54 Classics Department Course Descriptions

Latin I

This course serves as a rapid introduction to Latin for high school students who have never studied the language. Students learn the basics of Latin in a year, and then they are prepared to join more advanced courses in subsequent years. Latin Essentials will introduce the student to the fundamentals of classical Latin. Students will be taught the elements of Latin grammar: morphology (forms of words), syntax (how words relate to each other in a sentence) as well as basic vocabulary (meaning). Through classroom drills and exercises, the course focuses on building recognition of the elements of grammar by reading short, simple sentences, eventually moving on toward reading more complex sentences and lengthier passages.

Latin II

This course serves two purposes. During the first semester, students review the essentials of Latin and develop a shared vocabulary for analyzing Latin grammar and literature. Later in the year, students begin to read extended passages of Julius Caesar.

Latin III

This course offers an introduction to Vergil’s Aeneid, focusing on readings from the first half of the epic. Now that students are more familiar with Latin prose, they learn about poetic aspects of Latin including meter, rhetorical figures of speech, poetic vocabulary and syntax. Students also begin to interpret Latin texts as literature, both in class and in writing.

Advanced Latin IV: Ovid

In this course, we will read selections from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The Metamorphoses—Tales of Transformation—is Ovid’s most enduring—and arguably—the most widely read work of Ovid. It is in this great work that Ovid adapts and creates anew tales from Greek mythology. We will read Deucalion and Pyrrha; Cupid, Apollo, and Daphne; Pyramus and Thisbe; Daedalus and Icarus; Orpheus and Eurydice; and Pygmalion. This selection shows Ovid at his best: his wit, charm, and humor shine through in all of these tales. If you are a fan of mythology, this is your chance to read and enjoy some of the great stories from mythology! (Prerequisite: Latin III, aka Vergil)

Advanced Latin IV: Catullus

In this course, students will read the poetry of Catullus, a Republican Roman writer. Catullus innovated in many types of Latin poetry, and we will consider him as a love poet, a writer of invective, a travel poet, a metaliterary writer, and also as the author of religious and ceremonial poetry. Students will also read (in English) some of the earlier poets who inspired Catullus as well as some of the later writers who drew inspiration from him. (Prerequisite: Latin III, aka Vergil)

Advanced Latin IV: Horace and the Art of Poetry

In this course, we will examine the evolution of poetry as a genre, as well as an art form. By reading works that deal with the “theory” of poetry, we will discuss the following: What makes a poem a poem? How does poetry differ from prose? Can poetry really revolutionize the world? Are poets truly, the unacknowledged legislators of the world? After addressing these and other related questions, we will then move on to read Satire 1.9, and selections from the Odes of Horace, perhaps Rome’s most profound poet. Works to be read in English: selections of ancient literary criticism (by Horace and others); Sidney’s Defense of Poesy; and Shelley’s Defense of Poetry. (Prerequisite: Latin III, aka Vergil)

Advanced Latin IV: Cicero and Roman Law

In 62 BCE, Cicero, the most successful lawyer of his time, represented an immigrant Greek poet, Archias, in a trial about citizenship. Cicero’s defense of Archias offers high-minded praise of the value of literature, but it also reveals the dirty politics and anti-immigrant sentiments of mid-century Rome. We will use the speech as a jumping off point to learn about Roman law, rhetoric, and immigration. (Prerequisite: Latin III, aka Vergil)

Advanced Latin V: Death and Dying

In this course, students will explore philosophical approaches to death and dying in ancient Rome. Students will discuss and write about how Romans understood death, ancient conceptions of the soul, attitudes toward the dead, the afterlife, importance of burial and funerary rites, and the violence of death. This course will begin with selections from Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura, and will also include texts from Horace, Seneca, Cicero, and others.

(Prerequisite: Latin IV, aka Latin Poetry)

Advanced Latin V: Epic Poetry

In this course, students will revisit the Aeneid but this time focus on the second half of the poem. Students will translate, discuss, and write about key scenes primarily in books 7, 10, 11, and 12. Selections from Homer’s Iliad will also be read in translation. At the end of the semester, there will be the well-known Vergil Academy, where students discuss one of their papers with university professors for this course. (Prerequisite: Latin IV, aka Latin Poetry)

Advanced Latin V: Sex and Power in Ancient Rome

This course will explore ancient Roman attitudes toward love and sexual behavior. Students will discuss and write about themes of renewal, rebirth, transformation, sexuality, infidelity, and sexual violence. Primary sources for this course will be from a variety of genres and texts. Possible authors include: Catullus, Apuleius, Seneca, Petronius, and Ovid. Students will also read selected Greek texts in English translation. (Prerequisite: Latin IV, aka Latin Poetry)

Advanced Latin V: Apuleius

In this course, students will read selections from Apuleius’s Metamorphoses, the only complete surviving Roman novel. Born in north Africa, Apuleius studied Platonic philosophy in Athens, taught Rhetoric in Rome, and then returned to the city of his birth, Madaurus. His Metamorphoses chronicles the surreal adventures of Lucius who is transformed into a donkey and then spends most of the story trying to regain his humanity. The novel blends elements of comedy, tragedy, and epic and features scenes with magic, mystery rites, pirates, public spectacles, and more. (Prerequisite: Latin IV, aka Latin Poetry)

Greek I

This course begins the study of ancient Greek with a focus on basic forms, vocabulary, and syntax. Students also read selections of real Greek literature, and these readings provide glimpses of ancient Greek culture and history.

