The “Intermediate Latin II“ course aims at advancing the reading and language skills of students who have completed a year of Latin, by introducing them to one of the masterpieces of Latin literature, Apuleius’ Metamorphosis. We will focus on the translation and the grammatical, syntactical, but also cultural, analysis of one of the book’s most famous sub-narratives, The Tale of Cupid and Psyche. Approaching the story primarily from a linguistic perspective, the students will recognize language structures, analyze grammatical and syntactical forms, enrich their vocabulary, while practicing and advancing their skills in translation from Latin into English.

A complementary objective of “Intermediate Latin II” is to study the tale of Cupid and Psyche in its historical context. The students will evaluate elements found in the text as expressions of cultural, social and historical features of the Roman world. We will discuss the manifold information on practices, values and attitudes of the Roman orbis terrarium, which is embedded in the text, thus exploring the relationship between language and culture.