Courses in Latin.

[For more information about major requirements, see Classical and Romance Languages and Literature]

Students who desire to begin or continue the study of Latin may have various reasons, practical or aesthetic. Latin is invaluable for understanding the English language and its literature and aids directly in the study of French, Spanish, other modern languages, comparative literature, and linguistics. It has basic application to science, medicine, and law as well as to archeology, art, and other humanistic studies. However, beyond all the utilitarian and theoretical justifications, the student of Latin can simply enjoy the challenges of learning and the rewards of reading a great literature.

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. Concentration 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. M. Imber, L. Maurizio.

201-202. Intermediate Latin. Introductory studies of Latin poetry (including metrics), prose, and culture, with further development of grammar and vocabulary through the readings. Representative selections from Ovid, Cicero, Livy, Pliny, or other authors. Open to students who have completed Latin 101-102 or its equivalent or who have had at least two years of Latin in secondary school. Open to first-year students. L. Maurizio, T. Hayward.

205. Ovid's Metamorphoses Transformed. Very soon after its publication, Ovid's Metamorphoses became the standard source for the stories of Greco-Roman mythology. This course traces (in English) the various retellings of some of those myths through medieval, Renaissance, and modern times, in Europe and the Americas, primarily in literary reworkings, but with some attention to art and music as well. Reading the Ovidian original in Latin is available to students with one or more years of Latin. This course is the same as Classical and Medieval Studies 205. Open to first-year students. T. Hayward.

301. Explorations in Latin Prose. This course introduces students to prose literature in Latin; it assumes a reading knowledge of the language. The course focuses on one of the major genres of Latin prose: historiography, philosophy, oratory, or theoretical writing in rhetoric and politics. It examines the style and rhetorical strategies of the writers, and explores the social and political perspectives of the authors considered. The course also includes student presentations in which ancient texts are analyzed in light of modern scholarship. Prerequisite(s): Latin 202. Open to first-year students. M. Imber.

360. Independent Study. Independent study of individually selected topics. Periodic conferences and papers are required. Permission of the department is required. Students are limited to one independent study per semester. Staff.

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.

365A. Silver Threads Among the Gold. Latin literature from about 70 B.C.E. to 150 C.E. has traditionally been divided into so-called "Golden" and "Silver" Ages. To what extent is this characterization valid? By reading, discussing, and writing about selected passages and works from the two eras in several genres, students come to their own conclusions (comparing them to those of other critics along the way). Prerequisite(s): Latin 201 and 202, or the equivalent, or four or more years of Latin in secondary school. Written permission of the instructor is required. T. Hayward.

401. Advanced Topics in Latin Prose. This course explores intensively a single author or work in the Latin classical canon. Students read complete or extensive selections from an author's work in a variety of genres. A course focusing on Tacitus, for example, considers his work as a writer of biography, history, and philosophical dialogues. In considering an authoršs achievements in each genre, students read translations of other Roman (and if appropriate, Greek) writers in these genres, as well as modern scholarship on the genre and author. Students prepare presentations on secondary scholarship and workshop their seminar papers for the course in class. Prerequisite(s): Latin 202. Recommended background: Classics 100 and Classical and Medieval Studies 206. M. Imber. Subject to adoption by the Faculty. First offered Fall 2000.

Short Term Units

s21. Readings in Latin Epic. This unit introduces students to two major Latin epics: Vergil, Aeneid, and Lucan, Pharsalia. These poems span a critical century during which Rome moved from republic to empire. Taken together, they provide insights into sharply changing views of the Roman state and of the poet's function within it. Students read both poems, together with relevant modern scholarship. The unit is taught in English, but a section of reading (and performance) in Latin is available for students with one or more years of Latin. This unit is the same as Classics s21. Enrollment limited to 15. D. O'Higgins.

s50. Individual Research. Registration in this unit is granted by the department only after the student has submitted a written proposal for a full-time research project to be completed during the Short Term and has secured the sponsorship of a member of the department to direct the study and evaluate results. Students are limited to one individual research unit. Staff.

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