LATIN I
In this introduction to classical Latin, students begin to learn the basic vocabulary and grammar by reading a connected series of stories in Latin. These stories, which follow the life of a Senatorial family in the early Empire, also introduce students to the history and culture of ancient Rome. The course aims to teach students the skill of close reading through translation and to increase students’ understanding of the origins of words and of the basic grammatical structures. The course also offers exposure to Roman history, geography, and other aspects of the civilization in which Latin flourished.
LATIN II
In this course, students continue their study of Latin language and Roman culture. They increase their understanding of Latin grammar and hone their translation and reading skills by working on increasingly complex Latin passages, preparing them to handle authentic texts in subsequent years. Investigations into Roman history are enhanced by reading from ancient authors in translation, with some excerpts in the original language. The emphasis in cultural studies at this level is on the Roman colonization of Britain, and the students explore the political and social institutions that facilitated the expansion of the Empire in the early centuries A.D. In the second semester, students study the architecture of the Roman Forum in depth.
LATIN III
The objective of this course is to prepare students to read genuine Latin literature. After reviewing material from levels I and II, students learn more complex forms of expression, and eventually apply their knowledge of Latin grammar to reading authentic texts. Taking advantage of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the first readings come from ancient inscriptions, which students are able to transcribe at the museum and then read and study at school. Students gain a familiarity with various aspects of the culture of Latin letters, such as bookmaking, rhetoric, and especially, poetry, as students read short poems by Catullus, Martial, Ovid, and Horace. Figures of speech are scrutinized in depth, enhancing the students’ understanding of the more advanced texts they encounter in their English and Humanities classes. Cultural phenomena, such as provincial governance and the Roman political scene are revisited in greater detail.
LATIN IV
This course is primarily a literature studies class in which students expand their understanding of Roman literature, history, and culture as they continue to read, translate, and analyze authentic Roman writings. Students study much of the curriculum of the former AP® Latin literature course, reading works by Catullus, Horace, Cicero, and Petronius. Student input and interests in large determine the specific readings and topics in the course. Students also apply the analytical essay writing skills they have qcquired in their English classes, to Latin literature.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT LATIN: VERGIL
Students in this course prepare to take the AP® examination on Vergil’s Aeneid in the spring. While reviewing Latin grammar, students also intensively study poetic vocabulary, style, and meter. Translation skills are honed as students translate an impressive quantity of lines and learn to read them fluidly in meter. While students read a selection of the Aeneid in Latin, they read the rest of the poem in English in order to understand the work as a whole, and they also study Homer in order to understand Vergil’s epic in its literary context. Although the primary work is translation, students discuss the readings critically in class and write frequent analytical essays, and study in detail Roman culture during the time of Augustus.