LATN 101 - Fall 2018
Introduction to Latin 1
College of the Holy Cross
Course Details
Location: Stein 208
Time: MWF 9am to 9:50am
Instructor: Professor Daniel Libatique
Office Hours: T 1-3pm, W 11am-1pm, or by appointment
Office Location: Fenwick 410
Objectives
Course Objectives
This course is an introduction to the Latin language, the mode of communication that defines the literature and culture of ancient Rome. No previous knowledge of Latin is required. This course will start from the very basics of the Latin language (i.e.,¹ parts of speech, inflection, pronunciation) and eventually build towards a strong command of Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. The goal of first-year Latin (consisting of this course and its counterpart and continuation, LATN 102 - Introduction to Latin 2) is to build a solid foundation for reading actual ancient Roman texts. As such, the acquisition of those linguistic skills, elucidated and practiced through classroom instruction and examples in our textbook and workbook, will also be reinforced by the reading of select prose and poetry passages in Latin.
¹ FUN FACT #1: “i.e.” stands for id est, or “that is [to say]”!
Texts
Texts
- Susan C. Shelmerdine. Introduction to Latin, Second Edition. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-58510-390-4.
- Ed DeHoratius. Introduction to Latin: A Workbook. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-58510-674-5.
- Various supplemental exercises and texts, to be provided in xerox / e-mail form.
N.B.² Please take careful notice of the edition of our textbook (Introduction to Latin): 2nd. The first edition may have different exercises and chapter divisions, so owning the 2nd edition will be vital to ensuring you are doing the correct reading and homework exercises. You can purchase the textbook at the Holy Cross Bookstore or online through such vendors as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you choose a vendor other than the Holy Cross Bookstore, make sure to use the ISBN number to purchase the correct version.
² FUN FACT #2: “N.B.” stands for nota bene, or “note well”!
Reference and Electronic Resources
- Electronic Resources for Shelmerdine.
- includes vocab lists, exercises, audio pronunciation guides.
Nuts & Bolts
Academic Conduct
You are expected to abide by Holy Cross’ Academic Integrity Policy, posted here. Cheating on homework, quizzes, or exams (defined here as but not limited to reproducing answers from an answer key, referring to forbidden notes to help answer questions, or copying another student’s answers) may result in penalties ranging from a failure on the specific assignment, quiz, or exam to failure for the entire course.
Attendance
You must attend each meeting of the course to attain a good grade. I will be explaining the quite dense material in the textbook through examples and alternative ideas (mnemonic devices, helpful tips, etc.), so it will be to your benefit to attend class so as to make your homework and studying for quizzes and the exams less daunting.
If you must miss a class meeting for any reason, please inform me as soon as you know of the absence via e-mail before the class meeting begins, and we will correspond accordingly. More than two (2) unexcused absences, defined as a failure to appear in class without notifying me via e-mail that you won’t be there before the class period begins, will result in a full grade drop for the semester (e.g., an A- will be dropped to a B-).
It bears repeating: if you will miss class for any reason, you must e-mail me before that class period begins to let me know!
Any absence beyond the two allotted above for compelling and verifiable reasons (including but not limited to extended illness, a death or medical emergency in the family, a wedding in the immediate family, and participation in a college-sponsored athletic event) falls under Holy Cross’ Excused Absence Policy and requires a note from your Class Dean. See the full Excused Absence Policy here.
Disability
Any student who needs accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Disability Services to discuss support services available. Once the office receives documentation supporting the request for accommodation, the student would meet privately with Disability Services to discuss reasonable and appropriate accommodations. Contact information for the Office of Disability Services can be found here.
If you are already registered with Disability Services, please be sure to get your accommodation letters and deliver them to me in a timely fashion. Instructors need 4-5 days advance notice to be able to facilitate the process of receiving testing accommodations.
Diversity and Inclusion
Studying Latin at Holy Cross is one way to challenge a centuries-long tradition that reserved the study of the ancient world for a privileged elite. The challenge goes beyond simply welcoming students however they identify their race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religious or spiritual tradition, or socioeconomic background. As we work to see the multicultural world of the ancient Mediterranean through the original thoughts and language of Latin speakers and writers, we reflect on and actively explore how this can help us recognize and respond to structures of power and privilege in our own lives.
