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Lucretius

LATIN 554 (Not currently offered)

Lucretius
(Not currently offered)

  • Course ID:LATIN 554
  • Semesters:1
  • Department:Classics
  • Course Rank:Honors
  • Teachers:Tom Cox

Description and Objectives

We will read ~1200 line of Lucretius’s epic didactic poem De Rerum Natura, attempting to convert his readers to a materialist view of the universe. This will dovetail well with the Juvencus course, but the Juvencus course is not a pre-requisite for this class. Since Lucretius lived before Vergil, we will also examine his impact on The Aeneid and so this course can bolster the poetry skills of those preparing for the AP Latin Exam.

Textbooks

Teacher will provide materials.

Course Requirements

We will read about 20 lines per night, which will be reviewed the next day. Quizzes are scheduled for once a week, in addition to low-stakes quizzes (1-3 questions) at the beginning of every class.  We will also be memorizing famous passages from this poem and reciting them for the whole class.

Successful Students

Students will need to re-read, scan, and work with the Latin as Latin (i.e. translating poetry to Latin prose that is simpler and still tracks with the meaning of the Latin poetry).