Course Name: “Reading Latin: Vergil, Caesar, and Livy + AP Prep”

Who: High school students with experience reading unadapted Latin texts

What: Reading and grammatical/textual analysis of Latin authors + Latin AP prep

When: Saturdays in January-February 2021

Calder Classics invites students in 9th through 12th grades  to join us for this online course where we focus on reading passages and analyzing grammar. Much of the material we cover is likely to be found on the Latin AP. Each day students read, translate, and discuss Latin literature in an interactive environment. Students will also gain valuable sight-reading experience. Our Latin readings include such influential Roman authors as Vergil, Caesar, and Livy. Given that participants join us from a variety of schools, we begin each class with a review of Latin grammar. We then analyze important texts from both a grammatical and literary perspective, engaging in such topics as the significance of rhetorical devices, meter, and intertextuality. At least one school year of reading original Latin texts is recommended.

Dates: Jan 9 - Feb 13, 2021.

Days: The class meets on Saturdays for six consecutive weeks.

Time: Each session is 2 hours, from 12-2 pm EDT.

Total Class Time: 12 hours.

Minimum Class Size: 5 students.

Faculty

Sarah Grover earned her B.A. in Comparative Literature from Brown University and her M.A. in Classics from NYU, where she focused on Latin and Greek literature. She has been teaching Latin, Ancient Greek, and Spanish at Riverdale Country School since 2007 and has led both middle and high school students on trips to Greece, Italy, Spain, France, and Peru. She loves the study of modern languages and enjoys speaking Italian. Sarah has led many Calder Classics programs in Rome in the summers and over Spring Break and recently developed an online Reading Latin course. Sarah has also taught Greek in Thessaloniki for Calder Classics.

Fees

$750 per 12-hour session

Where do our High School students come from? Check out this list of schools

Where do our alums go on to college? Check out this list of colleges

Testimonials for Calder Classics Online

I cannot thank Calder Classics enough for a splendid month this summer. I took two Reading Latin courses: Constructing Memory and Raise a Toast to Wining and Dining. They each offered something different but were equally fascinating. Even reading some of the same authors (Vergil, Catullus, Horace, Ovid) and looking at the same artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Vasari) brought new insights the second time around, since the theme of each class was well defined yet broad. The online format worked well, I thought--obviously, we’d all rather be in Florence, but in some ways meeting remotely increased the possibilities of what we could read and see. Actually, my art history teacher really was in Florence, and made a tremendous effort to immerse us in the culture, knowledge, and landscape around her. All of the teachers were more than willing to stay late or come early to class to make sure we, the students, felt fully confident about our translations and interpretations of the material at hand. I’ve been given a wonderful toolkit of terminology, literary, artistic, and historical; directions for dissecting relevant words, images, and ideas; and pure enthusiasm for reaching into corners of my mind and of the world I never knew existed. From these courses, I have learned how to critically engage with nonverbal as well as verbal information, and to try and find each within the other. So, I think I finally have an answer to the age-old question as to which is superior, art or literature: both!

My Calder Classics experience was amazing, my teacher was super nice and very helpful! I learned a lot about Augustan Rome and read many interesting authors. Although I wish we had been able to actually go to Rome, I really enjoyed my experience!

Calder Classics Rome in Absentia provided an informative and fun virtual experience where I was able to study Latin and pretend to travel to Rome right from my bedroom.

Absolutely wonderful. Calder makes the best poets from the Latin Golden Age incredibly accessible. Here you mingle with them and glimpses through their eyes.

I liked the diversity. Usually classics courses focus on one author, one work-- focusing on one theme is a great change of flavor.

I really enjoyed the Art History portion of the course which I have never taken before. It was really valuable to have a teacher who is actually in Florence and could (virtually) take us to certain places. It made not being in Italy slightly better. Despite all the pandemic obstacles in the way, Calder Classics was able to adapt and deliver an incredible online program that taught me so much!

This class was a great way to help me feel confident when reading and translating Latin.

Classes are very interactive and fun, great way to enjoy the summer with some people while learning at the same time!

I think that Calder Classics is a great program for over the summer. I was clearly learning and improving my Latin, but I had so much fun both with the reading materials and the art history classes we paired with our reading, that it never really felt like a class, it was just a fun way to learn more about the Latin language and surrounding culture!

Throughout my weeks with Calder Classics, I was able to experience a wide variety of classics related topics in an engaging and interesting way. The teachers and materials were amazing and definitely furthered my knowledge and interest in the classics moving forward.

“Calder Classics was everything that I expected it to be and more. We read from famous Roman leaders, historians and poets such as Livy, Caesar, and Cicero. I learned a lot by reading and analyzing these texts, and thanks to Sarah, I was able to improve my grammar dramatically. The other half of our days were spent with Dr. Crispin Corrado who led us around Rome. We visited many ancient sites, including Pompeii, the Circus Maximus, the Caracalla Baths, the Forum, and much more. Crispin’s expertise and maternal nature was integral to all of the knowledge I gained on this trip. In addition, I made many close friends - we already have organized a reunion in Rome in 10 years!!! Overall, this trip opened my eyes to how much I love Latin, and even more importantly learning! “ Nathaniel, student