LT3019 Epic Latin: Skills, Theory, Methods

Academic year

2024 to 2025 Semester 1

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 9

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

To be arranged

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module Staff

Team Taught

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module will prepare students entering Honours for advanced study of Latin language and literature. Through a series of readings from the genre of Roman epic, students will cover key methodological and theoretical topics (e.g. literary theory, the study of fragments, translation studies, commentary writing) and learn crucial professional scholarly skills (e.g. metrical analysis, the use of lexicographical resources and digital humanities, how to read an apparatus criticus). Chronologically the course will range from Rome’s earliest hexameter poetry to late antiquity and beyond. It will cover the ‘canonical’ epics of the Augustan age but also introduce students to exciting but lesser known material at the intersections of epic with other literary genres and cultures. Teaching will be delivered through a combination of seminar discussion, weekly blog-interactions and practical workshops.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS LT2001 AND PASS LT2002 OR PASS LT2003 AND PASS LT2004

Anti-requisites

YOU CANNOT TAKE THIS MODULE IF YOU TAKE LT3017 OR TAKE LT3018

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

Coursework = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 x practical class and 1 x 2-hour seminar per week (x10 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours

30

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

270

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • By the end of the module, students will be able to identify, read, understand and analyse the key features of Roman epic.
  • By the end of the module, students will be able to understand and deploy the theoretical and methodological processes of relevant literary research.
  • By the end of the module, students will be able to deploy a range of technical skills in Latin philology, including metrical analysis and the use of digital humanities resources.
  • By the end of the module, students will be able to devise coherent and critically aware arguments on the basis of a thorough analysis of the primary texts and the evaluation of relevant published scholarship, and present their arguments both orally and in writing.
  • By the end of the module, students will be able to organize their own learning, manage their workload, and devise an independent research project.