Latin 302, Ovid

Spring, 2002
Dept. Of Classical Studies
Walt Stevenson
U. Of Richmond
NC 211
Office Hours: TR 1-2 (or by appt.)

Syllabus

Course Description:

 Ovid is surely the most playful of ancient authors, and also the most elusive. His love poetry has inspired poets for generations, though many sense in it little more than poetic bravado. His lines seem full of hilarious satire, though many readers hear a tone of moral and political outrage. All his work shows the highest respect for Rome and its traditions, though many see hints of dangerous subversion. So we will look into the mysteries of this great poet: Are his love poems more than imitations of his arcane Hellenistic predecessors? Did he have an affair with Augustus' granddaughter, Julia? Was he espousing a radical new moral vision attacking domination and repression? Did his poetry deeply offend the new princeps? We will read parts of his Ars Amatoria, Amores and Metamorphoses while also paying close attention to perhaps the most fluent verse ever written in Latin.

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Course Requirements:

 Above all else, students will be required to study the assigned texts carefully and prepare thoughtful reactions to them, whether in the form of developed questions or tentative insights. Each student will give short daily reports on a grammatical, lexicographical or literary point of interest. Each student will attempt an artistic translation of a short passage (10 to 20 lines) of Ovid's poetry including with the translation a short essay describing the difficulties confronted and solutions reached in the attempt. As an exercise in critical thought, each student will present to the class a scholarly article on Ovid's poetry and write a 2-3 page summary of the critique. In addition each student will compose an epigram of at least 4 lines in the style of Ovid. Finally, in order to focus our various thoughts and discoveries from the whole semester's reading and discussion, we will interrupt and conclude the course with a short essay midterm and final commenting on important Latin passages from our class reading.

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Grading

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Texts

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Policies

[N.B. The instructor does not allow make up tests under any circumstances, nor does he accept late work.]

Attendance: Since class participation is a significant graded percentage of this course, each class a student misses will detract from this grade. Several absences will not do permanent damage, but more than 5 (out of 28 meetings -- i.e. almost 20%) will be serious.

Honor Policy: Like any academic work at UR all work done for this course falls under the honor code. If you have any doubt what constitutes "unauthorized assistance," please come and talk to the instructor before trying it.

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Last modified 2/19/02