This work is especially important today, when historically false images of the ancient world are being invoked to support particular political viewpoints. Studying Latin helps us see through erroneous assertions about the “whiteness” of the ancient Mediterranean, and reject claims that the Greco-Roman world is the special province of any ethnic or political group.
Extra Help
If you feel overwhelmed or need extra help, please do not hesitate to visit me in office hours or e-mail me. Additionally, there are resources outside the Classics department, like Academic Services and Learning Resources that can help. Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question.
Assessment & Grades
Attendance and Participation: 20%
You must attend each class and actively engage with the material being taught (i.e., no distractions via cell phones or Facebook, no disruption of the class by having personal conversations, etc.). Participation is not optional; if you do not volunteer, I will call on you. Latin is a challenging language and requires engagement both inside and outside of the classroom; in addition to being an active participant in class, you are also expected to spend time outside of class reviewing your grammatical and syntactic concepts and practicing translation in addition to completing homework assignments from the workbook.
Homework: 30%
I will collect homework, grade it, and return it the next class meeting. For exercises in the textbook, please either type up your answers and bring a hard copy to class, or write out your translations / responses legibly on loose-leaf paper for submission. E-mail submissions will not be accepted unless you consult with me first and I have given express permission. For workbook assignments, please complete a workbook section, check your answers in the back of the workbook, and then write out and sign the following statement at the end of your textbook exercise submission: “I have completed Section [insert completed section(s) here] from the workbook.” Please do not turn in the actual section from the workbook. Homework will be graded for completeness rather than correctness, so if you’re completely stumped by a question, do make sure to put something down on the page or explain where the confusion or difficulty lies!
Quizzes: 20%
There will be ten (10) quizzes throughout the semester, each weighted at 2%, designed to test your mastery of vocabulary, grammar, and translation. See the schedule below for details on what each quiz will cover. Quiz dates are 9/10, 9/17, 9/26, 10/5, 10/17, 10/22, 10/31, 11/14, 11/19, and 12/3.
Midterms and Final exam: 30%
There will be two midterm exams and one final exam, each weighted at 10%, designed to test your understanding of grammatical concepts and ability to translate Latin into English and English into Latin. See the schedule below for details on what each exam will cover. Midterm exam dates are 9/28 and 11/2. The final exam date is TBD.
NOTE: If you cannot attend class and must miss a quiz or exam, you must let me know before the class meeting in order to be eligible for a make-up by e-mailing me. If you do not clear your absence with me beforehand and miss a quiz or exam, you will receive a 0% for that quiz or exam.
The final grade will be calculated as a percentage out of 100; then, it will be converted to a letter grade according to the following scheme:
A = 95-100%; A- = 90-94%
B+ = 87-89%; B = 84-86%; B- = 80-83%
C+ = 77-79%; C = 74-76%; C- = 70-73%
D+ = 67-69%; D = 65-66%
F = 0-64%
Grades ending in .45 or greater will be rounded up to the nearest whole number; grades ending in .44 or less will be rounded down to the nearest whole number.
By the way, to test whether you’ve read the syllabus all the way through, please e-mail me a photo of your favorite Roman monument by 9/3 with the subject line “Caesar and Pompey were ARCH-enemies.”
Schedule
Detailed Schedule
All assignments listed below will be found in our textbook (= T) or workbook (= W). I reserve the right to alter any given day’s homework assignment by adding to, changing, or taking away from what is posted below.
Each entry lists the topic of discussion for that day in class plus the homework assignment that will be collected that day. E.g.,³ on Monday, September 3, I will collect textbook chapter 1, exercises 1, 2, and 3, and your signed statement for the workbook exercise from chapter 1 (see “Homework” under “Assessment & Grades” above).
You should also read the chapter that will be discussed on any given day in advance of the class meeting. E.g., by the time class meets on Friday, August 31, you should have already read through Chapter 1.
³ FUN FACT #3: “e.g.” stands for exemplī gratiā, or “for the sake of an example”!
Week 1
Wednesday, August 29
Course Introduction and Overview.
Homework due: Read “The Latin Alphabet and Pronunciation” on p. 1-3 of Shelmerdine.
Friday, August 31
Chapter 1 - The Sentence: Parts of Speech, What Words Do (Function), Sentence Patterns: Intransitive, Transitive; the Verb: Present Active Indicative, Present Active Infinitive, Principal Parts, Indicative Uses: Statements and Questions, Infinitive Use: Complementary.
