​SPACE COURSE OUTLINE (ADULT – OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2024)
TEXTBOOK: LATIN VIA OVID
 
You will be provided with a copy of the course textbook (Latin via Ovid) in the first class on 16 October. In the meantime, you can preview the book at http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=fORWW12AoTAC  
 
My own website includes PowerPoint presentations introducing the stories in each of the chapters we will be reading (see http://linguae.weebly.com/courses.html ).  I will ask people to view these, as well as reading the chapters themselves, in advance of each class and will provide a recording of the passages. FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS, THE RECORDINGS SHOULD NOT BE PASSED ON TO ANYBODY ELSE.
 
Latin via Ovid provides complete coverage of the vocabulary and grammar needed to begin reading Latin poetry, particularly Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a collection of stories from Greek mythology, which has served as a source of inspiration for writers and artists ever since. The book is meant to be completed in the 1st year of a university course, in which students would probably be attending 3-4 hours classes weekly. We are aiming to cover just over one quarter of the book in 10 3-hourly sessions. This should be enough time to present and reinforce most of the content but you will, in any case, need to spend some time in preparation between classes and reviewing what we have already done. Individuals’ needs differ but on average you should aim to spend a couple of hours per week on this and longer if you can spare the time (I realise this is difficult in Hong Kong!).  You will be welcome to email me ([email protected]) at any time if you need help between sessions.
 
The schedule below is a tentative one and the pace may be altered depending on the needs of the majority of students.
 
Session 1 (16/10)
Personal introduction in Latin (name and country of origin). An introduction to the language, its history, structure and the restored and ecclesiastical (`Italianate’) pronunciations, exemplified in videos of a Harvard Commencement Day oration and videos of lessons taught by Matthew Kiel in the USA and Luigi Miraglia in Italy. Outline of resources available on the Web, including the Glossa and Oxford dictionaries.  Introduction to the textbook,
Chapter  1 (Charta Geographica ) – Powerpoint with class repetition of captions.
 
Session 2 (23/10)
Rronunciation. Classroom objects. Classroom instructions. Nominative, Accusative and Ablative of 1st and 2nd. declension nouns. Questions with ubi and –ne.
Chapter 2 (Europa et Taurus). 3rd person singular and plural verbs.  Agreement of nouns and adjectives.  Historic present.. Formulae for starting and ending letters, Giving and receiving objects.
 
Session 3 (30/10)
Stress in Latin words (`The Law of the Antepenultimate’)
Giving directions for simple movement including sūrsum, deorsum sinistrōrsum, dextrōrsum, prōrsum, retrōrsum.
Chapter 3 (Minerva et Arachne I) and 3 (Minerva et Arachne II).  Infinitives and present tense of 1st and 2nd conjugations, and of sum. Genitive and Dative case and revision of ablative. Use of vocative case. Use of –que  Principal parts of verbs. Use of dictionaries. Vocabulary learning with www.cram.com .
 
Session 4 (6/11)
Revision of asking for and giving personal names.
Chapters 5 (Minerva et Arachne (III)) Imperfect tense of 1st and 2nd conjugation and of sum. Dative of possession and interest.  Use of Cambridge website for additional reading practice.
 
Session 5 (13/11 )
Revision of questions on country of origin..
Chapter 6 Latona et Niobe (I)). Second declension masculine and neuter nouns, 1st/2nd. declension adjectives. Number 1-12.
Asking about numbers of persons and objects.  Telling the time and daily routine (Powerpoint: DIES MEUS)..
 
Session 6 (20/11)
Chapter 7 Latona et Niobe (II). The vocative in –e, Ablative of means, vocative in-e, prepositions with the accusative and ablative, verb compounds,
REVISION (including paradigm for 1st/2nd. declension adjectives)
 
Session 7 (27/11)
Asking about someone’s job.
Chapter. 8 (Pan et Syringa). Numbers 20-90, 100 and 1000, future tense of 1st and 2nd. conjugations and of sum, 2nd. declension nouns and 1st/2nd. declension adjectives in –er, word order with adjectives.
Asking and giving your age.
 
Session 8 (4/11)
Talking about spelling and grammar in Latin
Chapter 9 (Callisto-I) Perfect tense (1st and 2nd. conjugations), conditional sentences, suus and eius.
Contrast of perfect and imperfect tenses from Cambridge website.
 
Session 9 (11/12)
Asking about hobbies and spare time activities.
Chapter 10 (Callisto - II)) Numbers 13 to 19, irregular perfect stems of 1st and 2nd conjugations, perfect of sum, the verbs adsum and absum..
The 3rd and 4th conjugations.
 
Session 10 (18/12)
Chapter 11.(Philemon and Baucis (pars prima)) Third declension nouns (excluding neuters with ablative in –ī).. Declension of duo. Ordinal numbers..
REVISION