LAT 461 Introduction to Medieval Latin Studies
This course is an introduction to the Latin language and literature of the late antique and medieval periods (ca. A.D. 200-1500). Designed to improve students' facility in dealing with Medieval Latin texts of all kinds and to move them toward independent work with such texts. LATIN 561 will (1) introduce participants to those aspects of Latin identified as the constitutive elements of the Latin of the Middle Ages (i.e., the Classical, popular, vernacular, and Christian elements); (2) emphasize the close reading and careful translation of a selection of representative texts and documents, with attention to vocabulary and word formation, orthography and pronunciation, morphology and syntax, and prose styles and metrics; (3) provide an orientation in some of the principal areas of Medieval Latin scholarship, including lexica, bibliographies, great collections and repertories of sources, and reference works for the study of Latin works composed in the Middle Ages. Prerequisite: completion of four semesters of college Latin through LAT 104 or LAT 519 or the equivalent.