Honour School of Classics and Modern Languages

A 

1. The subjects of the examination in the Honour School of Classics and Modern Languages shall be (a) the Ancient Greek and Latin languages and literatures and the thought and civilisation of the Ancient World and (b) those modern European languages and literatures studied in the Honour School of Modern Languages. 

2. No candidate shall be admitted to the examination in this School unless they have either passed or been exempted from the First Public Examination. 

3. The examination in the Honour School shall be under the joint supervision of the Boards of the Faculties of Classics and of Medieval and Modern Languages, which shall appoint a standing joint committee to make, and to submit to the two boards, proposals for regulations concerning the examination. 

B

1. All candidates will be expected to complete the following:

• Eight subjects as specified below 

• An oral examination in the relevant language 

• A year of residence in an appropriate country or countries 

2. Candidates may offer an additional ninth subject.
3. Any candidate may be examined viva voce.

Assessment requirements 

4. Candidates who offered two Classical Languages for the First Public Examination must offer eight subjects as specified below and may also offer an additional ninth subject. 

Subject 1. Honour School of Modern Languages, Paper I. 

Subject 2. Honour School of Modern Languages, Papers IIA and IIB. 

Subject 3. Honour School of Modern Languages, one paper chosen from Papers VI, VII, or VIII. 

Subject 4. Honour School of Modern Languages, one paper chosen from Papers IV, V, IX, X, XI, XII. 

Subject 5. A text-based subject in Ancient Greek and Latin literature as specified in the course handbook for the Honour School of Literae Humaniores. 

Subject 6. One of the following: 

(i) A text-based subject in Ancient Greek and Latin literature 

(ii) A text-based subject in Philology and Linguistics 

(iii) 581 The Latin Works of Petrarch 

Subject 7. One of the following: 

(i) A subject in Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Philosophy 

(ii) A subject in Ancient History 

(iii) A subject in Classical Archaeology 

(iv) A subject in Ancient Greek and Latin Literature 

(v) A subject in Philology and Linguistics 

Subject 8.  One of the following:  

(i) A subject chosen from papers IV, V, IX, X, XI, XII and XIV in the Honour School of Modern Languages.  

(ii) A subject in Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Philosophy 

(iii) A subject in Ancient History 

(iv) A subject in Ancient Greek and Latin Literature 

(v) A subject in Philology and Linguistics 

(vi) A subject linking Classics with the modern language, as specified in the course handbook and subject to any restrictions on combinations of subjects set out there. 

5. Candidates who offered one Classical Language for the First Public Examination must offer eight subjects as specified above except that they may offer Beginners’ Ancient Greek or Latin in place of Subject 6 and 7 above. They will take either:

(a) 561 Beginners’ Ancient Greek Paper I: Translation and 562 Beginners’ Ancient Greek Paper II: Commentary 

 or  

(b) 563 Beginners’ Latin Paper I: Translation and 564 Beginners’ Latin Paper II: Commentary. 

6. Candidates may not offer subjects 561-2 or 563-4 in a language which they offered for the Honour Moderations in Classics or in the Preliminary Examination in Classics and Modern Languages. 
7. Candidates who offered one Classical Languages for the First Public Examination may also offer an additional ninth subject. 

Requirements for Subject 9. Additional Subject. 

8. Candidates wishing to offer an Additional Subject may offer one of the following: 

(i) A further subject chosen from Honour School of Modern Languages, papers IV, V, IX, X, XI, XII and XIV.  

(ii) A subject in Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Philosophy 

(iii) A subject in Ancient History 

(iv) A subject in Ancient Greek and Latin Literature 

(v) A subject in Philology and Linguistics 

(vi) An Optional Additional Thesis on a topic in Classics or in a subject linking Classics and Modern Languages. 

Requirements for the oral examination 

9. The Oral Examination will be as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages.

 Requirements for the year of residence in an appropriate country or countries 

10. Candidates will be required to spend a year of residence in an appropriate country or countries, which must be certified by their college.

11. Candidates wishing to be dispensed from the requirement to undertake a year of residence abroad must apply in writing to the Chair of the Medieval and Modern Languages Board stating their reasons for requesting dispensation and enclosing a letter of support from their college.
12. Candidates should during this year abroad undertake a programme of activity acceptable to their college.  They will also be expected to carry out during this period such academic work as their college may require.  Candidates will agree with their College Tutor in advance of their year abroad an independent course of study to be followed during that period. 

Additional requirements 

13. Candidates offering two papers both of which involve the study of the same author or authors, may not make the same text or texts the principal subject of an answer in both the papers.
14. A full list of the subjects available in Classics, including details of subjects that qualify as text-based and any restrictions on permitted combinations, will be published in the Classics and Modern Languages course handbook.
15. All subjects in Classics will be in person written examinations, with the exception of:

(iii) 503 Historiography and 507 Comedy – assessed by an extended essay and an in person written examination. 

(iii) 553 General Linguistics and Comparative Philology – assessed by an extended essay. 

(iii) Theses, including the Optional Additional Thesis. 

16. All Classics subjects, including the Optional Additional Thesis, will be examined in accordance with the regulations for the Honour School of Literae Humaniores.

17. Subjects in Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Philosophy will be examined in accordance with the regulations on Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy.
18. Any candidate whose first language is not English may bring a bilingual (first language to English) dictionary for use in any examination paper where candidates are required to translate Ancient Greek and/or Latin texts into English.