Latin 104: INTERMEDIATE LATIN POETRY
Required text:
Barbara Boyd, Vergil's Aeneid: Selections (2nd ed.) (Bolchazy-Carducci, 2004). But the 1st edition (2001) is fine as well, if you have purchased it second-hand.
Objectives: Review of Latin syntax, and introduction to more advanced norms of professional Latin as employed in classical poetry. Strongly recommended prerequisites are Lat 100 or Lat 103 or two years of high school experience.
Our course readings will begin with some Catullus to warm up with language, techniques, meter, and... portrayal of love. But our main focus will be the most famous love story of classical Rome, Dido and Aeneas in Vergil's Aeneid. These verses both reflected and influenced Roman society at its cultural peak, and we will be considering how Vergil took the Latin language to new heights of subtlety and power.
For those coming from Lat 100 in particular, you need to hit the ground running: you must use the initial ten days to review morphology and basic syntax: start by going over your verb and noun endings, especially the formation of Participles (Wheelock, ch. 23) and then review the most important subordinate clauses in the language: Indirect Statement (ch. 25); Ablative Absolute (ch 24); Future Passive Participles (chh. 24, 39)
Lesson format: Similar to Lat 103: slightly longer assignments but with less in-class reading and more analysis. You can expect to begin each class by being asked to provide a plot summary of the assigned passage; we will then read together key sections, first in Latin, then in English, pausing to review old grammar and introduce new. Starting out slowly, we will accelerate to a pace of about 40 lines per class, and we will hopefully progress to a point where you get the gist of a passage after a single glance. Time may be left over for discussions of historical/literary context.
Thus, all readings will have been prepared by you at home: you must provide not only a translation but also the reasons for your translation, until you understand and remember how and why the author uses the Subjunctive mood of this verb, the Ablative case of this noun, and so forth. At home you may write out translations or do them with a friend, but in class, you should be prepared to translate directly from the Latin text, with no crib notes whatsoever.
Grading/Exams:
Participation, including Presence,
Preparation, Recitation, and Written homework: |
10 % |
| Four 25-minute quizzes |
20 % |
| Three Review Exams |
45 % |
| Cumulative Final Exam |
25 % |
-Exams will offer two Latin passages from those assigned; you will choose one to translate, analyze the grammar, comment on the context, scan a couple of verses, and translate unprepared Latin sentences based on the assigned vocab and grammar.
Make-ups will be allowed in appropriate circumstances, if you notify me beforehand; they should be arranged before the following class session (and quiz 3 must be taken before Spring Break!).
-Grading scale: Points are scored out of a total of 100: the top ten constitute the “A” range, the next ten the “B” range, and so forth. The letter is accompanied by “+” or “-” if your score falls within the top or bottom 3 points of each range. Thus, e.g., 87-89= B+ ; 83-86 = B ; 80-82 = B-
These policies and requirements are final: no extra credit will be offered.
