Latin

At the center of Wabash College’s curriculum since its founding, Classics is the interdisciplinary study of the history, art, archaeology, mythology, languages and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. The Classics Department offers students two approaches to the study of antiquity. First, students can study Greek and Latin language and literature. Second, students can explore Greece and Rome in non-language courses falling into the broad categories of ancient literature, ancient history, and art and archaeology.

If students wish to pursue their studies of the ancient world more deeply, they can major or minor in any of three areas: Greek, Latin, and Classical Civilization. The Classics Department encourages students interested in Greece and Rome to experience its physical remains directly through study abroad and immersion courses.

Background Credit

A student who starts with the third-semester course (201) or higher of a language and completes that course with a B-or higher also receives one elective credit for the course immediately preceding the one he has taken.

A student need not earn a grade of B- or higher to fulfill the world language requirement. A passing grade in the appropriate courses will satisfy the requirement.

Student Learning Goals

Linguistic Skills: to analyze grammatically, translate, and recite aloud Greek and/or Latin.

Literary Interpretation: to analyze and interpret works of Greek and/or Latin literature both in themselves and as examples of ancient literary genres.

Cultural Contextualization: to understand the contexts of Greek and/or Latin literary works through study of history, literary traditions, and/or material culture.

Academic Skills: to read texts closely, to conduct research on them, to read scholarship critically, to produce written and oral reports of their research and interpretation.

On This Tab

Requirements for the Latin Major
Requirements for the Latin Minor

Requirements for the Latin Major

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Four Latin course credits beyond the elementary level (LAT-101, LAT-102)		4
Two course credits in Greek beyond the elementary level (GRK-101, GRK-102)		2
LAT-400	Senior Seminar	1
Total Credits		7

Majors in Latin should also consider choosing some of the following related courses, which are not required but provide a broader context for students’ study of ancient language and literature:

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
HIS-212	Ancient Rome	1
HIS-310	Advanced Topics in Ancient History	0.5-1
CLA-104	Roman Art & Archaeology ¹	1
CLA-106	Ancient Rome ¹	1
CLA-111	Special Topics in Literature and Culture	0.5-1
CLA-112	Special Topics in Art and Archaeology	0.5-1
CLA-113	Special Topics in Ancient History	0.5-1
CLA-211	Special Topics in Literature and Culture	1
CLA-212	Special Topics in Art and Archaeology	1
CLA-213	Special Topics in Ancient History	1
PSC-330	Adv Topics in Political Theory	0.5-1
RHE-320	Classical Rhetoric	1

¹: Especially encouraged because of their emphasis on chronology.

Requirements for the Latin Minor

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Five course credits in Latin		5
Total Credits		5

Comprehensive Examinations in the Classics Department examine students in the three areas (Classical Civilization, Greek, or Latin) in which they choose to major within the department. The examinations are made up by the department after consulting the range of courses each student presents for his major, and test both general knowledge in the area he chooses and specific knowledge over the selection of the courses he presents.

LAT-101 Beginning Latin I

This is a course for students who have had little or no preparation in Latin. The course is primarily concerned with the fundamentals of the language. Its aim is to prepare students to read Latin literature, to improve their command of the English language by studying the close relations (historic and linguistic) between English, Latin and the Romance Languages, and to gain exposure to Roman culture. Four class meetings each week. Students with more than two years of high school Latin who wish to continue the language must take a placement exam. Such students cannot take LAT-101 for credit, but LAT-102 may be taken for credit if they do not place into LAT-201. This course is offered in the fall semester. Successful completion of both LAT-101 and LAT-102 satisfies the World Languages distribution requirement.
Prerequisites: none
Corequisites: LAT-101L
Credit: 1

LAT-102 Beginning Latin II

This is a course for students who have had little or no preparation in Latin. The course is primarily concerned with the fundamentals of the language. Its aim is to prepare students to read Latin literature, to improve their command of the English language by studying the close relations (historic and linguistic) between English, Latin and the Romance Languages, and to gain exposure to Roman culture. Four class meetings each week. Students with more than two years of high school Latin who wish to continue the language must take a placement exam. Such students cannot take LAT 101 for credit, but LAT 102 may be taken for credit if they do not place into LAT 201. This course is offered in the spring semester.
Prerequisites: LAT-101, or LAT-102 placement
Corequisites: LAT-102L
Credit: 1
Distribution: World Language

LAT-187 Independent Study

Individual research projects. The manner of study will be determined by the student in consultation with the instructor. Students must receive written approval of their project proposal from a department Chair before registering for the course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

LAT-188 Independent Study

LAT-201 Intermediate Latin I

This course is intended to satisfy the needs of two classes of students: (1) those with previous preparation in Latin (usually two years or more in high school) whose performance on the Placement Test shows that they need only a semester's work to reach the Basic Proficiency level; (2) students who have completed LAT 101, 102 and desire to continue their study of the language. The emphasis will be on developing facility in reading Latin. Students will read selections from classical poetry and prose. If a student who places into LAT 201 completes the course with a grade of B- or better, he will receive an additional course credit in Latin; this course credit does not count towards the major or minor. This course is offered in the fall semester.
Prerequisites: LAT-102, or placement in LAT-201
Credit: 1
Distribution: Literature/Fine Arts, World Language

LAT-210 Medieval Latin

Students in this course will study readings in Medieval Latin prose and poetry. This course is offered by arrangement.
Prerequisites: LAT-101 and 102
Credit: 1

LAT-287 Independent Study

LAT-288 Independent Study

LAT-301 Advanced Latin Reading: Poetry

Selections to suit the needs and interests of the class will be made from Latin poetry. The material will be varied from year to year and the course may be elected more than once. This course is offered in rotation with LAT 303. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: LAT-201, or LAT-301 placement
Credit: 1
Distribution: Literature/Fine Arts, World Language

LAT-302 Advanced Latin Reading: Prose

Selections to suit the needs and interests of the class will be made from Latin history, oratory, epistolography, and philosophy. The material will be varied from year to year and the course may be elected more than once. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: LAT-201, or LAT-302 placement
Credit: 1
Distribution: Literature/Fine Arts, World Language

LAT-303 Advanced Latin Reading: Vergil

Readings in Latin will be selected from the corpus of Vergil, with special emphasis on the Aeneid. This course is offered in rotation with LAT 301. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: LAT-201
Credit: 1
Distribution: Literature/Fine Arts, World Language

LAT-330 Composition

This is a systematic review and study of fundamental Latin forms and constructions with practice in writing Latin sentences. This course is offered by arrangement.
Prerequisites: LAT-101 and 102 or 201 placement
Credit: 1

LAT-387 Independent Study

LAT-388 Independent Study

LAT-400 Senior Seminar

This is a seminar on a selected topic with a project supervised by a member of the department.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Literature/Fine Arts

LAT-487 Independent Study

LAT-488 Independent Study