CLS 340 MEDIEVAL LATIN

Course Description:
As an introduction to medieval Latin language and culture, this course will sample the range of Latin literature from the 4th to the 12th centuries through readings of religious and secular texts in prose, poetry, and drama by numerous authors.

Course Objectives and Anticipated Outcomes: at the conclusion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate:

1. comprehension of medieval Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax
2. ability to read, understand, and translate unadapted Medieval Latin passages in prose and verse, with appropriate assistance
3. understanding of how medieval Latin differs from the forms, grammar, and syntax of classical Latin, the Romance languages, and English, leading to improved understanding of how both Latin and English function
4. acquaintance with the variety of literary forms and themes, particularly religious, of medieval Latin
5. familiarity with the culture, history, and values of post-Classical Latin Europe as evidenced in Medieval texts from the 4th to 12th centuries
6. skill in employing on-line and traditional resources for researching the Medieval period.

Materials of Instruction:
Print Course Texts:
       A.W. Godfrey, ed. Medieval Mosaic: A Book of Medieval Latin Readings. Bolchazy-Carducci, 2003
       Latin dictionary and Latin grammar (or an introductory Latin book)
       Xeroxed texts, articles, maps, and guides
Videos: click here for films on medieval themes
       "Brother Sun Sister Moon," directed by Franco Zefirelli, based on the life (c. 1200) of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine of Siena
        Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" and "The Virgin Spring"
       "The Return of Martin Guerre," a French film, set in 1542, based on the docu-novel by Natalie Z. Lewis
       "The Name of the Rose," a film of Umberto Eco's historical mystery-novel of the same name, set in 1327 in a Franciscan abbey in Italy
On-Line Texts and Resources:
     Angel: the college's course management system
The Labyrinth: multiple resources for medieval studies, searchable by category
Medieval Studies Program (many good links)
Bibliography: introduction to medieval study
Bibliography of English Translations from Medieval Sources (in print)
Encyclopedia: Medieval Latin literature (with links to authors)
Suda On Line: Byzantine Lexicography
Worlds of Late Antiquity:miscellaneous materials
Maps of the Roman Empire
Latin Language in the Medieval Period
Neo-Latin: links to resources
Vademecum in opus Saxonis...: Byzantine Latin dictionary/encyclopedia of Saxo Grammaticus (in Latin)
Medieval Latin Word List (a searchable version at Latin-English Dictionary)
Internet Medieval Sourcebook (many medieval Latin texts)
Medieval Latin Texts
Latin Authors on the Web
Bibliotheca Latina Romana (many medieval Latin texts)
Corpus Scriptorum Latinorum (many texts; worth visiting is its home site Forum Romanum)
Patrologia Latina: Database of texts of the Latin Fathers from 200-1216 CE
The Vulgate Bible (search tool at Bible Gateway)
Latin-English Psalter)
The Gutenberg Bible
The Roman Breviary (parallel Latin-English text)
Augustine of Hippo: Confessions (Latin-English text)
Boethius: Consolatio Philosophiae: (Latin with commentary and English text)
Two Tales: "The Proud Emperor" and "The Clever Thief"
Introduction to Medieval Verse
Medieval women writers
Medieval Latin Illuminated Mss
Quia: Medieval Latin Drills and Games
The Medieval World (Geocities: many dead links)
Byzantine and Medieval Studies
Essential Latin Grammar (good general resource)
Rhetorical Terms: a glossary
Argos: Limited Area Search of the Ancient and Medieval Internet (off-line from 2/03 but valuable)
Classics at Oxford: multiple resources
Ancient World Wide Web: general resource

Methods of Instruction:

• Class time will be used primarily for:
  • reading aloud, prepared and sight translation, and analysis of the content and themes of selected Medieval Latin texts
  • discussion of post-classical Latin vocabulary, syntax, literary genres, the preservation and transmission of texts, palaeography, history, and the secular-religious culture of the Middle Ages in Europe
  • student presentations
• In addition there will be:
  • independent reading, discussion, and research assignments
  • scheduled special sessions, for screenings of selected videos and for field trips to such revelant sites as: The Cloisters, the medieval collections at the Metropolitan Museum, concert performance of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana," manuscript collections at the 42nd St Public Library and the Morgan Library, medieval architecture as illustrated in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Course Requirements and Assessment Methods: Students are expected to--

• attend a 75 minute recitation twice weekly, prepared and fully active (Objectives 1-5)
• participate in scheduled workshops and special sessions (Objectives 2, 4-6)
• prepare all assignments independently, using hard-copy materials, on-line resources, e-mail communication, and individual appointments for resolving difficulties (all Objectives)
• complete a mid-term research project (all Objectives)
• complete and present a culminating project on the semester's study of medieval Latin language and culture (all Objectives)

Grading: Students will be graded on the quality of their completion of the requirements listed above as follows:

• 60% attendance, preparation, participation*
• 20% independent research assignments
• 20% final examination

*Students who exceed the maximum number of un-excused absences (4 in a 75 minute class) will find their grade negatively affected in this category

Course Policies: attendance is required, as is appropriate class behavior; students are expected to meet deadlines: un-excused late assignments will not be accepted; make-ups will be arranged for students who have medical or other serious excuses; students are expected to report an illness through proper channels; those found cheating or plagiarizing will earn an F for the course. At the beginning of the course, students with documented special needs are expected to inform the instructor of accommodations or services needed for successful academic participation.

