43 courses with the subject LATN, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
Students learn the basics of the language, with readings drawn from Plautus, Cicero, Sallus, Martial, the emperor Augustus, and Catullus. The course meets four times a week. Arts and Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Turpin. Fall 2027 Turpin.
Students learn the basics of the language, with readings drawn from Plautus, Cicero, Sallus, Martial, the emperor Augustus, and Catullus. The course meets four times a week.
This course is intended for students who have completed Intensive First Year Latin (Latin 001-002) or the equivalent in summer programs or high school. Readings will be drawn from such authors as Catullus, Horace, Vergil, Propertius and Ovid. Students will read selected modern criticism and will develop interpretative as well as linguistic skills. Arts and Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for CPLT. Fall 2027 Lefkowitz.
Selected readings by the poet Ovid. Topics will include the range of poetic genres in which Ovid wrote, the characteristics of his writing that remain stable across these different genres, and Ovid’s relationship to the history and culture of the time in which he lived.
This course will consider individual poems of Catullus and relevant selections from Cicero and Sallust. Our focus will be on the poems in their literary context and also their connections with a Rome that was descending into civil war. The course is suitable for those with a year of college Latin or 3-4 years in high school, and will include some review of basic grammar and vocabulary. Writing course status to be applied for.
This is an intermediate Latin course that will focus on reading a few key texts in order to give us insight into everyday life and social history in imperial Rome. The primary aim of the class is to improve students’ skills of reading Latin. A secondary goal is to examine the lives of various social groups in imperial Rome, including slaves, recently freed men and women, and freeborn citizens. We will consider their attitudes on a number of issues still relevant today, including gender, grief, slavery, education, administration, love, justice and morality. The principal Latin texts will be Petronius’ Satyrica , the letters of Pliny the Younger, and selected documents such as inscriptions and papyri. Students with no previous Latin courses at the college level should consult the instructor before enrolling. LATN 019 may be taken with an attachment LATN 019A as an honors preparation with permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit.
In this course, we will be reading Book 1 of the Ab Urbe Condita by Livy as an example of Roman historiography in the Late Republic and Early Empire. The course will view the text both as a problematic document for Rome’s earliest history but also as evidence for Livy’s own age in the early Augustan regime. Humanities. 1 credit.
This course focuses on Petronius’ Satyricon and/or Apuleius’ Golden Ass . Besides reading extensively from the works themselves, we will consider what the genre “novel” means in Latin, what these works have to tell us about Roman society and language, and various other topics arising from the novels and from contemporary scholarship about them. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit.
The transformation of the Roman Republic into the monarchy of Augustus and the emperors was accompanied by a similar transformation in Roman poetry. In place of the staunch independence of Lucretius and the outrageous irreverence of Catullus, the new poets Propertius, Horace, and Vergil wrote poetry that responded directly or indirectly to the new political world. This course will explore one or more of these poets in depth, both within their political context and within the broader literary tradition. Students will read modern scholarly criticism, and develop their own critical approaches to writing about Latin poetry. They will also review basic Latin morphology and syntax, and build a stronger Latin vocabulary. The course is suitable for those with 3-4 years of High School Latin, or 1-2 years of Latin in college. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit.
Ben Jonson said that Shakespeare had “small Latin and less Greek,” but all products of the Elizabethan grammar schools were steeped in Latin literature. This course will explore some of their seminal Latin texts, including Ovid’s Amores ; Horace’s Odes , and Vergil’s Eclogues . We will also read some of the English poems most directly influenced by these Latin works, by poets such as Donne, Spenser, Marvell, Lovelace, Herrick, Rochester, and Milton. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Classics
Catullus 64 is his famous mini epic (“epyllion”). It is framed as the story of Peleus and Thetis, but it also contains the story of Ariadne and Theseus, and also offers critique of the moral degradation of Rome. For many critics this is one of the greatest poems in Latin, and it was one of the most important influences on Vergil. The concentrated nature of the J-term will allow us to read the poem in depth, combining oral performance, careful translation, and secondary criticism with extended online discussion in large or small groups. We will spend about one week on some of the shorter poems of Catullus, to review or introduce some of the most important ones. The course is appropriate for advanced Latin students, but also at the intermediate level, i.e., those with at least one semester of college or four years of Latin in high school; it will include grammar review and vocabulary acquisition. Humanities. 1 credit.
