Classical Languages, BA

Upon successful completion of the Elementary Latin/Greek sequences, you will be able to:

• Engage in simple interactions in Latin and/or ancient Greek;
• Read and understand simple texts with the help of dictionaries and textbook materials;
• Translate simple English sentences into idiomatic Latin and/or Greek;
• Develop a stable understanding of grammar as a vehicle for logic;
• Acquire reliable strategies for approaching sentences in both Latin/Greek and English;
• Begin to develop strategies for sight-reading Latin and/or Greek texts (without the help of dictionaries and textbook materials); and 
• Understand the basic cultural, historical, political, philosophical and mythological background of the texts you read. 

Upon successful completion of the Intermediate Latin/Greek sequences, you will be able to:

• Engage in more complex interactions in Latin and/or ancient Greek;
• Read relatively complex texts with occasional help from dictionaries and textbook materials;
• Sight-read basic texts;
• Distinguish between writers’ styles and develop specific reading strategies for dealing with each author;
• Translate sentences into idiomatic Latin and/or Greek in a specific writer’s style;
• Appreciate the metric and rhythm of Greek and Roman poetry;
• Discuss the cultural, historical, political, philosophical, and mythological background of the texts you read;
• Understand the logical and rhetorical complexities of ancient texts;
• Appreciate the creative distortions inevitable in translation; and
• Perform basic evaluation of selected official translations from Latin and Greek.

Upper-division courses in Latin and/or Greek hone the intermediate skills you’ve acquired:

• Your reactions to the linguistic aspects of the Latin/Greek text should become more or less automatic;
• You will sight-read most Latin and Greek texts;
• You will be able to read some very difficult texts without losing sight of their non-linguistic dimensions; and
• Your proficiency in analyzing the hidden dimensions of any text – English or ancient – will increase dramatically, along with your expanded vocabulary and interpretive sophistication.