Topical Outline of Course Content and Schedule:
Class meets Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-11, unless special sessions are substituted.
Assignments will be given at the end of each class session and posted on the web syllabus.

The goal of the course is to complete the readings in the course text with additional supplementary readings selected from the many rich sites on the internet. You will be introduced to the grammar and forms of Medieval Latin, which you will find less complex in structure than Classical Latin. As a consequence, you will find yourself able to read more Latin at a sitting and understand its meaning without puzzling over translation, thus leaving more time in class for reading at sight.

The course will follow the order of the text readings, which are arranged chronologically from 160-1536. We will concern ourselves with the changes Medieval Latin undergoes as it evolves toward the Romance languages and the varied genres chosen by authors who are pulled away from and toward classical models and style.

September 4:
Introduction to the syllabus and the text. Overview of Medieval Latin and its general differences from Classical Latin. Presentation of a Medieval time-line, together with maps. Introduction to Church Latin pronunciation; practice in reading aloud and sight translation.

Unit 1: The Early Church
September 9:
Medieval Mosaic ix-xiii; prepared 9-15 "The Roman Mass"; sight 3-4, Minucius Felix

September 11:
Medieval Mosaic 15-22, 25 prepared

September 16:
Presentation of prepared texts in Medieval Mosaic, pp. 22-25 (Judi), together with a comparison of the translation of the Latin Vulgate with the King James Bible. Audio of the opening of Handel's "Messiah," heard together with Isaiah 4.1-5.
Consideration of Dostoevsky's use of Matthew 4:1-11, in "The Grand Inquisitor" ("The Brothers Karamazov").
Viewing of St. Jerome's Prologue in the illuminated Worms Bible, with attention to the initial F of Frater (site for Jerome). Viewing of two examples of the illuminated incipit of St. John's Gospel: 1. IN PRINCIPIO, with scene of Christ ascendant, and 2. Scene of St. John composing his Gospel: can you find the opening words?

September 18:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 26-31 (Jennifer), and pp. 31 through 34.

September 23:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 40-46. Sharing of on-line research on the lives of Sulpicius Severus, St. Cassian, Augustine (see site), Prudentius (see site). Sight reading and translation of Tertullian, pp. 5-6, and Lactantius' De Mortibus Persecutorum, pp. 7-8.

Unit 2: Monasteries and Saints
September 25:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 45-46: Sulpicius Severus and pp. 51-2: Egeria (see site); discussion of 5th 6th century cultural history; sight reading of selections from Ausonius' poetry: Mosella, Months of the Year, To His Wife.

September 30:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 53-54: Orosius (see site), 55-6: St. Patrick (see site), 60-62: Boethius: Jen (prose), review and sight reading of selections from Books 1 & 2 of Boethius' De Consolatione Philosophiae (see site): Judi.

October 2:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp.63-5: St. Benedict (see site); 66-68: St. Gregory (see site); read pp. 69-70 on the 7-8th centuries

October 7:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 71-2: Pope Gregory I (The Great, earliest Life); pp. 77-79: Venantius Fortunatus (see hymns); pp. 81-3, 84-5: Isidore of Seville (see Origins, Chronicon, site)

October 9:
Cloisters fieldtrip and group observation report. Before making your visit, explore the entire Cloisters website, studying especially the floorplan, individual artworks (only 50 pieces are on line), and the special section on the tiny illuminated Book of Hours.
Once at the museum, walk around the entire site, experiencing each room, including the gardens. Then select and record one artwork from each category: a cloister room, architectural sculpture, a manuscript, stained glass, a gold/silver piece, an enamel, an ivory, a painting, a tapestry. Describe each piece and give its name, date, and place of origin (see the museum tag). Write a two-page essay reflecting on how the Latin texts you have read relate to the building and the art pieces you have seen (be specific).

Unit 3: The Carolingian Renaissance
October 14:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp.94-7: St. Bede (see site, Bede's World, Historia Ecclesiastica, Tomb); pp. 107-109: Alcuin's Dialogue (see texts, site); read p. 103 on the "9th Century" and M.T. Clanchy's "What Medieval Philosophers Understood by 'Words'"

October 16:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 110-112: Paulus Deaconus; 113-114: Theodulph; 115-116: Einhard; 117-119: Gottschalk; 120-1: Walafrid Strabo and Sedulius Scotus. Discussion of Charlemagne's dynasty and his programs for empire and education; the Palace School teachers and two generations of pupils. Audio-tapes of Hymns and Gregorian chants.

