Course Description

Latin 103 and its sequel, Latin 222, provide an introduction to the language, culture, and literature of the ancient Romans in two semesters of intensive study leading to the reading of Latin prose and poetry.   As you systematically master the morphology and syntax of the language and build a basic vocabulary, you will be reading Latin passages of gradually increasing length and complexity.  At first the passages will be exceedingly and necessarily simple (not to say, simplistic), but by mid-semester you will be handling passages of more rewarding sophistication.  By December you will have developed an impressive Latin vocabulary; by March you should have learned all but the most advanced points of Latin grammar; by May you should have a reading knowledge of Latin and have enjoyed in the original many passages from works included in translation on the syllabus of Humanities 102 (Roman and Early Christian Culture): selections from Roman lyric, satire, love elegy, history, philosophy, literary epistles, and mythological narrative.

Latin 103 and 222 should provide pleasure and profit even to those who study Latin for one year only, but they also constitute an efficient introduction for those wishing to read in the original such authors as Plautus, Catullus, Lucretius, Cicero, Sallust, Vergil, Horace, Ovid, Livy, Juvenal, Pliny, and Apuleius—authors studied in the upper-level Latin curriculum at Grinnell.  Voices of intellectual and political counter-culture as well as those of the establishment, these authors provide important precedents for much of the literature, philosophy, and political experience of Western civilizations.

During this year, however, I hope that you will become fascinated chiefly with the ancient language itself—its precision, order, flexibility, and unique capabilities for expression.  The Latin language is a system about which linguists are still discovering new facts.  The textbook for the class is a product (albeit an imperfect one) of the most interesting and innovative thinking about the Latin system and about linguistic instruction.  The textbook is based on the premises 1) that reading skills are primary, 2) that such skills are best acquired through a partly inductive process, and 3) that the language ought to be presented within the context of Roman culture.  The forms and functions of the Latin system, you will find, are both similar to and different from those of English and other languages; one of the by-products of learning Latin is an enhanced understanding of the system that English is.  You may consider the course to be a series of linguistic exercises designed not only to teach you to read and understand Latin sentences, but also to encourage you to appreciate the structures that sentences have in other languages as well, most notably English.

The format of the text is a loosely historical reconstruction of the life of the 1st-c. BCE poet Horace ("Quintus," to us)—his boyhood in rural Italy, his move to the big city, schooling in the ancient core curriculum, departure from home and family to attend college (the Academy) in the university town of Athens, military service on the losing side of the "Roman Revolution," first gainful employment in Rome's "civil service," friendship with other famous poets and politicians, acceptance into the centers of power and influence, frequent retreats to his peaceful country farm, and death midway through the reign of Augustus.  Horace's life and work during the fall of the Republic and the establishment of the Augustan Principate provide a convenient approach for introducing Roman culture.
Classroom procedures will consist of oral and written exercises, accompanied by considerable explication of the text by the instructor.  Homework will involve daily assignments:

• reading aloud (in order to acquire reasonable fluency in pronunciation),
• comprehending narration (with and without specific translation),
• memorizing vocabulary and the paradigms of nouns, verbs, etc. (i.e., morphology),
• mastering grammatical principles and structures (i.e., syntax),
• translating sentences (Latin to English, English to Latin),
• analyzing Latin sentences (to understand how speech works),
• building a glossary of grammatical and linguistic terms.

The class meets MTWThF, and each class session should be preceded by a minimum of two hours of preparation.  If an assignment takes less time than two hours, then review and drill!

TEXT:
Maurice Balme and James Morwood, Oxford Latin Course, Parts I, II, III (2nd ed.)

[For some, Goldman and Szymanski English Grammar for Students of Latin may be useful; available on Burling reserve and in Bookstore reference section.]
                                                                                                                                                          
LATIN AUDIO: (Pioneer Web F'08 LAT 103) 
"Latin Sounds" (and "More Sounds") by Emeritus Prof. W. McKibben
"The Pronunciation and Reading of Cl. Lat.: A Practical Guide" by S. Daitz
        "Oxford Latin Course: Readings from Parts I and II"
                                                                    
COMPUTER PROGRAMS/GAMES:
"Latin Vocabulary Drill" (Macs: "Classics" folder in "Academic" volume on Storage)

WEB-SITES:
www.wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas (photos/models of Roman sites, etc.)
www.vRoma.org/index.html   (images, links, etc.)
www.cornellcollege.edu/classical_studies/latin/latin-links.shtml (links to OLC drills by Margaret Phillips, R. Cape, and many other resources)
www.yleradio1.fi/nuntii/ (world news reports latine)
                     
REQUIREMENTS:(with % of contribution to final grade)

Note: Quizzes and tests will be given on days announced and can be made up only if you let me know before the class session that there is a medical or other extraordinary excuse.  A simple computer message (1 min. before class) will suffice.  Missed quizzes, tests, and assignments must be made up promptly —before the next class session if possible.  Late homework assignments may receive a penalty, and those more than a week overdue will not be accepted.

GRADING SCALE:  A (94-100), A- (90-93), B+ (88-9), B (84-7), B- (80-83), C+ (78-9), C (70-77), D (60-69)