Latin 530: Roman Drama
University of Arizona
Tuesday, 3:30-6:00pm
EDUC 337
Fall 2024*

• Refine Latin reading and translation skills; reinforce and refine understanding of Latin morphology and syntax.
• Cultivate appreciation of the course authors’ linguistic and stylistic practices.
• Develop sophisticated interpretative skills with which to approach course texts by engaging with current scholarship.
• Develop the ability to think critically and communicate effectively about the course works in their ancient context by formulating clear and cogent arguments based upon textual evidence.
• Inculcate the ability to distinguish social and cultural movements in the ancient Roman world, as well as ways in which age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background, status, religion, and values shape cultural and social behavior.

Expected Student Outcomes

• Acquire intimate knowledge of the authors, works, and genre(s) to be studied in this course.
• Understand the historical, literary, and cultural contexts in which our course works were produced.
• Gain broader and deeper understanding of the ancient culture in which these works were produced.
• Learn to deploy the critical vocabulary used to analyze these works in their social, performative, and cultural contexts.

David Christenson
Modern Languages Building 326
christed@arizona.edu
Office Hours: M 9-10:30am, W 1-2:30pm, or by appointment

Required Texts

Christenson, D. 2020. Plautus: Pseudolus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Martin, R. H. 1976. Terence: Adelphoe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

You also need access to an intermediate grammar such as Allen & Greenough’s New Latin Grammar [online at Dickinson College Commentaries] or Gildersleeve’s Latin Grammar, and to a lexicon, preferably the Oxford Latin Dictionary or Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary [online at Perseus]. More advanced traditional grammars (in German) are Kühner-Stegmann (1912-14) and Hofmann-Szantyr (1972); the Oxford Latin Syntax (Vol. I, 2015; Vol. II, 2021) takes a functionalist linguistics approach to Latin.

Course Requirements and Grading

Attendance & Participation: 10%
Quizzes (2): 15%
Midterm**: 20%
Report: 10%
Performance of a Scene: 5%
Creative Project: 5%
Paper: 15%
Final Examination***: 20%

**includes additional reading in Latin (Plautus, Amphitruo 186-262; text and commentary in D2L Content for 10/8)
***includes additional reading in Latin (Terence, Eunuchus 539-614; text and commentary in D2L Content for 12/18)

[grading is on a standard scale, i.e. A = 90-100%, B = 80-89%, C = 70-79%, D = 60-69 %, E = 59% and below]

Class Participation

You are expected to prepare and complete all assignments in a timely manner, attend each class, bring the relevant required text(s) to class, and to engage in thoughtful and creative discussion. The rich texts that we are reading demand live analysis and fresh reinterpretation; please do not regard yourselves as passive consumers of them, or worse, as consumers of information about them. Smart literature provokes and compels us to address important issues of human experience, none of which can be reduced to mere information bytes.

Absence Policy

• The university’s policy concerning class attendance, participation, and administrative drops is available at https://catalog.arizona.edu/policies.
• The UA policy regarding reasonable accommodation for absences due to sincerely held religious belief, observance or practice can be found here: http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/religious-accommodation-policy.
• Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean Designee) will be honored:  https://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/policies/attendance-policies-and-practices.
• Participating in the course is vital to the learning process, and attendance is required. Students who miss class due to illness or emergency may bring documentation from their health-care provider or other relevant, professional third parties in order to be excused.

Classroom 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 read/view other materials unrelated to the course. Students using any non-course related electronic media during class will be counted as 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.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Our goal in this course is to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You may contact the Disability Resource Center (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations. For additional information on the Disability Resource Center and reasonable accommodations, please visit http://drc.arizona.edu. If you require reasonable accommodations, please meet with me to discuss these. 

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 anyone who believes he or she has been the subject of discrimination to report the matter immediately as described in the section 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.

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 any and all uses 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 course, including papers, quizzes, exams, reports, and creative projects. 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.

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 discussion. 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.

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.

*The information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

Schedule of Assignments

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