GREEK

GREEK HONOURS

General Aims: to study at an advanced level the principal works of Greek literature, in prose as well as poetry, and the language, history, philosophy and archaeology of classical Greece.

There is a core of five compulsory papers:

  1. Greek poetry:
    (Homer, Hesiod, lyric poetry, Theocritus)
  2. Greek prose literature:
    (The Attic Orators and Plato)
  3. Greek unprepared translation
  4. Greek drama:
    (selected tragedies and comedies)
  5. Greek History and Historians:
    (especially Thucydides)

In addition to these five papers, JOINT Honours students choose another one from (A) in the following list, SINGLE Honours students choose seven others from (A) and (B) in the following list:

 A

  • Greek prose composition
  • Greek society and ethics
  • Greek archaeology
  • Greek philosophy
  • A special period of Greek history

 B

  • Greek epic and tragedy (additional texts)
  • Later Greek literature and philosophy
  • Greek verse composition

A dissertation of about 8000 words may be substituted for one paper.

A student taking either Greek archaeology or a special period of Greek history must have spent before the Honours examination not less than three weeks in Greece visiting archaeological sites and museums.

GREEK, PRE-HONOURS LEVELS

The approach to Greek at Honours level is normally via Greek 1A + 1B, followed by 2A and 2B; in exceptional cases via 2A + 2B, followed by 3A and 3B.

Greek 1A
an intensive beginner's language course; Greek History and archaeology from 750 to 479 B.C.; one tragedy of Aeschylus in English translation

Greek 1B
further study of the Greek language; Greek history and archaeology from 479 to 403 B.C.; one tragedy of Euripides in English translation

Greek 2A
translation from and into Greek; books of Homer and Plato in the original; Homer's Odyssey in English; selected topics in Greek history and archaeology

Greek 2B
translation from and into Greek; books of Herodotus and Euripides in Greek; one tragedy of Euripides in English; selected topics in Greek history and archaeology

Greek 3A (from 1998-9)
study of the Greek language; works of Sophocles and Euripides in Greek, and a tragedy of Aeschylus in English; Greek history, literature, and archaeology

Greek 3B (from 1998-9)
study of the Greek language; works of Aristophanes and Lysias in Greek, and a book of Plato in English; selected topics in Greek history and archaeology.

PRIZES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS OF GREEK

First level:
JEFFREY MEDAL - awarded from a fund founded in 1821 by Francis Jeffrey, undergraduate in Arts (1788-90) and later Rector of the University

ALLAN PRIZE (£70 - pounds) - founded in honour of Donald J. Allan, Professor of Greek 1957-71

Second level:
SCOTT MACFARLAN MEDAL - from a fund founded in 1870 to honour Duncan MacFarlan, Principal of the University 1823-58

Honours (Junior):
COWAN (GREEK) MEDAL - awarded from a fund founded in 1836 by James Cowan, undergraduate in Arts 1819

Other Departmental and University Prizes


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