Latin

Film & Discussion (FRE433)

2 CU, 2nd semester, French 3 or one semester elective is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt This advanced elective course is all about watching, analyzing, and discussing movies in French. Thematically, the course focuses on coming of age stories and the many ways filmmakers have depicted the experience of being a child, an adolescent, and a young adult. Since the core of this course is discussion and film analysis, students will learn and hone both their analytical and conversational French skills. Students will be introduced to a large variety of French language films from the famed New Wave of the 1960s to the many excellent films of the 2000s and 2010s. Films may include, among many others, Persepolis, La Haine, and Bande de filles. All discussions and work submitted for this course will be in French. Students will be expected to actively engage in class discussion of the films, give oral presentations that lead the class in close analysis of a movie clip, write short reflective and/or analytical essays, and prepare a final creative and/or analytical final project.

Latin 2 (LAT201)

4 CU, the equivalent of a first-year Latin course is a prerequisite Using the reading/translation method, students complete their study of morphology and syntax, increase their vocabulary, and are exposed to all advanced grammatical structures. In addition, students sharpen their skills in analytical reading and sight-translation. Foremost among the points of grammar are subordinate clauses in indirect statement and the subjunctive mood. Through a wide selection of readings, students also advance their knowledge of Roman culture. Supplementing the course is an analysis of Classics in cinema. Latin 3 (LAT301)

4 CU, Latin 2 is a prerequisite Students begin formal exploration of Latin literature with a view toward reading independently and enjoying Latin prose and poetry in the original. The first three quarters of the course are spent translating The Millionaire’s Dinner Party, adapted selections of The Satyricon by Petronius Arbiter (AD 27-66), one of the first novels in Western literature. This course stresses the accuracy and quality of written and oral translation, for it requires the final acquisition of all the grammatical and syntactical fundamentals learned in Latin 1 and 2 as well as the capacity to retain and use them in their entirety. In the fourth quarter, students translate and analyze selections from the poet Catullus (84-54 B.C.).

Upper Level Advanced Latin Seminar Courses

The content of the advanced Latin seminar courses forms a foundation of an appreciation of Latin literature and Roman history and culture. Authors will be presented on a rotating basis. In alternate years, the courses will prepare students for the AP exam by covering selections from Julius Caesar’s de Bello Gallico and Vergil’s Aeneid. In other years, students will read selections from a variety of poets and prose authors including Terence, Horace, Ovid, Pliny the Younger, and Suetonius. Translation skills, both verbal and written, will be stressed, as well as the thorough identification and evaluation of syntax and rhetorical devices. Of equal importance will be literary analysis and discussion of the texts and their place in Western literature.

Selected Letters of Pliny the Younger (LAT411)

2 CU, 1st semester, Latin 3 is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt. This course will next be offered in 2022-23 In this advanced elective, students will translate and analyze selected letters of Pliny the Younger (AD 62-113) whose work belongs to the Silver Age of Latin literature. Pliny’s correspondence chronicles the fashionable, intellectual and civil life of his day, and deals with a wide variety of subjects, including the description of a Roman villa, a dinner party, the acquisition of a piece of statuary, Pliny’s love for his young wife, ghost stories, floating islands, and other marvels. By far, the best known and most important are two letters describing the famous eruption of Vesuvius, in which his uncle perished, and a letter to the emperor Trajan on his attempts to suppress Christianity. In addition to tests and quizzes, students will be expected to present two reports commenting on aspects of the letters.

Ovid’s Metamorphoses (LAT 415)

2 CU, 2nd semester, Latin 3 is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Silva Students will translate selected readings from the Metamorphoses. A literal but polished verbal and written translation will be emphasized. Students will examine the syntax, rhetorical devices, meter, and style of Ovid’s poetry with a view toward a comprehensive literary analysis. Students will also consider how the myths told by Ovid symbolize the human condition. In addition, students will analyze Ovid’s influence on Western culture, with special attention to art and literature. As an enhancement to their learning, students will present a report in the form of an extended commentary of a literary, archaeological, or historical aspect of the text. Julius Caesar’s Gallic War (LAT413)

2 CU, 1st semester, Latin 3 is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt. This course will next be offered in 2021-22 Students will translate from Books I-VI of Caesar’s Commentarii de Bello Gallico. Sections of the Latin not translated will be read in English. Literal but polished verbal and written translation will be emphasized. Students will examine the syntax, rhetorical devices, and style of Caesar’s prose with a view toward a comprehensive literary and historical analysis. Course work will include two critical essays and a presentation. Students planning on taking the AP Latin exam in May should also take Advanced Latin in the spring and may be required to complete additional work beyond the course requirements.

Vergil’s Aeneid (LAT414)

2 CU, 2nd semester, Latin 3 is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt. This course will next be offered in 2021-22 Students will translate from Books I-VI of Vergil’s Aeneid. Sections of the Latin not translated will be read in English. Literal but polished verbal and written translation will be emphasized. Students will examine the syntax, rhetorical devices, meter, and style of Vergil’s poetry with a view toward a comprehensive literary analysis. Course work will include two critical essays and a presentation. Students taking the AP Latin exam in May should also have taken Advanced Latin first semester and may be required to complete additional work beyond the course requirements.