Undergraduate

Several months after the death of his beloved daughter and just two years before his own death in 43 BC, Cicero composed a dialog with an imaginary interlocutor arguing that death, pain, grief, and other perturbations were an unimportant part of the big picture.  A reading of this famous contribution to the genre of consolation literature (all of it to be read in English, selections in Latin) affords an opportunity to weigh his many examples and his arguments for ourselves.   

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Rome, and the long subsequent tradition of Latin literature. This course involves reading selections from a major monument of Roman literature (for instance, Vergil’s Aeneid). There will be discussion of the relationship between language and literary art, the legacy of the work or works studied, and study of grammar and vocabulary as necessary. 

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Rome, and the long subsequent tradition of Latin literature. Readings this quarter concentrate on selections of Roman poetry (for instance, by Ovid). The class involves discussion of poetic language, the literary and historical context of Roman poetry, and study of grammar and vocabulary as necessary.  

Immerse yourself in real writings from Ancient Rome, and the long subsequent tradition of Latin literature. Readings this quarter concentrate on selections of Roman prose (for instance, by Cicero), with an aim to improve reading skills, discuss key concepts in Roman history and culture, and expand knowledge of grammar and vocabulary as necessary.  

This course is intended for students with some experience in Latin to quickly review what they know and upgrade their skills in reading and understanding Latin. In this course, students will expand their vocabulary, learn more advanced grammar, and practice extensive reading

For centuries people have learned this language to go deeper into the thoughts and worlds of Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. In this course sequence, you too can begin to learn this language. LATN 103 continues the study of basic Latin. Course work involves reading Latin, writing individual sentences and coherent stories, formal study of grammar and vocabulary, and other linguistic skills as necessary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Latin text. Students who complete this course will be able to track ideas across at least a paragraph of text and will be ready to move into the intermediate sequence (LATN 20100-20200-20300)

For centuries people have learned this language to go deeper into the thoughts and worlds of Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. In this course sequence, you too can begin to learn this language. LATN 102 continues the study of basic Latin. Course work involves reading Latin, writing individual sentences and coherent stories, formal study of grammar and vocabulary, and other linguistic skills as necessary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Latin texts. Students who complete this course will be able to understand complex sentences and combine them into larger units of meaning. 

For centuries people have learned this language to go deeper into the thoughts and worlds of Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. In this course sequence, you too can begin to learn this language. LATN 101 introduces the study of Latin. Course work involves reading Latin, writing individual sentences and coherent stories, formal study of grammar and vocabulary, and other linguistic skills as necessary. Throughout the course, students will encounter authentic Latin texts. Students who complete this course will be able to understand simple sentences and combine them into larger units of meaning.

Whether they are attacking personal enemies, poetic rivals, or political antagonists, sometimes poets are just plain mean. In this course we will begin by focusing on the art of talking trash in ancient Greek and Roman poetry, before moving on to examine other traditions and examples of invective poetry. We will consider a variety of different genres and traditions of invective, including ancient lyric and curse poetry, comedy and satire both ancient and modern, and contemporary genres such as hip-hop and Lebanese Zajal. In each case, we will study the formal features of the poetry and consider the specific contexts in which it was created, the individual(s) by whom it was created and at whom it was directed, and to what ends. We will also investigate broader themes and purposes of invective poetry, such as the advancement of notions of (often toxic) masculinity, the control of social norms, and the articulation of political protest.

In this course we will read passages from Plato’s dialogues, especially the Republic, which explore the question of how bad men manage to manipulate others and rise to power. We will pay attention to the style and rhetoric of such men, as represented by Plato, and briefly digress into other contemporary authors who tackled the same problem.