Council of University Classical Departments

📣Registration is now open for our Subject Annual Meeting on 16 December, hosted by @ics.bsky.social. ➡️ Check out the programme, featuring fantastic spotlight talks on interdisciplinary research and public engagement, as well as an all important REF update at ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

With huge thanks to Leonardo for making this report happen, and to all colleagues who returned stats! There is much to be grateful for in the picture it paints for the discipline …

Looking forward to hosting this joint @ics.bsky.social / @bsrome.bsky.social event with Peter, @christophersmith.bsky.social, @profyarrow.bsky.social and @kathryntempest.bsky.social in a few weeks! ‘Myth, History and Archaeology’ Please do share and come along if in London 🏺 #ClassicsBluesky

📣REF has now been ‘unpaused’ and REF2029 is moving forward. 👉A full update on changes is here: 2029.ref.ac.uk/news/ref-202... ⬇️ A reminder that we have a session on REF with Professor Katherine Harloe (Chair of sub-panel 29) at our Subject Annual Meeting on Tuesday 16 December

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...

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.

'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 …

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

📣 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...

@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.

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

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 …

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

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

#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...

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).

Here at OU Classical Studies we are hiring! Permanent full time Staff Tutor role - partly working on Classical Studies curriculum/research etc, partly managing our teams of brilliant tutors all over the UK. Fantastic dept, lovely colleagues, wonderful students! www5.open.ac.uk/employment/v...

Apply now to our new William St Clair fellowship! The ICS, the Institute of English Studies and @ilcs.bsky.social are offering one, 5 month fellowship and £10,000 stipend to an ECR interested in working with one or more of the awarding institutes Deadline: 20 November Full details:

I’ve set up an account for CUCD on this platform. Here is the cat tax! We represent UK HE classical departments and Amy that teach ancient world studies. Follow for alerts and info. Ancientbluesky classics