.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2025/04/30/o...

newshub.medianet.com.au/2025/06/macq...

The scale of the cuts to Ancient History, Archaeology and the Ancient Languages at Macquarie University are staggering and brutal. ⬇️

If you know colleagues there, now would be a good time to reach out and support them. Scroll down for the letter CUCD sent in April

The points raised about the importance of these subjects for any School of Global Humanities apply to all colleagues affected by the cuts to language courses too 😢

In the light of recent news from Cardiff University it seems timely to re-post this letter championing the work of colleagues in Ancient History and Religion from CUCD, CA, FIEC, @ics.bsky.social @theromansoc.bsky.social @hellenicsociety.bsky.social

Update at: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Combined Classics Library Bursaries (up to £300) now accepting applications to assist unfunded scholars who wish to visit the Combined Classics Library in summer 2025 in order to advance or complete a project of research or scholarship.

Details here: https://shorturl.at/XRjqg

REF sub-panel chairs and deputy chairs have been announced and it’s very good news for colleagues in Classics. Congratulations to @katherineharloe.bsky.social (Chair) and Catherine Steel (Deputy). More info in the link for other Panel D sub-panels! 2029.ref.ac.uk/main-panel-d/

An important read on an urgent issue. CUCD has joined many other subject associations and learned societies in raising concerns about the impact of decoupling outputs on researchers at all career stages …

Latest CUCD bulletin out now, with thanks to our fantastic editors for a thought-provoking set of contributions on a difficult theme.

Please read and circulate this letter from CUCD and various learned societies in defence of Ancient History and Religion and Theology at Cardiff University
cucd.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2025/03/11/o...

The deep cultural cost of British university job cuts | Letters Letters: Arts and humanities are being hit hardest by cuts in higher education, write Prof Thea Pitman and Prof Emma Cayley, and Dr Ronan McLaverty-Head and another letter writer comment on cuts at Ca...

'The deep cultural cost of British university job cuts" bit.ly/4gnDCuE

An excellent letter, in today's @theguardian.com, by the co-chairs of @artsandhums.bsky.social, a collective of subject specialist organisations representing and advocating for arts & humanities subjects in UK HE. #skystorians

Putting the situation at Cardiff into context.

💪 CUCD is proud to be an affiliate member of the @artsandhums.bsky.social

👇Please read and share their open letter concerning the devastating cuts across the Humanities sector …

Sign the Petition Save Cardiff University Ancient History Degree

Please sign and share widely! After the devastating news about the planned cuts at Cardiff, the students have got the ball rolling to save their Ancient History programme. It is a very fine department: student numbers are strong, the staff team is fantastic. There is no rationale. chng.it/G5SMYxNbMQ

CUCD Serving on the REF Panel The REF2029 team has recently released details of how to apply to be part of the REF2029 assessment process.

📣 Information for anyone thinking of applying to be a REF panellist on the Classics subpanel (29)

🔔 We will be hosting a Q&A with former REF panel members TOMORROW - Wednesday 29 January- between 2-4pm. Details in the link: ics.sas.ac.uk/news/cucd-se...

CUCD Serving on the REF Panel The REF2029 team has recently released details of how to apply to be part of the REF2029 assessment process.

@ics.bsky.social is hosting or supporting several events in the next fortnight for UK Classicists. First up next Weds we are helping @cucd.bsky.social with an important briefing for anyone thinking of applying to serve on our @ref2029.bsky.social subpanel: ics.sas.ac.uk/news/cucd-se...

UK classics friends, esp HoD, if you haven’t already cd you do this brief survey about what you call your degree courses and why? For Lilah Grace Canevaro and the network for working class classicists, to gather info. MS Forms link here: forms.office.com/e/SHf56D1DSj by 20th Jan 2025.

‘They see it is living’: Durham professor’s mission to get more pupils into classics Arlene Holmes-Henderson wants all children in UK to have equal access to classical education

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Photo of full programme. Also available at: https://ics.sas.ac.uk/events/uk-subject-meeting-classicists-and-ancient-historians

So much to think about after a stimulating day of talks and discussions at the UK subject meeting for classicists and ancient historians organised by @ics.bsky.social and @cucd.bsky.social. As I take over as Chair of CUCD, I am looking forward to many more such opportunities for collaboration …

DfE Curriculum & Assessment Review (closes 22 Nov 2024): Call for Evidence Department for Education: Curriculum & Assessment Review Curriculum review responses from CUCD Deadline: 22 Nov 2024 Call for evidence: On behalf of Professor Helen Lovatt, Chair of CUCD Please…

UK Classics friends, especially Uk HE departments, please please find time to fill in the government’s curriculum consultation! We need a classics voice so we don’t get left out or left behind. Closes Nov 22. Sample/adaptable responses available here: cucdeducation.wordpress.com/2024/11/10/d...

Worldwide classics colleagues, please fill in the SCS census! Information is power

Poster with details Thurs 2 May 2024 for info click through to https://events.st-andrews.ac.uk/events/classical-reception-and-pedagogy/

Workshop on classical reception pedagogy and material culture in a Scottish context. Pg bursaries available! events.st-andrews.ac.uk/events/class...

Excellent response on an important report. Share widely and reflect. Including class in Edi is not whataboutery but a crucial aspect of intersectionality. Validating and encouraging people from all backgrounds is essential to keeping our disciplines alive. 1/2

A response to the NWCC Class in Classics report 2024 The results of the 2024 Class in Classics report by the Network for Working Class Classicists (no affiliation) come as a welcome confirmation – but small surprise – to those who have long believed tha...

#I hope that the work done by the NWCC is an alarm loud enough to catch the attention of policy-makers from government to academia, from schools to outreach charities.”

AncientBlueSky

www.workingclassicists.com/post/a-respo...

Objects and Experience: Engaging with the Shefton Collection in the 21st century CUCD pedagogical grant report 2022-23 A programme of workshops for the Joseph Cowen Lifelong Learning Centre using Newcastle University’s Shefton Collection, June 2023 Organizers: Dr Sally Waite (sa...

Great work coming out of CUCD education grants: cucdeducation.wordpress.com/2023/11/23/o...

The Arts and Humanities Alliance remains deeply concerned by news of proposed closures & redundancies in a number of our disciplines: Languages & cultures at Aberdeen University and most recently the planned cuts to English, History, Film, & closure of Music at Oxford Brookes.

Classical languages friends, do add resources to this very useful site so ancient languages remain visible! Ancient bluesky 🏺

UK HE classics colleagues: any ideas for people who might make a good CUCD Secretary? Ideally have been HoD/know senior departmental roles, or at mid career on the point of applying for promotion, so would benefit. Efficient, reliable. Ideally improve representation on SC (Wales, Scotland, men).