Medieval Latin Language and Literature

The master's degree programme in Medieval Latin language and literature provides an opportunity to learn about Latin works which have formed the European culture and its values in the course of thousand years. It evolves cultural knowledge and analytical abilities required nowadays in various disciplines.

Instrue, quid possis, animum, ne discere cesses. Catonis Disticha moralia III, 1.

The study of Medieval Latin language and literature is realised as a part of the main degree programme (maior) or as a single subject programme (completus). It aims to further extend and deepen language competencies and focuses on obtaining active knowledge of theoretical and methodological techniques employed in philology. With regard to the connection of the Middle Ages to Antiquity, this master's degree programme profits from the students’ knowledge of the classical Latin language and ancient Latin literature gained in the course of their bachelor studies. In contrast to the bachelor's degree, which specialises in the classical Latin language, the objective of this follow-up master's degree is to acquaint the students with all later phases of theLatin language and its development up to the late Middle Ages. Students will gain an overview of ortographic, phonological, morphological and syntactic phenomenona of the medieval Latin language, they will understand late ancient and medieval Latin differences from the normative Latin grammar and the so-called classical style. They will gain orientation in the changes of the Latin vocabulary untill the late Middle Ages. Students will also obtain detailed knowledge of the Bohemian and European medieval literature written in Latin, the plurality of the given genre, formal and content related pecularities as well as good knowledge of the history of literature, medieval libraries and writings, and a general knowledge of political history of the Middle Ages.

The study of Medieval latin language and literature as a minor study degree (minor) is suitable to students whose study degrees are based on the work with Latin primary sources. This minor degree provides students with a detailed knowledge of the development of the Latin language and literature and the related medieval sociocultural context, which are pertinent to or supplement their major fields of study. A very important part of the study is represented by reading the original texts, which leads up to the competence of multilateral interpretation of the Latin texts (i.e. from the gramatical, literary and cultural-historical point of view). These skills are also exercised by reading the medieval works in English translation.

Practical training

This programme does not require an obligatory practice. In case of interest, students could pass an internship at several institution which preserve medieval manuscripts (Moravian Library, Moravian Archive in Brno, Brno City Archive) or at the Centre for Classical Studies at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Further information

https://classics.phil.muni.cz/en

The graduates of this study programme are well-suited for any profession in cultural institutions, e.g. museums, archives or libraries, where medieval texts and other medieval material is preserved. They will be able to independently and critically work with primary sources, use informative textual sources and deal with medieval literary material. These skills will provide an ideal basis for working at research institutes specialized in the humanities, such as the Academy of Sciences or universities. Our alumni/ae will be also ready to work as lecturers at universities or teachers of history and modern languages at high schools. Many of our graduates also work as advisors in publishing houses or various media, including the TV or radio channels.

Deadline for submitting applications: August 1 - November 30

Who the programme is intended for: The programme is intended for graduates of any Bachelor’s degree programme.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: written examination and oral interview.

The oral interview focuses on the study motivation of the applicant and general knowledge about the field.

Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for applicants who have passed the Bachelor’s examination in the field/programme of Latin Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University with an excellent (A), very good (B), or good (C) result. The entrance examination may also be waived for applicants whose overall result of the Bachelor's State Examination in programme of Latin Language and Literature at the MU Faculty of Arts was assessed as “passed with excellent results”. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the entrance examination via the e-application form, section "Application for waiver of the entrance examination".

Website Department of Classical Studies.

General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Criteria for evaluation

Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 60 points (out of 100).

Recommended literature

NOVOTNÝ, František. Základní latinská mluvnice. 2. vyd., 1. vyd. v H & H. Praha: H & H, 1992. ISBN 80-85467-91-7.

PANHUIS, Dirk. Gramatika latiny. Přel. Lucie PULTROVÁ. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2014. ISBN 978-80-200-2335-3.

KAMÍNKOVÁ, Eva, Bohumila MOUCHOVÁ a Antonín BARTONĚK. Cvičebnice latinské syntaxe. 1. vyd. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1973.

MIKULOVÁ, Jana. Syntax latinských vedlejších vět. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014. ISBN 978-80-210-7073-8.

CONTE, Gian Biagio. Dějiny římské literatury. Přel. Dagmar BARTOŇKOVÁ a kol. Vyd. 1. Praha: KLP-Koniasch Latin Press, 2003. ISBN 8085917874.

Compulsory reading in the original

C. Iulius Caesar. Commentarii Belli Gallici. I, VI.

M. Tullius Cicero. In Catilinam I; Pro Archia poeta; Somnium Scipionis; Tusculanae disputationes I.

C. Sallustius Crispus. Catilinae coniuratio.

P. Ovidius Naso. Metamorphoses I 1–360, 452–567; II 833–875. III 400–510; IV 55–166; VI 146–312; VIII 611–720; X 1–77, 243-297; XV 199-236, 745–776, 871-879; Tristia IV 10, Amores 5.

C. Catullus. 1, 3, 8, 51.

T. Livius. Ab urbe condita I.

P. Vergilius Maro. Aeneis I, II, IV; Bucolica 1, 4.

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

After completion of the Masters's degree programme, it is possible to continue further studies in the doctoral degree study programme of Medieval Latin Language and Literature (https://www.phil.muni.cz/en/studies/doctoral-degree-study-programme/24188-latinska-medievistika). This interdisciplinary programme can be studies as a single-subject programme or with specialisation in the so-called historical languages of the Czech lands (this study plan is organized on the basis of Latin-German-Czech character of medieval literature and deals with other languages that were used in written sources of Bohemian provenance).