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 trips.

Greek and Latin courses seek to help students to:

  • Gain an understanding of an ancient literature and culture through the study of its language
  • Develop a better understanding of English by studying its Greek and Latin roots

Classics, Greek, and Latin courses seek to help students to:

  • Appreciate and enjoy aspects of Greek and Roman culture
  • Gain a broad sense of Greek and Roman culture by studying literature, mythology, art, architecture, and social and political history
  • Develop perspective on their own beliefs and identities by discovering how Greeks and Romans struggled with questions about divinity, life and death, sexuality and gender, social and political justice, and the like
  • Study the historical contexts out of which developed such significant institutions as the Christian religion and representative democracy
  • Learn skills of critical thinking such as reading and interpreting difficult texts, generating information about them through research, solving problems about them and answering questions they raise, and presenting findings to others orally and in writing

Requirements for the Latin Major

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-400Senior Seminar1
Total Credits7

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:

HIS-212Ancient Rome1
HIS-310Advanced Topics in Ancient History0.5-1
CLA-104Roman Art & Archaeology 11
CLA-106Ancient Rome 11
CLA-111Special Topics in Literature and Culture0.5-1
CLA-112Special Topics in Art and Archaeology0.5-1
CLA-113Special Topics in Ancient History0.5-1
CLA-211Special Topics in Literature and Culture1
CLA-212Special Topics in Art and Archaeology1
CLA-213Special Topics in Ancient History1
PSC-330Adv Topics in Political Theory0.5-1
RHE-320Classical Rhetoric1

Requirements for the Latin Minor

Five course credits in Latin5
Total Credits5

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

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-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 LAT-102
Credit: 1

LAT-287 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-288 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-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

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 LAT-102, or LAT-201 placement
Credit: 1

LAT-387 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-388 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-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

LAT-487 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-488 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