Monthly Archives: March 2015

Questions Regarding Culture

This entry was posted in Feature Posts on by

I’ll throw a few questions out there for you readers regarding a matter over which I’ve been ruminating for a while — how we incorporate ancient culture and history into our language courses.  I eagerly anticipate your feedback.
 
How much of your curriculum is specifically focused on ancient culture?  How much class-time do you spend on these topics in relation to what you spend on vocabulary and grammar?
 
Do you spend more time on “culture” than on “history”?  Do you, for instance, spend more time exploring Roman food and clothing and holidays than the reigns of the Julio-Claudian emperors?
 
In a lower-level course, how closely do your culture units connect to what your students are reading in Latin?  Could the reading itself serve as the lesson, or is it somewhat tangential to what will be presented later?  Most of the textbooks with which I am familiar seem to take the latter approach, providing, for example, a brief reading on Roman clothing after a story in which a character simply puts on a toga.  If the Latin stories in the textbook do not adequately illustrate a cultural or historical topic which you consider essential, do you provide any auxiliary texts which would help your students learn more about it in the language?
 
How do you organize your culture lessons?  Do you adhere to the textbook’s presentation of these topics?  Does one lesson segue neatly into the next — moving from early education to weddings to funerals to the Underworld?
 
Is any attention given to other ancient cultures beside those of the Greeks and Romans — the Persians, or the Celts, or the Egyptians?

Announcements for March 1st

This entry was posted in Announcements on by

CANE

  • You can begin preregistering for the Annual Meeting in March. Details here.
  • The CANE Classical Calendar for the 2014-2015 school year is currently on sale for $8 on Amazon.

BEYOND CANE

 Ongoing

Certamina et Dies Classici et Eventus!

  • The Brookline Certamen is happening April 11. Register by March 23. Visit here for more information.
  • Registrations are now being accepted for this year’s summer programs organized by the Vergilian Society.  The details of these tours can be found here.

Conferences and Talks

  • The Department of Classics at Brown University will be hosting a lecture by David Levene (NYU), “Latin Historiography and the Distortions of Historicism,” on Tuesday, March 3 at 5:30pm in Rhode Island Hall, Room 108. A light reception will follow.
  • On November 6-7, 2015 the Department of Classics at Florida State University, Tallahassee, will host a Langford Conference on the topic:NARRATING LIVES: BIOGRAPHY AND IDENTITY IN ANTIQUITYParticipants and topics covered will include:
    Prof. Cynthia Damon (University of Pennsylvania): Suetonius
    Dr Flore Kimmel-Clauzet (Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3): Greek poetic biography
    Prof. Federicomaria Muccioli (Università di Bologna): Ruler cult and ancient biography
    Prof. Stefan Schorn (KU Leuven): Nicolaus of Damascus
    Prof. Rex Stem (University of California, Davis): Cornelius Nepos
    Dr Alexei V. Zadorozhnyi (University of Liverpool): PlutarchWe invite junior faculty to submit brief proposals (300 words) for 20 minute supplementary papers. The department will be able to provide two nights of hotel accommodation and meals for those whose proposals are accepted.The Langford Seminars and Conferences have been regular events at Florida State University for over two decades. Among the contents of PLLS volumes 11-15 are revised papers first presented at these events.
    Papers presented at the Langford Conference of November 2015 will (after revision) be considered for inclusion in PLLS 17.For further information about previous Langford events, go to:
    http://classics.fsu.edu/About-the-Department/Langford-Endowment/Langford-Conferences- Archive/Previous-Langford-ConferencesFor further information about PLLS go to: http://classics.fsu.edu/About-the-Department/PLLSFrancis Cairns fcairns@fsu.edu Trevor Luke tluke@fsu.edu

Meetups

  • Live in western MA or northern CT and want to practice speaking in Latin? There is a large group that meets weekly in Amherst! For details, contact TJ Howell.
  • In the Boston area? Check out the Active Latin Meetup page for events.

Jobs

  • See our new Jobs page for details.

Funding and Professional Development

  • Fellowships and grants are being offered through the ASCSA for graduate and postgraduate travel for the 2015-2016 school year. A few remain with spring deadlines.
  • The Society for Classical Studies (SCS) wants teachers of classics to be aware of the following programs that are intended to contribute to their professional development and the success of their students.  Click on the relevant URL below to see a full description of each program and detailed instructions for submitting applications.  The Coffin Fellowship is funded by an endowment established by former students of David D. and Rosemary H. Coffin.  The Pedagogy and Zeph Stewart Latin Teacher Training Awards are supported by income from the Society’s Gateway Endowment for Classics Research and Teaching.
    • Pedagogy Awards 
      http://apaclassics.org/awards-and-fellowships/2013/2013-pedagogy-award
      These awards are open to both collegiate and precollegiate teachers of classics. SCS membership is not required. The amount of funding available ranges from $500 to $2,500.  Possible projects include, but are not limited to, the following: attendance at a professional conference, purchase of teaching materials, study abroad.  Projects that received funding in 2013 and 2014 are described briefly at the URL above.  Deadline: March 2, 2015.