Programme And Module Handbook
 
Programme Specification


Date Specification Approved 11/10/2022
College College Arts and Law
School History and Cultures
Department Classics, AH and Archaeology
Partner College and School
Collaborative Organisation and Form of Collaboration
Qualification and Programme Title B.A. Classics Full-time
Programme Code 224B
Delivery Location Campus
Language of Study English
Length of Programme 3 Year(s)
Accreditations This programme has no outside accreditations
Aims of the Programme The programme provides students the opportunity to acquire expertise in both Greek and Latin language. By reading in the original languages, students will be able to understand Greek and Latin texts in greater depth. The Classics programme also allows students to explore the interconnected nature of Greek and Roman societies with each other and other cultures of the Mediterranean and beyond.

The programme aims:

To enable students to develop proficiency in Ancient Greek and Latin relevant to an understanding and appreciation of the literature and culture of Greece and Rome.

To develop systematic knowledge and understanding of core aspects of Greek and Roman cultures, with a focus on their literature and thought, informed, where appropriate by the forefront of research in the discipline; to foster critical engagement with these cultures and with the scholarship associated with them; to encourage awareness of the issues involved in studying other cultures and of the similarities and differences between ancient cultures and our own.

To enable students to develop a range of critical approaches to ancient literature, and a broad knowledge of Greek and Roman literary texts. To give students the opportunity to explore aspects of the exceptional range of the subject area, which can extend to the cultures of ancient Egypt and the ancient Near East at one end, and from Britain to North Africa at the other, and can include the transformation of the classical world into the cultures of Christianity and Byzantium, and the language and literature of Modern Greece.

To foster a range of academic and personal skills which will produce graduates prepared for employment or further study, namely: effective communication skills, both written and oral. To produce adaptable and mentally agile graduates who possess the qualities and skills necessary to exercise initiative and take personal responsibility; to make decisions in complex contexts; to undertake further training or research in a variety of professional contexts.

Graduates of the Classics programme have wide career prospects, including academic research, teaching (from primary to higher education), the creative economy, and government work. Some of these career paths may require further studies.

For Year Abroad programme only:
The year abroad will provide students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the society and culture of a foreign country while gaining experience of a different academic environment and way of teaching. The year abroad also provides an opportunity for students to improve their existing language proficiency (where applicable) as well as enhancing their organisation and communication skills and their employability through a proven ability to succeed in a foreign setting.
Programme Outcomes
Students are expected to have Knowledge and Understanding of: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
Latin and Greek language: by the end of the programme students are able to translate passages of Greek and Latin at sight, and to apply their linguistic proficiency to creative close-reading and interpretation of texts in the original languages.
Core aspects of Greek and Roman literature and the methods associated with its study: students demonstrate familiarity with the stylistic and generic range of Greek/Latin texts, a detailed knowledge of particular areas, and an ability to analyse them critically and creatively.
Aspects of the reception and/or interpretation of material culture of either Greece or Rome: students demonstrate the ability to reflect critically on their own experience of Greek or Roman archaeological sites, museum displays or artefacts, and/or the history of their reception, and/or their relationship with the ancient literary culture of the relevant country.
Selected aspects of Greek and Roman history, art and archaeology, society, religion or philosophy, or the reception of classical antiquity: students demonstrate an ability to reflect critically on and engage with selected aspects and/periods beyond the literary and linguistic.
Year Abroad only
Demonstrate the ability to study relevant topics at an international institution and appreciate the difference between study in the UK and overseas.
1. Set texts reading seminars; translation practice; unseen translation practice (for Latin). For Greek, depending on prior experience: ab initio intensive training followed by set texts etc as for Latin.

2. Lectures, seminars, workshop sessions, supervised independent research, group research.

3. Independent study tour in Greece or Italy, or where this is not possible equivalent research based in the UK, e.g. in museums or heritage sites.

4. Options and seminars offering a wide range of specialisms, including the chance for students of Classics to explore cognate disciplines such as Byzantine studies, or archaeology.

5. Year Abroad (as delivered by the host institution)
1. Commentary and translation exams; essay; presentation.

2. Essays, presentations, examination including commentary and essay, independent research.

3. Written and illustrated report or essay.

4. Essays, seminar presentations.

5. Year Abroad Module (assessment as required by host institution).
Students are expected to have attained the following Skills and other Attributes: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
Ability to summarise, synthesise, analyse and evaluate others’ arguments, and to formulate their own logical and structured arguments, normally both orally and in writing, with appropriate supporting evidence
Research skills.
Critical judgment and reflection.
Ability to argue, extract key information, identify and solve problems.
Autonomy, demonstrated in self-direction, self-discipline, intellectual initiative.
Year abroad only: To achieve an enhanced cultural awareness through direct interactions with society and institutions in another country. To develop a range of marketable skills including problem solving, communication, patience and perseverance, determination, self-motivation, analytical and study skills through direct interactions with society and institutions in another country.
1. Seminars, practice presentations, excellent presentation skills modelled by lecturing staff.

2. Guided research in year 1 followed by increasing independence leading to dissertation.

3. Modelled in lectures, practised in seminar discussion, evaluated and refined through formative feedback.

4. Modelled in lectures, practised in seminar discussion, evaluated and refined through formative feedback.

5. Modelled in lectures, practised in seminar discussion, evaluated and refined through formative feedback, practised in team and individual research projects.

6. Year Abroad (as delivered by the host institution)
1. Presentations, in groups and individually.

2. Essay, exam, dissertation, other written assessments, presentations.

3. Essay, exam, dissertation, other written assessments, presentations.

4. Essay, exam, dissertation, other written assessments, presentations.

5. Essay, exam, dissertation, other written assessments, presentations.

6. Year Abroad Module (assessment as required by host institution).