This course will focus on Latin texts that reflect the sexual attitudes and behaviors of the ancient Romans and the gender roles that both shaped and were shaped by those attitudes. Among other topics, we will explore the roman institutions of marriage and the family. Conceptions of femininity and masculinity, and attitudes toward homosexuality. We will also engage with recent scholarship on gender and sexuality in antiquity from a wide range of critical perspectives. Our Latin texts will be drawn from several different genres, including graffiti, comedy, satire, love poetry, epic, letters, history and inscriptions. Humanities. 1 credit.
Ready to be shocked, perplexed, and surprised at every turn? Try Apuleius’ Metamorphoses (or Asinus Aureus ), one of the earliest novels in Western literature. We will read the whole of this unconventional and mysterious work in English and books I and III in Latin, paying close attention to grammar, style, narratology, issues of genre and cultural context. Assignments will include articles dealing with literary criticism and background of the work. Catalog chapter: Classics
This is an advanced Latin course, intended for students with one or more intermediate Latin courses at the college level, or c. 4 years of Latin in high school. The emperor Gaius Caligula, famous for considering his favorite racehorse for the office of consul, raises urgent questions about what we consider normal in our leaders. The emperor Claudius, made generally famous by the classic TV series “I Claudius,” presents similar questions. He was a transformative figure in Roman imperial history, responsible for the creation of a civil service, expansion of the Roman citizenship, and the conquest of Britain. But he also had medical problems, and made some spectacularly inappropriate marriages. The principal Latin texts will be Suetonius’ Life of Gaius Caligula, Tacitus’ bitter account of Claudius in his Annals, and selected documents (inscriptions and Latin papyri). We will also read Seneca’s exposition of Stoic ideals in his de Providentia, and Seneca’s (?) Apocolocyntosis, a spoof account of Claudius’ posthumous journey to heaven. Can serve as an honors preparation when combined with a one credit attachment. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit.
Attachment to LATN 029 Caligula and Claudius (see LATN 029 for course description). Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit.
The poems in this course will be chosen in consultation with participants. Depending on interest, texts to be read in Latin may include Catullus, “The Marriage of Peleus and Thetis” and “The Lock of Berenice”; Lucretius; Vergil, Eclogues or Georgics; Ovid, esp. Ars Amatoria; the Pervigilum Veneris; selections from the Anthologia Latina; selections from the Carmina Burana or other medieval texts. Students will read modern critical scholarship and write a number of critical essays. Students interested in this course should contact the instructor, preferably before the start of classes. This course is intended for students who have completed Intensive First Year Latin (Latin 001-002) or the equivalent in summer programs or high school. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for CPLT.
Attachment to LATN 030 Advanced Survey of Latin Poetry. Humanities. 1 credit.
This is an advanced intermediate course suitable for students with two or more courses of Latin at the intermediate level (or equivalent). Texts to be read in Latin may include Tacitus, Agricola and Annals (selections), Suetonius, Sallust, or Cicero. In addition, we will read certain rhetorical texts in translation, e.g. Cicero, Quintilian, or the Auctor and Herennium. This course is NOT a writing course.
This course will focus on the Latin satirical poetry of Horace and Juvenal. We will also read Greek and Latin texts in English (e.g. Aristophanes, Plautus, Terence, Lucian), to explore ancient ideas about humor in general and literary characters in particular. For students at the advanced intermediate level in Latin, e.g. a 5 on the Latin AP or one or two intermediate Latin courses at the college level. For questions about placement contact the instructor. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit.
In this course we will read selected Odes and Epodes of Horace. We will translate each poem and learn how to read it aloud, in the appropriate meter. For most poems we will also read Greek and Latin predecessors (in English), and for many poems we will also read English poems (and in one case a short story) influenced by Horace. For each poem of Horace we will also read at least three scholarly treatments, to stimulate our own critical responses. In reading Odes and Epodes the central issue will be what makes Horatian lyric so successful, along with questions of allegory and historical context. The course is intended for students at the advanced intermediate level in Latin, e.g. students who have received a 5 on the Latin AP or the equivalent, or who have taken at least intermediate Latin course at the college level. For questions about placement contact the instructor. W status has been applied for. Humanities. 1 or 2 credits. Fall 2026. Turpin.
