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Liturgy
Catholic Issues

Updated

13 Sept 2008

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Dr. Edward Peters

Some practical points

1. A syllabus is a guide,

not a contract.

2. Open Door Policy. If my door is open (even a little), that means my "Open-Door Policy" is in effect. If my door is closed, that means my "Open-Door Policy" is not in effect. If my door is barricaded, that means that I need timely referral to a mental health professional.

3. Friends don't let friends play "message tag" with faculty. E-mails and phone calls (ext. 8713) are not considered "sent by you" until they are retrieved by me.

4. Academic calendars are highly susceptible to curvatures in space-time. The closer one gets to the end of a semester, the more quickly time moves. Don't wait till the end of term to address questions or concerns!

5. No electronic recordings of any kind may be made in this class. Any materials of mine that I distribute are offered for student use only, all other rights reserved.

Study Organizers for

Collins: Chap. 1-5

Collins: Chap. 6-10

Collins: Chap. 11-15

Collins: Chap. 16-20

Collins: Chap. 21-25

Collins: Chap. 26-30

Sacred Heart Major Seminary Students


Beginning Ecclesiastical Latin 1 & 2 (LAT 121 & 122)

Class times: Mondays & Wednesdays, 3:30 - 4:50 pm, Room 110

Office hours: MONs 9 AM-noon; WEDs 9 AM-noon. For Latin 121 students only, I am usually also in my office for 30-40 min. after each class.

General Remarks

These are the first two semesters of a four semester sequence of courses intended to prepare one to read, with the aid of a lexicon, ecclesiastical prose texts with difficulty levels akin to those found in the Nova Vulgata, sacred liturgy, and some modern ecclesiastical documents. Read the course descriptions from the SHMS Bulletin and familiarize yourself with the comments and resources on my Ecclesiastical Latin webpages. From time to time you will want to access materials from these pages for class use. Command of grammatical forms is essential at this introductory level, so plan to memorize these patterns as they are encountered. I test on forms frequently, with or without notice, orally and in writing. All tests/quizzes/class drills count and are cumulative (less one low or missed quiz). Grade is one-half Final Exam, one quarter pop quizzes, one quarter class performance. No midterm exam.

Required Texts

• John Collins, A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin (Catholic University of America, 1988 or later, always bring this book to class). We will cover twenty-four chapters of Collins over these two semesters.

• A Latin-English dictionary. You have several options, such as: Cassell's New Latin Dictionary, Langenscheidt Pocket Latin Dictionary, or Collins New Collegiate Latin Dictionary. Any one will do. You need not bring dictionaries to LAT 121 or 122 classes.

Some recommended texts (you might want these for Latin 212 and beyond, so you could just get them now):

Henry VIII pops a Latin quiz on folks in A Man for All Seasons

• R. Prior & J. Wohlberg, 501 Latin Verbs fully conjugated in all the tenses (Barron's Educational Series, 1995 or later). There was an earlier "201" version.

• Leo Stelten, Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin (Hendrickson, 1995 or later).

• J. Dunlap, An Answer Key to A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin (Catholic Univeristy of America, 2006). The danger here is consulting the key before one has really thought-out the exercise.

LAT 121, Course Format/Syllabus

We have approximately 12 weeks (leaving some time for mid-terms, finals, and "things that come up") to cover about twelve chapters of Collins, so our pace is brisk. Keep up. We will generally cover one chapter per week, in numerical order. A few points in later chapters are important for first semester Latin students, and I will flag them accordingly. You will also have some texts (usually prayers) to memorize that will provide important grammatical illustrations and augment one's appreciation of the history and universality of Catholic liturgy.

At the end of LAT 121, the successful student will:

  • be able to explain the fundamental difference between word-order and case-driven languages;

  • be able to parse Latin nouns and adjectives in the first three declensions.

