The broad aim of this course is to introduce students to Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. The class is equivalent to a Latin I course, so by the end of the 8 weeks, students will be able to succeed in any Latin II course they may want to enroll in.

Because this is an 8-week course, students who are interested in enrolling should come to the first class session. Students who wish to enroll after the first class may contact me for a PDF version of my lecture notes/class exercises. By week #3, students who have not attended any of the sessions will not be allowed to enroll.

Each session will focus on Latin vocabulary, noun declensions, verb conjugations, reading/speaking exercises, and brief translations.

From time to time, I will also lecture on Ancient Roman history so that students can begin to interrogate the reciprocal, dialectic relationship between language and culture.

By the end of the full course, students will be able to:

1. Understand 200+ new vocabulary words.
2. Decline any Latin noun.
3. Conjugate Latin verbs in the indicative and imperative moods.
4. Translate/recall famous sententiae latinae (Latin maxims).
5. Read Latin using correct pronunciation of vowels, consonants, and words.
6. Make connections between Classical Latin and the ideologies/cultural values of Ancient Rome.
7. Translate short passages from Latin to English.
8. Translate short passages from English to Latin.

All students are welcome to join the course! Even if you don’t plan on taking any Latin courses in the future, this is an extremely important language that can help you acquire other Romantic languages more easily.

Students will need a microphone to participate in this course.