LATN 200/300/400-1 Directed Readings: Caesar's Wars Spring 2012 Department of Classics Monmouth College

The general aim of this course is to improve your Latin reading and comprehension skills and to expose you to a variety of texts in Latin. The specific goal of the course this semester is to read selections from Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Class will meet about 50 minutes per week. During this time we will translate, discuss and interpret the assigned readings. You are expected to come prepared to every class. Preparation means review of the reading from last class and work on the reading for the next class.

You are expected to complete a Latin composition, an assignment on meter and a mid-course evaluation. Failure to complete any of these assignments may significantly affect your grade in the course.

Your course grade will be based upon your daily class performance and upon an ORAL final examination. You can request a verbal evaluation of your performance at any time during the term. In general, you will be graded in this course based upon the "3 P's" of PREPARATION, PARTICIPATION, and PROGRESS.

About the instructor / Some Useful Websites on the Latin language / Class Photo

TEXTBOOK: Students are advised not to purchase used textbooks with writing in them. A Caesar Reader. Selections from Bellum Gallicum and Bellum Civile, and from Caesar's Letters, Speeches, and Poetry  W. Jeffrey Tatum  xl + 206 pp. (2012) 5” x 7.75” Paperback Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, ISBN 978-0-86516-696-7

Full electronic copies of Caesar's writings are available at The Latin Library:
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/caes.html

See also the Corpus Scriptorum Latinorum of Forumromanum.org: http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/caesarx.html.

It is highly recommended that students also have their own Latin dictionaries and a Latin reference grammar. And excellent on-line dictionary resource is www.nodictionaries.com, especially http://www.nodictionaries.com/caesar/de-bello-gallico-1/1.

Students enrolled in LATN230/330/430 should also consult the list of required texts for CLAS230.

A word on academic honesty: You are encouraged to work with other members of the class. However, please do not try to recite another's translation. This is a form of plagiarism (copying someone else's work without giving credit) which is both dishonest and ineffective for your goal of reading Latin. Any student submitting plagiarized work will receive a failing grade for that assignment. If two papers with identical or nearly-identical work are submitted by different students, both papers will receive a failing grade.

Caveat: This syllabus is subject to revision by the instructor, provided that written or verbal notice is given in class.

This webpage was prepared by Professor Thomas J. Sienkewicz of Monmouth College. If you have any questions, you can contact him at tjsienkewicz@monmouthcollege.edu.

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