Studying Classics At The University Of Canterbury

Dorothy – 17/11/00

Latin is a language As dead as dead could be. First it killed the Romans And now it’s killing me.

Yes, it’s doggerel! I found it scribbled in an old Latin primer when I was teaching in a boys’ school where Latin was compulsory for boys in the top stream, and I am sure it expressed the views of many students in schools where there was no choice about studying Latin. I had been fortunate, for I was fascinated with Latin from the first lesson, but in earlier years Latin was often taught in a dreary fashion and a number of men have told me that they had been caned at secondary school only because of mistakes in their Latin. Those same people who found it a chore have also said that in later years they found that their Latin studies gave them a far better ability to express ideas clearly and logically in English.

Those were the comments of people in an older generation. Far different is the situation regarding the study of Classics today. The pessimists said that once Latin was not compulsory it would truly become a dead language which hardly anybody would study. How wrong they were!

I talked with Tim Parkin, Professor of Classics at the University of Canterbury, about the current interest in Classics.

“At present Classical Studies is one of the top ten subjects at secondary schools and continues to grow. I started at school wanting to do accounting and business studies and was made to do Latin without any choice,” he said. ” I didn’t even know what Latin was, but obviously I didn’t regret it in hindsight. A lot of our students are like that.

“Some people take Classical Studies at school at sixth or seventh form level and carry on at University, but others who have had no introduction to Classics just want to ‘dip in’. ”

While Tim Parkin does not believe that a university should spend all its time worrying about what its ‘customers’ want and does not favour a user pays society, he joked that if we were really to become a user-pays society catering for what the customer wanted he had no doubt at all that Classics would be very strong.

“You can’t have a University without certain key disciplines. Otherwise we become only a job training ground,” he concluded.

Why study Latin now? Learning Latin teaches students how languages work and gives them a good grasp of grammar which serves them well not only in their communication in English, but also in learning foreign languages. Grammar is not taught in most English courses – which means that the Latin teacher often has to begin by explaining to students what is meant by the terms ‘noun’ and ‘verb’ which are basic to the use of a foreign language. Students starting to learn Latin or Greek at University are supplied with a basic book on English grammar four months in advance for them to study in preparation for their Beginners’ Course in Latin or Greek.

In a society where there has been increasing emphasis on career-orientated courses and where many students have been finishing their courses with a huge debt resulting from student loans, the question of the usefulness of studying an ancient language must be addressed.

I taught business writing for some years and found that it was difficult for many students to improve their written expression because they lacked basic knowledge of how accurate grammar can be used to convey precise meaning. On the few occasions when I worked with a student who had studied Latin it was obvious how beneficial that study had been. When there was a problem with the clarity of a sentence in a business proposal or an engineering contract they quickly understood where the fault lay and were able to correct it.

Our daughter studied Latin at school and went on to do a degree and postgraduate work in linguistics. Other students often said that they envied her knowledge of Latin which was a useful tool in understanding linguistic problems.

Latin was once a compulsory subject for a law degree. Those who do not want to study Latin argue that the meaning of the Latin terms used by lawyers can be learnt without any other knowledge of the language, and the requirement to include Latin in the degree has been abolished. However, lawyers who have studied Latin, and Cicero’s speeches in particular, consider it a worthwhile experience both for the mastery of the language and the insight into his oratorical skills. Precision in the use of language is a vital skill for lawyers preparing legal documents.

Students with a good knowledge of Latin have found that the training in logical thinking has also prepared them well for work as computer programmers.

A degree with First Class Honours in Classics has led, for example, to a career in the civil service or Foreign Affairs.

Development of non-language courses Until the 1950s the emphasis in University teaching of the Classics was heavily weighted in favour of language studies. It was only at second and third year level that Roman or Greek history became part of the course. It was offered as an option in the MA courses. Greek history, art and literature was a popular subject taken by students from other faculties as well as by Classics students.

In the early 1950s Ancient History was introduced as a Stage I subject and gradually the scope has been extended until it is possible to do a Classics degree without studying Latin or Greek language.

However, study of one year of an ancient language is required for students wishing to pursue an honours degree in Ancient History, and three years of ancient languages are necessary for entry to the honours programme in Classics or to the MA programme.

How does the Classics Department cater for the widely varied needs of its students? Part of the strength of Classical study is that it is adaptable to different people’s needs and interests. Students learn about all aspects of two great civilisations. Students come from different disciplines and with different levels of knowledge of the topics. They range in age from school leavers through to senior citizens taking advantage of retirement to explore subjects of interest. Their different attitudes and life experiences lead to lively discussions on topics of history and philosophy, art and literature.

The Department teaches the main range of areas of Classics for undergraduate students and specialist areas in the postgraduate programme. It is possible to do a BA in Classics through non-language courses or language courses or a mixture of both. The majority of the students enrol for Classical Studies rather than the Latin or Greek language.

The topics in Classical Studies cover a wide range from Mycenaean art in the second millennium B C to the times of the emperor Trajan and beyond, from Greek and Roman political oratory to Roman sanitation systems.

