Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2022-2023 (archived)

Module CLAS3691: Intermediate Latin 3B

Department: Classics and Ancient History

CLAS3691: Intermediate Latin 3B

Type Open Level 3 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2022/23 Module Cap None. Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • A mark of 60 or above in CLAS2032 Beginners' Latin 2, or equivalent.

Corequisites

  • For students taking Classics (Q801), Classical Civilisation (Q820) and Ancient History (V110): CLAS3681 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 and other reference tools; an ability to read and interpret a range of authors at a level appropriate to students at the end of their final year of Intermediate reading.
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 will be offered as the most appropriate effective way of teaching.
  • Language classes will prepare students for the broader literary questions appropriate to the summative essay. The classes will develop students' skills in using scholarly resources, including reference grammars, published commentaries, scholarly dictionaries and secondary literature.
  • 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 44 2 per week 1 hour 44
Preparation and reading 156
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 class. Formative tests in class on translation/linguistic issues and commentary-style questions. One formative assessment, as required; this might include a commentary, an essay or essay plan, translation and syntactical analysis exercises. 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