This module offers an introduction to Latin alongside the study of Roman culture and literature in translation. You'll learn the fundamentals of the language through adapted readings from Livy, supported by tailored online resources. At the same time, you'll explore key texts by authors such as Virgil, Ovid and Horace, examining them through literary, cultural and historical perspectives. Centred on the theme of Roman identity and exemplarity, the module considers how Romans understood their origins and values during a time of great change. You'll reflect on questions like how translation affects our interpretation of ancient literature and culture.
This module provides an in-depth study of the Latin language and of Roman culture and literature, focusing on the Augustan period (mid-first century BCE to early first century CE) and the works of authors such as Livy, Virgil, Ovid and Horace. Approximately half of your study time will be spent reading Latin literature in translation and studying its historical and cultural contexts. The rest of your time will be devoted to studying the Latin language so that you can start to appreciate these texts in their original language.
The module assumes no prior knowledge of Latin – or any language other than English – and starts from beginner’s level. You'll begin to read Latin texts and learn the principles of Latin grammar using teaching materials which have been written especially for adult distance learners. From the outset, you will read short pieces of Latin adapted from Livy’s History of Rome. These texts will introduce you to some of the most fascinating and famous episodes of early Roman myth and history, from the story of Romulus and Remus to the war with Hannibal. Supported by careful explanations of the grammar and vocabulary, they will gradually increase in complexity.
You will also be set a variety of exercises and quizzes which will allow you to develop and test your understanding of Latin grammar and syntax. Some will be part of your print materials, while others will be accessed through our suite of online language learning tools, which include interactive grammar quizzes, vocabulary testers and a ‘Story Explorer’. The module provides you with resources that cover all the key principles of Latin grammar so that by the end of the module, you should be able to read fairly complex texts. Learning Latin is challenging, but it is also immensely rewarding and will equip you with the skills you need to begin to experience these ancient texts first-hand.
Alongside the language, you will explore further aspects of Augustan literature and culture in depth. In each study week, you’ll read (in translation) extracts of Augustan literature to develop your skills in close reading and interpreting poetry and prose, as well as deepening your understanding of the historical and cultural contexts of the literature. The thematic focus of this literary and cultural study is on Roman identity and exemplarity. Taking a cue from the stories from Livy that you'll be translating, the module explores the ways in which Livy and his contemporary Augustan authors were preoccupied with the question of what it meant to be Roman. Augustan authors made use of stories about Rome’s origins to grapple with enormous questions about their place in the world: How did Rome come to be? What does it mean to be Roman? And how should Romans behave? There were political motivations behind these questions, too, with some authors writing in service of the new Augustan regime (which replaced the centuries-old Republican government with an emperor as a sole ruler) and others reacting strongly against it.
After laying down some foundations in Block 1, which focuses primarily on Livy, Blocks 2 and 3 will explore this theme in more depth. You will read and study excerpts from a diverse range of Augustan texts – including Virgil’s Aeneid, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars, and the poetry of Horace and Propertius – alongside key examples of Augustan art and visual culture. Audio features and interviews with leading scholars in this area will enhance your understanding of this theme.
Throughout the module, you’ll also be encouraged to make connections between this literature and your study of the language. You’ll be carefully guided to look at bits of ‘real Latin’ from an early stage in the module, showing what can be gained from an awareness of the original language. At the same time, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on the different challenges and opportunities faced by modern translators of Latin and to think about the role that the Latin language – often wrongly presumed to be dead or defunct – continues to play in the modern world.
This is an OU level 2 module, which builds on the OU level 1 module Discovering the arts and humanities (A111), and either Cultures (A112) or Revolutions (A113). These modules offer an introduction to the range of subjects in the arts and humanities. They will also help you to develop some of the skills which will be important, such as logical thinking, clear expression, and the ability to construct an argument. Although we recommend that you study these modules before A276, an OU level 1 language module also provides suitable preparation. If you have not studied at university level before, you are strongly advised to study at OU level 1 before progressing to OU level 2 study.
Whilst you don’t require any knowledge of the Latin language, this module does demand consistent work and commitment from the beginning, plus an interest in how languages work and readiness to develop the skills required to successfully learn a language would be a strong advantage.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
The specially prepared interactive website, Introducing Classical Latin is recommended as preparatory work for this module. You may also find it useful to work through the Discovering Ancient Greek and Latin course on OpenLearn.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
The tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) test your progress with the Latin language and your understanding of literary and cultural topics (which you study in translation). Language-testing TMAs help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. These combine short-answer questions with the translation of simple Latin stories into English, testing the skills you are taught in the module. Your understanding of the literary and cultural elements of the module is tested by short essays and ‘close reading’ questions requiring you to comment on short extracts of Latin prose and poetry (in translation). All of these areas will also be assessed in the examination at the end of the module.
You’ll be provided with three printed module books, along with a Readings and Resources Book and a Language Reference Book. You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying A276 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Classical Latin: the language of ancient Rome starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2028.
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