Spring 2005

LAT 323 • 3-Cicero

Course Description

Only months after the end of his famous term as consul in 63 BCE (think Catilinarian conspiracy), Cicero delivered a speech defending a well-connected Greek poet in the Roman equivalent of an INS deportation trial. We will read this speech For Archias in its entirety, and also excerpts from related writings by Cicero, including other speeches, some letters, and philosophical dialogues. The course has two main goals: to improve your facility in reading Latin, and to enhance your understanding of Roman culture in the late Republic. In pursuit of the first goal, we will pay close attention to matters of syntax, diction, and style. And in pursuit of the second, we will discuss relevant features of Roman government, history, and society in Cicero's time.

Grading Policy

Grades will be based on participation and progress (20%), homework exercises (20%), occasional quizzes (10%), a midterm exam (20%), and a final exam (30%).

Texts

Cicero, Pro Archia and selections

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