ATAR Notes: Forum
Uni Stuff => Universities - Victoria => University of Melbourne => Topic started by: 90+FTW on November 28, 2013, 01:02:25 am
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Hey, so I have applied to Melbourne University for 2014 (just finished VCE), and I was hoping to study Latin. JUST LATIN. However, the subject "Classics" only provides Latin AND Greek, which I do want to do. Is there any way around this?
Thank you
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If the subject is "Classics" (which I just had a google search and I can't find any subject by that name in the Arts faculty) comprises of Latin and Green, you can't just choose to learn the Latin part.
I mean, you can, but then you'd fail because you don't know half the content of the subject.
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If the subject is "Classics" (which I just had a google search and I can't find any subject by that name in the Arts faculty) comprises of Latin and Green, you can't just choose to learn the Latin part.
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Ugh, I really only need Latin. See, I'm hoping to study at Oxford in 2017 and only one of my prerequisites requires me to be studying Latin. Greek is not a component :(
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BTW, isn't Law at Oxford a postgraduate course? As in a JD?
EDIT: Yeah, it's ugrad.
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I'm fairly sure Latin has been added as a language at UoM :) Check the handbook, but I'm almost certain you can study Latin as a standalone subject in a language sequence! I must say I think the requirement for Latin (a dead language, too) to study modern law is a little pretentious, but I guess it helps with all those unusual terms used in the profession.
(Also, I'm not a mod and I'm not going to pretend to be all knowledgeable and authoritative, but you should probs ask these questions in the main chat so the forum doesn't fill up with 2 reply threads)
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1. There is no such requirement.
2. Law at Oxford is entirely at the undergraduate level (unless you already hold a law degree)
3. Seems like a strange decision to study law there.
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Law at UoM is fine + cheaper (if you can get in), it's like the 5th best in the world or something and you don't even have to do undergraduate law subjects.
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1. There is no such requirement.
2. Law at Oxford is entirely at the undergraduate level (unless you already hold a law degree)
3. Seems like a strange decision to study law there.
I don't even think oxford law is a law degree as such. Pretty sure it's a BA majoring in jurisprudence which in the UK qualifies for practice as a lawyer. I wonder if such a degree qualifies for practice in Australia.
And yeh, no need to know Latin OP, not sure where you got the idea you needed Latin http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/courses/courses_and_entrance_requirements/table.html
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There is no such requirement.
It's not specifically for that. My option to study at Oxford has been a dream of mine for 13 years, my mother studied there and I intend to as well. Oh, and I have spoken to the professors there at Oxford (I went there in 2010) and they have told me that studying Latin - particularity for the sections that I want to do, would give me a greater chance of being accepted. They consider it a requirement.
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I don't even think oxford law is a law degree as such. Pretty sure it's a BA majoring in jurisprudence which in the UK qualifies for practice as a lawyer. I wonder if such a degree qualifies for practice in Australia.
It's the post graduate for the BCL (during my years at Melbourne for the JD)
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(Also, I'm not a mod and I'm not going to pretend to be all knowledgeable and authoritative, but you should probs ask these questions in the main chat so the forum doesn't fill up with 2 reply threads)
I think it's fine for very specific questions (: That's what the sub-forum is for.
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I'm confused, aren't there plenty of 'just' Latin subjects? Eg. Latin 1, 2, 3, 4 etc depending on your level of Latin knowledge?
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There is no stand alone classics major, though you don't have to do Ancient Greek to satisfy the requirements of the major if you haven't previously studied Latin.
To satisfy the major and avoid taking ancient Greek, you need to take a level two and a level three ancient worlds studies subject. Which really, for somebody doing classics, should be done anyway as it provides a context to the study of Latin or Ancient Greek.
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OP have you heard about the dual Melbourne JD/Oxford BCL program - it's another option you might want to look into. http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/index.cfm?objectid=3F02C070-C94B-11E0-9EB4005056A2652C
You'd be better off studying more than just Latin, and a lot of courses allow you to take Latin with whatever they're doing very easily.
I know a lot of people that are thinking of studying a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics during undergrad with the intention of studying post-grad law. ANU offers a Bachelor of PPE, and you could take Latin as an elective. It's popular at Oxbridge as a very broad undergrad degree, from what I've heard.
You could honestly do any undergrad degree and take Latin as a breadth or elective, and just study whatever you're interested in before applying to Oxford. I think doing Classical Studies or subjects under the PPE aren't prerequisites, but have just been looked upon favourably as pre-law majors traditionally. It's good to have a broad range of skills to complement the multi-disciplinary nature of law, as I'm sure you've been told many times.
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Right -- just to make sure I get you, you want to do BA at UoM, then JD, then the one-year BCL? Art Vandelay's suggestion sounds to me the best.
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>90+FTW
I'm going to ignore questions about whether you actually need to study Latin, since you know your own situation better than we do.
You can study Latin without undertaking a classics major. As other have suggested, take it as an elective.
Talk to your faculty office to see how many elective slots you have open. Then go see one of the lecturers in Classics and Archaeology - i think Dr. Wurster coordinates the beginner Latin units, but all the staff in C&A are quite approachable and helpful. If you want to take Latin to a level where you can read texts fairly confidently, you're probably looking at 3-4 units, but explain your needs to the staff and ask their advice.
You can find all the contact info on the School of Historical and Philosophical studies website http://classics-archaeology.unimelb.edu.au/.
If I were you, I would take the intensive Latin offered in january. you get 1 year's worth out of the way in 7 weeks and get 25 points towards your degree. It's hard, but worth it.
If you find you can't fit Latin into your degree, there are other ways to learn it - you have 3 years of undergrad before you get to Oxford! You could get a tutor.
You could enrol in Latin under the Community Access Program at UoM, and still get an official transcript, but without it taking up slots in your degree (this costs $$$).
You could study independently with the help of the UoM Latin reading groups or one of several of the online Latin study groups (eg. http://www.quasillum.com/study/latinstudy.php ).
The CAE also offers a slowly-paced Latin class which will get you there in 3 years, but these options have the downside that you won't have a transcript to show Oxford.