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LATN 4100/4930/6100: CATULLUS Fall 2016
Utah State University Dept of History
Class meets: MWF 9:30-10:20 in Main 227Office: Main 323D
Instructor: Dr. Susan O. Shapiro Phone: 797-2091
ffice hrs: MWF8:30-9:20
Course Description and Goals: This class will be a close reading of the poetry of Catullus, one of the most passionate and complex of all the ancient Roman poets. Catullus' poetry is not difficult to translate, but because his intense passion and his gut-wrenching sincerity are combined with an ever-present, self-deprecating irony, his poems are often difficult to understand. Luckily for us, however, the same qualities that make Catullus' poems difficult to analyze also make them delightful to read and discuss. During class periods we will read, translate and discuss Catullus' poems, and we will read and discuss several scholarly articles about them as well.
We will read as many of Catullus' poems as we reasonably can. Our primary goal will be to gain a clear understanding of the Latin text, including its grammar and syntax, but our secondary goal will be to gain a deeper understanding of Catullus' poetry. To aid us in this goal, we will read and discuss several book chapters and articles on Catullus' life and times, and the scholarly questions surrounding his work. Students will also write a five-page essay on two or three of the Catullus poems that we will read during the semester.
The third goal for the class will be to get a sense of how Catullus' poems might have sounded when they were originally presented. Educated Romans frequently recited poems or speeches at dinner parties and many of Catullus' poems were probably first performed at such a venue. To help us understand this experience, we will study the various meters that Catullus used and we will read the poems out loud in class before we translate them. Each student will perform about 30 lines of Catullus' poetry on the last day of class.
Catullus' language: Although Catullus can write in pure and sensitive language when he wishes, he frequently uses explicit sexual (and even vulgar) language. Why Catullus uses such language will be an important topic of discussion. When reading the poems in which he uses obscene language, we will sometimes have some difficulty understanding precisely what body part or sexual activity is being referred to. But we need to know exactly what Catullus is saying in order to understand these poems. Garrison's notes are very helpful in this regard, but we may have to get a bit graphic now and then in some of our class discussions. Hopefully we will be able to discuss these poems with grace, humor, and a minimum of embarrassment.
Required Texts:
Daniel Garrison.The Student's Catullus, 4th Edition. (U of Oklahoma Press.)
David Mulroy, trans. The Complete Poetry of Catullus. (U of Wisconsin Press.)
Julia Haig Gaisser. Catullus. (Wiley-Blackwell.)
Charles E. Bennett.New Latin Grammar. (Bolchazy-Carducci.)
Requirements: grades for the course will be determined as follows:
Assignment / LATN 4100 / LATN 4930 (1 credit) / LATN 6100Quiz 1 / 15% / 15% / 10%
Quiz 2 / 15% / 15% / 10%
Midterm / 20% / 20% / 20%
Final / 20% / 20% / 20%
Performance / 10% / 10% / 10%
Essay / 10% / does not do / 10%
Research Paper / does not do / does not do / 20%
Attendance & Participation / 10% / 20% / excellence expected
Totals / 100% / 100% / 100%
The grading scale will be: A (100-93); A- (92-90); B+ (89-88); B (87-83); B- (82-80), C+ (79-78), C (77-73), C- (72-70), D+ (69-68), D (67-60). F represents a grade below 60. There will be no curving of grades.
Quizzes: There will be two quizzes in this class, one in the first half of the semester and the other in the second half. The quizzes will have the same format as the exams (translation & grammar questions), but they will be shorter; they will take about half the class period. We will have class for the second half of the period on quiz days. I tend to require a more detailed and exact translation than some other professors do, and the quizzes should help you get used to my style of testing.
Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam. The exams will have the same format as the quizzes, but they will be longer. The midterm will take the entire class period. The final will take only one hour, but students will have the full two-hour period to complete it. Exams can be made up only in case of a serious medical emergency (prior notification and doctor's note required).
Performance: As noted above, each student will perform about 30 lines of Catullus' poetry on the last day of class. You should memorize your passage, but you can have a copy for reference while you are reciting (in case your memory needs a little help). Your passages may be longer or shorter than 30 lines; this number is just a guideline. You should plan on reciting one longish or two (or more) shorter poems. The point of this exercise is to really get the feel of what these poems would have sounded like when they were first performed.
Essay: All students in LATN 4100 and LATN 6100 will write a five-page essay on two or three of the Catullus poems that we will read this semester. You can choose to write on any poems you wish. You will not be expected to do any additional research for this essay, but your thoughts on Catullus' poems should be informed by the scholarly essays you have read during the semester.
Research Paper: Students in LATN 6100 will also write a 20-page research paper on some aspect of Catullus' poetry. This is a major assignment, and will require a lot of outside reading and frequent consultations with the professor. Students in LATN 4100 and 4930 will not write a research paper for this course (unless you really really want to).
Attendance, Class Discussion and Homework: I expect you to come to class every day with your translation completed and your reading assignment prepared, if we are discussing an article or a chapter of Gaisser's book. The amount of homework for each class will vary, but you should expect to spend at least1 to 2 hours in preparation for each class. Your attendance grade will include both attendance and class participation, demonstrated by consistently well-prepared translations and knowledgeable discussions of the relevant articles and book chapters.
For students in LATN 4100: your attendance and participation grade counts for 10% of your grade for the class. For students in LATN 4930 (1 credit): your attendance and participation grade counts for 20% of your grade for the class. Because you are only earning one credit, showing up and participating in the class every day gains in importance. For students in LATN 6100: you are simply expected to attend every class and participate actively in translation and class discussions, without earning class credit. I reserve the right to lower your final grade for substandard class attendance and participation.
