LATN 200/300/400-1 Directed Readings: Seneca's Tragedies
LATN230/330/430 Classical Mythology: The Tragic Hero

Spring, 2005
Department of Classics
Monmouth College

The general aim of this course is to improve your Latin reading and comprehension skills and to expose you to a variety of texts in Latin. The specific goal of the course this semester is to read selections from Seneca's tragedy Phaedra.

Class will meet about 50 minutes per week. During this time we will translate, discuss and interpret the assigned readings. You are expected to come prepared to every class. Preparation means review of the reading from last class and work on the reading for the next class.

You are expected to complete a Latin composition, an assignment on meter and a mid-course evaluation. You are also expected to attend the Fox Classics Lecture on Tuesday, March 15, 2005. Failure to complete any of these assignments may significantly affect your grade in the course.

Your course grade will be based upon your daily class performance and upon an ORAL final examination. You can request a verbal evaluation of your performance at any time during the term. In general, you will be graded in this course based upon the "3 P's" of PREPARATION, PARTICIPATION, and PROGRESS.

TEXTBOOKS:

  Lawall, Gilbert, Sarah Lawall, and Gerda Kinkel. The Phaedra of Seneca
 
ISBN: 0865160163
Format: Paperback, 238pp
Pub. Date: February 1999
Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc.
Edition Number: 2
Book Cover   Seneca. Four Tragedies. Translated by E. F. Watling
 
ISBN: 0140441743
Format: Paperback, 319pp
Pub. Date: August 1977
Publisher: Penguin Classics

 

An electronic version of the text of Seneca's Phaedra can be accessed at http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/sen/sen.phaedra.shtml.

It is highly recommended that students also have their own Latin dictionaries and a Latin reference grammar.

Students enrolled in LATN230/330/430 should also consult the list of required texts for CLAS230.

Standing offer for extra credit: If you submit a 250-word review of this book to www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com and send the link to the instructor, you will get extra credit in this course. This offer expires two weeks before the end of the semester.

About the instructor / Some Useful Websites on the Latin language / Class Photo

A word on academic honesty: You are encouraged to work with other members of the class. However, please do not try to recite another's translation. This is a form of plagiarism (copying someone else's work without giving credit) which is both dishonest and ineffective for your goal of learning Latin. Any student submitting plagiarized work will receive a failing grade for that assignment. If two papers with identical or nearly-identical work are submitted by different students, both papers will receive a failing grade.

Caveat: This syllabus is subject to revision by the instructor, provided that written or verbal notice is given in class.

This webpage was prepared by Professor Thomas J. Sienkewicz of Monmouth College. If you have any questions, you can contact him at toms@monm.edu.

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