This course will explore the two most important Latin authors from the Roman province of Africa (roughly modern Tunisia). We will read selections in Latin from the Metamorphoses of Apuleius (also known as The Golden Ass ) and from the Confessions of St. Augustine; we will read the complete books in English, as well as Peter Brown’s famous biography, Augustine of Hippo. General topics will include: the peculiar qualities of “African Latin”; the place of Apuleius within the tradition of Greek and Roman novels; Platonism, the cult of Isis, and allegory in Apuleius; Augustine’s purposes as a writer of “autobiography”; the place of Latin literature, Platonism, Manichaeism, and orthodox Christianity in Augustine’s life and thought. This is not an approved writing course, but students will work over the course of the semester on producing a formal research paper of about ten pages. Humanities. 1 credit.
This is the attachment to LATN 034 which can be used with LATN 034 as a 2 credit honors preparation with permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit.
Humanities. 1 credit.
Attachment to LATN 035 Humanities. 1 credit.
In this course, we will read Livy’s account of the origins of the city of Rome, from the Italic myth of the quarrel that pitted Romulus against Remus to the foundation of the Roman Republic and the early years of its development. Along the way, students will familiarize themselves with key works of Livian scholarship, as well as the fundamentals of the archaeology of early Latium. A primary focus of the course will be to assess the historicity of Livy’s version of early Roman history by comparing the written record with epigraphical, archaeological, and alternative literary sources. This course may be taken with LATN 036A for a 2-credit preparation by permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit.
This attachment may be taken with LATN 036 for a 2-credit preparation with permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit.
This course will begin with selected poems of Horace, especially those in the broader tradition of Greek, Roman, and English love poetry. We will continue with selections from Propertius, Horace’s elegiac contemporary, from their younger contemporary Ovid, and from Sulpicia, whose small corpus of elegiac poems is the most extensive body of Latin poetry by a woman writer. The main focus will be on the literary techniques employed and generic conventions within which these poets were working. The course is suitable for those with at least one semester of college Latin or advanced work in high school (e.g. a 5 on the AP or equivalent). Writing course status to be applied for.
Students can sign up for 50 alone for one credit, or for 50 and 50A for two credits. The principal Latin text will be the Satyricon of Petronius, the earliest novel to have survived (in fragments) from the ancient world. Students in 50 will read about half of the surviving fragments in Latin, especially the famous “Dinner with Trimalchio”. Those taking 50A will read the whole text. The text will be treated both as a literary creation and as a document of social history. All students will work over the semester on various drafts of a single research paper. The course is appropriate for advanced Latin students, but also at the intermediate level, i.e., those with at least one semester of college or four years of Latin in high school; it will include grammar review and vocabulary acquisition. Humanities. 1 credit.
Attachment to LATN 050 for 1 credit. Please see description for LATN 050 . Humanities. 1 credit.
Students read texts in Latin that complement a Classical Studies Capstone Seminar. Humanities. 1 credit.
Independent work for advanced students under the supervision of an instructor. Interested students should contact the chair as soon as possible concerning possible authors and topics. 1 credit.
What does it mean to study the performance of plays that were composed and staged more than two thousand years ago? How is this approach different from simply reading the texts? Focusing on Greek and Roman tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays (all of which we will read in English translation), we will examine approaches to ancient drama that emphasize its performance, including historical and cultural conditions; the physical realities of ancient theaters; staging conventions; acting and actors; and the various ways in which Greek and Roman plays are continually rediscovered and reinvented through modern performances on stage and screen. May be taken with CLST 094A for a total of 2 credits. Humanities. 1 credit.
This course will be organized as a research workshop for intermediate and upper-level students in Greek and/or Latin. For more information contact Professor Jeremy Lefkowitz (jlefkow1@swarthmore.edu). Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Classics Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics Access the class schedule to search for sections.
Independent study taken normally in the spring of senior year by course majors. Students will prepare for a graded oral exam held in the spring with department faculty. The exam will be based on any two-credit unit of study within the major (Honors seminar or course plus attachment), with students submitting their final exam and a paper, which can be revised. 0.5 credit.
This seminar explores Latin authors of the first and second centuries, with particular attention to their responses to the social and political structures of the period. Expressed attitudes toward the emperors range from adulation to spite, but the seminar concentrates on authors who fall somewhere in between, writing skeptically or subversively. Both prose writers (e.g., Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny) and poets (e.g., Lucan, Seneca, and Juvenal) may be included. Humanities. 2 credits.
