Meeting Time: MWF 12-12:50pm
Meeting Place: Stein 118C
Instructor: Prof. Daniel Libatique (he/him/his)
Office: Fenwick 410
Student Hours: M 10:30-11:30am, T 2-3pm, or by appointment
E-mail: dlibatiq [at] holycross.edu
Website: Click here.
This course builds on the grammatical and syntactic knowledge base that we began in the introductory sequence (LATN 101 and 102) through reading unaltered Latin texts and applying concepts and skills to the actual words of the ancients. Specific language skills that we will develop include recognizing syntactic patterns and larger narrative structures in connected passages of prose; reading Latin at sight with confidence; reading (and rereading) with increased speed while remaining attentive to very close analysis of assigned passages; and understanding how to use lexica, commentaries, and other scholarly instruments in reading an edition of an ancient text. In Fall 2021, we will read selections from the Letters of Pliny the Younger, supplemented, if time permits, with letters by Cicero, Seneca, and non-elite Romans. These texts will not only allow us to complete our primary objectives of building your language skills but also to engage with important aspects of Roman socio-cultural history, including issues of politics and marriage, the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, and the rise of Christianity.