Early Mycenaean art - the Lion Gate   Relief panel showing the emperor Trajan from Trajan's Column in Rome
Early Mycenaean art – the Lion Gate Click here for a larger version   Relief panel showing the emperor Trajan from Trajan’s Column in Rome Click here for a larger version
 
The Forum at Rome, the centre of Roman political and social life   Communal toilets in an ancient Roman town
The Forum at Rome, the centre of Roman political and social life Click here for a larger version   Communal toilets in an ancient Roman town Click here for a larger version
 
Source of photos Department of Classics, University of Canterbury
 

Classical Studies Courses (2001): At 100 level four half year 6 point courses are offered: Greek Myth, Art and Literature: an Introduction Myth, Power and Poetry: An Introduction to Roman Culture Greek History Roman History At 200 level four full year 6 point courses are offered: Greek and Roman Drama Roman Art The Principate from Tiberius to Hadrian Greek Philosophy One half year 6 point course is offered: Athens At 300 level three full year 6 point courses are offered: Hellenistic Poetry History of Religion in the Roman World Art and Ideas in the Greek World Two half year 6 point courses are offered: The Classical Tradition Alexander the Great

Language Courses At 100 level Elementary Greek and Elementary Latin are each taught in two half year 6 point courses. Both languages are taught in 12 point full year courses at 200 and 300 levels.

Summer School offers an intensive introductory course in Latin In January and February of each year an intensive course is offered by the Department of Classics in conjunction with the Centre for Continuing Education for anyone wanting to master the basics of the language. Sessions are held from 9.30 – 11.30 a.m. and 1.30 – 3.00 p.m. daily. Students are expected to spend additional time studying outside the daily sessions – so much time that those who enrol are recommended not to hold part-time employment during the course. At the end of the course successful students receive a certificate which can make them eligible to begin their Latin classes at a higher level than Beginners’ Latin.

For information about this course either contact the Centre for Continuing Education at the University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch. Telephone (03) 364 2388 Fax (03) 364-2057 Email cont.educ@cont.canterbury.ac.nz

or talk with Tim Parkin or email him at t.parkin@clas.canterbury.ac.nz

The James Logie Memorial Collection This collection of antiquities focuses mainly on Greek pottery and has been a great asset to students of Classics, especially those studying Greek art.

The collection was established in 1957 by Marion Steven in memory of her husband. It has been expanded greatly since its small beginnings and is one of the largest and most significant collections of its kind in the southern hemisphere. It is housed in the Classics Department in a display area specifically designed for it. Interested individuals and groups regularly visit the Logie Collection and the guided tours are available at no cost to the public.

The collection will be the subject of a separate article appearing soon in NZine.

Information sources Whereas earlier students of Classics had to rely on the University of Canterbury library for texts and information, today’s students are able to access on the Internet a wealth of resources for Classical Studies. The department has its own computers and CD ROMS for students to use.

Courses to sample university study and Classical topics If you are wondering about what is involved in university study, write to the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Canterbury (address given above) for information about the New Start programme. Universities in other cities will have similar courses.

If you are not sure whether a course in Classics would hold your interest, write to the Department of Continuing Education for information about evening courses on Classical topics such as “Classical Athenian Society” and “Great Sites in the Ancient World”, or talk with Tim Parkin.

Why would I recommend studying Classics at the University of Canterbury? As a former student and staff member I admit that I am probably biassed. However, I believe I can say without bias that the Department of Classics keeps up the high standards set over the years since its foundation in 1874. Many features developed since I left add to the appeal of the programme:

the expansion of staff numbers the wide choice of courses the non-language courses the expansion of the Logie Memorial Collection the major conferences hosted by the Department the visits of overseas scholars the mini-conferences within the Department the Internet facilities the interdisciplinary links within the University.

In areas such as Drama, Philosophy, Art History, and History of Science staff of the Department are involved in courses in other Departments.

I support the insistence on language study as a requirement for the advanced Classical Studies courses.

Professor Parkin delivers the oration at the award of Professor Badian's Honorary Doctorate.
Professor Parkin delivers the oration at the award of Professor Badian’s Honorary Doctorate. Photo source Classics Department University of Canterbury

The Classics Department at the University of Canterbury has produced great teachers and scholars over the years, the best known of whom is Professor Ernst Badian who retired in 1998 as John Moors Cabot Professor at Harvard University and who came back to Christchurch in 1999 for the conferment of the degree of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) from the University of Canterbury.

The staff of the Department of course are teaching about ancient times, but are deeply involved in research which will throw new light on the ancient civilisations.

Ancient topics, modern teaching methods, Internet resources…. The Department of Classics at the University of Canterbury is not resting on its laurels. It is not antiquated, but is moving with the times.

For further information contact: Tim Parkin Professor of Classics and Head of Department University of Canterbury Private Bag 4800 Christchurch 8020 NEW ZEALAND

Tel. (64-3) 364-2987 ext. 8575 Fax (64-3) 364-2576 Email: t.parkin@clas.canterbury.ac.nz Department of Classics Website: www.clas.canterbury.ac.nz