Unit name | Latin Language Level B2 |
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Unit code | CLAS12308 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Laura Jansen |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites | |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This course introduces students to a range of skills in independent reading and analysis of Latin literature. We will be looking at Vergil’s first poetic work, the Eclogues, produced in the decade before the battle of Actium. Students will be introduced to the different resources available for self-directed interpretation; lexica, translations, commentaries and word search tools. Emphasis will be on close analysis of specific passages, exploring the different links between grammatical understanding of the Latin and literary appreciation of the poetry. We will also explore the politics of pastoral poetry, its antecedents in the Hellenistic tradition, and its influence on Western literature and art.
Students will have developed and consolidated their knowledge of the Latin language and will have developed their skills of advanced independent reading of Latin texts. They will have acquired knowledge in the use of dictionaries and commentaries, and will be able to relate this knowledge to their understanding and interpretation of a Latin text. In addition, second year students will be expected to have developed more sophisticated analytical skills, as demonstrated in their formal assessments and in their participation in seminar discussions.
Lectures, seminars and reading classes, grammatical instruction classes
2 x class tests (25% each) and 1 x practical criticism (50%)
Useful resources are
Students may also access the text and dictionary via Perseus. Further translations and commentary will be available on Blackboard.
To be read in Latin: