A basic knowledge of Latin is desirable.
Lecture. Attendance is strongly recommended. Virtual learning environments will be used to distribute/share teaching materials.
The exam, which is oral and graded on a scale of 30, assesses knowledge of both the institutional and monographic parts of the course.
Non-attending students should follow the syllabus and are also invited to contact the teacher (vito.lorusso@unior.it) to check whether the program can be adapted to their educational background.
The student's assessment will take into account their knowledge of the topics and basic elements of the Latin language, their language skills, their ability to express themselves and argue their point, their level of involvement and participation during the course, as well as their actual achievement of the learning objectives and outcomes as indicated above.
Depending on the student's interests, during the course there may be opportunities to assess the achievement of learning objectives and outcomes through seminar-style activities to be agreed with the teacher. These activities may consist of preparing a passage for the monographic section or presenting an essay to the class, and will contribute to the final assessment.
Erasmus students may freely choose to express themselves during the exam in Italian or in English.
For the monographic section: Pliny the Elder. History of Ancient Arts. Introduction by M. Harari. Edited by S. Ferri, Milan: BUR 2021 (or subsequent editions).
For the institutional part: The history of literature can be studied in Chapter 4 (“History of Latin Literature,” pp. 223-354) of Introduzione alla filologia latina, edited by F. Graf, Rome: Salerno Editrice 2003, but only in relation to the genres, authors, and periods presented in class. Alternatively, it can be studied from the textbooks used in high schools, e.g., G. B. Conte / E. Pianezzola, Il lungo studio e ’l grande amore. Lezioni di letteratura latina, 3 volumi, Mondadori Education / Le Monnier Scuola 2025, but again only in relation to what is presented in class.
Additional bibliography will be indicated, if necessary, during the lessons.
Monographic section: “My admiration for the Ancients grows within me” (Pliny, Natural History 27.1): The history of the arts by Pliny the Elder.
There will be a reading of excerpts from books 33-36 of Pliny the Elder's Natural History (23/24-79 AD) on artistic techniques and the history of Greek art.
Institutional part: History of Latin literature, by genres and authors, from its origins to the Antonine period.
Italian
Additional expected learning outcomes:
