Greek and Latin Studies

The Master's degree in Greek and Latin Studies is offered in three specialisations: Classical Greek, Classical Latin and Medieval Latin; for Latin, students can also take advantage of the option of a combined study in Latin language and literature (major + minor). The aim of the study is to deepen the knowledge and linguistic competences acquired by students in the Bachelor's cycle and to extend them to the post-classical and medieval phases of Latin and Greek languages and their literatures. A comprehensive understanding of Greek and Latin language and culture throughout their history, including interdisciplinary overlaps, is completed by common core courses on post-classical and medieval literature, the foundations of European science, the influence of biblical texts on the formation of European culture, and last but not least, issues related to working with ancient and medieval written sources (the adoption of writing systems, the basics of palaeography, textual criticism and editorial work). The study will equip the graduates with modern methodological tools needed for academic work, a detailed insight into the problems of ancient, medieval and neo-Latin literary sources and the ability to contextualise them in the light of the present world's challenges. Moreover, the study develops general cultural knowledge as well as analytical skills that are presently required in a wide variety of fields.

The study thus provides a comprehensive overview of the development of the Latin/Greek language from the earliest archaic documents through the medieval period with an insight into the further phase of the language in the Humanism. It deepens the knowledge of ancient literature, contextualizes the knowledge of antiquity and thus demonstrates the importance of Greek and Latin culture in the shaping of European culture and scholarship. An important part of all curriculum is the reading of original texts, in which students acquire the ability to interpret Latin or Greek texts in a multifaceted way (grammatical, literary and cultural-historical), and great emphasis is also placed on the reading of ancient or medieval works in translation.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• describe the spelling, morphological and syntactic development of Latin or Greek from the archaic period to late antiquity or the end of the Middle Ages and explain the factors and principles of language development;
• apply theoretical approaches to Latin texts, compare the structure of classical and medieval Latin; in case of Greek apply the methods of historical-comparative linguistics and orient themselves in the history of approaches to development of Greek;
• describe the features of ancient literature, its genre stratification and its development in Late Antiquity and in the Middle Ages;
• outline the philosophical, historical and religious background to the development of ancient society, including their reception in medieval and modern European culture;
• be well versed in the socio-cultural context of ancient and medieval written sources, in the case of the medieval Latin specialization have the ability to read medieval manuscript sources and make them critically accessible in editions;
• orientate themselves in the origins of European science;
• translate complex Latin or Greek prosaic texts and poetry into Czech and critically interpret them;
• explain the specifics of reception of ancient motives in medieval literature and describe the genre diversity of medieval literature;
• work independently with foreign-language scholarly literature, electronic databases and other types of informational sources;
• compose a structured text on academic topics.

Graduates of this study programme are qualified for work in cultural institutions, such as archives, libraries and museums, as well as for work in humanities-oriented universities (philosophical, theological, medical faculties) and institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, in positions requiring a master's degree. Graduates can also carry out academic and language-oriented work for publishing houses and various other media. In addition, they are well-suited for work in the commercial sphere in all positions where independence, ability to analyse and work critically with written documents, formulation skills or ability to speak and write in a cultured manner are required by the employer as important skills. Graduates are able to look up different sources of information, evaluate them critically them and use them in an appropriate manner. The knowledge acquired through the study of the ancient world and the Latin scholarship enables a better orientation in most areas of European culture. These skills enable the graduates to adapt flexibly to the changing demands of the labour market.

This programme does not require an obligatory practice.

A minimum scope of a Master's thesis is no less than 140,000 characters including footnotes, content, index, list of literature and annotations; title pages and appendixes do not count towards the scope. Students choose the topic of their Master's thesis from the list of themes offered by supervisors in the Information System of the Masaryk university, or based on an individual arrangement with the supervisor. The aim of the Master's thesis is to demonstrate student's orientation in the Czech and especially foreign specialized literature relevant for the given topic and their ability to critically assess it. It also proves the ability of the students to compose a scholarly text consistent with up-to-date theoretical approaches and relevant methodology, to work with Latin and Greek sources, and last but not least, to formulate and defend their own conclusions.

A graduate of the Greek and Latin Studies programme may continue in the doctoral degree study programme after fulfilling the admission requirements. The Department of Classical Studies offers doctoral programmes in Classical Philology, which focuses on Latin and Greek languages and literatures from their origins to the first centuries CE, or an interdisciplinary programme in Medieval Latin Studies, which focuses primarily on working with medieval manuscript sources, their edition and critical interpretation within the literary-historical context of the European cultural tradition.