SYLLABUS
Advanced-Placement Latin: Vergil-Caesar
2013-2014
Dr. Seiler
Prerequisites for the Course:
1. Successful completion of Latin III, B or higher recommended.
2. Permission of instructor.
3. Passage of a grammar test (if from another program).
Description of the Course:
This is a college-level course. It is designed to prepare students for the AP Latin
examination, with emphasis on Caesar’s Gallic War and Vergil’s Aeneid. Students are
expected to be familiar with the entire content of the Gallic War and the Aeneid in
translation and the sections of the Gallic War and Aeneid in Latin as required by the
College Board’s AP Latin Course Description, as well as applicable passages in other
related authors such as Homer or Cicero. The course focuses upon the following:
1. Accurate, literal, and idiomatic translation, reading aloud, and weekly
demonstrations of comprehension of the original Latin of the syllabus-based sections of
Gallic War and Aeneid, additional works from both Vergil and Caesar, and other Latin
authors at sight;
3. Analysis and interpretation of themes, context, and images in the Gallic War
and the Aeneid as well as those found in related Latin texts;
4. Scansion of dactylic hexameter on a weekly basis;
5. Identification, analysis, appropriate use of terminology for elements of literary
style and grammatical and syntactical constructions;
6. Development of analytical essay writing;
7. The political, economic, social and cultural background pertaining to the
history of the Late Republic and the Age of Augustus (100 B.C. to A.D. 14).
Reading:
The following are required reading:
Vergil’s Aeneid. B. Weiden Boyd, ed. Second edition. Wauconda, IL: BolchazyCarducci, 2002.
The Aeneid of Virgil. R. Fitzgerald, trans. New York: Random House, 1990.
Apollodorus. “Epitome of the Trojan War”. (on the web)
Homer. Iliad and Odyssey, selected readings. (handout)
Davis, S. “Teaching Students to Write Critical Essays on Latin Poetry.” Classical
Journal 85 (1990): 133-38.
Quinn, S., ed. Why Vergil?: A Collection of Interpretations. Wauconda, IL:
Bolchazy-Carducci, 2000.
Tatum, W. Jeffrey. Always I am Caesar. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
Taylor, Lily Ross. Party Politics in the Age of Caesar. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1961.
Class and Home Work:
The majority of this course is spent translating Caesar’s Gallic War and Vergil’s
Aeneid from the original Latin. To complete the AP syllabus, we must cover
approximately 40-60 lines of the Latin text per week. 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 before the beginning of the class
meeting. Late homework is not accepted. Homework will be discussed either by
Blackboard Collaborate (BBC) session, on the discussion forum, or on Skype.
Approximately once every two weeks 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, on-going themes in both works, the makeup of the AP exam,
strategies for the exam, scansion of poetry, sight-reading, articles and other readings, and
the like. Topics for the weekly Practicum are listed in the schedule below and correspond
to a podcast or synchronous live discussion. Discussions are required and take place via
BBC, discussion forum, and Skype.
N.B. Students are expected to be prepared to translate the day’s Latin (without
using a written translation) when called upon to do so in the weekly BBC session or on
the daily Skype, 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 elements of literary style, grammatical and syntactical structures,
metrics, and cultural context, and to discuss all reading assignments including articles and
those sections of the Aeneid and Gallic War read in English as background for the
syllabus-based sections. On occasion, students will be assigned to teach the entire day’s
passage (10-15 lines) to the rest of the class, including grammar, syntax, elements of
literary style, metrics, and context, via BBC.
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 (50% of
the AP exam), but we also spend time preparing for the multiple-choice portion of the
exam (50%). Students are tested on their knowledge of each authors’ historical context,
the entire content of the Gallic War and the Aeneid, elements of literary style, scansion,
and other authors typically encountered in the multiple-choice portion of the AP exam,
including Catullus, Cicero, Tibullus, Martial, Pliny the Younger, Livy, 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 via BBC or Skype, 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
expected to actively participate in every class and online discussions on BBC, discussion
forum, and Skype. Students are expected to come to class discussions 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.
We have a weekly discussion forum and an on-going Skype chat where students are
expected to post their questions and comments about their homework or other aspects of
the course. Students are asked to read their Latin aloud before translating, and to give
short, written or oral summaries in Latin of requested portions of the syllabus-based
sections of the Aeneid and Gallic War on a weekly basis to demonstrate comprehension
of the Latin.