  • be able to parse Latin verbs, in both voices, of the Declarative mood;

  • have a strong grasp on prepositions and adverbs, and be able to explain why these are especially important to students;

  • recognize several basic syntactical structures (e.g., dative of the possessor, ablative absolutes);

  • have a vocabulary commensurate with the mid-point of beginning Latin studies;

  • be able to recite with understanding some prayers of the Rosary, including the Signum Crucis, Pater Noster, Ave Maria, and Gloria Patri.

O lente, lente, currite noctis equi!

Dr. Faustus invented the "Prayer of

Latin Students the Night before Finals"

Semester Scheduling Guide (LAT 121, Fall 2008)

(Note: Subject to modification!)

SEPTEMBER

 

Case-driven languages & Collins 1 Grammar

 

Collins 1 Sentences, Collins 2 Grammar

 

 

Collins 2 Sentences, Collins 3 Grammar

 

 

Collins 3 Sentences, Collins 4 Grammar

 

OCTOBER

 

Collins 4 Sentences, Collins 5 Grammar

 

 

Collins 5 Sentences, Collins 6 Grammar

 

 

Collins 6 Sentences, Collins 7 Grammar

 

 

Collins 7 Sentences, Collins 8 Grammar

 

 

Collins 8 Sentences, Collins 9 Grammar

 

NOVEMBER

 

Collins 9 Sentences, Collins 10 Grammar

 

Collins 10 Sentences, Collins 11 Grammar

 

Collins 11 Sentences, Collins 12 Grammar

 

 

Review Collins 1-4, Review Collins 5-8

 

DECEMBER

 

Review Collins 9-12, Optional Review Session

  Final Exam: Wednesday, 3:30 to 4:30 pm

LAT 122, Course Format/Syllabus

We have approximately 12 weeks (leaving some time for quizzes, prose exercises, and "things that come up") to complete about 12 chapters of Collins. While the quantity of material to be covered in LAT 122 is about the same as LAT 121, English speakers generally find the material to be conceptually more challenging. Again, keep up. Some points in later chapters are important for third semester Latin students, and I will flag them accordingly. We will generally cover one chapter per week, usually in numerical order. Gradually, more emphasis is given to reading longer sentences; typically these are liturgical or Scriptural in nature. You will again have some additional texts (usually prayers) to memorize that will provide important grammatical illustrations and augment one's appreciation of, and ability enter into, the universality of Catholic liturgy.

At the end of LAT 122, the successful student will:

  • be able to parse Latin nouns and adjectives in all declensions;

  • be able to parse deponent verbs, regular verbs in all moods, and several major irregular verbs;

  • be able to explain indirect discourse;

  • demonstrate a significantly expanded working vocabulary and syntactical appreciation;

  • with lexical support, begin moving through prose readings from the Nova Vulgata and liturgy;

  • be able to recite with understanding certain liturgical prayers.

Henry V orders the singing of Non nobis

Similar scenes are not uncommon among students completing Dr. Peters' Basic Latin Courses

Semester Scheduling Guide (LAT 122, Winter 2009)

(Note: Subject to modification!)

JANUARY

 

Review of Collins 1-12, Collins 13 Grammar

 

Collins 13 Sentences, Collins 14 Grammar

 

Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Domine non sum dignus

 

 

Collins 14 Sentences, Collins 15 Grammar

 

FEBRUARY

 

Collins 15 Sentences, Collins 16 Grammar

 

 

Collins 16 Sentences, Collins 17 Grammar

 

 

Collins 17 Sentences, Collins 18 Grammar

 

 

Collins 18 Sentences, Collins 19 Grammar

 

MARCH

 

Spring Break

 

 

Collins 19 Sentences, Collins 20 Grammar

 

 

Collins 20 Sentences, Collins 21 Grammar

 

 

Credo, Gloria, Confiteor

 

APRIL

 

Collins 21 Sentences, Collins 22 Grammar

 

 

Collins 22 Sentences, Collins 23 Grammar

 

 

Collins 23 Sentences, Collins 24 Grammar

 

 

Optional Review Session

Final Exam Wednesday 3:30 to 4:30 pm

 


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