Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Latin

Overview
Curriculum
Course descriptions

The Latin certificate offers students an opportunity to pursue their interest in the Latin language and Classical culture, history and literature.

Notre Dame also offers study tours to countries once controlled by Rome. Credits earned for these tours may be applied toward the certificate, provided that the focus of the tour is related either to the Latin language or to ancient civilization.

Applicants must have adequate proficiency in Latin. All of the requirements for the certificate must be completed within four years from the date of admission. Courses are offered primarily in the summer, some on Saturdays. Fifteen of the 18 credits must be completed at Notre Dame; three credits may be transferred into this program.

Courses taken for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate may be applied toward the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program; or 12 of the credits may be used for a Latin Concentration within the Master of Arts in Leadership in Teaching program.

Back to top

Curriculum for Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Latin (18 Credits)

Back to top

Course Descriptions

LCL-541 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY AND ITS INFLUENCE
Examines the major Greek and Roman myths and the impact they have had on the post-classical world. Each student will trace a particular myth or mythical theme through later literature, art or music and share the research in a formal paper and an oral presentation. Students will become acquainted with the ancient literary sources of the myths and a variety of modern interpretations. [3 credits]

LCL-543 THE GOLDEN AGE OF GREECE
Presents the history, literature, art and architecture of Athens in the fifth century B.C.E. Students will read selections from Herodotus, Thucydides, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes and view several examples of Attic drama and examine current scholarship on these works. Through examination of these primary sources and related current scholarship, students will become familiar with the contribution of this period to the intellectual development of the western world. [3 credits]

LCL-544 HISTORY OF CLASSICAL SCHOLARSHIP
Introduces students to various fields of classical scholarship that contribute to our information about and understanding of classical antiquity. Archeology, numismatics, epigraphy, palaeography and philology will be emphasized as disciplines that aid the historian and literary scholar in the study of ancient texts. [3 credits]

LCL-555 CINEMA AND THE CLASSICS
Discusses several of Hollywood's epic films in relation to the description of the same events and historical characters portrayed in ancient Roman literature and history. Films include The Sign of the Cross, Quo Vadis, Spartacus, Ben Hur and The Fall of the Roman Empire. Several episodes of the television series I, Claudius will also be examined and compared with the ancient sources. [3 credits]

LLT-511 TOPICS IN LATIN LITERATURE
Provides an in-depth study of a significant author, literary period or genre in Roman literature. Students will read the texts in the original Latin and examine related literary criticism. Offers students the opportunity to acquire an extensive knowledge of ancient texts and their interpretations in later ages. This course may be taken more than once (on different subjects). [3 credits]

LLT-525 MASTER LATIN TEACHER WORKSHOP
Focuses on the development and application of resources and methods for effective teaching of Latin, including the teaching of forms and syntax, translation skills, incorporating classical culture in the Latin class and the National Latin Exam. Students will examine teaching techniques and materials developed by experienced teachers and will complete a major project suitable for classroom use. [3 credits]

LLT-561 LATIN COMPOSITION
Provides opportunities to strengthen composition skills through intensive grammar review and practice in written and oral translation of sentences from English to Latin. [3 credits]

LLT-574 THE EVOLUTION OF LATIN LITERATURE I
Provides an overview of Latin literature from its beginnings through the Republic, with readings from Roman authors in Latin and in English translation and readings in relevant literary criticism. Authors include Plautus, Terence, Cicero, Caesar, Lucretius and Catullus. [3 credits]

LLT-575 THE EVOLUTION OF LATIN LITERATURE II
Provides an overview of Latin literature from the Age of Augustus through the Silver Age, with readings from Roman authors in Latin and in English translation and readings in relevant literary criticism. Authors include Horace, Vergil, Ovid, Livy, Tacitus, Suetonius and Pliny the Younger. [3 credits]

LLT-580 ROMAN CULTURE
Examines various aspects of Roman culture, including history, private life, women in Roman society, archaeology and the influence of Greek myth. A number of guest speakers and museum tours will enhance the course. [3 credits]

LLT-585 READINGS IN THE ROMAN HISTORIANS
Studies selected passages from the major historians in the original Latin, supplemented by additional readings in English. Leads to a clear understanding of the history of ancient Rome through the eyes of the Romans themselves, while at the same time strengthening reading and translation skills. Prerequisite: advanced reading knowledge of Latin. [3 credits]

LLT-587 FALL OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
Examines events in the late Roman Republic and contrasts this period with the stable reign of Trajan at the height of the Roman Empire. Eye-witness accounts by Cicero, Caesar, Pompey and their contemporaries and the correspondence between Trajan and Pliny will be read in Latin. Includes the historical and archaeological background necessary to the understanding of the late Roman Republic and the Age of Trajan. [3 credits]

LLT-590 POETRY OF THE AUGUSTAN AGE
Provides an opportunity to read the major poets of Augustan Rome in the original Latin. Authors include Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Propertius and Tibullus. Studies the meters of lyric, epic and elegiac poetry and provides the background needed for an understanding of the poetry. Critical works by contemporary scholars will also deepen the understanding of the texts. [3 credits]

Back to top