Grading Scale:
The grade breakdown for the course is as follows:
Tests
50%
Quizzes
Homework
Participation
15%
15%
20%
SCHEDULE
(All weekly lines are translated for homework on a daily basis, read aloud in Latin, and
translated again in class)
Week One: September 4-15, 2013
Practicum: Introduction to the course and the AP examination
Read: Aeneid 1 and 2 in translation
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.1-11; Caesar, de bello Gallico 6.13.1-4
Week Two: September 16-22
Practicum: Review of the history of the late Republic (100-27 B.C.) and Augustan Age
(27 B.C.-A.D. 14);
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.12-41; Caesar BG 6.13.5-6.14.3
Read: Brooks Otis, “The Mystery of the Aeneid: The Subjective Style,” in Why Vergil?,
pp. 243-254
Test: Translation
Week Three: September 23-29
Practicum: Vergil’s Historical Background and Works
Read: Taylor, “Personalities and Programs,” in Party Politics in the Age of Caesar, pp. 124.
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.42-70; Caesar BG 6.14.4-6.16.3 instituta sacrificia
Week Four: September 30-October 6
Practicum: Propaganda and Patronage: Augustus, Maecenas, and Vergil
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.71-101; Caesar BG 6.16.3-6.18.2
Read: Gregory Staley, “Aeneas’ First Act: 1.180-194,” in Why Vergil?, pp. 52-64
Test: translation
Week Five: October 7-13
Practicum: Vergil’s Place in the History of Epic (Homer, Callimachus, Catullus)
Read: Adam Perry, “The Two Voices of Vergil’s Aeneid,” in Why Vergil?, pp. 155-167
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.102-127; Caesar BG 6.18.3-6.20
Week Six: October 14-20
Practicum: Scansion of Dactylic Hexameter and Metrics
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.128-156; Caesar BG 1.1.1-2.2 [book change]
Test: long essay
Week Seven: October 21-27
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Cicero); Strategies for
the Multiple-Choice Section of the AP Exam
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.157-183; Caesar BG 1.2.3-1.3.6
Week Eight: October 28-November 3
Practicum: Writing of Analytical Essays; Development of Thesis and Argument;
Discussion of Tone, Style, Themes, elements of literary style, Imagery, Mood
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.184-209; Caesar BG 1.3.7-1.6.1
Read: Davis, “Teaching Students”
Test: short, passage-based essay
Week Nine: November 4-10
Practicum: Caesar’s Early Career and Rise to Power
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.418-440 [section change]; Caesar BG 1.6.2-1.7
Test: translation and short answer question
Week Ten: November 11-17
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Catullus)
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.494-534 [section change]; Caesar BG 4.24-4.25.2 [book
change]
Week Eleven: November 18-24
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 1987
Translate: Aeneid Book 1.535-578; Caesar BG 4.25.3-4.26.3
Test: all-Aeneid objective questions
Week Twelve: November 25-December 1
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 1987
Read: Bernard Knox, “The Serpent and the Flame”, in Why Vergil?, pp. 65-79;
Apollodorus, “Epitome of the Trojan War”
Translate: Aeneid Book 2.40-56, 201-219 [book change]; Caesar BG 4.26.4-4.28.1
Week Thirteen: December 2-8
Practicum: Scansion and Metrics
Translate: Aeneid Book 2.220-249; Caesar BG 4.28.2-4.30.3
Read: Read: Excerpts from Homer’s Iliad, Odyssey;
Gallic War, Books 1-3 in translation
Test: long essay
Week Fourteen: December 9-15
No Practicum
Translate: Aeneid Book 2.268-297 [section change]; Caesar BG 4.31
Week Fifteen: December 16-22
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Martial)
Translate: Aeneid Book 2.559-588 [section change]; Caesar BG 4.32.1-33.3
Test: translation and short answer question
Week Sixteen: December 23-29
