Duration
15h Th, 30h Pr, 5d FT Tr. Pr.
Number of credits
| Bachelor in history | 10 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long, with partial in January
If a student fails an examination during the first term:
- They are permitted to resit the assessed subject during the second term (May-June);
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The 2026-2027 seminar will focus on the late Roman Republic, the era of the imperatores (133-30 B.C.).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of this seminar, students should be able to:
- identify and critically engage with relevant modern scholarship to address a research topic in the history of Greco-Roman antiquity.
- to independently compile a corpus of sources relevant to a research topic in the history of Greco-Roman antiquity.
- to analyze the sources used from a historical perspective and based on the original text (for Latin sources).
- independently write, in correct French, a short personal research paper on a research topic in the history of Greco-Roman antiquity.
- orally present, in correct French, the results of their research.
- (re)translate Latin texts whose translations have been prepared at home and corrected in class.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
To take this course, students must have a solid knowledge of Latin.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course will alternate between:
1. ex cathedra lecture segments.
2. Workshops on historical commentaries on ancient (translated) sources.
3. Latin translation and grammar exercises.
Independent study, at home and in the library, will involve:
- familiarising oneself with the material in the recommended handbook (see below).
- working regularly on the preparation of one's personal research project.
- preparing historical commentaries on ancient (translated) sources.
- producing Latin translations.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
The all year seminar will take place weekly:
- Q1: Monday, 9.00-10.30 am -A4 Salle du conseil histoire (2/2) [Liège city centre - 20-Août].
- Q2: Thursday, 10.00-11.30 - A4 R30 (0/2) [Liège city centre - 20-Août].
Some sessions will be cancelled, with independent study to be carried out in the library.
An educational trip may be organised in Q2.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Recommended handbook: Chr. Badel, La République romaine, Paris, PUF, 2017 (part 3).
Course materials handed out in class or uploaded to Ecampus.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam AND oral exam
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Other : Oral defence of the research project
Further information:
For the January midterms, the assessment will be based on a written progress report, of at least 5 pages, on the student's individual research project (state of the art, presentation of the corpus, and detailed analysis of one of the sources), to be submitted on the first day of the January exam period.
If the January midterm grade is = 10/20, it will count for 10% of the overall grade; if the grade is < 10/20 in January, the overall grade will be based entirely on the May/June assessment (or on the August/September assessment, in the event of failure in May/June).
This interim assessment is intended to assist and properly guide students in the completion of their individual research project.
The May/June assessment (and the August/September assessment in the event of failure in May/June) will be based on:
- a short, written, and individual research paper related to the seminar's theme, which must be submitted on the first day of the exam period and then defended orally: 50% of the overall mark.
- on a historical commentary on a translated source not covered in class and relating to the seminar's theme (written exam): 30% of the overall mark if the January midterm mark is = 10/20; 40% of the overall mark if the January midterm mark is < 10/20.
- on the (re)translation of one of the Latin texts translated during the year, with possible grammar questions on the (re)translated passage (oral exam, with preparation time): 10% of the overall mark.
- an introduction with :
- a review of the literature
- a presentation of the research question
- a critical presentation of the corpus of sources studied
- a conclusion
- a comprehensive and up-to-date bibliography.
In terms of format, the written, individual research paper for the Seminar in Criticism must meet the following requirements:
- 15 pages (bibliography not included)
- 12-point font
- 1.5 line spacing
- 2.5 cm margins
- The critical apparatus must be particularly well-prepared, and bibliographic references must be standardized (see guidelines here: http://web.philo.ulg.ac.be/bibliohist/references-bibliographiques/).
- The text must be written in impeccable French (spelling, verb conjugation, syntax, punctuation, etc.).
The student's regular and diligent participation in the seminar and completion of the assignments required throughout the year will be taken into account in the evaluation, as will their level of proficiency in French (syntax, punctuation, verb conjugation, grammar, spelling, etc.).
WARNING REGARDING GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (GenAI)
In order to ensure the acquisition of the historical skills specified in the learning objectives and in accordance with the institutional charter - which allows each degree programme to establish a more restrictive framework than the default framework it defines - the only permitted uses of a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool, subject to the explicit consent of the course lecturer, are:
- the use of GenAI for the purposes of formal language refinement, i.e. exclusively for spelling and grammatical correction, excluding any formulation or re-formulation;
- the use of GenAI for the translation of modern languages;
- the use of GenAI for the translation of ancient languages - solely in cases where no academic translation exists, and excluding exercises (in class or at home) and examination papers consisting specifically of translating a text from Latin or Ancient Greek, for which any use of GenAI is strictly prohibited.
As the use of an GenAI always entails the responsibility of the person using it, students must take full responsibility for any translation or correction they rely on and must duly disclose any such use of GenAI.
Furthermore, such use must always be approved in advance by the course lecturer and must be accompanied by a critical methodological note on the relevance and procedures for this technical use of an GenAI tool.
In any written work, the student must therefore declare on their honour, in an introductory note:
- either that they have made no use of GenAI;
- or that they have used it, strictly within the limits specified above.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Tenured teacher: Yann Berthelet - yann.berthelet@uliege.be