Unit 4: Drama and the Arts
October 21::
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 129-133: excerpt from Hroswitha of Gandersheim's (bio, texts) Dulcitius; discussion of her Gallicanus (in English), the early liturgical sequence Quem quaeritis? (Medieval Mosaic, p. 138), the Cycle plays, and the 10th century Ottonian Renaissance. See Outline of the Literature of the MA

October 23 & 28: Film and Virtual Monastery Tour
Discussion of the independent assignment which substitutes for October 23 class:
Watch the film "The Name of the Rose" (plot, topics), paying attention to the physical make-up of this unnamed Benedictine monastery in mid-14th century Northern Italy, the activities of the monks, the relationship of the monastery to the town, the Church, and the State.
After having explored the film monastery and visited The Cloisters, you are ready to become virtual tour leaders for the famous monasteries of St. Gall, Monte Cassino, and Cluny, as follows:
Judi will research the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland (plan, history)
Jennifer will research the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy (history, home page)
Kim will research Cluny (site, plan, charter)
Begin by exploring the above links and doing a Google search for others. Gather information about the history, art and architecture, literature, function, famous men, and achievements of your monastery. Pretending that you, like Adso in the film, actually lived in your monastery, compose a guided tour script in which you lay out the information you have found about your monastery in an interesting manner, with linked visuals. Post your tour on Angel. During class we will visit your monastery with you.

October 30:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, Songs and Hymns: pp. 136-7: Cambridge Songs; pp. 139-145: O Roma Nobilis, Wipo's Easter Sequence, Salve Regina, Alma Redemptoris, Ave Maria, together with T.S. Eliot's "Ash Wednesday 2. Lady of Silences"

November 4:
Prepared translations of 11th century histories in Medieval Mosaic, Rodulfus Glaber, pp 134-5; Adam of Bremen, pp. 146-147; Robert the Monk's The Council of Clermont, pp. 148-150.

Unit 5: Scholastics and Humanists
November 6:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic pp. 155-160, from Abelard's Historia Calamitatum (another bio, text), and Heloise's First Letter on pp. 161-162 (bio, text). Also see Alexander Pope's Eloisa to Abelard, an 18th century poem based on the Latin letters of Heloise.

November 11:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 169-172, William FitzStephen's eyewitness account of "The Murder of Thomas a Becket" (see Becket's site, links, life and times, a medieval painting of the murder, and two other accounts, one by Benedict of Peterborough, one by Edward Grim, a visiting cleric who was wounded while protecting Becket). Watch the video Becket, taking notes on the correspondences to the Latin text (see Henry II; the conflict; Sir Reginald FitzUrse; Pilgrimage to Canterbury). Judi: read T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral, taking notes of the correspondences to the Latin text and the film.

November 13:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 173-4, Geoffrey Monmouth, "Coronation of King Arthur." Judi: English introduction and preface to John of Salisbury's Metalogicon, A. Raia: Policraticus; Jennifer: William the Conqueror in William Malmesbury's Gesta Regum Anglorum(Bayeux Tapestries).

Unit 6: 12th Century Secular and Religious Poetry
November 18:
Prepared and sight translation of Medieval Mosaic, 158-9, Abelard (listen); pp. 166-8, Hildegarde of Bingen (music & art, bio; CD of Hildegarde's music, Vision); pp. 175-6, Hugh Primas.

November 20:
Prepared and sight translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp.177-181, the Archpoet (poems); 186-8, Walter of Chatillon (texts).

November 25:
Prepared and sight translation of Medieval Mosaic, Carmina Burana, pp.224-238 (manuscript from Benedikbeuren; lyrics; music of Carl Orff's cantata) and recording.

Thanksgiving Break
Research Final Project (Judi: St. Thomas More, Jennifer: Erasmus) on the Internet, finding information on your author's life, work, and lasting achievement, and selecting one of his Latin texts to read and analyze.

December 2:
Discussion of the 13th century in Medieval Mosaic, p. 193. Prepared translation of Thomas Celano's Dies Irae (chant), pp. 195-8; St. Thomas Aquinas' Pange Lingua, pp. 207-209; Stabat Mater (site), pp. 212-214.

December 4:
No Class: work on your Final Project by researching your author in the library, reading Medieval Mosaic pp. 251-252 and translating the selections from your author. You are encouraged to attend "The Primacy of the Liberal Arts" panel at 4 pm in the Campus Center and Medea at 8 pm in Maura Living Room.

December 9:
Discussion of the film "Brother Sun Sister Moon" and the life and mission of St. Francis of Assisi; site; Canticle of Brother Sun (or Canticle of the Creatures) bio by 13th century Jacobus de Voragine in The Golden Legend (see MM, pp. 215); national shrine. Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 209-211, St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica (bibliography).

December 11:
Prepared translation of Medieval Mosaic, pp. 241-249, and excerpt from The Play of Daniel, a musical liturgical drama of the 13th century (frequently performed before Christmas).

Finals Week: Final Project Presentations: Jennifer (Erasmus) and Judi (St. Thomas More).