This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)
Module CLAS3401: Advanced Latin 3A
Department: Classics and Ancient History
CLAS3401: Advanced Latin 3A
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 3 | 20 | Available in 2025/2026 | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- Intermediate Latin 2A OR Intermediate Latin 2B
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- The principle of progression means that if you have studied Advanced Latin 2B in a previous academic year, you cannot then study Advanced Latin 3A, but must progress to one or both of the Higher Latin modules.
Aims
- To study in depth a selection of verse texts suitable for students with a good command of Latin morphology and syntax, some experience of reading texts in the original and a broad and in-depth understanding of Roman culture.
Content
- This module introduces students to a selection of Latin texts appropriate to readers with a good command of grammar and some experience of reading texts in the original language.
- Authors may include Catullus, Virgil, Ovid, Tibullus.
- The emphasis will be on poetry.
- All texts will be linked by the theme which will provide the focus for the module.
- Examples of themes are: Roman love poetry, the countryside and the imagination, etc.
- Themes will be chosen with a view to ensuring that students are able to develop interpretative abilities appropriate to degree level.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- A knowledge of Latin morphology, syntax, and verse-forms sufficient to form the basis of an independent appreciation and understanding of a selection of Latin verse authors; a knowledge and understanding of a selection of works from a selection of Latin verse authors; a knowledge of vocabulary appropriate to a student with a year's post-Intermediate study and experience of the Latin language.
Subject-specific Skills
- An ability to construe some Latin verse texts with dictionaries; an ability to read and interpret these texts in relation to a knowledge of Roman culture as acquired in a student's previous two years of study in Higher Education.
Key Skills
- A critical understanding of the differences between two Indo-European languages, one ancient and one modern, and of the issues relating to moving between them, especially in relation to verse texts.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Interactive classes will be offered as the most appropriate and effective way of teaching the module.
- The students will learn through regular preparation for the classes, and interaction with the teacher and each other in the process of learning.
- The course will be assessed through an exam paper and a summative essay, which will be designed to test the topics and questions addressed in the class.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language Classes | 44 | 2 per week | 1 hour | 44 | Yes |
| Preparation and Reading | 156 | ||||
| Total | 200 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 30% | Essay | 2,000 words | 100% | |
| Examination | 70% | Online Examination | 2 hours | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.