Greek MA (Hons)

In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take the required modules in Greek alongside modules in at least one other subject.

You will take one Greek module per semester during your first two years, and usually two modules per semester during your third and fourth years

Students will take two first-year modules depending on their knowledge of Greek prior to the course.

Beginners in Greek will take the following two modules:

• Greek Language for Beginners: provides a thorough grounding in the Greek language for beginners or near beginners.
• Greek Literature for Beginners: designed to follow Greek Language for Beginners. Prepares students for the challenge of reading and interpreting Greek literature.

Students who have studied Greek to SQA Higher, GCE A-level or equivalent will take the following two modules:

• Greek Language and Literature 1: involves detailed study of a range of set texts as well as linguistic and translation exercises designed to enhance students' knowledge of Greek and confidence in reading Greek literature in its historical and cultural context.
• Greek Pastoral and Passion: introduces students to the thematic connections between bucolic or pastoral poetry and the Greek novel. Involves detailed study of set texts as well as linguistic and translation exercises.

Students will take two second-year modules depending on their knowledge of Greek prior to the course.

Ex-beginners in Greek will take the following two modules:

• The Landscape of Greek Prose (B): designed for students to follow on from Greek Pastoral and Passion. Examines a wide range of Greek prose texts, and enhances Greek language skills through regular language classes.
• The Landscape of Greek Poetry (B): follows on from The Landscape of Greek Prose (B); covers a diverse range of ancient poetry in the original Greek, starting with Homer’s Iliad, and enhances Greek language skills through regular language classes.

Students who have studied Greek to SQA Higher, GCE A-level or equivalent will take the following two compulsory modules:

• The Landscape of Greek Prose (A): designed for students to follow on from Greek Pastoral and Passion; examines a wide range of Greek prose texts, and enhances Greek language skills through regular language classes.
• The Landscape of Greek Poetry (A): follows on from The Landscape of Greek Prose (A); covers a diverse range of ancient poetry in the original Greek, starting with Homer’s Iliad, and enhances Greek language skills through regular language classes.

If you decide to take Greek in your third and fourth years, you choose from a wide variety of advanced options.

Here is a sample of Honours modules that have been offered in previous years:

• Greek Tragedy
• Greek Rhetoric
• Greeks and Barbarians
• The History of Ancient Greek from Homer to the New Testament
• Imagining the Symposium
• Lies, History and Ideology
• Thucydides
• Violence in Early Greek Poetry and Culture
• The Gods of Greek Literature
• Texts and Objects in the Greek World

In fourth year, students may undertake a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice. This independent project enables you to develop key research skills which are desired by both prospective employers and by graduate schools offering postgraduate degrees.

The sub-honours modules listed here are the compulsory modules that students must take in order to graduate in this subject. However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above.