Course:

LAT 101  Beginning Latin I

Professor:

Lauren Curtis  

CRN:

90208

Schedule:

Mon Tue Wed  Fri   10:20 AM - 11:20 AM Olin 304

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

Cross-listed:  Classical Studies

This course introduces students to the Latin language. Spoken and written for many centuries, first at Rome and then across the Roman Empire from Britain to Syria, Latin has shaped the history of English and many other living languages today. In this first semester of a two-semester sequence, you will learn  classical Latin using new course materials specially designed by Bard faculty. They combine engaging introductory texts with selections of original Latin written by a diverse array of Romans, including women, enslaved people, and literary authors such as Cicero, Ovid, and St Augustine. A focus on reading comprehension and grammar is combined with an emphasis on understanding the Latin language within its cultural and historical contexts. By the end of the full-year sequence, you will have learned the fundamentals of Latin and will be ready to read original texts in full. The course is for complete beginners and has no prerequisites (if you have previous experience with Latin, you should consider Latin 201 and consult with the teaching faculty).

 

Course:

LAT 201  Vergil

Professor:

James Romm  

CRN:

90209

Schedule:

Tue  Thurs     4:30 PM - 5:20 PM Olin 301

    Wed           7:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

Cross-listed:  Classical Studies

Vergil's Aeneid is the greatest Roman epic; we will read portions of the first half of the epic in Latin, concentrating on increasing the students' confidence in Latin forms and syntax, but also in exploring the literary genius of Vergil -- the poem's themes and literary characteristics (figures of speech, structure, tropes, depiction of character, construction of the action, etc.). We will also read the Aeneid in its entirety in English.  Open to students who have completed Latin 102 at Bard or its equivalent elsewhere (consult with Prof. Romm, romm@bard.edu, if unsure about placement). 

 

Course:

LAT 311  Advanced Latin: Roman Elegiac Poetry

Professor:

Lauren Curtis  

CRN:

90210

Schedule:

 Tue  Thurs    3:50 PM - 5:10 PM Olin 310

Distributional Area:

FL Foreign Languages and Lit

Class cap:

15

Credits:

4

Cross-listed:  Classical Studies

Roman elegiac poetry occupies an influential but peculiar place in the history of Latin literature. In the first century BCE, Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid made the elegiac couplet synonymous with their love poetry, but the form – which was often written on Greek and Roman gravestones – had ancient connections to death. These lover-poets cultivated a charismatic private voice, but their work engages with Roman popular culture, global travel and trade, and imperial politics. Fascinated by its early origins on stone, Roman elegy reflects constantly on its nature as writing, medium, mediation. We will read selections from several of the major Latin elegiac poets (including Sulpicia, a female poet contemporary with Ovid, and Gallus, scraps of whose work were discovered on papyrus in 1978). We will also read elegiac poems by lesser-known and anonymous authors from across the Roman world. Students will further develop reading fluency in Latin while exploring a range of critical approaches to Latin literature and working on research skills in Classics (including writing a research paper). Prerequisite: Latin 201/202 or permission of the instructor (students with high-school Latin are welcome and should consult with Prof. Curtis before enrolling).