No homework due! eugepae!
Week 2
Monday, September 3
Chapter 1 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 1, ex. 1, 2, 3; W: Chapter 1, any section of your choice.
Wednesday, September 5
Chapter 2 - Latin Cases: Nominative (Subject), Accusative (Direct Object); the Noun: Gender, Dictionary Entry, First Declension, Second Declension Masculine/Neuter; the Conjunction; Reading Latin: Using Expectations.
Homework due: T: Chapter 1, ex. 4.odds; 5.evens; 6.odds.
Friday, September 7
Chapter 2 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 2, ex. 7, 8, 9, 10.
Week 3
Monday, September 10
Quiz #1 - Chapters 1 and 2.
Chapter 3 - Imperative Mood; Vocative (Address); Genitive (Possession, Partitive); Dative (Indirect Object, Reference/Interest); Expectations.
Homework due: T: Chapter 2, ex. 12; 14.1-5; 17.odds; 18.1, 2, 7, 9; W: Chapter 2, any section of your choice.
Wednesday, September 12
Chapter 4 - Adverbs; Prepositions; Ablative (Means/Instrument); Expressions of Place (Place to/in/from Which); Adverbial Modifiers; Word Order.
Homework due: T: Chapter 3, translate Narrative B (p. 27); W: Chapter 3, any section of your choice.
Friday, September 14 (my birthday!)
Chapter 4 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 4, ex. 27.1, 4, 5; 28; 29; W: Chapter 4, any section of your choice.
Week 4
Monday, September 17
Quiz #2 - Chapters 3 and 4.
Chapter 5 - 1st and 2nd Declension Adjectives: Agreement, Substantives; More Uses of the Genitive (Explanatory, Objective, Subjective); Adjectival Modification; sum, Present Indicative and Infinitive; Sentence Pattern: Linking; More Uses of the Ablative (Accompaniment, Manner).
Homework due: T: Chapter 4, ex. 31.odds, 32.evens; Practice Sentences 1-3.
Wednesday, September 19
Chapter 5 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 5, ex. 34, 35, 36
Friday, September 21
Chapter 6 - 1st and 2nd Conjugations and sum: Imperfect Active Indicative, Future Active Indicative; the Gap; Infinitive Use as a Noun; Dative of Possession.
Homework due: T: Chapter 5, translate Reading 3 (p. 44); Practice Sentences 4-6.
Week 5
Monday, September 24
Chapter 6 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 6, ex. 40.evens, 41.odds, 42, 43; W: Chapter 6, any section of your choice.
Wednesday, September 26
Quiz #3 - Chapters 5 and 6.
Review for Midterm #1.
Homework due: T: Chapter 6, ex. 46.1-4; 47.1-4; Practice Sentences 1-2, 4, 6.
Friday, September 28
Midterm #1: Chapters 1-6.
Week 6
Monday, October 1
Midterm #1 Post-Mortem and Check Up from the Neck Up.
Chapter 7 - Third Declension Nouns: Consonant Stem M/F/N, Gender Patterns; Personal Pronouns ego, tū; Forms of possum; Sentence Pattern: Special Intransitive.
No homework due! eugepae!
Wednesday, October 3
Chapter 7 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 7, ex. 50.odds, 51, 52; W: Chapter 7, any section of your choice.
Friday, October 5
Quiz #4 - Chapter 7.
Chapter 7 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 7, ex. 54.1-3, 56.1-5; Practice Sentences 1, 3-4, 6-7.
FALL BREAK: October 6 - October 14
Devote at least 15-30 minutes a day to practicing Latin! Write paradigms, translate exercises, whatever you need to do to return from Fall Break ready to go!
Week 7
Monday, October 15
Chapter 8 - Third and Fourth Conjugations: Present Active Indicative, Infinitive, and Imperative; Personal Pronoun is, ea, id; Sentence Pattern: Factitive.
No homework due. Eugepae!
Wednesday, October 17
Quiz #5 - Chapter 8.
Chapter 9 - 3rd and 4th Conjugations: Imperfect and Future Active Indicative; Demonstrative Pronouns hic, haec, hoc; ille, illa, illud; is, ea, id; Adjectival Use of Demonstratives.
Homework due: T: Chapter 8, ex. 57, 58, 60.evens.
