About the Latin Workshop

UC BERKELEY DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS
2012 INTENSIVE SUMMER LATIN WORKSHOP

The Berkeley Latin Workshop is a complete, ten-week intensive Latin course for students with little or no prior experience, and covers the equivalent of nearly three semesters of traditionally-paced Latin training. We welcome students of all ages and from all stages of academic life, including high-school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and adults who are simply seeking the enrichment afforded by learning a new and exciting language. All that is required is commitment to the course and a desire to learn.

Like most Latin courses, the workshop will teach the standard grammatical structures in use during the classical period by such authors as Cicero, Virgil, Livy, and Ovid. These classical structures are the basis for all later varieties of Latin. As such, a secure grounding in this grammar will be of immense value not only to students who intend to go on to study classical material, but also to students who are interested in studying medieval, enlightenment, or even contemporary Latin.

The instruction in the workshop is divided into two parts. During the first six weeks students will complete a comprehensive survey of Latin grammar. The final four weeks will be devoted to reading continuous, un-adapted Latin texts in both prose and verse. Moving through so much material in such a short time requires significant effort on the part of the student, as well as a large amount of time spent in class. The workshop will meet from 9AM - 4PM Monday through Friday for 10 weeks (June 4 - August 10). Attendance and class participation are required. In addition students will be expected to complete daily homework assignments, and their progress will be evaluated by daily quizzes and weekly examinations.

Even in such an intensive environment, however, time is still set aside for students to enjoy the benefits of attending a major university and living in Northern California during the summer. The workshop offers regular Friday afternoon lectures given by members of the Berkeley Classics department faculty. These lectures are followed by an outdoor convivium, where students will have the opportunity to talk with the speaker, socialize with each other (and with the students in the Greek Workshop), and enjoy the temperate weather of the San Francisco Bay.

After completing the workshop, students will be prepared for entry into a third semester Latin course or even, in many cases, a more advanced reading course. Many graduate students who take the workshop find that they are able to pass reading exams in Latin without any further training. Nevertheless, taking additional Latin classes to reinforce what you have learned is strongly encouraged.