Latin Advanced - MST00013M

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Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Autumn Term 2022-23 to Spring Term 2022-23

Module aims

This module is designed for students with several years’ experience of studying Latin, who are already familiar with a wide range of grammatical constructions. The module has two major aims: first, to develop the speed and accuracy of students’ translation work. Second, to provide students with an overview of the history of Medieval Latin, covering both the evolution of Latin morphology and syntax from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, as well as significant literary developments. Moving chronologically from Late Antiquity to the Fourteenth-Century, students will be asked to prepare a weekly translation assignment from a wide range of genres, including letters, histories, theological treatises, poems and hagiography. There will be some emphasis on sight-reading in class; however, seminars will also focus on developing student awareness of current research trends in Medieval Latin
studies and potential research resources.

Module learning outcomes

• have the ability and the confidence to approach any Latin text for their own independent research
• be able to skim over lengthy pieces of text quickly and with minimal dictionary consultation
• develop a critical understanding of the basic editorial principles of medieval Latin material

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Open Examination	100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Open Examination	100

Module feedback

Weekly verbal feedback on class translation exercises. One piece of formative assessment is set at the midpoint of the course, so that students can receive written feedback on their progress. Exam results are given within 25 working days.

Indicative reading

Please note that there is NO set textbook for this course. Students will be provided with a course booklet and weekly handouts that cover all the Latin texts and grammar topics considered on this module.

Students may find it helpful to own a Latin Primer, in order to follow up the grammar topics covered in class. The recommended Primer for this module is:

• J. Mountford (ed.), Kennedy’s Revised Latin Primer (London: Longman, 1962)

Students will also need to have access to a Latin dictionary and the following works are recommended for this course:

• Collins Latin Dictionary and Grammar 2nd ed. (Glasgow: Collins, 2016)
• C.T. Lewis, An Elementary Latin Dictionary (Oxford: OUP, 1963)
• D.P. Simpson, Cassell’s Standard Latin Dictionary: Latin/English, English/Latin (London: John Wiley & Sons, 1959; rev. ed. 1977)

Please note, however, that there is no need to buy a dictionary, as a number of academic Latin dictionaries can be accessed online for free. Two particularly useful volumes are:

• Lewis and Short, A Latin Dictionary (Oxford: OUP, 1879; reissued 1963)
• R.E. Latham et al., Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources (Oxford: OUP, 1975-2013).

Both tomes are now available via: http://logeion.uchicago.edu