[Classical and Romance Languages and Literatures]

The study of Greek and Latin language has practical and professional benefits. Graduate programs in English and modern languages, for example, frequently require reading knowledge of either Greek or Latin, and professional programs in law and medicine often favor applicants who have studied an ancient language. Studying either Greek or Latin not only offers insight into English vocabulary but also leads to understanding how languages work and hence to improving one's own writing skills and logical thinking. While these practical and professional benefits make the study of Greek or Latin valuable, they do not capture the pleasures and rewards of such study. The inspiration of poets, philosophers, holy men and women, kings and queens—Greek and Latin words have been and continue to be catalysts for some of the most influential intellectual and political movements in Western civilization. The study of Greek and Latin words is the most compelling and intimate way to learn about the civilizations of Greece, Rome, and their cultural offspring, Europe and the Americas. Ancient languages are the royal road to a complicated and vital past that, for better or worse, still haunts our present.

Courses at the 200 and 300 level have been created for second-, third-, and fourth-year students. Students who have had only one year of college-level Greek or Latin at Bates or the equivalent at another institution should register for the 200-level course. All other students should register for the 300-level course. During some semesters, second-year students may meet separately from upper-division students. Other semesters, students will meet collectively for two of three classes per week and divide into smaller groups to accommodate their individual needs. All courses focus on improving language skills (developing vocabulary, increasing reading comprehension, and learning meter if appropriate) as well as exploring the historical context of the author(s) studied.

Cross-listed Courses. Note that unless otherwise specified, when a department/program references a course or unit in the department/program, it includes courses and units cross-listed with the department/program.

Latin Courses

LATN 101-102. Elementary Latin. A humanistic introduction to classical Latin vocabulary, forms, and syntax, with special emphasis on reading the actual words of ancient authors. Relations to English grammar and etymology are stressed. The course concentrates on Latin-English translation, with some English-Latin composition. Latin 101 is not open to students with two or more years of Latin in secondary school. Normally offered every year. M. Imber, L. Maurizio.

LATN 201. Prose of the Empire. The persecution of Christians, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and Nero's fiddle are the topics of the diverse literature of the Roman Empire. Students read letters, philosophical treatises, histories, and novels from the likes of Tacitus, Seneca, Pliny, and Suetonius. Prerequisite(s): Latin 101 and 102. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. T. Hayward.

LATN 202. Poetry of the Empire. From Ovid's fables of women turning into trees to Lucan's descriptions of battles and Seneca's drama of Thyestes who feasts on his sons, the tumultuous events of the Roman Empire find strange expression in the poets who could not write openly about the cruelties of their emperors. Students read the works of Ovid, Seneca, Lucan, Statius, and Martial. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. D. O'Higgins.

LATN 203. Republican Prose. The Roman Republic was imagined to be the result of fratricide and rape. Caesar crossed the Rubicon and Cicero's hands and ears were cut off and then hung in the Forum. The course explores the social, political, and religious foundations as well as the violence of the Roman Republic through the eyes of authors such as Livy, Cato, Cicero, Sallust, and Caesar. Prerequisite(s): Latin 101 and 102. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. H. Walker.

LATN 204. Republican Poetry. Why do slaves always have the leading roles in Roman comedy? Was Aeneas pious or power-hungry? Did Lesbia really have three hundred lovers? The Roman Republic was explained, celebrated, criticized, and ignored in the works of its poets. The course answers why and how through a study of such writers as Plautus, Catullus, Virgil, and Horace. Prerequisite(s): Latin 101 and 102. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. T. Hayward.

LATN 301. Prose of the Empire: Advanced. This course covers the same material as Latin 201, but is designed for students who have completed two or more years of college-level Latin. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. T. Hayward.

LATN 302. Poetry of the Empire: Advanced. This course covers the same material as Latin 202, but is designed for students who have completed two or more years of college-level Latin. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. D. O'Higgins.

LATN 303. Republican Prose: Advanced. This course covers the same material as Latin 203, but is designed for students who have completed two or more years of college-level Latin. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. H. Walker.

LATN 304. Republican Poetry: Advanced. This course covers the same material as Latin 204, but is designed for students who have completed two or more years of college-level Latin. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. T. Hayward.

LATN 360. Independent Study. Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester. Normally offered every semester. Staff.

LATN 365. Special Topics. Designed for the small seminar group of students who may have particular interests in areas of study that go beyond the regular course offerings. Periodic conferences and papers are required. Written permission of the instructor is required. Staff.

Short Term Units

LATN s20. Intensive Latin. This unit offers students an intensive, Short Term version of Latin 101-102, including principles of Latin grammar, morphology, syntax, and diction. The class meets five days a week, for four hours each day. Students complete all of the textbook, Intensive Latin by Moreland and Fleischer, during the first four weeks of the Short Term, and spend the final week translating passages of Latin prose and poetry. The unit is intended both for students who have developed an interest in classics over the course of the fall and winter terms, but did not have the opportunity to take Latin 101-102, and for students who wish to study Latin to support their work in other majors (e.g., history, art history, English). By the end of the unit, students are prepared to enter Latin 201 in the fall. Offered with varying frequency. M. Imber.

LATN s50. Independent Study. Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term. Normally offered every year. Staff.

[Classical and Romance Languages and Literatures]