Note: It is your responsibility to keep all graded work that has been returned to you in case of discrepancy in recording grades. This syllabus is subject to revision by the instructor, provided that written or verbal notice is given in class.
Makeups: Exams can be made up only in case of a serious medical emergency (prior notification and doctor's note required).
Academic Honesty: Academic dishonesty of any kind will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. If you have any questions about what plagiarism is or what constitutes unauthorized assistance, please do not hesitate to ask me. Yes, you can do your homework and study together. No, you cannot take quizzes and exams together or collaborate on your essays.
This information is available in Braille and large type format upon request.
Assignment Schedule for Catullus class LATN 4100/4930 (1 credit)/6100 Fall 2016
Week / Day / LATN 4100/6100 / LATN 4930 / In ClassWeek 1 / M 8/29 / no assignment / no assignment / Intro to course
W 8/31 / Poems 1 & 2 / Poems 1 & 2 / translation & class discussion
F 9/2 / Poem 3 &
Chap 1 of Gaisser / Poem 3 / translation & class discussion of poem and Gaisser
Week 2 / M 9/5 / no assignment / no assignment / Labor Day - no class
W 9/7 / Poems 5 & 7 / Poems 5 & 7 / translation & class discussion
F 9/9 / Poems 8 & 9 / Poems 8 & 9 / translation & class discussion
Week 3 / M 9/12 / Poem 10 & Article: Fantham et al., "The New Woman" / no assignment / translation & class discussion
W 9/14 / Poem 11 / Poem 11 / translation & class discussion
F 9/16 / Article: Shapiro, "Love and War at the Ends of the Earth" / no assignment / catch up and discuss article
Week 4 / M 9/19 / Poems 12 & 13 / Poems 12 & 13 / translation & class discussion
W 9/21 / Article: Segal, "The Order of Catullus, Poems 2-11" / no assignment / discuss article
F 9/23 / Study for Quiz / Study for Quiz / Quiz 1
TBA
Week 5 / M 9/26 / Poems 15 & 16 / Poem 16 / translation & class discussion
W 9/28 / Poems 21 & 58 / Poem 58 / translation & class discussion
F 9/30 / catch up; Chap 2 of Gaisser / no assignment / catch up & discuss book chapter
Week / Day / LATN 4100/6100 / LATN 4930 / In Class
Week 6 / M 10/3 / Poems 22 & 28 / Poem 22 / translation & class discussion
W 10/5 / Poem 29 / Poem 29 / translation & class discussion
F 10/7 / Article: W. Scott, "Catullus and Caesar" / no assignment / discuss article
Week 7 / M 10/10 / Poems 30 & 31 / Poem 31 / translation and class discussion
W 10/12 / Poems 32 & 34 / Poem 34 / translation and class discussion
F 10/14 / Poems 37 & 39 / Poem 39 / translation and class discussion
Week 8 / M 10/17 / Article: Shapiro, "The Mirror of Catullus" / no assignment / discuss article
W 10/19 / Study for Midterm / Study for Midterm / Midterm Exam
R 10/20 / no class / no class / no class
F 10/21 / Fall Break / Fall Break / no class
Week 9 / M 10/24 / Poems 46, 49 & 51 / Poem 49 / translation and class discussion
W 10/26 / Poem 51 & Sappho / Poem 51 & Sappho in English / translation and class discussion
F 10/28 / Poem 62 / Poem 62 / translation and class discussion
Week 10 / M 10/31 / Poem 62 / Poem 62 in English / translation and class discussion
W 11/2 / Poem 62 / no assignment / translation and class discussion
F 11/4 / Poem 63 / Poem 63 / translation and class discussion
Week 11 / M 11/7 / Poem 63 / Poem 63 in English / translation and class discussion
W 11/9 / Poem 63 / no assignment / translation and class discussion
F 11/11 / Poem 64 / Poem 64 / translation and class discussion
Week / Day / LATN 4100/6100 / LATN 4390 / In Class
Week 12 / M 11/14 / Poem 64 / Poem 64 in English / translation and class discussion
W 11/16 / Chap 3 of Gaisser / no assignment / discuss book chapter
F 11/18 / catch up and review / catch up and review / catch up and review
Week 13 / M 11/21 / Study for Quiz / Study for Quiz / Quiz 2
W 11/23 / Thanksgiving / Thanksgiving / No Class
F 11/25 / Thanksgiving / Thanksgiving / No Class
Week 14 / M 11/28 / Poems 58, 60, 69 & 70 / Poems 58, 60 & 70 / translation and class discussion
W 11/30 / Poems 72, 73, 75, 76 & 79 / Poems 72, 73 & 75 / translation and class discussion
F 12/2 / Poem 84; article: Wiseman, Catullus and His World, pp. 101-124. / Poem 84 / translation and discuss article
Week 15 / M 12/5 / Poems 85, 87, 92 & 93 / Poems 85, 87, & 93 / translation and class discussion
W 12/7 / Poems 101 & 109
Essays Due / Poem 101 / translation & class discuss; essays due
F 12/9 / Catullus Performances / Catullus Performances / Catullus Performances
Exam Week / M 12/12
W 12/14 / Final Exam 9:30-11:20 / Final Exam 9:30-11:20 / Final Exam 9:30-11:20
F 12/16 / Research Paper Due (LATN 6100)