Module Information

Academic rationale of the proposal:
This module is designed for students with little pre-existing knowledge of Latin. There is an expectation that students will have read Stuart'r Latin for local and family historians in preparation, but the main aim is to provide them with a basic grasp of grammar, syntax and word forms in medieval and/or early modern Latin.
The module falls into two parts. Semester one will focus on basic Latin grammar and syntax. The aim is to provide students with a framework that will then allow them to tackle more complex texts with the help of a dictionary and Latin grammar. Semester two will focus on applying these abstract rules to specific texts. These will be selected with an eye on students? option module choices and dissertation interests, and aims to ensure that they can tackle primary sources with sufficient confidence to use them in their dissertation.

Brief Description:

This module is designed for those with little knowledge of Latin. You are strongly advised to consult Denis Stuart, Latin for Local and Family Historians (Chichester, 1995) in preparation. Doing so will make the module more effective for you. At the same time, there will be things that remain unclear even after reading Stuart, and dealing with those is exactly what this module is meant to do.
The module will be taught over two semesters. In the first semester, the focus will be on basic Latin grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. The idea is to provide you with enough of a background so that, guided by a grammar and a dictionary, you will be able to tackle primary sources with a reasonable degree of confidence. The second semester will move from the basics to dealing with primary sources in the original. The selection of texts will reflect your level of competence in Latin, but also your choice of option modules, and your dissertation interests. There is thus considerable flexibility as to the texts studied, and the list of seminar topics below is indicative and by no means prescriptive. The aim is to show how you can apply in practice the basic structures and principles of Latin acquired during the first semester.
This module will teach you how to identify the elements from which a text is constructed, which, in turn, will make the job of translating and understanding Latin materials quite a bit easier. It will thus also allow you to gain the practice and self-confidence that you will need to pursue advanced research in medieval history, but also to tackle the kind of materials you are likely to encounter working in archives, museums, or the heritage industry.

Content:

A typical list of seminar topics would look like this (though details will reflect students? previous knowledge of Latin, module and dissertation choices, etc.)

Semester 1:
1. Introduction
2. Verbs
3. Nouns
4. Adjectives
5. Adverbs
6. Past tense, Perfect tense, Future I & II
7. Conjunctive and Optative
8. Ablativus absolutus
9. Gerundives
10. Conclusion

Semester 2: Latin reading practice (normally 10 x 1 hour)
1. Introduction
2. Gerald of Wales I
3. Matthew Paris I
4. Gerald of Wales II
5. Matthew Paris II
6. Dissertation Topic I: the language of charters and writs
7. Dissertation Topic II: the language of liturgy and exegesis
8. Matthew Paris and his sources
9. Giraldus Cambrensis and his sources
10. Conclusion