Latin 303 - Roman Comedy
 Tuesday/Thursday 3:30-4:45 PM 
 McIver 232 
 University of North Carolina at Greensboro 

 John H. Starks, Jr. 
 McIver 236 
 336-334-5727, office hours by appointment 
 jhstarks@uncg.edu
Objectives: Students will gain functional competence in reading Plautus' comedic language and style as representative of the funniest Roman comic adaptations of New Comedy. By careful out-of-class preparation and daily sight reading, students will learn good procedures for advancing through these dramatic texts. Since Plautus represents some of the earliest Latin literature, his language and grammar often reflect the state of Latin in the days before Cicero, Vergil and other classical Roman writers. Students will also learn the basic iambic senarii and septenarii meters of Plautine comedy, and gain competence in dramatic reading in Latin. Students will also advance beyond basic translation of Latin drama to a fuller understanding of comedy as literature and conversational language. As students learn about early Roman theatrical technique, they will also be introduced to scholarly treatments of comedy and  show their understanding of modern scholarship on Roman comedy through writing.

Required Texts:

Starks, J.H., Jr., et al, edd. Latin Laughs: A Production of Plautus' Poenulus.Bolchazy-Carducci, 1997.
Sedgwick, W.B., comm. Plautus Amphitruo. Bristol Classical Press, 1993.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that before we get to the Amphitruo you buy a hardbound version of the Cassell's Latin Dictionary ($20 from Amazon right now). The reason for this is that the paperbound Latin dictionaries do not give many entries from Plautus' often specialized vocabulary and spelling. The hardbound Cassell's gives you citations from Plautus, which can help you immensely. I also suggest that you make good use of the Perseus linked text I provide below. Finally, learn this term how to use the big Oxford Latin Dictionary. It is a wonderful resource for working with Plautus, precisely because he uses so many unusual words and forms, and because he is an early Latin author.

Course Requirements and Rules:

Tests: These two (2) term exams will primarily cover material learned since the last test. Makeup exams FOR ANY REASON will require a delayed and
much more difficult test, so do not miss a test. Tests will include seen and sight passages, as well as literary interpretation questions and basic questions on
grammatical forms.

Quizzes: The last day of every week that does not include a test, there will be a ten-minute timed quiz over the week's work, usually basic translation of
seen passages and basic grammatical identification. Your lowest quiz will be dropped, so make ups will not be allowed except by prior notification and
instructor approval.

Oral Report and Paper: All students will read a modern scholarly article on Plautus and present a less-than-ten minute report on the article's content at a date TO BE marked on the syllabus. Students will also write a 5-8 page paper on a topic to be discussed with the instructor, and submitted by the date listed on the syllabus.

Class Participation: ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED. You will receive a daily grade for participation in class that suggests your level of preparation on
material covered (A, B, C, D or 0) and your involvement in class activities, including dramatic readings of the prepared texts. An absence from class for
ANY REASON must be counted as a 0 since you cannot participate if you are absent. Two (2) absences will be dropped at the end of the term allowing 7%
of class days for illness, family matters, etc. Absences can hurt your grade significantly as well as your comprehension of Latin.
Bring your text and a DICTIONARY to every class session for use in sight reading.

Final Exam: CUMULATIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE!!

RULES:
1) ALL written work to be turned in for a grade must be pledged with an honor code showing that the work is yours.
2) Get the phone number, email, etc. of 1 or 2 other students in class so you can work together, ask questions of each other, double check assignments, send
work with another if you cannot be in class, etc. Send me a message the first week of class giving me your most used email address which you check
regularly.
3) Keep on your syllabus. This class will allow little time for catching up if you fall behind.
4) Enjoy learning Roman comedy in its original language. Let's make our time in class productive, but also, as often as possible, interesting, enjoyable and
thought-provoking. We will talk frequently about the way Romans and Greeks thought and lived to try to understand what they are saying to us. We will not sit in a dull translation session 2 days per week. We will change exercises and engage in discussion of ideas often. Many of the works we will read this term have some element of satirical comedy within them as well, so be prepared to understand a joke in a foreign culture.

Grade Distribution:

30% = 2 tests @ 15% each
25% = Final exam
15% = Paper
10% = Average of Quizzes
10% = Participation/Preparation
5% = Report on article

I must insist on a firm grade scale as follows: 97-100 A+, 93-96 A, 90-92 A-, 87-89 B+, 83-86 B, 80-82 B- (and so forth down to the lowest passing grade
of 60. A+ designation is for class only and is not recognized by the university as a quality point for GPA purposes)
 

Syllabus/Daily Assignments: Numbers listed below are line numbers for the texts of Plautus' Poenulus (Latin Laughs edition) and Amphitruo.
Lines listed are to be read outside of class for the class session that day, and those lines in parentheses () are to be read at sight in class that day.
Occasionally you will also see lines to be read in English translation for which I have placed links you may use. Bring your text AND a Latin dictionary to every class session, especially after we have finished Poenulus.

Director's Notes for Poenulus
A Latin text of Amphitruo with morphological help.
 
T 1-9 Poenulus 1-35 T 3-13 116-152 (153-175)
Th 1-11 36-71 (72-94) Original Prologue Th 3-15 (Idus Martiae) 176-210 (211-230)
T 1-16 95-127 (128-149) T 3-20 231-270 (271-292)
Th 1-18 150-178 (179-217) Th 3-22 293-334 (335-355)
T 1-23 218-248 (249-268) T 3-27 356-382 - TEST 2
Th 1-25 269-303 (304-326) Th 3-29 383-428 (429-453)
T 1-30 327-332 [333-395 in English] 396-426 (427-448) T 4-3 454-498 (499-520)
Th 2-1 449-466 [467-477 in English] 478-494 (495-515) Th 4-5 521-564 (565-589)
T 2-6 [516-537 in English] 538-575 (576-601) T 4-10 590-632 (633-658)
Th 2-8 602-623 - TEST 1  Th 4-12 659-707 (708-734)
T 2-13 624-664 (665-684) T 4-17 735-783 (784-811)
Th 2-15 685-724 (725-750) Th 4-19 812-860 (861-881) [Papers Due by end 
of day Monday, 4-23]
T 2-20 751-796 (797-821) [Begin meetings with  Prof. Starks 
about paper topics]		 T 4-24 882-930 (931-955)
Th 2-22 822-871 (872-891) Th 4-26 956-1008 [1009-1052 in English]
T 2-27 Amphitruo1-34 (35-55) T 5-1 1053-1106 (1107-end)
Th 3-1 56-92 (93-115) Th 5-3 Final Exam - 3:30-6:30 PM
T 3-6, Th 3-8 *Feriae Vernales*
Info on Roman Theater and Cultural issues in Poenulus
NOTE: Tuesday 5-1 is supposed to be on Friday schedule, but I had developed this schedule of readings before I discovered that problem. I have presumed that few if any of you will have Friday classes on your schedule which meet from 3:30-4:45, so I have left the session on the syllabus. I will make that extra session pleasant with some refreshments to end the semester.