15 UC/13 MA,BA(Hons) /1
UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha
Template 2: Qualification Change -2013
Proposal Description
R
Purpose of the proposal
(i)
To discontinue the current BA Honours programmes in Ancient History, Classical Studies and Classics
and;
(ii)
To replace them with a single Honours programme in ‘Classics’;
(iii)
To make corresponding changes to MA in Classics, Part 1.
Justification
In recent years there have been fewer students spread across the three programmes. The Department considers it
would make better use of staffing resources if the three programmes were collapsed into a single programme under the
traditional title of ‘Classics’.
The Honours programme in Classics has traditionally had strict requirements for competency in one or both of the
ancient languages. The prerequisites require either a major in Latin or Greek plus a substantial group of non-language
courses; or 200 level competence in one language and 100 level competence in the other, plus a group of non-language
courses. In the past a number of students without these language requirements wanted to advance to postgraduate
study. In response to this, the Classics Department introduced two other Honours programmes: Ancient History
(introduced in 1998) and Classical Studies (introduced in 2008). These were, in effect, terminating programmes.
Graduates could not advance to an MA thesis unless they first gained competency in either Latin or Greek. Recent
changes to student funding have made this more difficult.
As part of this change, there will also be a revision of the entry requirements to allow students with good grades in
Classics but perhaps a lesser background in the ancient languages, to enrol in the Honours programmes. There has been
an increasing tendency for students to enrol in the language courses in the second or third year of their degree. In the
past these students had two choices. They could either spend a year studying the languages in preparation for Classics
Honours (and potentially an MA thesis) or they could choose to enter either the Ancient History or Classical Studies
programmes. Graduates of these two programmes could not advance further unless they chose to spend time learning
at least one ancient language. Under this proposal, students with a major in Greek or Latin will work on their languages
as before by enrolling in CLAS 401 (Prescribed Texts: Greek and/or Latin), students who have not majored in Greek or
Latin will be able to advance their language competency by studying Greek and/or Latin texts in CLAS 404 A Literary
Subject. At the end of their Honours year they will be better placed to proceed to research at higher levels.
Students enrolled in CLAS404 A Literary Subject will attend classes in the undergraduate language programme but extra
work on primary sources in the original language will be required in combination with their honours research essay. It is
normal in both the US and the UK for students studying at a postgraduate level in Classics to attend undergraduate
language classes and do extra work on primary sources in the original language in order to acquire the necessary
linguistic skills in order to do research at a higher level in case they have come to Classics at a later stage. The Classics
Department at the University of California, for example, offers intensive elementary courses both in the summer and
during the year open to all students regardless of their degree level.
Acceptability
The proposal has been sent for comments to Heads of Classics in New Zealand, current postgraduate students and
Department Coordinators in the College of Arts. We received very positive comments and great support. Below a
sample of responses:
Gina Salapata (HoD, Masssey): “This makes perfect sense from both an administrative and pedagogical point of view.
The trend in our field seems to be towards a closer interaction between the different branches of Classics. Your proposal
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15 UC/13 MA,BA(Hons) /1
ensures students will get exposed to the various “sub disciplines” of Classics and at the same time gives them the
flexibility to specialize in their preferred branch.
Jeff Tatum (HoD, Victoria): “I am especially pleased that your programme breaks down the barrier between ancient
history and classics. At the University of Sydney, during my time there at least, Honours students in history rarely had
much in the way of Latin or Greek and, because the ancient history programme was distinct from the ones in Latin or
Greek, it was often difficult for ambitious students to get the language instruction they required. For the most part, they
'sat in' on lower or intermediate language classes, but that was not entirely satisfactory. The proposal at Canterbury,
that is CLAS 404 A Literary Subject, seems to me to get it right. On the particular matter of placing postgraduates in
undergraduate language courses: you are quite right that this is a common practice in the UK and (credite experto) the
USA. And it should be a common practice in NZ as well.”
Hannah Frude (MA student, UC)::” I'm in favour of the proposed changes to the Classics Honours Programme. They
appear well thought out and offer a range of areas to explore in an Honours year, whilst still keeping a unified
programme.”
Goals of the programme
A graduate with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours Degree or MA Part 1 in Classics is able to:
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Engage in self-directed learning and advanced study of ancient materials;
Demonstrate intellectual independence, analytic rigour, and the ability to understand and evaluate new
knowledge and ideas;
Identify topics for original research, plan and conduct research, analyse results, and communicate the findings
to the satisfaction of subject experts;
Have a solid grasp of the type of traditional and non-traditional approaches to the study of the ancient world
Employ basic linguistic tools in Greek and/or Latin for engaging in the direct assessment of ancient sources.
Graduate profile
 Solid knowledge of historical and cultural issues related to the Graeco-Roman world.
 Identification of key issues relating to the study of the Graeco-Roman world.
 Ability to choose relevant approaches and secondary sources that may help resolve these problems.
 Contextualisation of primary sources relevant to the issues under observation.
 Critical evaluation of information encoded in primary sources including style, vocabulary and genre.
 Evaluation of potential/drawbacks inherent in approaches specific to the discipline (philology, ancient literary
theory, ancient historiography, archaeology) and in the application of modern theories (sociological,
archaeological, cultural and historical).
 Clear formulation of problems in addressing specific issues.
 Formulation and evaluation of one’s own approach and claims.
 Keen ability to draw information from the internet and evaluate its quality.