This seminar usually focuses on Vergil’s Aeneid , although it may include other major Latin epics. Humanities. Writing course. 2 credits. Fall 2027 Turpin.
This seminar is devoted to the Metamorphoses , which is read against the background of Ovid’s Roman and Greek literary predecessors. Arts and Humanities. Writing course. 2 credits.
This seminar examines Latin texts from the traumatic period of the Late Republic (70-40 B.C.E.). It focuses on the social and political crisis of the period as well as its connections with the artistic and philosophical achievements of the first great period of Latin literature. Authors may include Lucretius, Catullus, Caesar, Cicero, and Sallust. Humanities. 2 credits.
Students can sign up for 107A for one credit, or 107 A and B for two credits. Students taking the course for one credit will read selected odes and epodes of Horace; these are short poems amenable to secondary reading, extended discussion, and short interpretative essays. Students taking the course for two credits will also read satires of Horace in Latin and the Ars Poetica , Horace’s influential work of literary criticism; one credit students will read these poems in English. Latin 107A is appropriate for advanced Latin students, but also at the intermediate level, i.e., those with at least one semester of college or four years of Latin in high school; it will include grammar review and vocabulary acquisition. Humanities. Writing course (Section A) 1 or 2 credits.
This seminar is devoted to Plautus and Terence, whose adaptations of Greek plays are among the oldest surviving works of Latin literature. The primary focus will be on close study of the language and structure of the plays, but students will also become familiar with a range of critical and theoretical approaches to comedy. Specific topics to be explored include the production and performance of ancient drama; the Roman appropriation of Greek literary genres; representations of slaves, prostitutes, and other marginal figures on the comic stage; and the influence of Roman Comedy on post-classical European drama. Humanities. 2 credits.
This seminar is devoted to study of the ancient fable tradition, from the earliest traces of animal fables in archaic Greek poetry to the Latin fable books of the medieval period. The primary goal of the seminar will be to develop an appreciation of the style, form, content, and history of the fable genre through close readings of original texts. In addition, we will also consider the question of the fable’s status as “popular” or “low” literature in antiquity; problems of authorship and the fable’s links to the mysterious, legendary figure of Aesop; the role played by animals and anthropomorphism in ancient storytelling; and the global spread of Aesop’s fables in the post-Classical world. There will be opportunities to contribute to original research, including participation in a collaborative workshop with students at the Universita di Trento, Italy, and working with manuscripts of fable collections at the Walters Museum in Baltimore, MD, and the Morgan Library in New York, NY. Students can enroll for either LATN or GREK credit, depending on their particular interests and language competencies. Humanities. 2 credits.
This seminar will focus on Roman rhetoric. We will read speeches delivered in the Roman Senate, before the popular assembly, or before juries. The principal author will be Cicero, but we will also read discussions of rhetorical theory and practice, both ancient and modern. In addition, students will have the opportunity to explore a number of topics related to ancient oratory and rhetoric, including (among others) public performance; theories of persuasion; the relationship between rhetoric and Roman law; Roman (and Greek) education practices; and the enduring influence of ancient rhetoric and oratory in the contemporary world. Humanities. 2 credits.
This is an advanced Latin course, intended for students with one or more intermediate Latin courses at the college level, or c. 4 years of Latin in high school. The emperor Gaius Caligula, famous for considering his favorite racehorse for the office of consul, raises urgent questions about what we consider normal in our leaders. The emperor Claudius, made generally famous by the classic TV series “I Claudius,” presents similar questions. He was a transformative figure in Roman imperial history, responsible for the creation of a civil service, expansion of the Roman citizenship, and the conquest of Britain. But he also had medical problems, and made some spectacularly inappropriate marriages. The principal Latin texts will be Suetonius’ Life of Gaius Caligula, Tacitus’ bitter account of Claudius in his Annals, and selected documents (inscriptions and Latin papyri). We will also read Seneca’s exposition of Stoic ideals in his de Providentia, and Seneca’s (?) Apocolocyntosis, a spoof account of Claudius’ posthumous journey to heaven. Humanities. Writing course. 2 credits. Catalog chapter: Classics
Source: Swarthmore College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 59
