SYLLABUS
Advanced-Placement Latin: Vergil
2011-2012
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-latin-course-description.pdf
Prerequisites for the Course:
Successful completion of Latin III Honors (B or higher recommended) and/or permission
of instructor.
Description of the Course:
This is a college-level course. It is designed to prepare students for the AP Latin
examination, with emphasis on Vergil’s Aeneid. Students are expected to be familiar with
the entire Aeneid in translation and the sections of the Aeneid in Latin as required by the
College Board’s AP Latin Course Description, as well as applicable passages in Homer’s
Iliad and Odyssey. The course focuses upon the following:
1. Accurate, literal, and idiomatic translation of the original Latin of the Aeneid
and other Latin texts at sight;
2. Analysis and interpretation of themes and images in the Aeneid;
3. Scansion of dactylic hexameter;
4. Identification and analysis of figures of speech;
5. Identification and analysis of grammatical and syntactical constructions;
6. Development of analytical essay writing;
7. The political, economic, social and cultural background pertaining to the
history of the Age of Augustus (27 B.C. to A.D. 14), which the student learned in
Latin II and Latin III and which will be reviewed throughout this course.
Reading:
The following books and articles are required reading:
Vergil’s Aeneid, Books I-VI. C. Pharr, ed. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci, 1999.
Vergil’s Aeneid 10 & 12: Pallas and Turnus. B. Weiden Boyd, ed. Wauconda, IL:
Bolchazy-Carducci, 1998.
The Aeneid of Virgil. D. West, trans. Penguin Classics, 1990.
Apollodorus. “Epitome of the Trojan War” (handout).
Homer. Iliad and Odyssey, selected readings (handouts).
Benario, H.W. “The Tenth Book of the Aeneid.” TAPA 98 (1967): 23-36.
Brooks, R.A. “Discolor Aura: Reflections on the Golden Bough.” In Virgil: A
Collection of Critical Essays. S. Commager, ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1966.
Davis, S. “Teaching Students to Write Critical Essays on Latin Poetry.” Classical
Journal 85 (1990): 133-38.
Horsfall, N. “Virgil.” Dictionary of Literary Biography. Columbia, SC: Buccoli,
1999.
Knox, B.M.W. “The Serpent and the Flame: The Imagery of the Second Book of
the Aeneid.” American Journal of Philology (1950): 124-142.
Newton, F.L. “Recurrent Imagery in Aeneid IV.” TAPA 88 (1957): 31-43.
Otis, Brooks. Virgil: A Study in Civilized Poetry. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1963 (excerpts).
Class and Home Work:
The majority of this course is spent translating Vergil’s Aeneid from the original
Latin. To complete the AP syllabus, we must cover approximately 60-70 lines of the
Latin text per week, 15 to 20 lines of the Latin text per class period.
Homework
assignments therefore mostly consist of a nightly preparation of the next day’s
translation. All homework translations should be rendered from Latin into English as
literally as possible, i.e., with attention paid to tense, mood, voice, person and number of
verbs; case with nouns, adjectives, and pronouns; syntactical constructions, etc. Students
should expect to spend a minimum of one-half hour per day on homework. Students are
graded on the completion and accuracy of homework assignments. Missing one day of
homework can jeopardize the score on the AP exam. All homework is due at the
beginning of class. Late homework is not accepted.
Approximately once every two weeks the students are required to write a
practice essay on the types of prompts seen on the free-response portion of the AP exam,
as well as prompts from past exams.
One day per week will be devoted to a Practicum, during which we will discuss
historical background for or themes in the Aeneid, the makeup of the AP exam, strategies
for the exam, scansion of poetry, sight-reading, and the like. Topics for the weekly
Practicum are listed in the schedule below.
N.B. Students are expected to come to class prepared to read the day’s translation
at sight, i.e., without using a written translation, when called upon to do so, in order to
ensure that they have worked through the Latin text twice. Using a written translation
results in a loss of participation points. The student should also be prepared to explain
any grammatical or syntactical structures in the day’s translation, as well as figures of
speech or metrical issues. On occasion, students will be assigned to teach the entire day’s
passage (15-20 lines) to the rest of the class, including grammar, syntax, figures of
speech, metrics, and context.
Assessments:
1. Quizzes are given on a regular basis to insure that students are keeping up with the
work. A quiz on vocabulary is given every week. Other quizzes are given on grammar,
syntax, Roman history, and literal translations of sight passages, to prepare for the
multiple-choice portion of the AP Exam.
2. Tests for the course follow the format of the AP exam and occur approximately every
2 weeks. We focus primarily on free-response, translation and essay questions (60% of
the AP exam), but we also spend time preparing for the multiple-choice portion of the
exam (40%). Students are tested on their knowledge of Vergil’s historical context, the
entire content of the Aeneid, figures of speech, scansion, and other authors typically
encountered in the multiple-choice portion of the AP exam, including Catullus, Cicero,
Horace, Martial, Pliny, and Ovid. Unless otherwise noted, tests cover all lines read up to
the date of the test.
