An intensive two-semester approach to Latin with special emphasis on developing facility in the rapid reading of Latin literature. No previous knowledge of Latin is required.

Introduction to Latin literature through intensive reading of major authors in prose and poetry with careful attention to grammar and style. Prerequisite: LATN 0100, 0200 or 0110 (or equivalent).

Virgil, most famous as the poet of the Aeneid, began his career with two smaller masterpieces: a collection of ten bucolic poems (Eclogues) modeled on the Idylls of the Hellenistic poet Theocritus, and a didactic work on agriculture in four books, the Georgics, which found its inspiration both in Hellenistic models and in more recent Roman antecedents (including Lucretius' De Rerum Natura) and is viewed by many as the poet's finest achievement. We will read selections from both works, concluding with the epyllion at the end of Georgics Four, which relates the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Caesar's account of the Gallic Wars reconstructs his conquests, defeats, and ultimate victory. We will consider the great general's aims and objectives in launching such a major military campaign and in writing a history of these endeavors. Was he simply seeking greater glory for the Roman people? After the midterm, we will turn our critical attention to the life of another Julius: Cn. Iulius Agricola, the Imperial general largely responsible for Rome’s conquest of Britain. In this moral biography of his father-in-law, Tacitus mixes panegyric and invective to reveal the less savory aspects of imperialism: Rome’s rapacity, corruption, greed, and despotism.

Lucretius' De Rerum Natura, a long philosophical poem, is both a major source for Epicurean philosophical thought and an example of the ambitious Latin poetry of the late Roman Republic. We will read extensive selections from the poem in Latin. Our aim will be to make a detailed exploration of these sections through close reading of the Latin text and discussion of linguistic, literary, and cultural problems.

The course will explore in depth some important Renaissance or 'early modern' works of Latin literature, many of which have not been translated into English. As well as opening up a new field of Latin writing, the course will extend general knowledge of classical literature by involving some less commonly studied ancient sources. It will also introduce some early imprints, enabling you to consider texts directly in the original form in which they first appeared.

Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.

Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.

Survey of the works of Rome's greatest scholar, the polymath M. Terentius Varro, with focus on De Re Rustica, De Lingua Latina, Antiquitates, and the Menippean satires.

For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.

Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course. Instructor permission required.

For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing a thesis.