In this course, we will read selections from Vergil’s Aeneid, to the ultimate goal of appreciating this central work of the Western literary tradition, and of developing your ability to read Latin with ever increasing speed, comprehension, and enjoyment.

Sketch the development of Vergil’s poetry from the Eclogues, through the Georgics, to the Aeneid.

Explain the historical circumstances in which Vergil composed the
Aeneid and how they influence and are encoded within the poem.

Explain the role of the Aeneid in the development of Roman and epic literature, and sketch its influence on subsequent literature.

Explicate how Vergil deploys and manipulates myth of the Trojan War as it appears in Homeric and non-Homeric sources.

Have developed your understanding of Latin grammar (declensions, conjugations) and syntax (sentence structure and constructions).

Have significantly expanded your Latin vocabulary, both by learning and practicing the vocabulary from the Aeneid and learning the morphological relationships between the parts of speech (e.g. nouns and adjectives, adjectives and adverbs).

Scan the meter of epic poetry and recite prepared passages.

A good portion of our class time will be spent on studying the syntax, semantics, meter, and stylistics of our readings in order to develop your speed and accuracy in reading Latin and your ability to appreciate Latin literature. We will also pay attention to improving your facility in reading Latin poetry aloud.

Nota Bene : readings and discussions in class must be from a clean, unmarked text—i.e. in class will be reading Latin, not pre-prepared English translations.

Daily assignments and links to additional resources are provided on the course website. Have a question about the assignment? Contact me at bmulliga[at]haverford[dot]edu or Instant Message me at profmulligan (AOL)

In order to give you the most valuable feedback possible, evaluation in this course will be frequent and take the form of class participation, graded exercises, short quizzes, longer exams, and a final project.

Your course evaluation will be based on the following factors:

Daily Class Preparation & Exercises 35%

Quizzes  15%

Exams 15%

Presentations 10%

Final Project 20%

Recitations 5%

People learn at different rates, have different proficiencies, and bring to a course varied knowledge of the material–this is part of the joys of learning in a college setting, as you benefit from the strengths of others and in turn lend your own expertise to your peers. In this course, you will never be evaluated against other members of the class. Only your own abilities and efforts will be taken into account when evaluating your work. That is to say, there will be no curve.

Active participation is integral to the general success of the course. The evaluation of your participation is neither a measure of simple attendance nor that you answer every question in class correctly. Learning a language is an experimental process and oftentimes the experiments of even the most dedicated and intellectually curious students can go awry. This evaluation will reflect, however, regular, careful preparation of assigned material and the consistent, enthusiastic attempt to share with your peers and engage in their learning process.

[Rubric for evaluating class participation]

In keeping with the principle that practice makes perfect, short exercises and translations will be collected periodically and examined by your dutiful professor. Unless otherwise indicated, these exercises will be due at the start of the class session as indicated on the weekly syllabus. Assignments will be graded on a scale of 10 (nearly perfect) to 0 (not completed).

Any work earning below a ‘6’ is unsatisfactory and must be redone. Opportunities to make up consistently unsatisfactory exercises will be given at my discretion.

Typically, a short (~5-minute) quiz will be given every Monday and will cover vocabulary and grammar from our readings and discussions for the previous week. There will also be two exams, consisting mostly of translation, analysis, and discussion of prepared passages—the first after about a month; the second after two-thirds of the course, perhaps take-home.

All activities in a language course are cumulative; consequently, when grades are calculated at the end of the semester, I am likely to take improvement into account and not just the mathematical average of your scores.  In other words, even if you get off to a rocky start, there is every reason to be hopeful; you will not be permanently penalized for a slow start or a bad exam; a strong finish demonstrates that you have mastered challenging material and that will be reflected in your grade. That said, it is impossible to cram for a quiz or exam. It is through diligence that you will be successful and diligence that will be rewarded. It could be said that you know your preparation is sufficient if you do not need to alter your routine to study for a quiz or exam.

Eventually, everyone is stymied by a concept, or takes a quiz when not at the top of their game, receiv ing a grade that does not represent their understanding of the material. Therefore, your lowest quiz or exercise grade will not be factored into your final grade.

Make-up quizzes and exams will not be given without approval prior to the date of the quiz or exam—and then only in extraordinary circumstances.

Individually or in small groups, students will present work s, articles, and topics to the class for consideration. Presentation topics can be found on the course website. Students should familiarize themselves with this list as soon as possible, as presentations will be assigned to the first student to express interest. Suggestions for presentations will be considered and appreciated.  Evaluations for presentations will be based primarily on content, although suggestions for improving presentation style will also be considered.

[Rubric for Evaluating Presentations]

In order to practice scansion and pronunciation, and appreciate the music of Latin poetry (as well as experience the Aeneid as the Romans would have—out-loud), you will scan, memorize,  practice, and then recite short passages for your classmates (toga optional). A detailed project description will be distributed; a complete rubric is available on the course website.

In lieu of a cumulative final, students will have the opportunity to complete a multi-stage final project, in which they will produce an artistic translation and commentary on an episode from the Aeneid. This passage may or may not be related to that used for their recitation. A detailed project description will be distributed; a complete rubric is available on the course website.

I strive to my utmost to make every class session a valuable (and enjoyable) learning experience, and ideally you should attend every session. But Fortuna is a cruel mistress, and should you miss a rare class, it will probably not severely impact your progress towards the goals of this course (and so your course grade)—provided you complete all scheduled assignments and activities. Students, however, who miss more than two classes may be required to withdraw from the course.

Our meeting times are brief; and our syllabus ambitious. Be on time ; both for your own benefit and especially that of the other students in the class. If you are late, talk to me after class.

Assignments turned in after the stipulated deadline will be penalized one letter grade for each day or part of a day the assignment is overdue. An assignment will immediately be considered late if it is submitted at any point after the stipulated deadline. Therefore, if an assignment is due at the start of class and the student misses class or is late to that class, the assignment will be considered one day late and the specified sanction will be applied. Once an assignment is three days late, only half-credit can be earned for an assignment. All assignments must be completed to receive credit for this course.

Extensions and waivers may be granted for cause at my sole discretion. Pace Admiral Grace Hopper (who said, "It is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission."), they must be secured before the deadline for the assignment. If factors external to this course give rise to the request, I may require written confirmation from the appropriate school official. This policy will be altered only in cases of severe personal crisis, serious medical incapacitation, or other unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances — and then at my sole discretion following the receipt of a written notice from the appropriate school official.

All course policies are designed to promote consistent progress towards our goals and fairness to all students. All policies are subordinate to one overriding interest: your effective progress towards your personal learning aspirations as they relate to the goals of the course. If you have been working on an exercise and need an extra day to solidify your understanding of the material, extensions and support will be forthcoming; if you hit a rough patch and need further exposure to a particular idea, help will be gladly given. Provided you act out of a commitment to the class and your goals for it, all requests will be generously received.