Course Catalog 2012-2013
Professor Timothy Hofmeister, Chair
Associate Professor Garrett Jacobsen; Professor Timothy P. Hofmeister, Assistant Professor Rebecca Kennedy, Academic Administrative Assistant Becky Woods
The Department of Classics offers courses in the languages and culture of classical antiquity. The curriculum focuses on traditional elements of classical philology in Greek and Latin, but at the same time, through the study of major classical authors and literary genres, students are introduced to the intellectual, social, and cultural milieu of classical antiquity. As a discipline with a long tradition in the liberal arts, we encourage interdisciplinary approaches to understanding, and we emphasize the development of analytical skills applicable in universal situations. From the Homeric world of gods and heroes to the politics and society of Imperial Rome, students become engaged with a civilization both familiar and alien, as they confront the continuities and discontinuities of western society. The department offers majors and minors in ancient Greek (GRK), Latin (LAT), and in Classics (CLAS).
The major in Latin (LAT) ideally enables a student to read fluently the language of ancient Rome and of authors and scholars from antiquity to the Renaissance. In addition to the elementary and intermediate Latin sequence that may fulfill the General education requirement in Foreign Languages, the curriculum provides courses on the major authors and genres of Latin literature from Roman comedy to Silver Age poetry. Advanced courses are conducted as seminars, and students read significant works in Latin, as well as examining the appropriate historical and cultural contexts and relevant critical theories. The major in Latin will fully prepare students to teach the language at the secondary level, and it will provide the necessary foundation for post-undergraduate study of Latin. Students, however, who are interested in a doctoral degree in Classics, should be aware that undergraduate preparation must include a commensurate amount of study in ancient Greek. To major in Latin, students must complete 24 credits in Latin (LAT), 8 credits in ancient Greek (GRK), 4 credits of either CLAS 202 or CLAS 301 (a topic related to Ancient Rome), a minimum of 4 credits of Senior Research (LAT 451-452), and the 1 credit Senior Classics Symposium (CLAS 440), including the Senior Comprehensive Examination.
To minor in Latin, students must complete 20 credits in Latin (LAT), and 4 credits of either CLAS 202 or CLAS 301 (a topic related to Ancient Rome)
The Department of Classics requires all majors (GRK, LAT, or CLAS) to pass a Senior Comprehensive Examination. This is a written and oral examination administered by the staff of the department, and it is completed in conjunction with the Senior Classics Symposium (CLAS 440). In preparation for the examination, students will meet in a seminar taught by the staff, completing a syllabus of readings as the basis for a comprehensive examination on the literature, history, and culture of classical antiquity. This examination will also include a translation section, individualized according to each student's major language (GRK or LAT) or languages (CLAS). Students will also share the progress and results of Senior Research projects within the Senior Classics Symposium
Elementary Latin (LAT-111). An introduction to the fundamental morphology and syntax of Latin. Exercises in grammar and translation are based primarily upon quotations from Latin literature. No prerequisite. (Offered in Fall only) 4
Intermediate Latin (LAT-112). An introduction to advanced grammar and the idiomatic language of Latin. Emphasis is given to the development of translation skills by reading extended passages of Latin prose and poetry. Prerequisite: Latin 111 or consent of instructor. (Offered in Spring only) 4
Latin Prose and Poetry (LAT-211). Readings from ancient and medieval Latin. Selections range from Cicero's philosophical works to the Aeneid of Vergil and some attention is given to the literature's relationship to cultural milieu. Prerequisite: Latin 112 or consent of instructor. (Offered in Fall only) 4
Roman Rhetoric (LAT-301). Selections from the orations and rhetorical treatises of Cicero. Consideration is given to the influence of rhetoric in politics and education. Prerequisites: LAT 211, previous enrollment in Latin 300-level, or consent of instructor. 4
Roman Comedy (LAT-302). Selected works of the comic playwrights Plautus and Terence. Colloquial Latin, the definition of humor and the influences of Greek comedy are important topics. Prerequisites: LAT 211, previous enrollment in Latin 300-level, or consent of instructor. 4
Roman Historiography (LAT-311). Selections from the works of major Roman historians: Sallust, Livy and Tacitus. Emphasis will be given to the work of one author in matters of style, content and bias. Prerequisites: LAT 211, previous enrollment in Latin 300-level, or consent of instructor. 4
Latin Lyric and Elegy (LAT-312). Selections from the Odes of Horace, the elegies of Propertius, and Ovid's Amores. Attention is directed to poetry as a vehicle of personal expression and social commentary. Prerequisites: LAT 211, previous enrollment in Latin 300-level, or consent of instructor. 4
Latin Epic (LAT-322). The epic genre as defined by Roman poets. A typical focus is Vergil's Aeneid with some comparative analysis of epics written by Lucretius, Ovid and Lucan. Prerequisites: LAT 211, previous enrollment in Latin 300-level, or consent of instructor. 4
Silver Age Latin (LAT-331). PROSE readings from the Satyricon of Petronius and the letters of Seneca and Pliny the Younger. Consideration is given to the literary expression of the changing mores and perspectives of imperial Roman society. Prerequisites: LAT 211, previous enrollment in Latin 300-level, or consent of instructor. 4
Silver Age Latin (LAT-332). POETRY selections from the epigrams of Martial and the Satires of Juvenal. Consideration centers on poetry as an instrument for social criticism and personal invective. Prerequisites: LAT 211, previous enrollment in Latin 300-level, or consent of instructor. 4
Topics in Latin Language and Literature (LAT-341). An examination of a particular genre, theme, or topic in the Latin language or literature. Past offerings have included 'Latin Prose Composition', 'Medieval Latin', and 'Imaginary Women'. Prerequisites: LAT 211, previous enrollment in Latin 300-level, or consent of instructor. 4
Independent Study (LAT-363). 1-4