 Self-confident and articulate approach to the presentation of issues and possible resolutions.
Lifelong learning and transferable skills
 Research skills: the ability to locate information pertaining to a research question or problem, read it,
comprehend it, and interpret its relevance for the issue under study.
 Observation skills: the ability to identify and interpret information from non-verbal or non-literary sources.
 Critical and Analytical skills: the ability to analyse and evaluate data and other information in terms of quality,
content and relevance to the research question or problem.
 Synthetic skills: the ability to recombine important information from a range of sources in order to answer the
research question or solve the problem.
 Writing skills: the ability to communicate research findings in clear, grammatically correct prose suitable for the
intended audience.
 Time management skills: working to a strict deadline and word limit.
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15 UC/13 MA,BA(Hons) /1
Outcome statement
A BA(Hons) in Classics is the culmination of a course of study focused on the ancient world. It provides an opportunity
for students to fulfil their academic potential and put in practice all they have learned. It is indispensable for students
considering further postgraduate academic work and brings career benefits in non-academic areas. Many employers
find a Classics background attractive because of the attention to details that characterises the study of the ancient
world, and the disciplined habits and versatility that honours students in Classics develop over the years. In some
professions, a postgraduate degree in Classics translates directly into higher salaries and prospects.
The BA Honours programme or MA Part I in Classics prepares students for research in Classics.
Programme overview
All students will enrol in two compulsory courses: CLAS 460 Approaches to Classics and CLAS 480 Honours Research
Essay. In addition to these they will enrol in two other courses selected from CLAS 401-452. The elective courses will
allow students to focus on their particular area of interest – as will the topic chosen for the research essay. Students
with an interest in ancient history will still be able to do at least one course in ancient history and to select an historical
topic for the research essay; students with language competency will be able to select CLAS 401 Prescribed Texts in
Greek and/or Latin and a literary course and select a language-based topic for their research essay. For their research
essay students will have the option of working with items from the James Logie Memorial Collection or, possibly, on a
Digital Humanities project or on objects from the Canterbury Museum. Generally speaking, students will be able to
choose the two courses from at least 3 courses with literary, historical or art-historical focus. The full list of courses
(without specification of topics as they change every year) is:
CLAS 401 Prescribed Texts: Greek and/or Latin, CLAS 404 A Literary Subject, CLAS 405 A Literary Subject, CLAS 406
Historical Topic, CLAS 407 Historical Topic, CLAS 408 A Philosophical Topic, CLAS 409 Special Topic, CLAS 411 Special
Topic in Ancient Literature and Culture, CLAS 412 Greek and Roman Theatre, CLAS 414 Special Topic, CLAS 460
Approaches to Classics, CLAS 480 Honours Research Essay.
Confirmation of NZQA exit level of qualification to go on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework
NZQA Level 8
Proposed teaching/delivery methods
Courses for Honours or MA Part l will be a mix of small classes, seminar presentations, hands-on work on literary
evidence and/or material objects (especially those included in the Logie collection) and extended essay writing.
Essays will be marked by the supervisor, who will make substantial written comments and assign a letter grade. The
essay and the supervisor's comments and mark will then be assessed by an external assessor from another university in
New Zealand. The assessor will also make comments (often written) and may agree with the supervisor's mark or
suggest a different mark. A final mark will be determined by agreement of the department coordinator, external
assessor and the supervisor, and ratified by the whole department.
Assessment procedures
Assessment methods include: hands-on work on primary sources; seminar presentations; extended research writing;
reports on scholarly articles and commented bibliography.
Plans for monitoring programme quality
The UC monitoring system will be used and, where courses are large enough, course surveys will be used. Courses are
assessed yearly at the beginning of the year by external assessors who may comment on content, structure and
assessment of individual courses. These assessors are classicists working in other universities in New Zealand. For the
next four years our external assessors are the members of the Classics Department in Otago.
Proposed new regulations and prescriptions (use the Calendar Form as follows)
Calendar Form
Qualification Regulations
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15 UC/13 MA,BA(Hons) /1
(i) UC Calendar 2013 Page 300-and 301 Schedule A to the Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with
Honours
DELETE
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The entry for Ancient History
The entry for Classical Studies
The entry for Classics
INSERT
Classics
Four courses, comprising the compulsory courses CLAS 460 and CLAS 480, and two other courses chosen from
CLAS 401 – CLAS 414.
P. Students will normally be required to have a Major in Classics with an average of B+ or above in 60 points of
Classics at 300-level.
i) UC Calendar 2013 Page 309: Schedule A to the Regulations for the Degree of Master of Arts
DELETE the entry for Classics.
INSERT
Classics
Part I: Four courses, comprising the compulsory courses CLAS 460 and CLAS 480, and two other courses chosen
from CLAS 401 – CLAS 414.
Part II: A thesis (CLAS 690)
P.
Part I: Students will normally be required to:
(a) Have a Major in Classics with an average of B+ or above in 60 points of Classics at 300-level and
(b) Have either completed six semesters of Greek and/or Latin, or have an equivalent competence in
ancient languages approved by the Programme Co-ordinator.
Part II: Students may progress to Part II if they have:
EITHER completed Part I with an average mark of B+ or above;
OR completed a BA (Hons) in Ancient History, Classical Studies or Classics with at least Second Class
Honours, Division 1 and have either six semesters of Greek and/or Latin or an equivalent competence in
ancient languages approved by the Programme Co-ordinator.
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