Catch up and Review
Read: Aeneid Books 9-12 in translation
Week Seventeen: December 30-January 5, 2014
Catch up and Review
Week Eighteen: January 6-12
Practicum: Elements of literary style, with practice using sight passages
Translate: Aeneid Book 2.589-620; Caesar BG 4.34.1-4.36.1
Midterm examination
Week Nineteen: January 13-19
Practicum:
Read: Charles Segal, “Dido’s Hesitation in Aeneid 4,” in Why Vergil?, pp. 90-100;
Aeneid, Books 3, 4 and 5 in translation
Translate: Aeneid Book 4.160-188 [book change]; Caesar BG 5.24-5.25 [book change]
Week Twenty: January 20-26
Practicum: The War in Gaul and Roman Imperialism
Read: Tatum, “Conquests and Glories, Triumphs and Spoils: Caesar and the Ideology of
Roman Imperialism,” in Always I Am Caesar, pp. 42-60
Translate: Aeneid Book 4.189-218; Caesar BG 5.26-5.27.5
Test: Translate as literally as possible
Week Twenty-One: January 27-February 2
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 1994
Read: Taylor, “Caesar’s Propaganda and the Gallic Succession,” in Party Politics in the
Age of Caesar, handout; Gallic War, Books 4-5 in translation
Translate: Aeneid Book 4.259-296 [section change]; Caesar BG 5.27.6-5.28
Week Twenty-Two: February 3-9
Practicum: Caesar and Augustus: Parallels and Divergences
Read: Tatum, “The Evil That Men Do,” in Always I Am Caesar, pp. 167-188
Translate: Aeneid Book 4.296-330; Caesar BG 5.29-5.30
Test: short answer questions
Week Twenty-Three: February 10-16
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 1994
Translate: Aeneid Book 4.331-361; Caesar BG 5.31-5.33.2
Week Twenty-Four: February 17-23
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Pliny)
Translate: Aeneid Book 4.659-705 [section change]; Caesar BG 5.33.3-5.34.1
Test: long essay
Week Twenty-Five: February 24-March 2
Practicum: Review of Past AP Free-Response Questions and Prediction of Possible
Questions for This Year’s Exam (Prepared beforehand as homework)
Read: D.C. Feeney, “History and Revelation in Vergil’s Underworld,” in Why Vergil?,
pp. 108-122; Books 6, 7, 8 in translation
Translate: Aeneid Book 6.295-332 [book change]; Caesar BG 5.34.2-5.35
Week Twenty-Six: March 3-9
Practicum: Caesar: Military Strategy and Propaganda
Translate: Aeneid Book 6.384-425 [section change]; Caesar BG 5.36-5.37.4
Test: focus on Caesar
Week Twenty-Seven: March 10-16
Practicum: Sight-Reading and “Translate as Literally as Possible” (Ovid)
Read: Student tests and score them according to AP rubrics
Translate: Aeneid Book 6.450-476 [section change]; Caesar BG 5.37.5-5.40.2
Week Twenty-Eight: March 17-23
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 1999
Translate: Aeneid Book 6.847-866 [section change]; Caesar BG 5.40.3-5.43.2
Test: long essay
Week Twenty-Nine: March 24-30
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 1999
Read: Student tests and score them according to AP rubrics
Translate: Aeneid Book 6.867-899; Caesar BG 5.43.3-5.44.6
Week Thirty: March 31-April 6
Practicum: Caesar, Augustus, virtus, and the Invention of Roman Tradition
Read: Gallic Wars, Books 6, 7, and 8 in translation
Translate: Caesar BG 5.44.7-5.47
Test: global essay on Aeneid, Gallic War
Week Thirty-One: April 7-13
Practicum: Warfare Imagery in Homer, Vergil, and Caesar
Read: student essays and score them according to AP rubrics
Translate: Caesar BG 5.48
Week Thirty-Two: April 14-20
Practicum: Romans and Aliens: the View of the Other; Multiple-Choice Released Exam
for 2006
Review
Test: (almost) entire free-response test
Week Thirty-Three: April 21-27
Practicum: Multiple-Choice Released Exam for 2006
Read: Tatum, “Great Caesar Fell: Philosophy, Politics, and Assassination,” in Always I
Am Caesar, pp. 145-166
Review
Week Thirty-Four: April 28-May 4
Practicum: Review
FINAL EXAM: May 5-6
May 6: Last day of class
LATIN EXAM: 12 p.m. THURSDAY MAY 8, 2014