MA Classics and Ancient History / Course details

This is the first half of a two-module intensive programme that will take you beyond A-Level standard by the end of the year. It is designed to be fast-moving but rewarding. It is available to undergraduates in any year as well as to postgraduates. This first module assumes no previous knowledge of Greek or any foreign language, but if you have GCSE Greek you may still take it for credit; if you have AS Level Greek, you should audit this module in order thoroughly to revise and consolidate your Greek, and then in Semester 2 take CLAH 30162 Intensive Greek 2 for credit.

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

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

• a knowledge and understanding of the basic workings of a highly-inflected language, Classical Greek;
• mastery of (roughly half of) the basic Greek 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 Greek text, seen or unseen, with fluency and accuracy;
• basic familiarity with Greek epigraphy.

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 Greek;
• an insight into the nature of the differences between English and Classical Greek.

See specific skills listed below plus

• an incipient ability to read simple Greek instructions

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

• an increased awareness of the structures and resources of the English language;
• a developed ability to analyse and to describe linguistic forms and structures.

Epigraphical commentary - 40%

Exam - 60%

• 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.
• Additional one-to-one feedback (during the consultation hour or by making an appointment).

Compulsory purchases:  

Greek to GCSE: Part 1. Revised edition for OCR GCSE Classical Greek (9–1). Bloomsbury. 2016.

Recommended purchases:  

Greek to GCSE: Part 2. Revised edition for OCR GCSE Classical Greek (9–1). Bloomsbury. 2016.

If you want to buy a dictionary, the best long-term investment is Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English lexicon but it’s not essential. 

2 x 1 hr lecture per week

2 x 1 hr seminar per week

Plus

1 x 50 minute test

1 x 2hr exam