LAT 231 INTRODUCTION TO LATIN PROSE
This course, the third of four in the language requirement sequence, concentrates on the skills necessary for reading Latin prose texts from left to right with comprehension and to translate from Latin to English in a coherent and precise fashion.
In the process of reading about 1000 lines from Livy's Ab Urbe Condita 1 , you will review the essentials of Latin grammar and will master advanced grammar, reading and translation skills. You will also develop appreciation for Livy's style and will acquire the necessary historical and cultural knowledge to fully appreciate the dramatic and multi-layered narrative of Ab Urbe Condita .
Free tutoring in the study-center, meeting times with the instructor outside of office-hours and computer support for self-practice are available to help you succeed in the course.
Required texts:
- LFR (Latin for Reading by Knudsvig – Craig - Seligson)
- Coursepack (available at Dollar Bill Copying, 611 Church street)
- Rome and Her Kings: Livy 1 Graded Selections (available at Ulrich’s Bookstore)
Goals for LAT 231
- To be able to read closely from left to right an original or slightly adapted text of medium complexity and to translate it into idiomatic English by rendering correctly verb tenses and voices and by taking into account gapping issues and the word-order differences between the two languages.
- To be able to identify correctly participants and sequences of events in an original or slightly adapted text of medium complexity while registering the correct function of words and the boundaries of clauses in the linear flow of the sentence.
- To be able to talk about the meaning of individual words, phrases and clauses using commonly accepted terminology such as Direct Object, Abl of agent, Dative of possession, Purpose clause.
- To be able to recognize, identify and translate verbs, nouns and adjectives in their different forms with 80% accuracy (Basic Skills morphology tests).
- To be able to demonstrate control over 300 Basic Vocabulary items, Structural Vocabulary and 200 new vocabulary items.
- To be able to recognize word-stems and to relate them to English derivatives.
- To be familiar with the main periods of Roman history and with its major players; to know the major figures of Roman literature and to have a basic understanding of Roman daily life, the army, customs, calendar and religion.
- To be able to enunciate correctly and read Latin fluently aloud.
- To have basic oral Latin skills and to be able to communicate in Latin about basic topics of campus and daily life.