Programs

The institute offers four programs: basic programs in Latin and Greek (both offered in person every summer) and either Upper Latin (online) or Upper Greek (in person), which rotate every summer.

The basic programs of the Latin/Greek Institute enable students with no previous training in either language to cover the material normally included in four to six semesters of college-level Latin or Greek in 10 weeks of instruction. The textbooks for the basic programs—Moreland and Fleischer’s Latin: An Intensive Course and Hansen and Quinn’s Greek: An Intensive Course—were developed specifically for the institute and are now widely used in college classrooms across the country. Every hour of each of the 50 instructional days has been carefully planned to give students, by the end of the 10th week, both a firm knowledge of the fundamentals of Latin or Greek and substantial experience in the close reading of original texts. Previous students who have completed the program with a grade of B or better regularly pass graduate departmental translation examinations and have performed successfully in senior-level and graduate-level reading courses.

In the Upper-level Programs, the emphasis is on reading a substantial body of literature at a high level of grammatical precision. These programs are just as demanding as the Basic Programs and require the same level of commitment and focus.

The work of the institute is extremely demanding, with the equivalent of one week’s material in a normal college setting covered each day. Daily attendance is required and nightly assignments are substantial. Classes begin at 9:30 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, with only a short break for lunch. Daily quizzes and weekly examinations help students continually to assess their progress. Optional review sessions are conducted throughout the week for students who seek extra help.

The hallmark of the institute is the total commitment of both faculty and students. Each student has a faculty adviser, but students may call on any faculty member at any time for help. Each year before the institute begins, the faculty spend several weeks pre-teaching the material to each other to ensure that we are completely consistent in our understanding and communication with students. Our classrooms are open, to both faculty who observe each other’s classes and visitors from all over.

Many students of previous institutes have found the work the most demanding of their academic careers but also the most rewarding.

Twelve undergraduate credits can be earned in either language of the Basic Programs through Brooklyn College. Eight undergraduate credits can be earned in either language of the Upper-level Programs.

Program Offerings

Application Deadline

Application deadline for all summer 2023 programs is March 31, 2023 (March 10 for students requiring a Brooklyn College-sponsored international student visa).

Basic Program in Latin

June 12-August 22, 2023, In Person

In the first five weeks of the summer, students work through the entirety of Moreland and Fleischer’s Latin: An Intensive Course, while completing short readings, extensive drills, and prose composition assignments. These readings quickly progress from textbook sentences to literary texts; for example, students read their first Latin poem (Catullus 13) on day 9.

In the second half of the course, students read longer texts in the morning and selections from major poets and prose authors in the afternoon. They also have two opportunities each day for additional readings at sight. Core texts in the basic Latin program include Cicero’s first Oration Against Catiline, Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae, and the fourth book of Vergil’s Aeneid. Supplementary lectures (e.g., on textual criticism, the history of the Latin language) provide further enrichment. The program concludes with a two-week elective in which students choose an author to read and analyze in even greater depth.

Latin Institute

Required of all students.

  • Classical Prose: Cicero and Sallust—A close translation and comparative examination of the syntax, style, and rhetoric of Cicero’s complete First Oration Against Catiline and of selections from Sallust’s The Conspiracy of Catiline.
  • Augustan Epic: Vergil—Book IV of The Aeneid is read in its entirety with a view toward an appreciation of Vergilian style and poetic technique.
  • Survey of Latin Literature—Lectures and discussions on the development of Latin prose and poetry from Livius Andronicus through the Silver Age and into the medieval period and the Renaissance. Representative passages are translated and analyzed.
  • Latin Prose Composition—Simple and complex English sentences are translated into Latin with a threefold purpose: 1) to review basic rules of syntax, 2) to expand knowledge of Latin syntax by applying basic rules previously learned to more intricate constructions, and 3) to call attention to matters of word order, style, and prose rhythm in order to create a sensitive response to the art of Latin prose.
  • Classical Lyric Poetry—Selections from the four books of Horace’s Odes are read and analyzed in terms of themes, language, and metrics.

Latin Institute Electives

Each student will choose one two-week mini-course (18 class hours). A minimum of three of the following will be offered.

  • Augustan Epic—Ovid’s Metamorphoses
  • Pastoral Poetry—Vergil’s Eclogues
  • Philosophical Epic—Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura
  • Religious Autobiography—Augustine’s Confessions
  • Roman Elegy—Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid
  • Roman Historiography—Tacitus or Livy
  • Satirical Prose Fiction—Petronius’ Satyricon

Apply now to the Basic Latin program

Basic Program in Greek

June 12-August 22, 2023, In Person

In the first six weeks of the summer, students work through the entirety of Hansen and Quinn’s Greek: An Intensive Course. During this time, students master the forms and syntax of the language while reading relatively simple selections of unadapted prose and poetry.

In the final four weeks of the course, students read longer texts in the morning and, in the afternoon, survey major authors and genres ranging from the Archaic through the Hellenistic periods. They also have two opportunities each day for additional readings at sight. Core texts in the basic Greek program include Plato’s Ion and Euripides’ Medea. Supplementary lectures (e.g., on textual criticism, the history of the Greek language, meter, rhetoric) provide further enrichment. The program concludes with a two-week elective in which students choose an author to read and analyze in even greater depth.

