Courses
Classical Languages
Greek
Latin
CLAS-310, Etymology
Four class periods. Open to all classes. English has an immense vocabulary (far larger than that of any other language), over half of which is based on Latin and Greek roots. The words of this Greco-Roman inheritance are best understood not simply as stones in the vast wall of English, but rather as living organisms with a head, body, and feet (prefix, main root, and suffix), creatures with grandparents, siblings, cousins, foreign relatives, life histories, and personalities of their own; some work for doctors and lawyers, others for columnists, crusaders, and captains of commerce. Systematic study of a few hundred roots opens the door to understanding the meanings and connotations of tens of thousands of words in English, the language now rapidly emerging as the most adaptable for international and intercultural communication.
CLAS-320, Greek Literature
Four class periods. Open to all classes. A systematic study of the masterpieces of early European civilization as seen in their proper literary, intellectual, and historical contexts. In what is essentially a history of ideas, the major genres of epic, tragedy, comedy, satire, history, erotic poetry, and philosophy are stressed as aspects of the wider evolution of European thought. The major problems that still confront human life are explored through the writings of Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, and others.
GREK-100/0, First-Level Greek
A yearlong commitment. Five class periods. The course introduces the student directly to the classical Greek of Periclean Athens through a series of readings that present not only the vocabulary, forms, and syntax of the language, but also the thoughts, feelings, and actions that characterize Greek culture. Though preliminary selections are necessarily simplified, within the first year students are reading excerpts in their original form from various Greek authors.
GREK-130, Introduction to Greek
Four class periods. This course is for students whose curiosity for the Greek language and literature has been aroused by their studies in other areas. For students who plan some day to study Russian or German, this course provides an excellent introduction into the intricacies of a highly inflected language. The student is also treated to an inside preview of a literature that, over the centuries, has provided inspiration and models for the literature of the Western World. It is a term-contained course, but students wishing to continue with Greek will have the opportunity to do so.
GREK-150/0, First- and Second-Level Greek, Intensive
A yearlong commitment. Five class periods. The course is open to Seniors, Uppers, and others, with the permission fo the department. It covers in one year the essential material of GREK-100 and GREK-200, and basic forms and structure, along with ample selected readings from various Greek authors.
GREK-200/0, Second-Level Greek
A yearlong commitment. Five class periods. This course continues the format of GREK-100, with further systematic development of reading skills and control of vocabulary, forms, and syntax through the medium of more advanced selections from the Greek masterpieces, always with the purpose of understanding the spirit of the people who produced them.
GREK-300/0, Third-Level Greek: Iliad and Odyssey
Four class periods. Students will study selected works of Homer, Herodotus, and Plato.
GREK-400/1, Fourth-Level Greek: Philosophy and History, Tragedy, Lyric
Four class periods. Ancient concepts of justice and morality are examined through the works of Plato and Thucydides. Human tragedy is explored in a play of Sophocles or Euripides. One term is devoted to the study of emotion and self-expression in the Greek lyric poets.
GREK-400/2, Fourth-Level Greek: Philosophy and History, Tragedy, Lyric
Four class periods. Ancient concepts of justice and morality are examined through the works of Plato and Thucydides. Human tragedy is explored in a play of Sophocles or Euripides. One term is devoted to the study of emotion and self-expression in the Greek lyric poets.
GREK-400/3, Fourth-Level Greek: Pilosophy and History, Tragedy, Lyric
Four class periods. Ancient concepts of justice and morality are examined through the works of Plato and Thucydides. Human tragedy is explored in a play of Sophocles or Euripides. One term is devoted to the study of emotion and self-expression in the Greek lyric poets.
LATN-100/0, First-Level Latin
A yearlong commitment. Five class periods. The purpose of the course is to teach students the basic features of the Latin language and of Roman culture in relation to other cultures, e.g., family life and societal relationships, slavery, travel, sports, life in the big city, entertainment, and education. Students learn the traditional forms and syntax. All six tenses, indicative and passive, are covered, as well as all five declensions of nouns, three declensions of adjectives, and the standard pronouns. There is extensive practice in recognizing endings of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and verbs, as well as case uses and normal Latin sentence structures, with the goal of mastering basic techniques of accurate translation and comprehension of Latin sentences and stories. Students complete the textbook, Jenney's First Year Latin, then study Jenney's Second Year Latin up through the ablative absolute.
