An introduction to the basic grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of Latin designed to enable students to read and understand simple Latin prose and verse.

This course continues Latin 101 and completes the introduction to Latin, its core vocabulary, grammar and syntax. We also begin to read prose and poetry texts in the original in order to increase knowledge and ability with reading Latin.

This is an intensive introduction to the Latin language: LAT 103 covers the material of LAT 101-102 in a single semester through increased class time. Students completing the course will understand the principles of Latin grammar and be prepared to take LAT 105.

We will read selections from Cicero and Vergil, authors whose works set the standards for Latin oratory and epic. Our objectives are: to develop the ability to read Latin with greater ease and enjoyment; to appreciate the artistry of Latin prose and poetry; and to examine the relationship between literary composition and the Romans' establishment of their empire.

This course explores Augustan literature through two interrelated themes: civil war and Augustus himself. The period before Augustus' reign was marked by violent conflict, and this collective social trauma is evident in the texts produced by authors who lived through it; in these texts, Augustus emerges variously as accomplice, savior, or exemplum. We will read Latin prose, poetry, and inscriptions with the goals of (1) increasing facility with reading Latin in a variety of different genres, (2) developing the skills of close reading with commentaries, and (3) critically engaging with secondary scholarship.

This course focuses on the literary production of erotic elegy in the Augustan Period, 1st cent. BCE. We will focus on selections from the major authors in this genre as it would never flourish again, and it offers a rich set of themes, reflections on contemporary society and dazzling intertextual and intrageneric play. The authors present us a puzzle in terms of textual transmission, and their relation to politics and the 'real' world. Gender, sexuality and power have formed a core interest of scholarship and allow us to consider different theoretical approaches.