The benefits of training in the classics are many. The study of Latin and Greek literature in the original affords students the means to appreciate more fully the foundation and development of English and European literature. Similarly, the study of the Latin language is an excellent, and perhaps essential, basis for understanding English and the modern romance languages. Equally important, the intellectual discipline of classical studies is an aim and reward in its own right. The study of Latin and Greek teaches precision and flexibility of mind as well as regular and thorough study habits. After mastering the basics of grammar, vocabulary and syntax, students learn to translate and interpret important works of literature. Because students develop the skills of close textual analysis with works that have been hotly debated for centuries, they begin to understand both the scholarly value of their own interpretations and how the lenses of different eras affect the way a work is viewed. Completion of level 3 or 2/3 in either language satisfies the foreign language diploma requirement. The advanced Latin course, Latin Literature (AP), prepares students for the Advanced Placement Latin examination. Advanced courses in Latin and Greek authors are equivalent to advanced college courses.

LAT2
Latin 2
Latin 2 provides students with their first opportunity to read, in the native language, words written two millennia ago by authors who have influenced the development of Western literature and history. Following a systematic review of Latin morphology and sentence structure, students in Latin 2 complete their study of forms and syntax while developing reading skills using adapted selections, primarily from Cicero. Some original Latin texts also serve as a starting point for exploring important periods of Latin history. This course prepares students to read Latin prose.

LAT3
Latin 3
A reading course with some grammar and composition, Latin 3 focuses on developing the students’ reading skills. Students build vocabulary through using learned roots, prefixes and English derivatives. Prose works include selections from Caesar’s commentaries and the speeches of Cicero, which we examine for rhetorical style as well as for content and political implications. Excerpts from Ovid’s Metamorphoses introduce meter and familiarize students with mythological stories. Successful completion of this course qualifi es students for Latin 4. Highly motivated and proficient students may request permission to enroll in the Advanced Placement course, Latin Literature.

LA2/3
Latin 2/3 (Accelerated)
This course combines all the grammar and authors studied in Latin 2 and 3. The class meets five times per week and assumes a solid foundation in level 1 Latin. Successful completion of this course qualifies students for Latin 4. Highly motivated and proficient students may request permission to enroll in the Advanced Placement course, Latin Literature. (Enrollment by permission of the department.)

LAT4GA
Latin 4: Literature of the Golden Age
Readings in this course are drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Vergil’s Aeneid and other works of prose and poetry that are representative of the late Republican and Augustan age. These works introduce students to some of the most popular classical myths, to themes of love and the hero, and to the historical context that shaped the works. Students strengthen grammar skills, increase reading speed and comprehension, and learn to scan dactylic hexameter and elegiac verse. This course introduces students to great works of Latin literature and prepares students for the Advanced Placement course, Latin Literature.

Advanced Classics 

Roman Elegy and Roman History are half courses. Each meets twice per week throughout the year and may be taken independently or concurrently. Philosophy and Selected Readings are semester courses, meeting four times per week for half the year. Students must complete Latin Literature (AP) before enrolling in other advanced Latin courses. Note: When there is a need, and staffi ng permits, Philosophy or Selected Readings may be offered as a half course.

LALAP
Latin Literature (AP)
This reading course focuses primarily on Vergil’s Aeneid and emphasizes the major themes of the work within their literary and historical contexts. The course also devotes time to reading the selections of Caesar’s commentaries on the Gallic War that are included on the Advanced Placement examination. Designed for highly motivated students, this rigorous course presents elements of Roman history, politics, mythology and the classical literary tradition. Through close textual study, students encounter literary criticism as a tool for understanding classical literature. (Permission of the department required; prepares students for the AP Latin examination.)

LAREH
Advanced Latin: Roman Elegy (Half Course)
This course focuses on reading and understanding Latin elegiac poetry in its literary and historical contexts. Reading poetry by Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius, Sulpicia and Ovid, students trace the development of the meter, diction and poetic motifs associated with elegy. The class also explores how Roman elegists adapted the conventions of love poetry to present an image of the Roman state under Augustus that is more personal than Vergil’s vision. Some important topics studied are fi rst person narrative, gender and poetic allusion. (Prerequisite: Latin Literature (AP) or permission of the department.)

LA5RH
Advanced Latin: Roman History
(Half Course)
How did the Romans view their history? How did they want to be remembered? This course provides a look at Roman history through the eyes of some of Rome’s better-known historians. A close reading of selected texts in Latin serves as a basis for examining questions of historiography and prose style. Principal selections are drawn from Livy, Tacitus and Sallust. (Prerequisite: Latin Literature (AP) or permission of the department.)

LAPHF
Advanced Latin: Philosophy of Lucretius
(Semester 1)
What role did the Roman gods have in shaping the world around us? In this course, students read selections from Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura and examine Lucretius’s philosophical insight and poetic craft in their historical context. Students consider the Greek and Latin antecedents of Lucretius’s poetry and the place of De Rerum Natura in the development of Latin verse. (Prerequisite: Latin Literature (AP) or permission of the department.)

LASRS
Advanced Latin: Selected Readings
(Semester 2)
This course permits students to pursue their own interests in Latin and Greek literature at an advanced level. Working together with members of the department, students select authors and texts to read. Past classes have read comedy, satire, oratory and history. (Prerequisite: Latin Literature (AP) and one other Advanced Latin course.)

ACG1
Advanced Classics: Ancient Greek 1
This course covers basic grammar and readings. It leads to Greek 2 or Greek 2A. (Prerequisite: Latin 4. With permission, a student may take this course concurrently with Latin 4.)

ACG2
Advanced Classics: Ancient Greek 2
Students complete the study of Greek grammar and then proceed to careful reading of selections from Xenophon or Lysias. This course leads to Greek 3.

ACG2AH
Advanced Classics: Ancient Greek 2A
(Half Course)
In this course students continue the study of Greek grammar and syntax while reviewing the foundation built in the previous year. Practice in making literal translations supports the learning of grammar and developing reading skills. This course leads to Greek 2B.

ACG2BH
Advanced Classics: Ancient Greek 2B
(Half Course)
This course provides a continuation of Greek 2A, including a complete review of Greek grammar and readings from Xenophon or Lysias. This course leads to Greek 3.

ACG3
Advanced Classics: Ancient Greek 3
This course covers selected readings in classical Greek authors including Plato, Xenophon and Euripides. 

Intensive Language Courses 

These are accelerated courses designed for Class I students (and students in Class II with special permission). Each is the equivalent in diffi culty and pace to a fi rst-year college language course and is open only to students who have completed the language requirement through study of another language. (Offered subject to suffi cient demand.)

CHINT
Intensive Chinese

FRINT
Intensive French

GRINT
Intensive Classical Greek

LAINT
Intensive Latin

SPINT
Intensive Spanish

Classics

Classics Faculty

Classics Courses