Vergil wrote his epic poem the Aeneid as the origin story for Rome, as Aeneas escapes the fall of Troy and eventually reaches Italy, where he establishes what will lead to Rome.  Vergil wrote this foundational story of Rome at a time of political upheaval and new beginnings, at the start of the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, who won the civil wars that ended the Roman Republic.  The epic responds to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, but also to Augustus and his new vision of Rome.  We'll study the Aeneid as what became the Roman national epic and as an exploration of Roman values and what it meant to be Roman.  Class sessions will focus on understanding both the Latin and broader questions of duty, love, patriotism, and responsibility through discussion, writing, recitation, Roman coins from Wellesley's collections, and even drawing. 

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 25

Prerequisites: LAT 201 or Wellesley's placement questionnaire and permission of the instructor.

Distribution Requirements: LL - Language and Literature

Typical Periods Offered: Spring

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring