Description and Objectives

We will introduce ourselves to the earliest literary Latin and learn just which jokes age well, and which do not. In learning about the genre of Roman comedy, we’ll study both its predecessors (like Aristophanes and Menander) as well as its powerful influence on drama and movies to the present day.

Textbooks

Plautus’s Pseudolos and Terence’s Andria – editions pending.

Course Requirements

We will review vocabulary weekly based on the 1000 most common words list found here.

We will also have weekly translation quizzes on Mondays going over the work of the previous week.

When readings in English are assigned, a quiz should be assumed for the next school day unless explicitly stated otherwise in class.

Successful Students

Succesful students will:

• review the lines we covered in class
• note their own vocabulary and syntax weaknesses and work to remedy them with consistent effort
• come prepared not only to translate but with intelligent questions about the plot, genre, or author.