Course Description
Classics 301B provides a survey of Latin literature through English translations that is required for Classics majors. The works to be studied include some of the earliest extant ones of the republican period down to those of the early-empire: our authors span a period of over 300 years. We will read from a variety of genres, including comedy and tragedy; epic, lyric and elegiac poetry; satire; philosophy; the novel; and literary letters. Latin writers appropriated all these genres – with the exception of satire, which apparently is a Roman innovation (satura quidem tota nostra est, "satire is all ours", Quintilian 10.1.93) – from the Greeks. In doing so they creatively and self-reflexively (Latin literature is extremely “meta”) adapted their Greek source texts with a view to their own audiences, artistic purposes, and cultural projects. The study of this literature provides a dynamic point of entry into the rich and diverse cultural world of the ancient Romans; the Roman empire was an extraordinarily complex experiment in multiethnic and polylingual exchange that is only now rivaled by globalist movements. Latin literature is critical to appreciation of subsequent European and American literatures and cultures that received it.
Course Objectives
Expected Student Outcomes
Instructor
Professor David Christenson (faculty webpage)
Modern Languages Building 326
christed@arizona.edu
Office Hours: M 9-10, F 11-12, or by appointment
Required Texts
Catullus, Horace, Ovid, Propertius, Sulpicia, Tibullus = D. Rayor & W. Batstone, eds. 2019. Latin Lyric and Elegiac Poetry (Routledge, 2nd edn.)
Lucan = B. Walters, trs. 2015. Lucan: Civil War (Hackett)
Lucretius = W. Englert, trs. 2003. Lucretius: On the Nature of Things (Focus/Hackett)
Plautus = D. Christenson, trs. 2008. Casina, Amphityron, Captivi, Pseudolus (Focus/Hackett)
Seneca = E. Wilson, trs. 2010. Seneca: Six Tragedies (Oxford)
Vergil = S. Bartsch, trs. 2021. Vergil: the Aeneid (The Modern Library)
The Required Texts are available in D2L Content ("Pay One Price and Inclusive Access Materials"); the opt in/out deadline is January 28 (11:59pm). All other required readings are posted as PDFs in D2L Content or available online (see Schedule of Assignments below).
Course Requirements & Grading
The course grade will be based on the following percentages:
30% = two hour examinations
20% = two papers (3-4pp. each)
5% = two readings/performances of a text
10% = two group projects (in-class presentation on a topic of classical reception)
10% = ca. fifteen quizzes
10% = attendance and class participation
5% = creative project
10% = final examination
N.B.: There are no make-up quizzes or examinations, or extra-credit assignments; the final examination cannot be taken early; papers should be submitted on the due date (those submitted after the due date may be penalized).
Scale:
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
E = 59% and below
[grades will be posted on the course’s D2L site]
Honors Credit
The course is available for honors credit on an individual, contractual basis. Honors students, in addition to completing the requirements for all enrolled students, typically write a research paper (12-15pp.) on a focused topic requiring extensive reading and synthesis of secondary sources, as negotiated in consultation with me. I will meet individually with Honors students to formulate, develop, and discuss this project.
Class Participation
You are expected to prepare and complete all assignments in a timely manner, attend each class, have access to our required texts and readings in class, and to engage in creative discussion. The literary works that we are reading demand live analysis and fresh reinterpretation; please do not regard yourselves as passive consumers of them, or as consumers of neatly packaged “information” about them to be dispensed by me in class. Smart literature provokes and compels us to address important issues of human experience, none of which can be reduced to mere information bytes.
Attendance Policy
Behavior Policy
In class, please always be respectful of others and practice common courtesy: turn off phones and other digital devices, do not come to class late or leave early, or view online materials unrelated to the course. Students using non-course related electronic media during class will be conisidered absent.
Threatening Behavior Policy
The UA’s Threatening Behavior by Students Policy prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to oneself:
http://policy.arizona.edu/education-and-student-affairs/threatening-behavior-students.