Greek II

In this course, students finish learning the basics of ancient Greek, and they begin to read longer selections of Greek literature. Readings vary, but Plato, Homer, and Herodotus are common.

Greek III

In this course, students dive more deeply into a few Greek authors and genres. The selections are usually made based on the interest of the group, but examples from the recent past include Euripides, the Greek New Testament, Homer, and Plato.

Classics in Translation: Philosophy/ The Good Life

This elective offers students who have not studied Latin or ancient Greek languages the opportunity to read ancient literature in English. The focus of the course is on ancient answers to the question: “What is a good life?” Particular authors include Aristotle, Epicurus, Pyrrho, and Augustine.

Computer Science Department Course Descriptions

Computer Science students learn how to connect the virtual world with the physical world as they interact with a wide variety of software applications, programming languages, and hardware platforms. The creative application of computing/ coding is emphasized, as well as the in-depth study of important concepts in computational thinking and problem solving. Computer Science courses value computing as a powerful interdisciplinary toolset, one that should be used to benefit the human condition in a responsible and ethical manner. Students learn sophisticated techniques for building larger and larger projects, with planning, prototyping, documentation, and testing as essential design requirements. Our Computer Science department takes a humanistic approach to engineering, placing a profound emphasis on both interpersonal communication and the use of an introspective lens in feedback-driven iterative development.

Students begin their study of Computer Science by interacting with a wide variety of software applications and programming languages. They model important patterns in computational thinking by creating interdisciplinary projects in a wide variety of media. Students learn to progressively “color outside of the lines” with technology by creating their own version of an existing digital tool, eventually designing their own tools from concept to completion. Students leave the Computer Science program being fully capable independent learners able to competently engage with technologies of the now, navigate unknown technologies of the future, and skillfully craft bespoke digital tools of their own design.

Our Computer Science department is committed to delivering a curriculum that:

• Encourages fluency in multiple programming languages and most standard application formats

• Highlights the interaction between software and hardware, and the interplay of theory and application

• Embeds concepts within an interdisciplinary framework, with engaging projects that are both immediately relevant and forward-thinking

• Strives for the timely integration of newly robust technologies

• Offers a range of learning activities, including pair, group, and independent projects and presentations

• Endeavors to be inclusive and accessible, so that a diverse student population might explore computing at their individual experience level

Design Thinking/Fa

A relaxed STEM-focused introduction to Computer Science and Computational Thinking. Students learn about coding, 3D design, 3D printing, 2D vector graphics, and data analysis by building a collection of user-focused projects. Students focus on prototyping, storyboarding, iterative design, and the social context of design solutions as they are introduced to a wide variety of software tools, hardware tools, and coding languages.

Digital Storytelling/Sp

A relaxed, arts-focused introduction to Computer Science and Computational Thinking. Students are introduced to digital storytelling, digital imaging, animation, and media computation skills as they investigate ways in which technology has allowed artists to easily integrate interactivity, non-linear narrative structures, repetition, automation, special effects, and randomness into their creative output. Students create a portfolio of dynamic digital art projects involving a wide variety of software tools, coding languages and digital media.

Computer Science I/Fa

An accessible and engaging intermediate course in coding which asks students to think programmatically to create colorful and interactive portfolio-style programming projects. Computer Science I introduces Control Structures, Arrays, String Processing, File Input/Output, Methods, and Classes as essential coding constructs. Students build three or four projects, each combining Computer Science with a different discipline.

Computer Science II/Sp

Computer Science II reinforces programming fundamentals by asking students to design, prototype, and build two large projects involving concepts from Computer Science I. One of the two projects combines coding with the hands-on design of hardware devices through the use of the Arduino microcontroller, electronics, and soldering.

Advanced Computer Science I/Fa

Students explore sophisticated, university-level topics in Computer Science. Fall semester introduces computing as a system of hierarchical layers of abstraction. Topics include Digital Logic, Data Types, Compilation, Algorithms, and an introduction to Algorithm Analysis.

Advanced Computer Science II/Sp

Students explore sophisticated, university-level topics in Computer Science. Spring semester focuses on the design and engineering of large projects, including ObjectOriented Programming and an introduction to Advanced Data Types. The course culminates with a significant independent investigation which requires students to demonstrate a capacity to independently learn and apply a new technology of their choosing.

Advanced Topics in Computer Science I/Fa

A university-level course in Computer Science teaching how to design and build Client-Server web applications. Students explore inner workings of the internet as they employ a collection of design heuristics to evaluate the user-facing side of applications. This course focuses on current patterns in software development--the skills beyond fluency in a particular language that are necessary for developing and maintaining large, reliable, and scalable software applications.

Advanced Topics in Computer Science II/Sp

A university-level in Computer Science that teaches students to design and build distributed software applications as information systems. Students use a variety of cloud applications, third-party API’s, databases, and mobile development frameworks to follow multiple iterations of the design cycle. Students work in groups and employ the use of version control software to collaborate as a team as they develop two significant software applications.

Independent Research in Computer Science/Fa & Sp

Provides students an opportunity to conduct independent investigations in the Computer Science area of their choosing. Depending on student interest, the format of the investigation might be project-based, data-based, or theory-based. May be repeated for credit. Department Head permission required. 1 class meeting per cycle.

Engineering Principles/Fa & Sp

A relaxed, Pass/Fail introduction to principles of Engineering in a hands-on, project-based context. Students follow the design process to build a series of progressively more complicated maker-oriented projects using hand tools and various rapid prototyping equipment. Students explore topics from several different fields of engineering, depending on the interests and background of the instructor.