"Literae Humaniores" (literally, "the more humane letters") is the name given to an undergraduate course focused on Classics (Latin and ancient Greek) at the University of Oxford.
While the Latin expression means literally "more humane letters", it is perhaps better rendered as "Advanced Studies", since humaniores has the "sense" (as Grice would not have it) of "more refined" or "more learned", and literae means "learning" or "liberal education".
It is the archetypal Humanities course -- and Grice had it.
The University of Oxford's classics course — also known as "Greats" — is divided into two parts, lasting
-- first part ('mods' -- or Honour Moderations -- five terms and
-- second part: seven terms respectively
-- the whole lasting four years in total, which is one year more than most "B. A." degrees at Oxford.
The course of studies now leads to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree.
Throughout, there is a strong emphasis on first-hand study of primary sources in the original Greek AND Latin.
In the first part
-- Honour Moderations or "mods" -- students concentrate on Latin and Greek.
In the second part, students choose
8 "papers" from the varied disciplines of
Classical Literature,
Greek, and
Roman history,
---> Philosophy (THIS IS WHAT H. P. GRICE CHOSE),
Archaeology, and Linguistics.
The teaching style is very traditional and consists of WEEKLY tutorials (in Grice's case, by Hardie) in each of the TWO main subjects chosen, supplemented by a wide variety of lectures.
The main teaching mechanism remains the weekly essay, one on each of the two main chosen subjects, typically written to be read out at a one-to-one tutorial.
This affords all students plenty of practice at writing short, clear, and well-researched papers.
Despite recent changes, there is still a strong emphasis on study of the original texts (as per the Loeb Classical Library) in Latin and Greek, which are examined by prepared translation and by gobbet.
In a typical "text" paper candidates will be expected:
first, to translate -- into ENGLISH; hence Grice's mastery of "English ordinary language philosophy", or "linguistic botanising" -- three or four long passages selected by the examiners from the set books.
secondly, to comment on each of an extended set of short paragraphs or sentences from the same set texts.
Marks are awarded for recognising the context and the significance of each excerpt.
The "mods" course runs for the first five terms of the whole course.
The traditional aim was for students to develop their ability to read fluently in Latin (especially the Aeneid of Virgil) and Greek (concentrating on the Iliad and the Odyssey) -- but Grice had done all that at CLIFTON, so he could concentrate on the philosophy.
This remains the case today, but the course has changed to reflect the continuing decline in the numbers of applicants who have had the opportunity to study Greek and Latin at school.
Since the early 1970s, it has been possible to BEGIN learning Greek during the preparation for Mods (an option originally called "Mods-B", the brain child of John Griffiths of Jesus).
More recently, due to the omission of Latin and Greek from the National Curriculum introduced in 1988, options have been added for those without Latin either.
There are now five alternative paths through Mods.
"The Faculty of Classics" --
cfr. Grice's favourite: the "Sub-Faculty of Philosophy".
This leaves the colleges (such as Grice's -- Corpus Christi) free to concentrate on teaching
classical literature, history, and philosophy.
The "Honour Moderations" examination has a reputation as something of an ordeal.
Until recently it consisted of 11 or 12 three-hour papers set across seven consecutive days, though this has now been modified.
Students now take 10 or 11 three-hour papers across seven or eight days.
Candidates for Classical Mods still face a much larger number of exams than undergraduates reading for most other degrees at Oxford sit for their Mods, Prelims or even, in many cases, Finals.
Students who successfully pass "Honour Moderations" may then go on to study the full Greats course in their remaining seven terms.
Those choosing a 'Course II' version of the course are expected to read as many of their Finals texts in the original of their chosen language as those on Course I.
There is, moreover, the option of studying the second Classical language as two papers at Finals.
The traditional Greats course consisted of detailed study of
-- (a) Roman and Greek History
and
-- (b) Philosophy,
-- both
"Ancient" (Plato and Aristotle) and
"Modern" (such as Kant).
-- (c)
In 1968 a new course in "Latin and Greek LITERATURE" was added, and students chose two of these THREE options.
Since then, various combined courses have also been developed, including Classics & Modern Languages, Ancient & Modern History, and Classical Archæology & Ancient History (CAAH).
In 2004 the full Lit. Hum. course was revised.
Students examined since 2008 now choose eight papers from a wide range of subject areas.
(a) "period" papers ranging from the
pre-history of Greece to the first Flavian emperors in Rome.
Or
(b) "topic" papers, on such subjects as
Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient World or
Athenian democracy.
from "ancient" -- Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics -- to "modern" philosophers, such as Kant and Wittgenstein.
- ----- this was what Grice did -- and what he continued teaching throughout his life, focusing on "Kantotle" (or "Ariskant")
III) Ancient LITERATURE — including "core" papers on mainstream Greek and Latin texts, plus various individual authors and other topics
Students must take at least four papers based on the study of ancient texts in the original Latin or Greek -- say, a Latin commentary on a Greek text by the ancient Plato or Aristotle.
Otherwise they can choose what they want, provided only that if they offer literature papers, they must offer the appropriate "core" papers too, and if they choose to offer "period" papers in history then they must offer one of the approved combinations.
In the past it was compulsory also to offer papers in unprepared translation from Latin and Greek into English.
These papers counted "below the line" — candidates were required to pass them, but they did not otherwise affect the overall class of the degree.
This requirement has now been dropped, and it is possible to pass Greats without offering any unprepared translation papers.
The formerly optional prose and verse composition papers (English into Latin and Greek) have been removed from the Greats syllabus entirely.
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