Content Warning
Our course materials address topics such as sexual assault, slavery, and violence that may pose personal challenges. Please be assured that these issues will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and professionalism, and that their inclusion in the course is intended to generate productive and valuable discussion of our required texts. Course materials may also sometimes be sexually explicit. Please speak with me in advance to discuss any content related concerns, as alternative materials may be available.
Writing Requirement
This course is writing intensive (writing emphasis) and you are required to write at least 10 pages (on quizzes, exams, and papers).
Accessibility and Accommodations
At the University of Arizona we strive to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268, http://drc.arizona.edu) to establish reasonable accommodations.
Please be aware that the accessible table and chairs in this room should remain available for students who find that standard classroom seating is not usable.
UA Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment Policy
The University of Arizona is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination. In support of this commitment, the University prohibits discrimination, including harassment and retaliation, based on a protected classification, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. The University encourages those who believe they have been the subject of discrimination to report the matter immediately as described in the link below (“Reporting Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation”). All members of the University community are responsible for participating in creating a campus environment free from all forms of prohibited discrimination and for cooperating with University officials who investigate allegations of policy violations. See further: http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/nondiscrimination-and-anti-harassment-policy
Mental Health and Wellbeing
The Dean of Students Office’s Student Assistance Program helps students manage crises, life traumas, and other barriers that impede success. The staff addresses the needs of students who experience issues related to social adjustment, academic challenges, psychological health, physical health, victimization, and relationship issues, through a variety of interventions, referrals, and follow up services. The Dean of Students Office can be reached at 520-621-7057 or DOS-deanofstudents@email.arizona.edu.
Campus Health provides quality medical and mental health care services through virtual and in-person care (Phone: 520-621-9202).
Counseling and Psych Services (CAPS) provides mental health care, including short-term counseling services (Phone: 520-621-3334).
The Survivor Advocacy Program provides confidential support and advocacy services to student survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The Program can also advise students about relevant non-UA resources available within the local community for support (Email: survivoradvocacy@arizona.edu; Phone: 520-621-5767).
Crisis Support
Suicide Crisis Lifeline: call 988
Crisis Text Line: text TALK to 741-741
Visit https://preventsuicide.arizona.edu for more suicide prevention tips and resources.
UA Code of Academic Integrity
Each of you must adhere to the University of Arizona’s Code of Academic Integrity. You are encouraged to share your intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials, but graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. In this course inappropriate use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)/large language model tools such as ChatGPT, Dall-e, Google Bard, Microsoft Bing, et al., will be considered a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity, specifically the prohibition against submitting work that is not your own. This applies to all assessments in the coursyllabusse. This course policy is driven by the learning goals and desired learning outcomes for the course.
The University Libraries offers advice on avoiding plagiarism: http://new.library.arizona.edu/research/citing/plagiarism.
The Classics Major and Minor
The University of Arizona’s interdisciplinary Department of Religious Studies and Classics offers a major (B.A.) and a minor in Classics, with options in Classical Civilization, Greek, or Latin. For more information on the Classics major and minor, see http://classics.arizona.edu. Classics majors have pursued careers in a wide variety of fields, including business, government, law, medicine, education, and social services. Many students have paired the Classics major with majors in a wide range of fields, earning a double major or dual degree. This provides a comprehensive undergraduate education and gives graduates a competitive edge when applying for jobs or graduate studies.
For questions about the Classics major or minors and/or to declare a major/minor, contact the Classics undergraduate faculty advisor, Dr. Robert Stephan, at classics-advising@email.arizona.edu or use the ONLINE MAJOR/MINOR DECLARATION FORM. You may also contact the College of Humanities Advising Office for any advising needs: http://advising.humanities.arizona.edu. For information about double majoring, visit this COH site: http://doubleup.humanities.arizona.edu.
