RLSBcSZk Bachelor's State Exam in Latin or Classical Greek

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 0 credit(s). Type of Completion: SZK (final examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Daniela Urbanová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Katarina Petrovićová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Irena Radová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jana Mikulová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jana Steklá, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Veronika Hrůšová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Daniela Urbanová, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
In order to be admitted to the Bachelor's state examination, a student must
a) gain credits prescribed by his or her study plan;
b) submit a Bachelor’s thesis if he or she is a student of major or single-study (completus) study plan.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the Bachelor's state examination is to prove whether a student has reached the learning outcomes of the Bachelor's programme in Greek and Latin Studies as prescribed by his or her study plan.
Learning outcomes
A successful student should be able to:
– understand classical Greek or Latin texts;
– translate a text of selected classical Greek or Latin authors into Czech;
– identify Greek or Latin morphological and syntactic phenomena used in classical Greek or Latin and describe them by means of linguistic terminology; analyse the structure of Greek or Latin sentences; in case of Latin, translate shorter sentences into Latin;
– analyse and read hexameter poetry and other ancient metrical structures;
– identify basic stylistic and poetic devices used in Greek or Latin texts;
– characterize the works of the most important Greek or Latin authors; explain the development of ancient literature and the dependence of Roman literature on Greek literature;
– specify the main features of basic literary genres in ancient literature;
– give an account of the cultural and historical background of the ancient world;
– describe methodological approaches used in classical philology.

Requirements differ according to the study plan chosen by the student.
Syllabus
  • The state bachelor's examination consists of two parts - the defence of the bachelor's thesis (single-subject and main curriculum) and the examination, which is both written and oral (all curricula).
    Defence of the bachelor thesis
    The defence of the bachelor thesis is oral. The student first briefly presents his/her thesis, after which the opinions of the supervisor and the opponent are read. The student then comments on both opinions. The student prepares the defence in advance (the opinions are available 5 working days before the defence date).
  • Exam
    The examination begins with the written part. To pass the exam, both the written and oral parts must be successfully completed. If the student fails either part, he/she must retake the entire exam.
    For the oral exam, the student has 45 minutes to prepare the texts with a dictionary. For the oral examination, the student will bring a list of works by ancient authors, read in translation and in the original.
    The dates of the final examinations are announced in the IS MU regularly three times a year, in June, September and January, and published on the website and on the IS MU notice board.
  • Exam: Latin
    Written part
    - translation of a Latin text from the required readings with a Latin-English dictionary (single-subject and major study plan: Livy, Ab urbe condita I, minor study plan: Cicero, Catilinae coniuration);
    - a test in Latin grammar without a dictionary (minor curriculum: 4 semesters of Latin grammar only).
    Oral part
    - Roman literature and its relation to Greek literature, and the historic and cultural context;
    translation of a Latin text and its linguistic and stylistic analysis (all study plans: Cicero, Tusculanae disputationes, single-subject and major study plan: Vergilius, Aeneis I, II, IV; minor study plan: Ovid, Metamorphoses I 72–162, 253-360, II 833-875, IV 55-166, X 1-77);
    use of correct terminology;
    the correct reading of poetry and analysis of meter;
    knowledge of the tools and methodology used in classical philology.
  • Classical Greek
    The minor study plan
    The written part
    translation of a continuous text from Greek into Czech;
    inflexion of nouns and adjectives;
    formation and grammatical identification of verbal forms;
    nominal and verbal syntax, without the need for active translation.
    The written test builds primarily on the courses Greek Grammar I-IV, and Greek Syntax I-II.
  • The Oral part translation of Xenophon (one book, normally the first book of On the Education of Cyrus) or Plato (The Defence of Socrates and one other dialogue, normally the Symposion or Phaedo) from Greek into Czech and grammatical analysis of selected passages;
    knowledge of Greek literature and awareness of its influence on Roman literature;
    knowledge of methodology and tools used in classical philology.
    The oral examination is primarily related to the courses Greek Proseminar: Xenophon, Greek Proseminar: Plato Ancient Greek Literature: from Homer to Euripides, and Ancient Greek Literature: Attic Prose and the Hellenistic Period, and Introduction to Classical Philology I, II.
  • The major and single-subject study plan
    The written part
    translation of a continuous text from Greek into Czech;
    inflexion of nouns and adjectives;
    formation and grammatical identification of verb forms;
    nominal and verbal syntax;
    active translation from Czech into Greek.
    The written test builds primarily on the courses Greek Vocabulary I-IV and Greek Syntax I-II.
  • The oral part
    Translation of Plato (Defense of Socrates and another dialogue, usually Symposion) and Sophocles (Oedipus Rex) from Greek into Czech and grammatical analysis of selected passages;
    knowledge of Greek literature and awareness of its influence on Roman literature;
    knowledge of methodology and tools used in classical philology;
    defence of the bachelor's thesis.
    The oral examination is primarily related to the courses Greek Proseminar: Xenophon, Greek Proseminar: Plato, Greek Proseminar: Sophocles, Ancient Greek Literature: from Homer to Euripides, and Ancient Greek Literature: Attic Prose and the Hellenistic Period, and Introduction to Classical Philology.
Literature
    required literature
  • MIKULOVÁ, Jana. Základní kurz latiny I (Basic Course of Latin I). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, 402 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-7039-4. Digitální knihovna FF MU info
  • MIKULOVÁ, Jana. Základní kurz latiny. 2. díl. (Basic Course of Latin. Volume 2.). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2013, 190 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6499-7. Digitální knihovna FF MU info
  • MIKULOVÁ, Jana. Syntax latinských vedlejších vět (Syntax of Latin subordinate clauses). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, 498 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-7207-7. Digitální knihovna FF MU info
  • NOVOTNÝ, František. Základní latinská mluvnice. 2. vyd., 1. vyd. v H & H. Praha: H & H, 1992, 297 s. ISBN 80-85467-91-7. info
  • CANFORA, Luciano. Dějiny řecké literatury. Translated by Dagmar Bartoňková. 1. vyd. Praha: KLP-Koniasch Latin Press, 2001, 893 s. ISBN 8085917696. info
  • CONTE, Gian Biagio. Dějiny římské literatury. Translated by Dagmar Bartoňková. 1. vyd. Praha: KLP-Koniasch Latin Press, 2003, 790 s. ISBN 8085917874. info
  • HEILMANN, W. and K. ROESKE. Lexis. Einführung in die griechische Sprache. Frankfurt am Main, 1972. info
  • NIEDERLE, Jindřich, Václav NIEDERLE and Ladislav VARCL. Mluvnice jazyka řeckého. 2. fototypické vyd. dle vyd. Praha: Scriptum, 1993, 288 s. ISBN 8552824X. info
  • HORÁČEK, Filip and Radek CHLUP. Učebnice klasické řečtiny. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2012, 445 s. ISBN 9788020021236. info
    recommended literature
  • PANHUIS, Dirk. Gramatika latiny. Translated by Lucie Pultrová. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2014, 281 s. ISBN 9788020023353. info
  • NOVOTNÝ, František. Historická mluvnice latinského jazyka. 1. vyd. Praha: Nakladatelství Československé akademie věd, 1955, 361 s. URL info
  • The Cambridge history of classical literature. Edited by P. E. Easterling - Bernard MacGregor Walker Knox. 1. pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985, xv, 936. ISBN 0521210429. info
Teaching methods
Written and oral exam, defence of Bachelor's thesis in case of one field (completus) or major study plan.
Assessment methods
Assessment by the examination board.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught each semester.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/RLSBcSZk