2025-26

Helen of Troy has been a source of fascination for ancient and modern writers alike, serving as a symbol of unattainable beauty and destructive femininity. This course explores the various portrayals of Helen throughout Greco-Roman poetry (epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy) and prose (historiography, oratory), as well as contemporary literature and film. Taking into account the conventions and historical context of each genre we will examine her character as it relates to questions of gender, sexual power, agency, identity, embodiment and social structures. All readings will be in English and include but are not limited to selections from Homer, Euripides, Gorgias, Ovid, Seferis, Marlowe, and Walcott.  

How do public speakers deal with controversial topics when addressing polarized audiences? And how do different approaches affect or influence the reception of their words and ideas, and by extension the audiences’ understanding of the issues at hand? In this course, we will study some of the earliest examples of such articulations by examining how archaic and classical Greek poets addressed the most controversial issues of their times, ranging from Sappho’s musings on the class and civic conflicts of the archaic period to Aristophanes’ provocative forays into debates about identity, education, policy, and even poetry itself in classical Athens. Our focus will be on the manner in which these poets addressed conflict(s) as privileged practitioners of public speech, and how they controlled or manipulated their audiences’ interpretations and receptions of their words, anticipating the maneuvers of Classical era rhetoric. In order to do so, we will look closely not only at the cultural contexts in which the poetry was first presented, but also at theories of communication, conflict, and identity, genre and reception studies (e.g. comedy, invective), along with examples of contemporary music, poetry, and visual art that address similar conflicts. 

Reading a classic from manuscript: Cicero’s Laelius de amicitia from the ninth-century Krakow (ex-Berlin) Codex. We shall read from a high-quality color facsimile and consult in tandem the recent Cambridge edition (2024) by Volk/Zetzel. 

This course examines the development of the Latin elegy from Catullus to Ovid. Our major themes are the use of motifs and topoi and their relationship to the problem of poetic persona. 

The course continues to consolidate the foundations extended in the autumn course based on readings from Cicero. We shall cover a variety of poetry and prose from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, including selections from Boethius, Bede, Lupus of Ferrières, Nithard, and others. The authors chosen will all be significant for their efforts to reflect the highest classical standards. 

The course continues the work of grammatical extension and consolidation. We shall cover a variety of poetry and prose by great Latin stylists from the twelfth to the fourteenth century, including Bernard of Clairvaux, Peter of Blois, Petrarch, and Dante. The authors chosen will all be significant for their efforts to reflect the highest classical standards. 

Immerse yourself in the Latin poetry written by various authors from ancient Rome through the long tradition and reception of Latin literature. This course involves reading (a) substantial selection(s) from (an) important moment(s) in this literary history (e.g. Vergil's Aeneid, Ovid’s Metamorphoses).  In addition to translation, regular discussion will focus on the relationship between language and literary art, the legacy of the work or works under consideration, and the study of grammar and vocabulary as necessary.  This course is appropriate for students who have completed LATN 112, LATN 201, LATN 202, or their equivalent. 

Immerse yourself in the Latin prose written by various authors from ancient Rome through the long tradition and reception of Latin literature.  Readings this quarter concentrate on (a) substantial selection(s) of Roman prose (e.g. the epistles of Seneca or Pliny, the histories of Livy or Sallust). This class focuses on the literary and historical context of the text(s) in question, as well as the rhetorical and stylistic qualities of Latin prose.  Review of grammar and the development of vocabulary will occur as necessary. This course is appropriate for students who have completed LATN 112, LATN 201, or its equivalent. 

Immerse yourself in the Latin prose and poetry written by various authors from ancient Rome through the long tradition and reception of Latin literature.  Readings this quarter involve increasingly longer selections of Roman prose and poetry (e.g. Cicero, Catullus), with an aim to review grammar and improve reading proficiency.   Discussion in class will focus on the literary, historical, and cultural contexts necessary to appreciate the authors and texts.  In addition to review, more advanced grammar will occasionally be introduced and vocabulary will be surveyed as necessary. This course is usually appropriate for students who have completed LATN 103, LATN 112, or several years of high school Latin, or equivalent work. 

Accelerated Introduction to Classical Latin introduces students to the fundamentals of classical Latin through a sequence of two courses.  By the end of this second and final course, students will have encountered all the most commonly used Latin grammar and an even larger collection of Latin vocabulary.  Their reading proficiency continues to increase by engaging longer, more complex, and more interesting Latin.  The second half of the course subsequently focuses on the reading of increasingly longer selections from authentic Latin texts.  Through these readings, students explore a range of authors and genres, who touch upon various aspects of the Roman world, not only the history of the city, but also the society, culture, politics, and religion of its people.  Successful completion of this course will prepare students for intermediate Latin courses (LATN 20100-20200-20300). This course is appropriate for students who have completed LATN 111 or earned an equivalent language placement.