3. Sight-Reading of Latin passages chosen by the teacher will take place once each week
either as homework or in class, accompanied by questions regarding content, grammar,
syntax, and metrics as applicable.
Participation:
Class participation makes up a considerable portion of the course grade. Students are
encouraged to attend every class. Missing classes could jeopardize performance on the
AP exam. Students are expected to come to class prepared, having completed all
homework assignments. They are expected to participate willingly and appropriately in
discussions and in-class translations, whether syllabus-based or sight. A participation
grade is given every day. Loss of participation points are made for lack of participation,
hindering the learning of others, or inappropriate talking or activity.
Grading Scale:
The grade breakdown for the course is as follows:
Tests
Quizzes
Homework
Participation
75 points
25 points
10 points
5 points
SCHEDULE
(All weekly lines are read in Latin)
August 15-19
Practicum: Introduction to the course and the AP examination
Read: Horsfall, “Virgil”
Review: Aeneid 1 and 2 in translation
Aeneid 1.1-70
August 22-26
Practicum: Review of the history of the Augustan Age (27 B.C.-A.D. 14);
Propaganda and Patronage: Augustus, Maecenas, and Vergil
Book 1.71-130
Read Otis on Vergilian Subjectivity (handout)
Test: Translation
August 29-September 2
Practicum: Vergil’s Historical Background and Works
Book 1.131-197
September 6-9
Monday: Labor Day
Practicum: Vergil’s Place in the History of Epic (Homer, Callimachus, Catullus)
Book 1.198-266
Read: Excerpts from Homer’s Iliad, Odyssey
Test: translation and short, passage-based essay
September 12-16
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Cicero)
Book 1.267-334
September 19-23
Practicum: Review of Scansion of Dactylic Hexameter and Metrics
Book 1.335-392
Test: long essay
September 26-30
Practicum: Strategies for the Multiple-Choice Section of the AP Exam
Book 1.394-463
October 3-7
Practicum: Writing of Analytical Essays; Development of Thesis and Argument;
Discussion of Tone, Style, Themes, Figures of Speech, Imagery, Mood
Book 1.464-519
Read: Davis, “Teaching Students...”
October 10-14
Practicum: Comparative Imagery in Vergil and Homer
Book 2.1-56
Review: Books 1 and 2 in translation
Test: translation and short, passage-based essay
October 17-21
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Catullus)
Book 2.199-267
Read: Knox, “Serpent”; Apollodorus, “Epitome of the Trojan War”
October 17-21
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 2000
Book 2.268-297 and 2.469-505
Test: all-Aeneid objective questions
Election Day, November 4
October 25-28
Monday: No school for students
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 2000
Book 2.506-566
October 31-November 4
Practicum: Scansion and Metrics
Book 2.735-804
Test: long essay
November 7-11
Book 4.1-73
Read: Newton, “Recurrent Imagery”
Review: Books 3, 4 and 5 in translation
No Practicum
November 14-18
Book 4.74-142
No Practicum
November 21-25
Nov. 23, 24, 25: Thanksgiving holidays
Catch-up and review (no Practicum)
November 28-December 2
Book 4.143-218
No Practicum
December 5-9
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Martial)
Book 4.219-286
Test: translation and short essay
December 12-16
Practicum: Figures of Speech
Book 4.287-355
January 3-6
Monday: no school for students
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam
Book 4.356-423
January 9-13
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Pliny)
Book 4.424-448; 4.642-705
January 17-20
Monday: Martin Luther King Day, January 16
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam
Book 6.1-61
Review: Books 6 and 7 in translation
January 23-27
Read: Brooks, “Discolor Aura”
Practicum: Scansion of Dactylic Hexameter
Book 6.62-114
Test: all-Aeneid essay
January 30-February 3
Practicum: Syntax and Grammar Review
Book 6.115-165
Test: long essay
February 6-10
Practicum: Comparison of Aeneid to Odyssey
Book 6.166-211
February 13-17
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Ovid)
Book 6.450-476; 6.847-901
February 20-24
Mid-winter Break
February 27-March 2
Read: Benario, “Tenth Book”
Review: Books 8, 9, 10 in translation
Test: translation and short essay
March 5-9
Practicum: Comparison of Aeneid to Iliad: Warfare Imagery
Book 10.420-485
March 12-16
Book 10.486-509
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam
Review: Books 11 and 12 in translation
Test: long essay
March 20-23
Moday: no school for students
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam
Book 12.791-806
March 26-30
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Horace)
Book 12.807-842
Test: all-Aeneid essay
April 2-6
Spring Break
April 9-13
Monday: no school for students
Practicum: Scansion
Book 12.887-902
April 16-20
HSAP Week
Practicum: Peer-reviewed Essay Practice
Test: translation and short essay
April 23-27
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Various)
Review for the AP Exam: Full Practice Test (Released Exam for 2005)
April 30-May 4
Practicum: Review of Past AP Free-Response Questions and Prediction of Possible
Questions for This Year’s Exam (Prepared beforehand as homework)
Review for the AP Exam
Test: long essay
May 7-11
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Various)
LATIN VERGIL EXAM THURSDAY, MAY 10 (afternoon)