Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2015-2016 (archived)

Module CLAS3691: Intermediate Latin 3B

Department: Classics and Ancient History

CLAS3691: Intermediate Latin 3B

Type Open Level 3 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2015/16 Module Cap Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • CLAS2032 Beginners' Latin 2, or equivalent.

Corequisites

  • For students taking Classics (Q801), Classical Past (Q803) and Ancient History (V110): CLASXXXX Intermediate Latin 3A.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • The principle of progression means that if you have studied Intermediate Latin 2A in a previous academic year, you cannot then study Intermediate Latin 3B, but must progress to one or both of the Advanced Latin modules.

Aims

  • To study in depth a selection of texts suitable for students with a good command of Latin morphology and syntax but little experience of reading texts in the original.
  • To introduce students to the concept of genre in Latin literature.
  • To introduce students to a range of selected readings from Latin texts in different genres.
  • To provide students in the third-year of their degree with the opportunity to extend their knowledge of Latin in ways that might enhance their studies more widely, and, in particular, benefit them in the writing of their final year dissertation (if taken within Classics and Ancient History).

Content

  • This module introduces students to a selection of Latin texts appropriate to readers with a good command of grammar but with little experience of reading texts in the original language.
  • This module will introduce students to texts in different genres, and the rhetorical and stylistic devices found in those texts.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • A secure knowledge of Latin morphology and syntax, to the level required for the independent reading and interpretation of continuous texts in the original language.
  • Knowledge of a good range of vocabulary items.
  • An understanding of how genre shapes Latin texts and of generic play within texts.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • An ability to construe passages of continuous Latin with some use of dictionaries/word-lists.
  • An ability to read and interpret a range of authors at a level appropriate to students at the end of their third year in Higher Education.
  • An ability to engage with language in ways that might enhance study at level three of the student’s degree programme, including in relation to the final year dissertation (if taken within Classics and Ancient History).
Key Skills:
  • An ability to move with reasonable confidence between one language and another, in relation to a range of texts.
  • An ability to use and analyse Latin language in ways that will enhance and support the writing of the summative essay.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Interactive language classes and seminars will be offered as the most appropriate effective way of teaching.
  • Language classes and seminars will prepare students for the broader literary questions appropriate to the summative essay.
  • Students will learn through regular preparation for the classes and through interaction with the teacher and each other.
  • The course will be assessed through (i) an exam paper, which will be designed to test the topics and questions addressed in the classes at a level appropriate to those in their third year of study and (ii) in a summative essay.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Language classes 22 1 per week 1 hour 22
Seminars 8 1 per fortnight or as appropriate 1 hour 8
Preparation and reading 170
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Essay Component Weighting: 30%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Essay 3000 words 100%
Component: Examination Component Weighting: 70%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Examination 2 hours 100%

Formative Assessment:

Homework in the form of translation to be prepared in advance of every lecture and homework in the form of secondary reading to be prepared in advance of seminars. Formative tests in class on translation/linguistic issues and commentary-style questions. One formative commentary for homeword and one formative essay. No collections.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University