LAT 323 (82450): Catullus

First summer session, 2010; M-F 2:30-4:00, Garrison 2.128
Timothy Moore, Waggener 113, 232-4161, timmoore@mail.utexas.edu
Office Hours, M-F 1:30-2:30 and by appointment

Description:
Catullus, perhaps more than any other poet of antiquity, speaks directly to us.  He presents his love, his grief, his anger, and even his pettiness in such a way that we seem to know him.  At the same time, his poetry is a learned and sophisticated product of his own time, the exciting last years of the Roman republic.  In this course we will examine both what Catullus’ poems mean to us and what they said to his contemporaries.  We will supplement close reading of the poems with discussion and additional readings on Catullus’ poems and their cultural context.

Prerequisite: LAT 312K, LAT 312M, LAT 316 or equivalent.

Grading:
Weekly quizzes: 60%
Short paper (5-7 pages): 20%
Class participation (includes attendance, preparation, contributions to class discussion, and oral reports): 20%

Required text:
Daniel H. Garrison, The Student's Catullus. Third edition. (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004)

Additional Works are on Reserve in PCL
All assigned readings besides Catullus’ poems are on Blackboard.

SCHEDULE
The letter R followed by a number after a poem number refers to a student presentation of the poem.

June
I. Literature
3 Introduction to Course; Poems 1, 14, 14b, 116
4 Poems 16, 22, 42; W.R. Johnson, “Neoteric Poetics,” in A Companion to Catullus, ed. Marilyn B. Skinner (Malden, MA: 2007), pp. 175-189.

7 Poems 36(R1), 38, 95, 105
II. Politics
8 Poems 10(R2), 28, 46; David Konstan, “The Contemporary Political Context,” in A Companion to Catullus, ed. Marilyn B. Skinner (Malden, MA: 2007), pp. 72-91.
9 Poems 29, 47, 49(R3), 52, 54, 57, 93
III. Religion
10 Poems 34(R4), 63.1-55; T.P. Wiseman, Catullus and His World: A Reappraisal (Cambridge, 1985), VI.3: Attis at the Megalesia
11 Poems 63.56-93; Quiz I

IV. Love and Sex
14 Poems 32, 45(R5), 56, 110, 112; Craig A. Williams, Roman Homosexuality (New York, 1999), pp. 15-56.
15 Poems 15, 21, 24, 48, 81, 99, 106
V. Marriage
16 Poem 61.1-118
17 Poem 61.119-227; Vassiliki Panoussi, “Sexuality and Ritual: Catullus’ Wedding Poems,” in A Companion to Catullus, ed. Marilyn B. Skinner (Malden, MA: 2007), pp. 276-292.
18 Poem 62; Quiz II

21 Poems 17, 67, 96
VI. Lesbia
22 Poems 2, 3, 5(R6), 7, 8(R7), 11; Julia Dyson, “The Lesbia Poems,” in A Companion to Catullus, ed. Marilyn B. Skinner (Malden, MA: 2007), pp. 254-275.
23 Poems 30, 37, 51(R8), 58
24 Poem 68.1-60; Elena Theodorakopoulos, “Poem 68: Love and Death, and Gifts of Venus and the Muses,” in A Companion to Catullus, ed. Marilyn B. Skinner (Malden, MA: 2007), pp. 314-332.
25 Poem 68.61-100; Quiz III

28 Poem 68.101-160
29 Poem 70, 72(R9), 75(R10), 76, 77; David O. Ross, Style and Tradition in Catullus (Harvard, 1969), pp. 80-95: Lesbia and the Vocabulary of Political Alliance
30 Poems 79, 83, 85, 86, 87, 92, 104, 107(R11), 109
VII. Home, Family, and Friends
July
1 Poems 4, 6, 9, 13(R12), 27, 31, 35, 44, 101(R13)
2 Poems 50 (R14), 53, 55, 58b, 60, 73, 82, 100, 102; Quiz IV

VIII. Invective
5 Poems 12(R15), 23, 25, 26, 33; W. Jeffrey Tatum, “Social Commentary and Political Invective,” in A Companion to Catullus, ed. Marilyn B. Skinner (Malden, MA: 2007), pp. 333-353.
6 Poems 39(R16), 40, 69, 74, 84(R17), 108
IX. Catullus’ Influence
7 Assignment TBA
8: Quiz V; Papers due

Presentations of Poems
Each student will be assigned one poem to present to the class.  You will be asked to do the following in a 15-minute presentation:
a. Read the poem aloud.
b. Explain very briefly the meter of the poem.
c. Discuss something that you find interesting in the poem.  This can be a question of text, meter, style, context, or content.  

 
Paper
For your paper (5-7 pages), you will be asked to report on a scholarly question about any poem of Catullus (you may choose the poem you present in class or another).  This can be a question of text, meter, style, context, or content.  Read the works of at least two different scholars on the question you are addressing.  Summarize the arguments of each of the scholars, and explain why you do or do not agree with each of them.  Conclude with your own assessment of the question addressed.

Quizzes
The weekly quizzes, each of which counts 12% of your final grade, will include seen translation, unseen translation, questions on the language, style, and content of passages, and general essays on Catullus.  They will be designed to be completed in forty-five minutes.

Memorization
Part of your grade on your last quiz will be based on recitation by memory of any 10 or more verses of Catullus of your choice.

A word to the wise
It is impossible to succeed in this course without regular attendance and participation. Please note the importance of class participation in your grade. This means that you will be richly rewarded for consistent attendance and preparation, but repeated absences and/or lack of preparation for class will cost you dearly. Attendance will be taken and preparation will be evaluated each day. If you miss class more than a few times during the session, or if you do not come prepared to class each day, it is unlikely that you will either pass this course or learn Latin.

Missed and late work
Quizzes may be made up in the case of a religious holiday (see below), or a medical or family emergency.

Scholastic dishonesty
Scholastic dishonesty on any graded assignment will result in a 0 on the assignment. Scholastic dishonesty includes any kind of cheating, including plagiarism. For more information, contact Student Judicial Services at 471-2841, or go to http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis.php.

Academic disabilities
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.  For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259, or go to http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/index.php.

Religious holidays
You may make up work missed because of a religious holiday if you bring me documentation of the holiday fourteen days ahead of time.

Cell phones
Please make absolutely certain that your cell phone, if you have one with you, is turned off during class.  

 
Promptness
Late arrivals are exceedingly disrupting.  Be sure to get here on time each day.

UT Honor Code
The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

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last modified 1 September 2010 by timmoore@mail.utexas.edu