The Department also offers a major (B.A.) and a minor in Religious Studies, as well as a minor in New Testament Language and Literature. For more information on these degree options: religion.arizona.edu and religion.arizona.edu/students/new-testament
*The information contained in this syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Schedule of Assignments
(Thursday, January 16: Introduction)
I. Early Latin Literature
Tuesday, January 21: Plautus, Casina
Thursday, January 23: Plautus, Pseudolus
Tuesday, January 28: Terence, Eunuchus (PDF on D2L)
Thursday, January 30: Cato, De Agri Cultura 1-6 (preface included), 53-60, 135-141, 142-143, 156-157 (translation at LacusCurtius)
II. Late Republican Literature
Tuesday, February 4: Catullus 1-8, 10-12, 15-16, 29, 48-49, 51, 57-58, 69
Thursday, February 6: Catullus 63, 68a-b, 70, 72, 83, 85, 95, 101
Tuesday, February 11: Lucretius, On the Nature of Things 1.1-634, 1.921-1117, 2.1-61, 2.216-293, 2.1023-1174
Thursday, February 13: Lucretius, On the Nature of Things 3.1-93, 3.830-1094, 4.907-1287, 5.1-54, 6.1090-1286
Tuesday, February 18: Cicero, Letters 67-70, 74, 77, 82, 90-91, 115, 119-120, 123-124, 133, 136-139, 160, 164-166 (PDF on D2L)
Thursday, February 20: Examination #1
III. Augustan Literature
Tuesday, February 25: Vergil, Eclogues 1; Vergil, Georgics 1.1-42, 3.478-566 (A.S. Kline’s translations); Vergil, Aeneid 1
Thursday, February 27: Vergil, Aeneid 2, 3.292-505, 4
Tuesday, March 4: Vergil, Aeneid 6.1-211, 6.450-477, 6.756-901, 7-8; Homer, Iliad 18.478-616 (PDF on D2L)
Thursday, March 6: Vergil, Aeneid 9.1-502, 10.439-908, 11.445-915, 12.697-952
Friday, March 7: Paper #1 Due
March 8-16: Spring Break
Tuesday, March 18: Horace, Odes 1.1, 1.4, 1.7, 1.9, 1.11, 1.24, 1.37, 3.6, 3.30
Thursday, March 20: Propertius 1.1, 1.7, 1.16, 1.19, 1.21-22, 2.5, 2.7, 2.13, 2.29b, 3.4
Tuesday, March 25: GROUP PROJECTS
Thursday, March 27: Tibullus 1.1-2, 1.5; Sulpicia 3.13-18
Tuesday, April 1: Ovid, Amores 1.1-2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.9, 1.14-15, 2.1, 2.14, 2.18, 3.15
Thursday, April 3: Ovid, Art of Love 1.1-262 (Parts I-VIII of A.S. Kline’s translation); Ovid, Heroides 7; Ovid, Tristia 3.10, 3.12 (A.S. Kline’s translations)
Tuesday, April 8: Examination #2
Thursday, April 10: Lucan, Civil War 1.1-291, 2.1-430, 3.1-48, 6.1-346, 6.431-883
IV. Imperial Literature
Tuesday, April 15: Lucan, Civil War 7, 8.500-935, 9; Creative Project due
Thursday, April 17: Seneca, Thyestes
Tuesday, April 22: Seneca, Medea
Thursday, April 24: Seneca, Letters 7, 18, 21, 47, 54, 56 (PDF on D2L)
Tuesday, April 29: GROUP PROJECTS
Thursday, May 1: Petronius, Satyricon 26-52, 64-78 ("Dinner at Trimalchio's", PDF on D2L, i.e. pp. 20-41 and 52-66)
Tuesday, May 6: Juvenal, Satires 1, 3 (A.S. Kline’s translations)
Friday, May 9: Paper #2 due
Final Examination: Monday, May 12, 3:30pm-5:30pm
UA Spring 2025 Final Exam Schedule and Regulations