Latin 461: Cicero’s De Re Publica

Summer Quarter 2001

TTh 1:10-3:10; 209 Denny Hall

Instructor: Prof. A.M. Gowing

phone: 206-543-2270; e-mail: alain@u.washington.edu

Office: M-24 Denny Hall

Office Hours: Thursday 10-11 AM, and by appointment

Description: In this course we will read selections from the surviving portions of Cicero’s treatise, the De re publica. Platonic in form but thoroughly Roman in outlook, the De re publica was published in 51 BC and includes one of the oldest extant narratives of early Roman history as well as the famous Dream of Scipio. In addition to paying close attention to Cicero’s prose, we will consider in particular his use of the past to comment on the deteriorating political climate of the late Republic. Participants should have completed at least two years of Latin (through Latin 307 or the equivalent).

Required texts: J.E.G. Zetzel, ed., Cicero. De re publica. Cambridge Univ. Press 1995. (No substitutions please: editions matter.)

Course website: http://faculty.washington.edu/alain/Lat461Cicero/Lat461Home.htm (includes syllabus, bibliog. with selected websites, etc.)

Odegaard reserve: There is a reserve shelf for this course at Odegaard Library.

Requirements:

1) consistent class attendance and preparation (10% of final grade)

2) 3 translation quizzes consisting of both prepared and sight passages (25% each)

3) Successful completion of 4 of 5 short papers (2 pages or 1 hr. of writing; see separate instructions) (15%)

Assignments

NB: text numbers refer to the Book numbers and to the bold chapter numbers printed in the margins of Zetzel's edition, e.g., 1.18 is Book 1, Chapter 18 (that's p. 46) in Zetzel's edition:

June 19: Introduction

21: DRP 1.1-6 (i.e., pp. 39-41)

26: 1.7-13

28: 1.14-20; paper #1

July 3: 1.25-30

5: 1.31-38

10: 1.39-44; first quiz

12: 1.45-53

17: 1.54-62; paper #2

19: 1.63-71

24: 2.1-9

26: 2.10-20; paper #3

31: 2.21-31; second quiz

Aug. 2: 2.33-40; paper #4

7: 2.42-63

9: 6.9-17; paper #5

14: 6.18-29

16: third quiz