Classical Language and Civilization

Classics Courses

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Latin 1 Hide

Latin 1, the Class VI course, focuses on the fundamentals of the Latin language. English and Latin grammatical usages are extensively compared as mutual reinforcements. The first 32 chapters of Jenney, First Year Latin, a traditional text, are thoroughly covered. Forms, syntax, and vocabulary are stressed, with emphasis on English derivations from Latin roots. The course also attempts to recreate the Romans as real people by means of class discussion and reports assigned on topics of individual interest. Readings from Hamilton, Mythology supplement the basic text.

Latin 2 Hide

Latin 2, the Class V course, strives for the mastery of fundamentals. Jenney, First Year Latin is completed. When the necessary forms, vocabulary, and grammar are mastered, the course turns to extensive reading of Latin writings from Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles, and other suitable texts. Review of grammar and the study of English derivatives from Latin roots continue. Hamilton’s Mythology is further utilized.

Latin 3 Hide

Latin 3, the Class IV course, assumes a familiarity with the fundamentals of grammar and concentrates on the literary contributions of a range of Roman authors. The texts are Fabulae Romanae (edited by Lawall and Perry) and Ecce Scriptores Roman (Scottish Classics Group). Authors read include Caesar, Catullus, Livy, and Ovid. Required vocabulary is drawn from the College Entrance Examination Board Word List, Levels I and II, and Colby, Review Latin Grammar is used for weekly composition exercises. Students are expected to take the SAT II Latin test at the end of this course. A popular option in the spring is the production of a Roman comedy by Plautus, performed in Latin.

Latin 4 Hide

Latin 4, an elective offered to Class III, is a literature course (with appropriate grammar review), emphasizing Latin’s translation-defying beauty, intricacy, and majesty of expression (both in prose and poetry), as found in a varied group of authors including Aulus Gellius, Cicero, Martial, and Pliny. The course stresses the learning of literary devices, the analysis of “real” Latin literature, and the appreciation of Latin in its various manifestations. The primary text is Ullman and Suskin, Latin for Americans. Vergil, Aeneid II (edited by LaFleur), the classicus locus for the Trojan Horse story and the centerpiece of the spring semester, serves both as a vehicle for literary analysis and as the quintessential readable tale. Required vocabulary is drawn from the College Entrance Examination Board Word List, Levels I-IV.

Latin 5 Hide

Latin 5, an elective offered to Class II, follows the Advanced Placement Syllabus of Vergil, Aeneid. The text is the Song of War (edited by LaFleur and McKay). Selections from Books I, II, IV, VI, X, and XII are read to enhance the students’ appreciation of the epic as a literary genre. Students are required to take the advanced placement (AP) examination in May, which stresses familiarity with the use of imagery and metrical effects, as well as character analysis and the recognition of particular motifs and general themes. In addition to the Aeneid the course explores related works such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and Dune to reinforce the concept of the hero as an enduring motif in Classical as well as other cultures. Each student presents an oral report on a subject of his own choosing.

Latin 6 Hide

Latin 6 (Lingua Latina Extra Libros), an elective offered to Class I, focuses on Latin not normally found in textbooks and draws from a range of Latin authors from the classical period to the 21st century. A sample, from materials prepared by the department, includes Phaedrus, Tibullus, Sedulus Scotus, medieval historians, and ecclesiastical writings. In the spring, selections from Rome’s most emotional lyric poet, Catullus, are read from Garrison, The Student’s Catullus, followed by selections from Ovid, Love and Transformation (An Ovid Reader, edited by LaFleur). Students may take the AP Latin Literature exam.

Greek 1 Hide

Greek 1 aims not only at gaining control of the language but also at comprehending some of the ideas of the Hellenistic world that have decisively contributed to Western Civilization. The text is Athenaze (by Balme and Lawall) supplemented by materials prepared by the department. Mastery of form recognition, vocabulary (including English derivations), and grammar is stressed, with major emphasis placed on reading and interpreting original Greek.

Greek 2 Hide

After a review of the basic grammar and paradigms, Greek 2 spends the remainder of the fall term reading from the works of Aesop, Theophrastus, Lucian, and Xenophon, using A Greek Reader for Schools (Freeman and Lowe). Socrates (man, teacher, philosopher), as depicted in Aristophanes, Clouds; Xenophon, Memorabilia; and Plato, Lysis and Apology (edited by J.J. Helm) is the major topic of the winter term. In the spring term, Herodotus, the Father of History, (edited by Barbour), provides a wealth of provocative stories regarding both the foibles and strengths of man and how he makes his decisions.

Greek 3 Hide

In Greek 3, the fall term is devoted to a study of Homer, Iliad. Emphasis is placed on understanding the history of the epic, the heroic image in literature, and the values of Mycenaean society. The text is Benner, Selections from the Iliad. In the spring semester, the ever-expressive lyric poets (Sappho, Simonides, Tyrtaeus, et al.; materials prepared by the department) serve as the basis for a study of the broad range of human emotions and motivations. Dependent upon student interest, the spring course also includes readings from the New Testament and Greek tragedy.