LATN-130, Introduction to Latin
Five class periods. Comparable to the first term of LATN-150, but with less depth of coverage, this one-term course is for students seeking an introduction to the Latin language or those whose studies in other languages (including English) have aroused their curiosity about the workings of languages (grammar, syntax, and vocabulary). It offers special profit and fascination to students of French, Spanish, and Italian, since it gives a wider perspective on much of what they already know. For students who plan some day to study Russian or German, it serves as an introduction to the workings of highly inflected languages. It is a term-contained course, but students wishing to continue with Latin will have the opportunity to do so.
LATN-150/0, 1st- & 2nd-Level Latin, Intensive
A yearlong commitment. Five prepared class periods. This course covers in one year the essential elements of LATN-100 and LATN-200.
LATN-200/0, Second-Level Latin
A yearlong commitment. Five prepared class periods. During the fall, the linguistic and cultural approach of ALTN-100 is continued as the class reviews and completes the basic grammar (including participles, subjunctives, and indirect statements) and reads about other aspects of Roman life. In the winter and spring, students read selections from Caesar, Livy, Ovid, and Apuleius' tale of Cupid and Psyche.
LATN-300/0, Third-Level-Latin: Livy, Catullus, Cicero, Vergil
A yearlong commitment. Four prepared classes, all single periods. Students begin the fall with a thorough review of the Latin language in conjunction with correlated reading passages. In the latter half of the fall, students read selections from Livy or Cicero. In the winter, students read the lyric love poetry of Catullus and selections from Cicero's speech, Pro Caelio, defending one of Catullus' former friends against charges brought by the woman to whom Catullus wrote his most famous poems. In the spring, students read selections from Book II of Vergil's Aeneid, the story of the Trojan Horse and the destruction of Troy, a heroic backdrop for very human struggles of duty and loyalty among women and men, parents and children, leaders and followers, humans and their gods.
LATN-520L/1, Horace, Catullus
Four prepared class periods. In the fall, students come face to face with the brilliance, passion, and candor of Catullus's lyric genius. In the winter term, they study the lyric poetry of Horace, experiencing firsthand his curiosa felicitas, admired and celebrated by other poets for 2,000 years. In the spring, students learn to compare and contrast these two monumental literary figures. Prerequisite: A grade of 5 or higher in LATN-300 or permission of the department.
LATN-520L/2, Horace, Catullus
Four prepared class periods. In the fall, students come face to face with the brilliance, passion, and candor of Catullus's lyric genius. In the winter term, they study the lyric poetry of Horace, experiencing firsthand his curiosa felicitas, admired and celebrated by other poets for 2,000 years. In the spring, students learn to compare and contrast these two monumental literary figures. Prerequisite: A grade of 5 or higher in LATN-300 or permission of the department.
LATN-520L/3, Horace, Catullus
Four prepared class periods. In the fall, students come face to face with the brilliance, passion, and candor of Catullus's lyric genius. In the winter term, they study the lyric poetry of Horace, experiencing firsthand his curiosa felicitas, admired and celebrated by other poets for 2,000 years. In the spring, students learn to compare and contrast these two monumental literary figures. Prerequisite: A grade of 5 or higher in LATN-300 or permission of the department.
LATN-520V/0, Vergil
A yearlong commitment. Five prepared class periods. Students read the entire Aeneid in English and substantial selections of Books I, IV, and VI in Latin, examining Vergil's literary form and technique, as well as the philosophical and political dimensions of his age. Book II, which students will have read in the spring of Latin 300, is reviewed quickly. Book I frames Rome's 1,000-year ascendancy in the rivalries of divine wills. Book IV tells the story of the tragic conflict between Aeneas' love for Queen Dido and his obligation to imperial Roman destiny. Book VI features Aeneas' descent into the underworld to gain prophetic visions of Rome's future greatness. Brief selections from Books VII-XII, the Roman Iliad, round out the readings for the year. Prerequisite: A grade of 5 or higher in LATN-300 or permission of the department.