Skip to main content
Module Search
A street in Durham, with old buildings and people walking down the street
 

CLAS2121: Advanced Latin 2B

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Type Open
Level 2
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2025/2026
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Classics and Ancient History

Prerequisites

  • Intermediate Latin 1A OR Intermediate Latin 1B

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To study in depth a selection of prose texts suitable for students with a good command of Latin morphology and syntax, some experience of reading texts in the original and a good understanding of Roman culture.

Content

  • This module introduces students to a selection of Latin texts appropriate to readers with a good command of grammar and some experience of reading texts in the original language.
  • Authors may include Cicero, Livy, Seneca, Pliny, Servius, Tacitus.
  • The emphasis will be on prose.
  • All texts will be linked by a theme which will provide the focus for the module.
  • Examples of themes are: oratory, early Roman historiography, ancient letters, ancient literary criticism.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • A knowledge of Latin morphology and syntax sufficient to form the basis of an independent appreciation and understanding of a selection of Latin prose authors; a knowledge and understanding of a selection of works from a selection of Latin prose authors; a knowledge of vocabulary appropriate to a student with a year's post-Intermediate study and experience of the Latin language.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • An ability to construe some Latin prose texts with dictionaries; an ability to read and interpret these texts in relation to a knowledge of Roman culture.

Key Skills:

  • A grasp of the differences between two Indo-European languages, one ancient and one modern, and of the issues relating to moving between them.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Interactive classes will be offered as the most appropriate and effective way of teaching the module.
  • Students will learn through regular preparation for the classes, and interaction with the teacher and each other in the process of learning.
  • The course will be assessed through an exam paper and a summative essay, each of which will be designed to test knowledge and interpretation of the set texts at a level appropriate to students at Advanced level.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Language Classes442 per week1 hour44Yes
Preparation and Reading156 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: EssayComponent Weighting: 30%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Essay2,000 words100
Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 70%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Online Examination2 hours100

Formative Assessment

More information

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.