This course has two distinct but generally compatible goals. It is designed to meet the formal requirements of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Latin Literature curriculum, and should allow students to take that exam with a reasonable expectation of success. As a piece of the larger Scholars Online Latin sequence, it also attempts to balance the presentation of the Vergil course, giving (generally) fifth-year students a chance to stretch their capacities and broaden the range of their reading.
I am currently working with the College Board to secure official recognition of this course as an official AP course, but until that is completed, I cannot advertise it as an AP class. The syllabus readers are somewhat backed up at this point, and it may yet take a few months before the process is completed. Students may take the AP Exam irrespective of whether the syllabus is officially recognized.
The College Board’s course definition requires that the student read:
I have chosen to work with the Catullus and the Horace, because they are the two giants of Latin lyric poetry; other rationales could support different selections, but this should adequately arm the student for the exam and also provide a rich literary experience.
Though we follow the College Board’s curriculum outline, and use materials prepared for AP courses, the decision to take the AP Exam as such is entirely up to the student. I do not believe that the AP Exam is itself a sufficient reason for spending a year on this material; it must justify itself if it is to be worthwhile. By the same token, those who elect to take the exam will need to make their own arrangements. If you choose to do so, you should check early with the College Board’s website, and make your payments early as well. Contact me if you need further information.
It should be apparent that advanced study at this level requires diligence and regular application; the pace and the nature of the material require maturity and discipline, and a very firm grounding in Latin fundamentals. Students who have come through Latin IV are eligible to sign up for this course without further ado; I would like to verify, however, that any other student is ready. I believe that this is to everyone’s net benefit: it’s not a pleasant thing to find oneself suddenly and vastly overwhelmed in a course like this. There are few opportunities to find one’s footing after the course is in progress. If you have not come through Latin IV, please contact me before enrolling, and we can try to determine whether your preparation will hold up under the circumstances.