Latin 306: Intermediate Latin

A Journey through “STEAM-themed” Latin Prose from the 1st to the 17th Century CE

Latin 306 is an introduction to Latin literature in prose through selections from several authors who used the Latin language to provide invaluable information and different perspectives on “STEAM-themed” subjects like the art of writing, natural disaster, animals, the human body etc., through the centuries. The focus will be on the letters of Pliny the Younger (1st/2nd century CE) that offer insight into the world of the Roman elite in the High Empire and touch on a wide variety of subjects, including the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Then we will move on to reading selections from the following authors: Pliny the Elder’s Inventōrum Nātūra (1st century CE), a first-century manuscript, identified as the journal of a scientific expedition conducted by Pliny the Elder in search of material for his Natural History, and his Nātūrālis Historia itself; Isidore of Seville’s Etymologiae (6th/7th century CE), an etymological encyclopedia that summarized and organized a wealth of knowledge from hundreds of classical sources (e.g. Pliny the Elder’s Nātūrālis Historia); and an educational classic of prime importance: Johann Amos Comenius’ Orbis Sēnsuālium Pictus (17th century CE), the first widely used children’s textbook with pictures, designed to be a child’s first Latin textbook, published first in Latin and German, subsequently republished in many European languages and used throughout the world for over two hundred years.

This Spring, I’m looking forward to making the exciting transition from “authentic” Latin poetry (in Latin 305) to “authentic” Latin prose from different time periods with you. 

Join me for this journey!