As the administrative and ecclesiastical language of much of the western world during the medieval and early modern periods, Latin is a key medium through which we can understand the social, political and cultural worlds of the past, and an essential tool for researchers wishing to contribute to the scholarship of these periods. Scholars of all aspects of these periods will benefit from the language training offered through the CHASE Latin for Medievalists and Early Modernists programme, which will equip researchers with the skills to engage directly with their Latin sources and produce high-quality research that considers many of the nuances of these texts in their original language.
No experience of Latin is necessary to attend the course, and we welcome both beginner and intermediate students. The course will be composed of two elements. Firstly, from 3rd November, a digital seminar will be taught 12-2pm on Wednesdays of Autumn and Spring term. During autumn term beginners will be taught by Sam McCarthy (University of Kent), with intermediate students being taught by Brett Mottram (University of East Anglia). The seminars will be hosted via Microsoft Teams. Secondly, a week-long residential will be hosted at the University of East Anglia from Monday 6th June to Friday 10th June 2022. This part of the course will be taught in three difficulty streams: beginner, established beginner, and intermediate, so students are welcome to attend one or both parts of the course as their availability allows. Jessica Honey (University of East Anglia) will join the teaching team for this week.
The teaching on this programme approaches Latin as a ‘living language’, so while classes will cover all the essentials of Latin grammar, the sessions will also utilise a range of exciting and novel materials. Students can expect to translate legal texts, descriptions of Charlemagne’s bathing habits and an account of the first elephant brought to England, and to participate in amusing exercises such as translating popular songs into Latin or writing their own Latin narratives. A short homework task will be assigned each week in preparation for the following seminar, but the course will not feature any formal assessment.
The learning outcomes of the programme are the following:
To build a strong foundational knowledge of Latin grammar, with more advanced grammar tuition offered to students with previous Latin experience.
To develop and reinforce translation skills from Latin to English and vice versa.
To develop the knowledge and skills necessary to engage with a range of medieval and early modern Latin materials in their original forms.
To understand the features of Latin in medieval and early modern manuscripts, practising how to interpret elements such as abbreviations and basic palaeographical features.
Should you have any questions about the training, please get in touch. You can contact us at chase.latin.mem@gmail.com