Short courses

Summary

Students will discover a range of Latin literature, to be read in translation and covering a wide selection of different genres including history, epic, oratory and fiction. Each week, the course will explore a different theme and will provide an introduction to Roman culture, as well as key moments in ancient history through some of the most celebrated Latin authors whose work still influences writers of today.  

This course aims to: 

• Enable students to use selected Latin texts as a source for understanding ancient Roman society 

• Provide an overview of the cultural background of those texts and the genre to which they belong 

• Encourage discussion of key themes emerging from the texts studied together in class 

 By the end of this course students will be able to: 

• Apply analytical skills to understanding texts taken from a range of genres as primary sources 

• Contextualise key texts against their specific cultural and political backdrop  

• Identify and discuss themes which can be seen across difference genres, such as ideas of identity and power 

• Within genres, recognise different registers (e.g. literary, colloquial) in Latin texts and understand their intended audiences