LATIN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE - I

The Latin Language and Literature course is the first of the three-year Latin courses and is one of the basic courses common to the Bachelor's Degree in Literature, which offers an initial education in the linguistic history and literary culture of Mediterranean Antiquity and Europe from the Middle Ages to today. In the recommended study plan of both curricula of the Bachelor's Degree in Literature, the Latin Language and Literature exam is scheduled for the 2nd year (see https://www.unive.it/web/it/9379/piano-di-studio ).
The main objectives of the Latin Language and Literature course are: to provide a historical outline of the Latin linguistic system from its origins to the end of antiquity to its Romance evolution; to provide a historical outline of the Latin literary system from its origins to the end of antiquity and a notion of its influence on subsequent literary traditions; to provide the first methodological tools for approaching an original Latin text from a historical-linguistic, literary, stylistic-rhetorical point of view.
The Latin Language and Literature course (FT0435, 12 CFU) takes place in the first semester in two parallel partitions (A-L, M-Z) and includes two modules, the first of which is preparatory to the second: Module 1 - Latin Language (A-L / M-Z: C.Cioffi), Module 2 - Latin Literature (A-L: M.Venuti / M-Z: L.Mondin).
Module 1 can be used as an independent Latin Language course (code?, 6 CFU) for students enrolled in degree courses at the University other than the Degree course in Literature (for which the conditions indicated below, Prerequisites §2, apply).
Module 1 is available as an independent course in Latin language (6 CFU) for students enrolled in degree courses at the University other than the degree course in Literature (for which the conditions indicated below apply, Prerequisites §2). Module 2 is available only as the second part of the course in Latin language and literature (FT0435, 12 CFU).

Module 1 - Latin language: students will have an overview of the phases of the Latin language along a broad diachronic axis (from the pre-documentary phase to the threshold of the Middle Ages) and of the main aspects of the linguistic system of Latin, especially classical. They will thus be able to understand in its general lines the development of the Latin language up to the Romance outcomes; they will be able to place chronologically and typologically texts belonging to the different phases of linguistic development, recognizing morphological-syntactic phenomena typical of archaic Latin and semantic evolutions typical of the Christian period; they will be able to trace elements and phenomena of the Italian language and the Romance languages ​​back to the Latin matrix, and identify the fundamental lines of the linguistic transition from Latin to Italian, obtaining a greater awareness of the origins and characteristics of the Italian linguistic system.

Module 2 - Latin Literature: students will acquire a general vision of the development of literature in Latin from its origins to the end of antiquity; they will learn about its different historical phases, the related cultural practices and the related stylistic trends; they will have an idea of ​​the literary genres, authors and main works in their respective historical and cultural contexts and of their influence on the subsequent literary tradition, especially Italian; they will also have an idea of ​​the ways of circulation and tradition of literary texts in antiquity and of their subsequent transmission up to the present day. At the same time, through the guided reading of a sample of texts, students will add to the linguistic knowledge already acquired a further knowledge of literary Latin and of the styles of the various eras, of the different literary genres and of some specific authors of greater importance.

The Latin Language and Literature exam requires linguistic competence in Latin at least at a basic level.
ALL students who intend to take the Latin Language and Literature exam are required, regardless of their high school qualification, to certify that they possess adequate linguistic competence in the following ways:

1) students of the Degree course in Literature enrolled in the academic year 2025-2026
For students of the Degree course in Literature enrolled in the academic year 2025-2026, the following applies:
- To access the Degree course in Literature, an adequate knowledge of the Italian language and a basic knowledge of the Latin language are required.
- Verification of an adequate basic knowledge of the Latin language requires taking a specific VERIFICATION TEST - LATIN after enrollment. Failure to pass the test will result in the assignment of an Additional Learning Obligation (OFA) in Latin.
- The VERIFICATION TEST - LATIN can be taken only once, and in the event of failure to pass the test on the first attempt, students must attend the mandatory OFA - LATIN remedial course in the second semester and pass the related exam.
- The VERIFICATION TEST - LATIN (i.e. the exam for the OFA - LATIN remedial course) also serves as an entrance test for the Latin Language and Literature exam. If OFA in Latin is assigned, it is not possible to take the Latin Language and Literature exam until it has been passed.
- The procedures for completing the Latin OFA and the exam calendar are described in the OFA section of the Study page (https://www.unive.it/web/it/9372/studiare .

2) students of the Bachelor's degree in Literature enrolled up to the 2024-2025 academic year and students of other University degree courses
For students of the Bachelor's degree in Literature enrolled before the 2025-2026 academic year and for students of other University degree courses, the obligation to certify the possession of basic Latin linguistic knowledge by taking the LATIN TEST 1 remains. It is possible to take the LATIN TEST 1 in different sessions during all periods; however, it is strongly recommended to take the test in the first available session, between the end of August and the beginning of September, before the start of teaching activities; those who are unable to pass it, can take advantage of the OFA - LATIN recovery course planned in the 2nd semester for students with OFA in Latin.

Historical design of the Latin linguistic system from its origins to the end of antiquity to the Romance evolution; historical design of the Latin literary system from its origins to the end of antiquity; reading in the original language of a selection of texts translated and analyzed from a linguistic, stylistic and historical-literary point of view.

Module 1 - Latin language

1. In the two introductory lessons, the main features of the history of Latin will be outlined, also taking care of the relationship with the Romance outcomes (especially with Italian), explaining what is meant by "Latin language", what were the transmission routes of Latin texts and in which historical framework we move.
2. Subsequently, texts of archaic, classical, imperial and late-ancient Latin will be read and commented from a linguistic point of view, in order to retrace the evolution of Latin through concrete documents, focusing attention on the characteristic features of each linguistic era:
2.1. Archaic Latin
2.2. Classical and imperial Latin
2.3. Late Antique Latin

1) A selection of readings in the original language provided by the teachers and available on the course's Moodle platform.
2) F. Berardi, Le vie del latino. Storia della lingua latina con Elementi di grammatica storica, Galatina, Congedo, 2022².
3) A. Cavarzere, A. De Vivo, P. Mastandrea, Letteratura latina. Una sintesi storica, Roma, Carocci, 2003, 2015².

Study support materials (slides, summary tables, short summary discussions, images, links to digital tools on the web, etc.) will be freely available in specific sections of the course's Moodle platform.

Learning assessment is done through a written test lasting 120 minutes.

The test includes a total of 10 questions aimed at verifying the expected learning outcomes.

The exam questions refer to the topics of the course: the history of the language on the diachronic axis from the pre-documentary phase to the threshold of the Middle Ages; the main aspects of the Latin linguistic system and its evolution towards Italian and the Romance languages; the history of Latin literature from its origins to the end of antiquity and the most significant literary genres, authors and works that have marked its development; the book supports and the tradition of literary texts during antiquity; the texts in the original language covered by the teachers during the course.

written

The lesson is traditional, frontal, and includes the illustration of the general characteristics of the linguistic evolution and literary history of Latin; the reading, translation and commentary of original passages taken from texts by Latin authors chosen by the teacher to introduce students to aspects and problems of synchronic and diachronic linguistic study.