The "Ancient Languages and Literatures: Classics" Bachelor's programme trains students seeking to become specialists in the study of ancient texts. Working on original documentary sources written in Greek and Latin, students will gradually develop an ability to translate these texts clearly and accurately with a view to explaining their context and identifying their human values. The challenge for them, at the end of their degree course, is to be able to use all the knowledge they have acquired to write up an individual assignment of limited scope, applying a rigorous academic method.
On successful completion of this programme, each student is able to :
Specifically, graduates with a Bachelor in Ancient Languages and Literatures: Classics will:
1. Apply the knowledge they have acquired in the field of humanities.
1.1. Write a university-level text in French using precise and correctly spelled vocabulary, and applying the rules of grammar (morphology and syntax) and proper usage;
1.2. Understand the fundamentals of Western history, the history of thought, arts and literature (literary and linguistic theory);
1.3. Use the knowledge acquired in various humanities fields to analyse a fact, document, discourse or problem;
1.4. Apply heuristic tools essential in humanities by making regular use of the humanities library (bibliographies, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, monographs, periodicals and collections, electronic resources);
1.5. Consult specialized works and publications that are useful for research and are written in one of their two modern languages (reading level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
2. Apply the knowledge they have acquired in the field of antiquity science.
2.1. Develop a good understanding of the civilizations of the Greco-Roman world (geography, history and institutions, philosophy, religion and mythology);
2.2. Use the basic knowledge acquired in the auxiliary sciences of antiquity (evolution of scripts, transmission of literary sources, ecdotics, palaeography, codicology, epigraphy, papyrology, metrology, etc.).
3. Apply the knowledge they have acquired in the specific field of Classical languages.
3.1. Develop their knowledge of Classical Greek (Attic dialect), in terms of vocabulary, morphology and syntax;
3.2. Apply the lexical and grammatical knowledge they have acquired to Classical Greek texts in different activities (prose and translation exercises, individual research);
3.3. Develop their knowledge of Classical Latin, in terms of vocabulary, morphology and syntax;
3.4. Apply the lexical and grammatical knowledge they have acquired to Classical Latin texts in different activities (prose and translation exercises, individual research).
4. Apply the knowledge they have acquired in the specific field of Classical literature.
4.1. Place Greek works of literature in their historical and cultural context;
4.2. Place Latin works of literature in their historical and cultural context;
4.3. Translate selected works of ancient Greco-Latin literature, both poetry and prose, applying correct grammatical analysis and ensuring that the French translation is of a high standard;
4.4. Interpret selected works of ancient Greco-Latin literature, both poetry and prose, with a view to explaining their context and identifying their human values.
5. Carry out individual research in the field of Classical languages and literatures and present the results in writing.
5.1. Collect relevant information using appropriate heuristic tools with a view to creating a corpus of primary sources (in ancient languages) and a bibliography of secondary sources;
5.2. Study a topic by examining one or more texts in Greek and/or Latin: briefly introduce the topic and sources, personally translate the Greek and/or Latin texts, and present a structured, well-argued commentary highlighting the contribution of each text to our knowledge of the topic;
5.3. Develop a critical approach and deductive reasoning skills;
5.4. Produce a written report of the results of an individual research project of limited scope, meeting the formal drafting requirements (citations referenced, language and style, structure and layout).
As with all bachelors in the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters:
6. Have a fundamental understanding of the fields of philosophy, history, art history, archaeology and literature.
7. Be able to understand and write competently on academic topics.
8. Be responsible for their own learning: organize their own workload (prioritizing, anticipating and planning all their activities over time), take a step back to critically assess the knowledge they have gained, how they have gained it and the work they have produced, and take the initiative to gain new knowledge and learn other methods and skills.
9. Be able to use the subject-specific knowledge and skills they have acquired to open their minds to other cultures and develop a sense of social responsibility and a critical approach to themselves, society and knowledge.
10. Have written and spoken fluency in at least one modern language (English, Dutch or German) with the ability to communicate clearly, coherently and in a well-argued fashion on general topics and subjects relating to their field of study.
11. Demonstrate a critical understanding and in-depth knowledge of the discipline(s) of their chosen minor subject.