Greek Institute

Required of all students.

  • Attic Prose: Plato—A close translation and examination of the syntax, style, and rhetoric of Plato’s Ion.
  • Survey of Greek Prose and Poetry—Representative selections of Greek prose and poetry of the Archaic and classical periods will be studied with emphasis on rhetoric, metrics, the development of style and dialectical differences.
  • Greek Tragedy: Euripides—Extensive selections from Euripides’ Medea are read with a view toward an appreciation of Euripides’ style, rhetoric, meter, and poetic technique.
  • Greek Prose Composition—Simple and complex English sentences are translated into Greek with a threefold purpose: 1) to review basic rules of syntax, 2) to expand knowledge of Greek syntax by applying basic rules previously learned to more intricate constructions, and 3) to call attention to matters of word order, style, and prose rhythm in order to create a sensitive response to the art of Greek prose.

Greek Institute Electives

Each student will choose one two-week mini-course (18 class hours). A minimum of three of the following will be offered.

  • Greek Epic—Homer
  • Greek Historiography—Thucydides
  • Greek Philosophy—Aristotle
  • New Testament Greek—Selections from one of the Gospels

Apply now to the Basic Greek program

Upper-Level Program in Latin

June 26-August 14, 2023, Online

In the Upper-Level programs, students apply the same rigorous emphasis on morphology and syntax that characterizes the Basic programs to reading an ambitious list of ancient texts. These programs are just as—if not more—demanding than the Basic programs and require the same level of commitment and focus. These courses are designed for qualified students who have completed the basic program in Latin plus additional upper-level work in the language, or at one year (two semesters) of college-level Latin. The emphasis is on reading a substantial body of literature at a high level of grammatical precision.

Classes meet Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (via Zoom, Slack, and Blackboard when remote).

The Upper-Level programs, like the Basic ones, are team-taught, and students have 24-hour access to faculty. There are substantial nightly assignments. The work of the programs is extremely demanding, with the equivalent of one week’s material in a normal college setting covered each day. No one should enroll who has any other commitment for the summer. Daily attendance is required.

Eight undergraduate credits can be earned through Brooklyn College. Whether or not these credits can be applied elsewhere is the decision of authorities at the student’s home school.

Students will be provided with access to course materials, as well as a list of required texts, upon admission to the program.

Upper-Level Latin

Works to be read will include the following, with additional selections to be read at sight.

  • Caesar—De Bello Gallico
  • Cicero—Somnium Scipionis
  • Seneca—Apocolocyntosis, Thyestes
  • Augustine—Confessions
  • Suetonius—Da Vita Caesarum
  • Vergil—Aeneid

Apply now to the Upper-Level Latin program

Upper-Level Program in Greek

Program slated to be offered in a future summer.

In the Upper-Level programs, students apply the same rigorous emphasis on morphology and syntax that characterizes the Basic programs to reading an ambitious list of ancient texts. These programs are just as—if not more—demanding than the Basic programs and require the same level of commitment and focus. These courses are designed for qualified students who have completed the basic program in Greek plus additional upper-level work in the language, or at least two years (four semesters) of college-level Greek. The emphasis is on reading a substantial body of literature at a high level of grammatical precision.

The Upper-Level programs run for seven weeks: during the first week, students intensively review basic morphology and syntax. For the remaining six weeks, the greatest effort is directed toward translating and analyzing texts. Daily quizzes, special tutorials, and frequent drills are included. The large amount of reading is enriched by regular prose composition exercises. Throughout, there is emphasis on aspects of criticism that derive from a linguistic analysis of a text and that cannot be appreciated from a translation. We welcome students of all levels: undergraduate and graduate, students from nontraditional backgrounds, and advanced high school students. This is not for the faint of heart! If you think that you may be a good fit for the program, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Classes meet Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT. When the course is offered remotely, class will meet via Zoom, and a working camera is required. Students may be required to sign up for additional services such as Dropbox. Some assignments will require a working Greek keyboard, and faculty will be available for technical support prior to the start of the course. Please see the FAQ for additional information.

The Upper-Level programs, like the Basic ones, are team-taught, and students have 24-hour access to faculty. There are substantial nightly assignments. The work of the programs is extremely demanding, with the equivalent of one week’s material in a normal college setting covered each day. No one should enroll who has any other commitment for the summer. Daily attendance is required.

Eight undergraduate credits can be earned through Brooklyn College. Whether or not these credits can be applied elsewhere is the decision of authorities at the student’s home school.

Students will be provided with access to course materials, as well as a list of required texts, upon admission to the program.

Upper-Level Greek

Course readings include rhetorical prose, drama, history, and a Platonic dialogue as well as additional selections to be read at sight. The curriculum may include:

  • Xenophon—Apology
  • Lysias 1—On the Murder of Eratosthenes
  • Plato—Phaedrus
  • Sophocles—Ajax
  • Thucydides—Book 2.1-65

Brooklyn. All in.

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