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Latin
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. Advanced Latin Seminar: The Eruption of Vesuvius: Then and Now (LAT416)
2 CU, 1st semester, Latin 3 is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt. Because of the abundance of material remains, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii in AD 79 have captured our imagination for more than two centuries. It is no wonder that it has become the epitome of a cataclysmic natural disaster. This course examines what six Roman poets and prose authors said and thought about this event, one of whom (Pliny the Younger) experienced the disaster firsthand. In addition to textual analysis, the course investigates additional aspects of the eruption’s influence including archeology, literature, history, art history, volcanology, film, and popular culture.
2 CU, 2nd semester, Latin 3 is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt 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.
