Information regarding our 2023/24 admissions cycle

Our 2023/24 postgraduate taught admissions cycle will open on Monday, 10 October. For most programmes, the application form will not open until this date.

MA Classics and Ancient History

Year of entry: 2023

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Course unit details:
Intensive Latin 1

Course unit fact file
Unit code	CAHE70171
Credit rating	15
Unit level	FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s)	Semester 1
Offered by
Available as a free choice unit?	Yes

Overview

This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Latin. Those who have studied Latin up to and including GCSE (or equivalent), however, may take it as beginners; those who have AS Level (or equivalent) in Latin should audit this course and enrol in CAHE 70182 Intensive Latin 2 for credit.

Pre/co-requisites

Pre-requisite units	None but this course may not be taken for credit by candidates who have already achieved a qualification in Latin which is higher than GCSE (or equivalent).
Co-requisite units	None however students on the MA in Classics & Ancient History are expected to register in addition for CAHE70182 (Intensive Latin 2).

Aims

To introduce students to the basic elements of the Latin language.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of this course students will have developed the following abilities:

knowledge and understanding of the basic workings of a highly-inflected language, Classical Latin;
mastery of (roughly half of) the basic Latin forms and constructions (accidence and syntax), together with a vocabulary of several hundred words, and a developing ability to use them both actively and passively;
the ability to read a simple Latin text, seen or unseen, with fluency and accuracy;

Intellectual skills

By the end of this course students will have developed the following abilities:

subject-specific skills, including an incipient ability to read, understand, translate and write Latin;
an insight into the nature of the differences between English and Classical Latin.

Practical skills

See specific skills listed below

Transferable skills and personal qualities

By the end of this course students will have:

an increased awareness of the structures and resources of the English language;
a developed ability to analyse and to describe linguistic forms and structures;
an increased knowledge and understanding of Latin-derived English vocabulary.

Employability skills

Other: The course supports the development of a large number of important employment skills, most notably the ability to understand, commit to memory, and successfully deploy the elements of a complex communication system. Conscientious study of an ancient language enhances understanding of English grammatical structures and broadens vocabulary, thereby enhancing the ability to communicate clearly, concisely and eloquently. Students of ancient languages also learn how to extract key elements from complex information and to identify, make sense of, and solve associated problems.

Assessment methods

Mid-term Test (a mixture of timed Blackboard tests and a shorter translation paper)

40%

Exam

60%

Feedback methods

Weekly feedback on formative homework exercises;
Written feedback on formative and summative assessment (see above); all feedback is designed to contribute formatively towards improvement in subsequent assignments.
Automated feedback through online quizzes
Additional one-to-one feedback (during the consultation hour or by making an appointment).

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures	22
Seminars	22

Independent study hours
Independent study	106

Additional notes

22 x one-hour lectures
22 x one-hour seminars
3 hours summative assessment
TOTAL scheduled contact time = 47 hours

In addition, there are 11 dedicated consultation hours, together with extensively asynchronous online interaction. Detailed suggestions for the management of independent study time are given in the course handbook.

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