Ancient Greek: Beginners – Part 2

Level and demands

This course assumes knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar structures covered in Part 1 and will build on these. The level of linguistic demand is moderately high in that there is a considerable amount of ground covered at some pace, but there is plenty of revision built in. 

Course aims

Part 2 builds on the linguistic features covered in Part 1, to enable reading of more complex texts in Greek and develop confidence in translating into Greek. 

Course objectives:

• Expand the range of vocabulary items studied.
• Anaylse more complex sentence structures.
• Provide opportunities for reading simple texts with fluency and confidence.
• Introduce students to some aspects of Greek culture and thought.
• Translate simple sentences into Greek. 

Programme details

This course begins on the 14 Jan 2027, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 21 Jan 2027, 10.30-11.30pm (UK time)

Week 1: Recap of 3rd declension endings; practice with nouns and pronouns

Week 2: Negation and demonstrative pronouns

Week 3: Irregular nouns and adjectives

Week 4: Different types of 3rd declension nouns and 3rd declension adjectives

Week 5: More 3rd declension nouns and pronouns.

Week 6: Present participles – introduction

Week 7: Present participles – middle and contract; elision and crasis

Week 8: Imperfect active verbs

Week 9: Imperfect verbs in middle and contract forms

Week 10: Final 3rd declension nouns; the future tense

Teaching methods

This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will: 

• have acquired a strong basic vocabulary in Ancient Greek;
• demonstrate the ability to recognise and analyse a range of linguistic structures in Ancient Greek;
• be able to translate basic sentences into Greek;
• have gained some understanding of the fifth century Athenian cultural background to the stories read during the course.

Assessment methods

You will be set short, optional assignments to consolidate your learning and allow you to progress at your own pace.

Dr Holly Hunt

Holly studied Classics at Balliol College, Oxford, where she earned a BA and an MSt. She moved five minutes down the road to St Anne’s College during her DPhil, to teach papers on ancient Greek language and literature at this college. Upon completing her doctorate on Aristophanes and humour theory, she became a lecturer in Classical languages at Regent’s Park College (still, despite the name, in Oxford). Her interests encompass archaic and classical Greek literature, and the application of cognitive theory to reading ancient texts.

Fees

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses

Textbooks

To participate in the course you will need to buy, or have regular access to, the following books:

• JACT      Reading Greek: Grammar and Exercises, Cambridge University Press, 2007
• JACT      Reading Greek: Text and Vocabulary, Cambridge University Press, 2007

In addition to the course textbook, there will be additional learning resources made available for self-study and consolidation.
Please ensure you are able to access copies of any required textbooks prior to enrolling on a course but please keep in mind that courses with insufficient students enrolled will be cancelled. The Department accepts no responsibility for books bought in anticipation of a course running.

Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

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