Friday, October 19
Chapter 9 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 8, ex. 62.odds, Practice Sentences 2, 3, 6, 8; Chapter 9, ex. 64.evens
Week 8
Monday, October 22
Chapter 10 - 3rd Declension i-Stems; 3rd Declension Adjectives; Expressions of Cause.
Homework due: T: Chapter 9, Reading 9 (p. 81); Practice Sentences 1, 2, 5-7.
Wednesday, October 24
Chapter 10 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 10, Ex. 70; 72.odds; decline the following adjective-noun pairs in all cases and numbers: ācre bellum, ingēns ignis, fortis fēmina.
Friday, October 26
Quiz #6 - Chapters 9 and 10.
Chapter 11 - Perfect Active System: Perfect, Pluperfect, Future Perfect Active Indicative; Special Adjectives in -īus; Numerals; Expressions of Time.
Homework due: T: Chapter 10, Ex. 74.odds, 75.evens.
Week 9
Monday, October 29
Chapter 11 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 11, ex. 76.odds, 79.evens, 82.all.
Wednesday, October 31
Quiz #7 - Chapter 11.
Midterm #2 Review.
Homework due: T: Chapter 11, ex. 85, 86.evens, 87.odds.
Friday, November 2
Midterm #2: Chapters 7-11.
Week 10
Monday, November 5
Midterm #2 Post-Mortem and Check Up from the Neck Up.
No homework due! eugepae!
Wednesday, November 7
Midterm #2 Post-Mortem and Check Up from the Neck Up, continued.
Chapter 12 - Dependent Clauses (Adverbial Use, Word Order); Accusative of Extent and Degree; Dative with Adjectives.
No homework due! eugepae!
Friday, November 9
Chapter 12 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 12, Ex. 89, 90, 91.odds, 92.odds.
Week 11
Monday, November 12
Chapter 13 - The Pronoun: Relative; Dependent Clauses (Adjectival Use: Relative Clause); The Pronoun: Reflexive.
Homework due: T: Chapter 12, ex. 94.odds; 95.evens; Practice Sentences 2, 4, 6.
Wednesday, November 14
Chapter 13 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 13, ex. 98, 99.odds.
Friday, November 16
Quiz #8 - Chapters 12 and 13.
Chapter 14 - Passive Voice (Present, Imperfect, Future Indicative; Present Infinitive); Sentence Pattern: Passive; Ablative of Agent.
Homework due: T: Chapter 13, ex. 100.1-8; 101.odds; 102.evens.
Week 12
Monday, November 19
Chapter 14 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 14, ex. 104, 106, 107, 108.odds, 109.evens.
THANKSGIVING BREAK: November 21 - November 25
Once again, devote at least 15-30 minutes a day to practicing Latin! Write paradigms, translate exercises, whatever you need to do to return from Thanksgiving Break ready to go!
Week 13
Monday, November 26
Chapter 15 - Perfect, Pluperfect, Future Perfect Passive; Perfect Passive Infinitive; Linking Sentence Pattern Revisited; Possessive Adjectives and Possession using Eius; Ablative of Specification (Respect).
Homework due: T: Chapter 14, ex. 112, 114.odds, 115.evens.
Wednesday, November 28
Chapter 15 continued.
Homework due: T: Chapter 14, ex. 111.odds; Chapter 15, ex. 117.evens, 119.odds; 121.evens.
Friday, November 30
Quiz #9 - Chapters 14 and 15.
Chapter 16 - Fourth and Fifth Declension; Locative Case; Other Place Expressions.
Homework due: T: Chapter 15, ex. 122.odds, 124.evens, 126.odds.
Week 14
Monday, December 3
Semester Review.
Homework due: T: Chapter 16, ex. 128.odds, 129, 130.evens, 131, 132.
Wednesday, December 5
Quiz #10 - Chapter 16 and Sight Translation.
Semester Review.
Homework due: T: Chapter 16, ex. 134, 135.1-5.
Friday, December 7
Semester Review.
Looking ahead to Introduction to Latin 2.
Homework due: Write out a few sentences or bullet points explaining what you're going to do over winter break to keep up your Latin before the spring semester begins!
STUDY PERIOD: December 8 - December 10
EXAM PERIOD: December 11 - December 15
Final exam: Thursday, 12/13/18 (8am).