Latin 421: Latin Literature of the Imperial Age*

TTh 2:00-3:15
Modern Languages Building 210
Fall 2023

Course Description

The reign of Nero (54-68 CE) is marked by spectacle, social performance, rhetoric, deception, and demonstrations of power; everyday life around the emperor could easily become a kind of theater. It is also a period of extraordinary literary creativity. The surviving literary works of Nero’s court both reflect their intense social-historical world and engage dynamically and critically with previous Latin literature. Our LAT 421 readings are from Petronius, Lucan, and Seneca, each of whom Nero ultimately forced to commit suicide. We begin with the Cena Trimalchionis, Petronius’ brilliantly satirical account of a freedman’s dinner party in his novel Satyricon. We then read selections from Lucan’s Bellum Civile, an epic poem that laments the rise of the principate. We conclude with the study of some of Seneca’s philosophical letters and readings from his tragedy of family dysfunction, Thyestes.

Course Objectives

• Refine Latin reading and translation skills; reinforce understanding of Latin morphology and syntax.
• Cultivate appreciation of the course authors’ linguistic and stylistic practices.
• Develop sophisticated interpretative skills with which to approach Latin 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 genres 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 Roman 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.

Instructor Information

David Christenson
M LNG 326
621-5326; christed@arizona.edu
Office Hours: M 9-10:30am, F 10-11:30am, or by appointment
Course website: https://christed.faculty.arizona.edu/latin421/home.html

Required Texts

Smith, M.S. 1982. Petronius: Cena Trimalchionis. Oxford University Press.
Braund, S.M. 2009. A Lucan Reader: Selections from Civil War. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers.
Edwards, C. 2019. Seneca: Selected Letters. Cambridge University Press.
Tarrant, R.J. 1985. Seneca's Thyestes. Scholars Press.

Recommended Texts

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 POLLUX]. The UA Main Library has an online version of Schmeling's A Commentary on the Satyrica of Petronius (Oxford, 2011).

Recommended Translations (for readings in English)

Walsh, P.G. 1997. Petronius: The Satyricon. Oxford University Press.
Walters, B. 2015. Lucan: Civil War. Hackett Publishing.
E. Wilson, E. 2010. Seneca: Six Tragedies. Oxford University Press.

Course Requirements and Grading

Attendance & Participation: 10%
Quizzes (2): 20%
Midterm: 25%
Report: 10%
Creative Project: 5%
Final Examination: 30%

[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/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 to be dispensed by me in class. Smart literature provokes and compels us to address important debates and 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 http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/class-attendance-participation-and-administrative-drop.
• 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/absences.
• 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 that learning experiences be 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 are also welcome to 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:  https://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/policies/code-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. The University Libraries offers advice on avoiding plagiarism: http://new.library.arizona.edu/research/citing/plagiarism.

Please note that the use of A. I.-powered chatbots or other potentially dehumanizing devices that require you to surrender your human agency (in generating a Report or Creative Project) will be treated as 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 and valuable 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.

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 visit https://classics.arizona.edu/declare. 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 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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