Vassar College Classics Department

I. Introductory

105a-106b. Elementary Latin (1)

Introduction to the language. Readings in classical prose and poetry. Mr. Dozier.

Open to all classes; four 50-minute classes.

II. Intermediate

215a. Republican Literature (1)

Selected readings from authors such as Plautus, Cicero, Catullus, Caesar, Sallust, and Virgil. The selection of readings is designed to consolidate knowledge of grammar, provide an introduction to the translation of continuous, unadapted Latin, and highlight interesting features of Roman culture in the last two centuries of the Republic. Successful completion of the course qualifies students for Latin 220. Mr. Lott

220b. Literature of the Empire (1)

Authors may include Horace, Livy, Ovid, Seneca, Petronius, Suetonius, and Virgil. Readings are selected to illustrate the diversity of literary forms that flourished in the early Empire and the interaction of literature with society, politics, and private life. Mr. Brown.

298a or b. Independent Work (1/2 or 1)

III. Advanced

Latin 301 and 305a-306b are offered every year, Latin 302-304 in rotation every third year; the topic of Latin 301 changes annually.

Prerequisite for all advanced courses: 2 units in 200-level courses in the language or special permission.

[ 301b Topics in Latin Literature ] (1)

The course involves close reading of texts from a single genre or author or texts which have a common thematic interest. Study of the texts and of secondary material allows us to explore various features of ancient society. For example, the course might take as its topic a genre such as Roman satire or the Roman novel, the relationship between the diverse works of a single author like Horace or Seneca, or a theme such as the depiction of slaves, the revolution of love poetry, or Roman attitudes toward death. Since the topic changes every year, the course may be taken for credit more than once.

Topic for 2009/10: Latin Letters. This course introduces students to the genre of Latin letters. As well as reading from the letters of Cicero and Pliny and the poetic letters of Horace and Ovid (all of whose work survive in collections made in antiquity) we also read personal and public letters written by people of high and low status preserved on papyrus, stone, and wood, and some of the letters form the early Christian epistolary tradition. The primary goals of this course are to solidify students’ Latin reading ability and at the same time to introduce them to a significant aspect of Roman culture and a significant (but understudied) genre of Roman literature. Mr. Lott.

[ 302a. Virgil ] (1)

Selections from the Eclogues, Georgics, or Aeneid. Subjects of study include the artistry of the Virgilian hexameter, the relationship of Virgil’s works to their Greek models, and general topics such as his conception of destiny, religion, and the human relation to nature.

Not offered in 2009/10.

Offered every third year

[ 303a. Tacitus ] (1)

Close readings from the works of the imperial historian and ethnographer Tacitus. In connection with further developing students' reading skills, the class focuses on particular literary, cultural, or historical issues. Mr. Lott.

Not offered in 2009/10.

Offered every third year

304a. Roman Lyric and Elegy (1)

Poems of Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, Catullus and Ovid with attention given to poetic form, the influence of poets on each other, and the view they give us of Roman society in the first century BCE. Mr. Dozier.

305a or b. Senior Project (1)

306a-307b. Senior Project (1/2, 1/2)

399a or b. Senior Independent Work (1/2 or 1)