Knowledge of Latin opens the door to direct engagement with some of the greatest and most influential writings in Western culture without the obscuring filter of translation. The study of Latin also enhances students' ability to think analytically and to use the English language with greater understanding and sophistication. The benefit of these skills extends far beyond the study of Latin to all areas of life that demand critical thinking or effective oral and written communication. The aim of this year-long course is twofold: (1) to give students a thorough knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary employed by Roman writers of the second century BCE through the second century CE, and (2) to have students read increasingly unadapted passages from those writers. After completing this course, students will be prepared to read with good comprehension the works of great Roman writers such as Cicero and Vergil. Faithful attendance and timely completion of all work are essential to success in this course. There will be daily assignments to prepare and frequent written homework, including translations from English to Latin. Classroom work will focus on understanding and practicing the grammar and on reading Latin. Students will also be introduced to the literary and cultural context of the readings. Progress will be assessed by regular tests and frequent quizzes. There will also be a three-hour final examination in May. This course presumes no prior study of Latin and has no prerequisites. Offered every year.
Knowledge of Latin opens the door to direct engagement with some of the greatest and most influential writings in Western culture without the obscuring filter of translation. The study of Latin also enhances students' ability to think analytically and to use the English language with greater understanding and sophistication. The benefit of these skills extends far beyond the study of Latin to all areas of life that demand critical thinking or effective oral and written communication. The aim of this year-long course is twofold: (1) to give students a thorough knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary employed by Roman writers of the second century BCE through the second century CE, and (2) to have students read increasingly unadapted passages from those writers. After completing this course, students will be prepared to read with good comprehension the works of great Roman writers such as Cicero and Vergil. Faithful attendance and timely completion of all work are essential to success in this course. There will be daily assignments to prepare and frequent written homework, including translations from English to Latin. Classroom work will focus on understanding and practicing the grammar and on reading Latin. Students will also be introduced to the literary and cultural context of the readings. Progress will be assessed by regular tests and frequent quizzes. There will also be a three-hour final examination in May. This course presumes no prior study of Latin and has no prerequisites. Offered every year.
The goal of this course is to cultivate students' skills as readers of continuous Latin prose. To this end, students will expand their vocabulary as well as review and refine their understanding of the syntax of classical Latin. Upon completing this course, students will read Latin prose with greater precision, nuance, and speed. Authors read with some regularity in this course include Caesar, Cicero, and Sallust; however, the particular text or texts will vary from year to year and may be complemented with a selection of poems, for example those of Catullus. Offered every fall.
In Advanced Latin, students improve their skills in reading Latin and discuss scholarship on the author or authors being read that semester. Each semester the readings change, so that LATN 301 and 302 can be taken, to the student's advantage, several times. Students are encouraged to inform the instructor if there is a particular genre, author, or theme they would especially like to study. The list of authors regularly taught in this course includes, to name just a few, Horace and Ovid, the comic poet Plautus, and great prose stylists such as Livy, Tacitus, Petronius, and Augustine. This course is open to those who have completed two years of Latin at Kenyon or the equivalent. Offered every fall.
