Undergaduate Modules

Advanced Latin II              

MODULE CODE:       1/2/3/MLAT0620                       

TAUGHT:  Lent term                                            

MODULE AUTHOR: Ms Evelien Bracke

LEVEL: 4/5/6/7    

AVAILABILITY: On campus and at a distance                                                  

CREDITS: 20

PREREQUISITE:  Standard of Latin Intermediate II, or Latin A Level or equivalent.                                                  

TEACHING METHODS:                     

Lectures : n/a

Seminars: n/a

Classes: 20 hours (10%)

Field visits: n/a

Directed Learning:  80 hours(40%)

JACS CODE:     Q620

AIM(S)

To enable students:

• to translate the Latin language at an advanced level
• to develop knowledge of Latin grammar through translation of the text studied and unseen translation work
• to extend their knowledge of Latin literature
• gain an understanding of the text’s historical and literary context
• increase their awareness of the author’s skill and art

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this module all students should be able to: 

A.  Subject specific skills and knowledge

• translate the set text
• demonstrate their knowledge of Latin grammar through translation of the text studied and unseen translation work
• demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the text studied

In addition pattern A students should be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of the modern scholarship on this text

In addition Pattern B students should be able to:

• translate independently an additional 150 lines (or prose equivalent)
• demonstrate more advanced knowledge of the text studied
• demonstrate knowledge of the modern scholarship on this text

In addition Pattern C students should be able to:

• translate independently an additional 300 lines (or prose equivalent)
• present a detailed literary and linguistic analysis of the studied text
• evaluate critically the modern scholarship on this text

B. Transferable skills and knowledge:

• demonstrate appropriate written skills
• present written work in a manner appropriate for a relevant/professional audience
• demonstrate their critical, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• demonstrate independent learning skills through the use of the library and electronic resources

CONTENT

Students will study a work of Latin literature in the original language.  Each year one of the advanced modules will focus on prose (e.g. a book by Tacitus, a selection of Cicero’s speeches), and the other on verse (e.g. a Seneca tragedy, a selection from Virgil’s Aeneid), and different genres are covered by each of the modules (e.g. epic, comedy, historical writing, ancient novel).  Detailed language work will be combined with the development of skills of literary criticism and attention to the historical context of the works studied.  In order to help students translate with greater skill and accuracy both modules contain an unseen translation component to continue linguistic teaching at an advanced level.  The three different assessment patterns and amounts of texts studied reflect the progression built into the module.

In this Advanced Latin II module, students will translate parts of Apuleius’ Metamorphoses book 1, in which the narrator, Lucius, travels to Thessaly and hears a fascinating tale concerning magic and witchcraft. Although grammar will still be studied, literary interpretation will be our main focus. Two classes will be dedicated to the study of key themes of the novel and its place in the literary tradition.

ASSESSMENT

Pattern A (for all students coming up from intermediate and for level 4 students):

Examination:  One two-hour exam      (50%)

Course work: One 1,500 word critical analysis (25%)

                         One 1,500 word critical analysis (25%)

Text covered:  600 lines (or prose equivalent)

Pattern B (for all students who have already had one year of advanced language):

Examination: One two-hour exam      (50%)

Course work: One 1,000 word critical analysis (20%)

                         One 2,000 word essay (30%)

Text covered:  600 lines + 150 lines of self-study (or prose equivalent)

Pattern C (for all students who have already had two years of advanced language):

Examination: One two-hour exam      (50%)

Course work: One 3,000 word commentary / essay (50%)

Text covered:  600 lines + 300 lines of self-study (or prose equivalent)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

• Ruebel, J. S. (2000), Apuleius Metamorphoses book I, Bolchazy.

It is essential that you buy a dictionary for studying Latin at this level. One of the following would be ideal:

• Morwood, J. (2005), Oxford Latin Desk Dictionary, Oxford.
• Smith, W. and J. Lockwood (1992), Latin-English Dictionary, Chambers.
• Lewis, C. T. (1962), Elementary Latin Dictionary, Oxford.

N.B.: If you are thinking of going on to further study of Latin, consider buying one of the following:

• Lewis, C. T. and C. Short, A Latin Dictionary, Oxford.
• Glare, P., Oxford Latin Dictionary, Oxford.

Recommended

• Hägg, T. (1983), The Novel in Antiquity, Oxford.
• Harrison, S. (ed.) (1999), Oxford Readings in the Roman Novel, Oxford.
• Walsh, P. (1970), The Roman Novel, Cambridge.
• Winkler, J. (1985), Auctor & Actor: a Narratological Reading of Apuleius's Golden Ass, Berkeley.

Grammar book: Kennedy’s Revised Latin Primer or Gildersleeve and Lodge’s Latin Grammar.

Updated: 10/09/2009

If there is something you think should be added to or changed in these pages, please contact Errietta Bissa.

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