Contents of this syllabus:
--Instructor Information --Meeting Place and Time --Important Electronic Addresses --Course Description --Required Textbooks --Assignments and Grading --Important Course Policies --Attendance Policy --Course Calendar
Instructor: William Hutton Office: Morton 326 Phone: 221-2993 e-mail: wehutt@wm.edu Office hours: MWF 11-12 a.m. and by appointment.
Time and place of Class: MWF 10-10:50, Morton 343
Important Electronic Addresses: Class web page: http://www.wm.edu/CAS/classical_studies/wehutt/L202syl.html Class e-mail list: WMLATIN-L@listserv.cc.wm.edu Instructor's e-mail address: wehutt@wm.edu
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to original Latin poetry. We will
focus on the lyric and elegiac poet Catullus (ca. 84-54 BCE) and on
Vergil (70-19 BCE), author of the epic poem Aeneid. Both Catullus and
Vergil were amongst the earliest and best Roman poets working in their
respective genres, and both of them were highly influential in the
development of later literature. Vergil's work in particular set the
standard which nearly all those who wrote on heroic or epic themes
strove to emulate throughout the subsequent history of Western
literature. Both poets are excellent representatives of the great
blossoming of Latin literature in its so-called "Golden Age" in the
first century, BCE.
In the course of reading the poetry in the original Latin, our
main goal will be to continue the development of your grasp of Latin
grammar and vocabulary. We will also work on getting you attuned to the
sound and rhythm of Latin poetry (two qualities that are important in
the study of any type of poetry), and get you thinking about the sort of
fundamental issues of literary interpretation for which the study of
classical literature is so valuable.
Required Textbooks: D. H. Garrison, The Student's Catullus.
Vergil's Aeneid Books I-VI. Clyde Pharr, ed.
Vergil, The Aeneid. W.F. Jackson Knight, trans.
Assignments and Grading: Your grade will be calculated as follows:
OPTION I:
| Attendance and Class Participation: Assignments and Exercises: Quizzes: Midterm exam: Final exam: |
10% 10% 20% 20% 40% |
OPTION II:
| Attendance and Class Participation: Assignments and Exercises: Quizzes: Midterm exam: Optional Project (see below): Final exam: |
10% 10% 20% 20% 10% 30% |
With either option you can fail the course by amassing too many unexcused absences (see "Attendance Policy" below).
NOTE: Your grade will be calculated on a strictly numerical basis and converted to letter grades on the following scale: 93-100 = A; 89-92 = A-; 85-88=B+; 81-84 = B; 77-80 = B-; 74-76 = C+; 71-73 = C; 68-70 = C-; 64-67 = D+; 60-63 = D; 55-59= D-; Below 55 = F.
Explanation of Grade Components: --Class participation: Includes attendance, preparation, participation in discussion, cooperative attitude. Your grade for class particiption will be adversely affected by the following (this is not an exhaustive list): Missing class without a very good reason (SEE ATTENDANCE POLICY BELOW) tardiness, obvious lack of preparation, not participating in discussions, frequently sleeping in class (particularly if you snore), eating noisy food in class, in general, being inconsiderate. --Exercises and assignments: Exercises will be assigned and collected from time to time. They will include brief translations and other written exercises, metrical analyses and oral readings of poetical texts, brief oral reports. --Optional Project: You may, in return for a reduced emphasis on the final exam, complete a project in a format and on a topic that you and I agree upon. These projects will be on the scale of a 1500-word research paper, a 10-minute oral report or something of that ilk. --Midterm Exam and Final Exam: will have the same basic format, and will include the following elements: Translation of passages (both seen and unseen), brief essays commenting on passages covered in class, questions on grammar and poetical meter.
Important Course Policies: No late assignments will be accepted. No make-ups will be given for the quizzes or the midterm exam except in the case of dire and verifiable circumstances. Special arrangements for the final exam, if necessary, will have to be arranged through the College. I have no authority to make such arrangements.
Attendance Policy:
This is a small class that depends on the participation of every
member for success. For that reason attendance is required. If you
must miss class because of unavoidable circumstances, let me know ahead
of time, if possible or, at the very latest, no more than 48 HOURS after
the class that you miss.
If you don't do so, your absence will be considered UNEXCUSED. You are allowed one unexcused absence without penalty in the course of the semester. Any further unexcused absence will cost you one percentage point from your final grade. If you miss more than five (5) classes unexcused, don't bother coming back: ANY STUDENT WHO ACCUMULATES MORE THAN FIVE UNEXCUSED ABSENCES WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL THE COURSE!!!
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE: There is some wiggle room here, but the following things will remain constant: 1) Quizzes and the Midterm Exam will be on the dates given here. 2) The FINAL EXAM will occur as scheduled by the College. 3) Any readings indicated should be com- pleted BEFORE the date for which they are listed
Week 1
Jan 20 Introduction
Jan 22 Catullus: Read Garrison's introduction and Poems 1 & 2
Week 2 Jan 25 Catullus Poems 3,5 Jan 27 Catullus 27, 50 Jan 29 Catullus 32, 99
Week 3 Feb 1 Catullus 32, 99 Feb 3 Catullus 84, 16; QUIZ I Feb 5 Catullus 69, 28, 49, 93
Week 4 Feb 8 Catullus 7, 51, 83 Feb 10 Catullus 92, 104, 87, 70, 79, 86 Feb 12 Catullus 72, 75, 8
Week 5 Feb 15 Catullus 11, 58 Feb 17 Catullus 76 Feb 19 Catullus 107, 109, 101 QUIZ II
Week 6
Feb 22 Vergil: Excerpts from Book I
Feb 24 "" "" "" ""
Feb 26 Vergil: Excerpts from Book II
Translation: Books I & II
Week 7 Mar 1 Vergil: Excerpts from Book II Mar 3 Vergil: Excerpts from Book III Mar 5 Translation: Books III and IV: Quiz III
Mar 8 - 12: SPRING BREAK (Whoopee!)
Week 8 Mar 15 MIDTERM EXAM Mar 17 Vergil: Book IV Mar 19 "" "" ""
Week 9
Mar 22 Vergil: Book IV
Mar 24 Vergil: Book IV
Mar 26 Vergil: Book IV; QUIZ IV
Week 10 Mar 29 Vergil: Book IV Mar 31 Vergil: Book IV Apr 2 Vergil: Book IV
Week 11
Apl 5 Vergil: Book IV
Apl 7 Vergil: Book IV
Apl 9 Vergil: Book IV QUIZ V
Translation: Books V & VI
Week 12
Apl 12 Vergil: Book IV
Apl 14 Vergil: Book IV
Apl 16 Vergil: Book IV
Translation, Books VII - IX
Week 13
Apl 19 Vergil: Book IV
Apl 21 Vergil: Book IV
Apl 23 Vergil: Book IV QUIZ VI
Translation: Books X - XII
Week 14 Apl 26 Vergil: Excerpts from Book V Apl 28 Vergil: Excepts from Book VI Apl 30 Vergil: Excerpts from Book VI
Thursday, May 6, 1:30 p.m.: FINAL EXAM